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Beyond the Search for Truth: Dewey's Humble and Humanistic Vision of Science Education
Author(s) -
Waddington David I.,
Weeth Feinstein Noah
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
educational theory
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.21
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1741-5446
pISSN - 0013-2004
DOI - 10.1111/edth.12157
Subject(s) - instrumentalism , humanism , science education , epistemology , nature of science , curriculum , sociology , science, technology, society and environment education , philosophy , pedagogy , theology
In this essay, David Waddington and Noah Weeth Feinstein explore how Dewey's conception of science can help us rethink the way science is done in schools. The authors begin by contrasting a view of science that is implicitly accepted by many scientists and science educators — science as a search for truth — with Dewey's instrumentalist, technological, and nonrealist conception of science. After demonstrating that the search‐for‐truth conception is closely linked to some ongoing difficulties with science curricula that students find particularly alienating, they then analyze some of the educational opportunities that Dewey's vision opens up. Ultimately, Waddington and Weeth Feinstein argue that Dewey offers a humble and humanistic vision of science and science education practice that captures the power of science by connecting it clearly to everyday human activities and challenges.