Philosophical Reflection on the Relationship of Educational Theory and Practice in the Postmodern Age

Shen-Keng Yang

《中正教育研究》 2卷1期 (2003/04) Pp. 1-20

https://doi.org/10.6357/CCES.200204.0001

摘要

本文旨在探討後現代社會中的教育理論與實踐關係。為對此問題作深入分析，本文首就啟蒙運動重要教育科學理論奠基者1. Kant和E. C. Trapp之教育科學理論加以評論。繼而分析繼承啟蒙傳統之經驗分析教育科學對於因果說明、預測及應用之邏輯結構有錯誤的理解，以致誤以為理論之於實踐即為技術之應用。後現代社會中，理論被眨為足以妨礙個體發展之巨型敘述。理論的演化被視為持繼的新語言之創造，產生多元、紛歧的迷你敘述(mini-narrations)。然而，不同的迷你敘述在教育實踐上均導向具體真實自我的實現。因此，後現代社會中，不同敘述雖未必有共同的基礎，但均共同構成了動態的教育知識的一環，用以改善教育實踐，有裨於具體的個人幸福之追求。

關鍵字

教育理論 ； 教育實踐 ； 後現代主義

並列摘要

The proposed paper will address itself to the changing relationship between educational theory and practice in response to the challenge of postmodernism.
The formulation of universal theoretical framework to distinct universalia from accidentia both in physical and social world can be traced to the legacy of the Enlightenment. For the philosophers of Enlightenment, the whole world is nothing but a mechanical mathematical structure. Thus the events of the world can be explained, predicted and even controlled by a universal law. Cartesian mathesis universalis and Leibnitzian characteristica universalica represent the scientific ideal of the Enlightenment.
The rise of modern social sciences began with the need to understand modernization following the Enlightenment ideals for transforming society. Prediction and control of social development were called for the transformation of society. The rigorous scientific theory was thus required within the context of social modernization.
Within the larger context of social modernization resulted from the Enlightenment, there arose a need to establish rational educational science for predicting the changes of humanity, fully developing human perfectibility and thus creating a world better to live. Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) and Ernst Chritian Trapp (1745-1818) were two prominent representatives of the trend towards exact and precise educational science that, analogously to physical sciences, could offer universally valid educational knowledge.
The Enlightenment scientific ideal was brought by the educational positivists in 1960's to an extreme, where the quantitative data were used to test rigorously the hypothesis and to formulate nomological theory for the prediction of educational development. Once the rigorous theory was established, it would be served as a scientific basis for identifying the one best policy and practice for all contexts. Educational practice in such a circumstance would be degenerated into technique neglecting the reflection and choice of the subject resonanting the situational changes. constitution of those things that flow upon(the body) and impinge upon it, as ancient Greek philosopher Democritus (Diels & Kranz, 1956, 68 Dem. B9) would say. The universality of knowledge claim and ahistorical epistemological foundation are refuted by postmodernists. An intensive awareness of the significance of language, discourse and socio-cultural locatedness has been arising in the making of any knowledge-claim. As J. -F. Lyotard (1984) properly observes, ”for the last forty years the «leading» sciences and technologies have had to do with language and scientific knowledge has been nothing but a kind of discourse in addition to, and in competition and conflict with another kind of knowledge-narrative knowledge”. Thus scientific knowledge has lost its monopolistic legitimation authority.
If the reality is questioned and knowledge ligitimation is floating as a myriad of meaning changes, how can an avowed universally, or at least generally, valid educational theory be set up to regulate educational practice? Education is, as R. Usher and R. Edwards (1994: 24) correctly observe, ”very much the dutiful child of the Enlightenment and, as such, tends to uncritically accept a set of assumptions deriving from Enlightenment thought.” For the philosophers of Enlightenment, the whole world is nothing but a mechanical mathematical structure. Thus the events of the world can be explained, predicted and even controlled by a universal law. Cartesian mathesis universalis and Leibnitzian characteristica universalica represent the scientific ideal of the Enlightenment.
The rise of modern social sciences began, as Hollinger (1994: 3) observes, with the need to understand the social and cultural transformation, specifically of modernization, following the Enlightenment ideal of perfecting social development. Within the larger context of social modernization resulted from the Enlightenment, there arose a need to establish rational educational science for predicting the changes of humanity, fully developing human perfectibility and thus creating a world better to live. Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) and Ernst Christian Trapp (1745-1818) were two prominent representatives of the trend towards exact and precise educational science that, analogously to physical sciences, could offer universally valid educational knowledge.
The Enlightenment scientific ideal was brought by educational posititivists in the 1960s to an extreme, where the quantitative data were used to test rigorously the hypothesis and to formulate nomological theory for the prediction of educational development. Once the rigorous theory was established, it would be served as a scientific basis for identifying the one best policy and practice for all contexts. Educational practice in such a circumstance would be degenerated into technique neglecting the reflection and choice of the subject resonanting the situational changes.
The process of modernization in the western world since the Enlightenment reached its zenith in the last few decades. The abstract nomologocal theories based on western rational logic and experience have been universalized to such an extreme that postmodern decentralism, aestheticism, pluralism have been disseminated in response to modern logocentrism, eurocentrism and totalianism in scientific discourse.
Under the impacts of postmodern anti-foundationalism, epistemological pluralism and logic of merchantile and performativity, the relationship between educational theory and practice should be reevaluated to determine what kinds of knowledge are appropriate to actualize educational objectives with a view to emancipating humanity from inner and exterior domination and thus leading to the realization of authentic self. This paper aderesses itself to this debatable issue facing the dialectical confrontation and synthesis of modernity and postmodernity.
Educational Theory and Practice of the Enlightment Legacy Education was deemed as worthy vehicle by the Enlightenment philosophers to substantiate and realize the ideals of critical reason, humanistic individual freedom and benevolent progress of that time. Towards actualizing these ideals, the establishment of rational educational science was thought essential to investigate suitable educational methods (H. Blankertz, 1982: 28-29).
1. Kant (1804: 444), as an heir of the Enlightenment, proposed first: The mechanism of educational art must be transformed into a kind of
The process of modernization in the western world since the Enlightenment reached its zenith in the last few decades. The abstract nomological theories based on western rationalistic logic and experience have been universalized to such an extreme that postmodern decentralism, aestheticism, pluralism have been disseminated in response to modern logocentrism, eurocentrism and totalitarianism in scientific discourse.
Under the impacts of postmodern incredulity to the totalizing metanarrtives pluralistic stance, and logic of merchantile and performativity, the relationship between educational theory and practice should be reevaluated to determine what kinds of knowledge are appropriate to actualize educational objectives with a view to emancipating humanity from inner and exterior domination and thus leading to the realization of authentic self.

並列關鍵字

Educational Theory ； Educational Practice ； Postmodernism

參考文獻

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