Implications / 188
This comment calls into question the paradigm of inquiry and, ultimately,
epistemological considerations (see page 16).
Teachers in underdeveloped countries are being educated on the basis of
theories constructed in different socio-ħistorical contexts. These
theories are, at best, adapted to suit local conditions (e.g. cross-
cultural Piagetian studies). Vhile some theories may fit better than
others, locally-generated theories will not necessarily be more valid
b^ause of their cultural relevance. Vhat is to be questioned is the axiom
that the alm of research and inquiry is to develop a body of knowledge
in the form of generalizations that are statements of truth beyond time
and context <a 'nomothetic' body of knowledge, see Annex 12). This axiom
still informs much research in affluent countries, even if minor
theoretical adjustments are introduced to allow for local flavour; and an
area where it is most crudely applied is teacher education in
underdeveloped countries, where it operates at various levels:
- teachers trainees must conceptualize and study how their children
learn, think, talk etc. using theories elaborated in other contexts;
- they can introduce local adaptations and sometimes question their
explanatory power, but they must accept the axiom of generalizability,
presented as a main tenet of Science and Scientific Research, which
goes beyond ideologies and theories;
- they are then taught to apply knowledge from psychology, sociology,
linguistics etc. to the educational process in ways that are consonant
with those theories and therefore biased in favour of certain
outcomes;
- the most likely conclusion of all this is that teachers convince them-
selves that they could never participate in innovation and research.
Vhile the positivist paradigm of inquiry and the corresponding conception
of science are being questioned in affluent countries, spin-offs of
obsolete theories continue to be sold in underdeveloped countries, to
staff in Universities, Curriculum Centres and Ministries of Education, who
are under too many pressures to be able to decide whose 'ways of talking'
are worth listening to.