Realism, constructivism

Constructivism is linked to the philosophical-epistemological theory of (scientific) relativism or empiricism, which is in contrast to another theory, that of (scientific) realism or objectivism or positivism. Realists believe logical analysis applied to objective observations can be used to discover the truth about the world we live in. Relativists accept the existence of a real world, but question whether this world is knowable . They note that observations, and the choice of observations to be made, are influenced by the beliefs, theories, hypotheses, and background of the individual who makes them (6). Realism and empiricism must be considered as two extremes on a continuum. It is certain that in its early years (surely until, say, the beginning of the twentieth century), science was closer to relativism, but as time passed, we came closer to a realist state. Note that are there are those who argue that philosophical and educational constructivisms are intertwined (15, 16), and those who are against (IT) and critical (18) of the way these philosophical theories are linked to education theories. 

Educational constructivism extended the realism-empiricism dichotomy into how individuals learn, and assumed two main forms (19) (i) personal constructivism, which is associated with Piaget (5) and (ii) social-cultural constructivism which is linked to Vygotsky. Piagetian constructivism is associated with an idealized person (the epistemic subject ). On die other hand, according to Vygotsky (20), the learner constructs actively his/her knowledge, but this process is greatly assisted by interactions with peers and with the teacher who acts at the students zone of proximal development. 

Young, M. F. D. (2008). Bringing knowledge back in from social constructivism to social realism in the sociology of education. London Routledge. 

Shrader-Frechette (1991) advocates a middle-way between realism and constructivism which she terms scientific proceduralism . Its rationale is based on three premises (i) explanatory power as tested by prediction, (ii) naturalistic approach to theory choice and (iii) testing the predictive and explanatory power... 

Keywords constructivism relativism chemical education Science Wars realism... 

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