Rediscovering Post-modern perspectives in IT: Deconstructing Voithofer and Foley

Solomon, David L.

doi:10.1007/bf02504958

Cited by 6 publications

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“…The postmodern objection is that conventional research and development in IDT, driven by its behavioral science roots, has been concerned primarily with ''the use of precision-based methods, measurement, replicability, predictability and order'' (Solomon 2000, p. 5). This stance is understandable given that a primary source of the postmodernism perspective is critical theory (Alvesson and Deetz 1996;Solomon 2000Solomon , 2002. Briefly, critical theory maintains that since science is an inherently social process, in which egos and ideologies frequently overcome rational thought, it must be riddled with nontheoretical interests.…”

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“…207-210) conclude that existing social norms and relations of power between researchers and students were cloaked in a discourse of value-neutral technology, the discourse itself skewed by modernist visions of progress held by the researchers. Consequently, postmodernists question whether rational science alone is sufficient to offer the best path to scientific knowledge in IDT (Solomon 2000(Solomon , 2002.…”

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“…An acceptance of a (radically) constructivistic epistemology Drawing from their assumptions on the importance of pluralism and language, and the notions of truth and self, the intent of the postmodern agenda is to replace monolithic, grand narratives contrived by education scientists with multiple, alternative perspectives that are granted permission to coexist Solomon 2000Solomon , 2002. This notion of the possibility of subjective interpretation is clearly a byproduct of the relationship postmodernism has to postructuralism.…”

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“…From the poststructuralist viewpoint, there is no authoritative, foundational truth that we can come to know. On the contrary, each individual constructs his or her own knowledge of the world and thus any one construction should be permitted to coexist with any other (Solomon 2000(Solomon , 2002. From one instructional technologist's perspective (Hay 1994, p. 23), this situation has resulted in three crises in educational theory and practice.…”

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“…In many instances, the methodology follows closely that of discourse analysis (Gee 1999) but with a particular predilection to reveal the inadequacies of 'modernity'. The essence of the methodology is based on the assumption that since science and knowledge are primarily mediated by language, and foundations upon which to ground any one perspective no longer exist, endless interpretation is appropriate and encouraged (Solomon 2000(Solomon , 2002. As an example of this deconstructive interpretation, De Vaney attempts to illustrate how contemporary educational technologists, driven by modernist prerogatives, have ignored gender, race, and class differences to construct a subject malleable to software and media that are to varying degrees overtly materialistic, narcissistic, sexist, and hedonistic (1998, p. 77).…”

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A critical-realist response to the postmodern agenda in instructional design and technology: a way forward

Evans

2011

Education Tech Research Dev

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Although providing an invigorating foundation for instructional design and technology theory and research, the postmodern agenda would benefit from clearer articulation and further refinement of ontological, epistemological, and methodological positions. Consequently, we reveal possible weaknesses in the radically constructivist-inspired position and, in the spirit of scholarly dialogue, counter with a critical-realist perspective that presents a potentially more innovative and defensible approach to the discovery of scientific knowledge about teaching and learning infused with technology. Without doubt, we concur with postmodernists that issues of agency, identity, race, gender and ethnicity must be addressed and given a central position in instructional design and technology research and practice. Under the critical-realist designator, case study, ethnographic, artsbased, and phenomenological methodologies are appropriate and can co-exist. Our point of distinction is that as a scientific venture, instructional design and technology as a discipline must be more public and transparent in warrants, claims and discourse for proposed change to take place. We conclude by indicating future lines of inquiry inspired by the criticalrealist perspective, detailing topics in technology integration and digital games.Keywords Critical-realism Á Epistemology Á Instructional design and technology Á Methodology Á Scientific claims Á Postmodernism For close to two decades a steady stream of work that promotes a postmodern posture has infiltrated instructional design and technology (IDT) literature on theory and research (Bryson and De

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