A Critical Analysis of Epistemological and Ontological Assumptions in Constructivism

Abstract

This chapter presents critical insights into the epistemological and ontological assumptions in constructivism in education contexts. This diverges from the epistemological and ontological notions of the philosophical concept of realism. Constructivism discards the traditional epistemology that operates on mind-independent reality. In examining this area, two distinct constructivisms are apparent to straddle an epistemological divide. For social constructivists, constructivism emphasizes students' role in being collaboratively involved in the situation or methodology to generate a conceptual change with genuine peripheral to full social participation using static scaffolds. Hence, being socially mitigated with minimal probing of epistemic authorities. For radical constructivists, constructivism stresses students' role to be individually engaged in epistemic discussions by means of the provision of dynamic scaffolds. So, be able to actively and personally build reality as well as substantiate knowledge assertions with the maximal probing of epistemic authorities.