Positivist and constructivist persuasions in instructional development

Constructivism has been an influential theoretical persuasion in recent years in the field of instructional design and development. Yet the theoretical tenets and applications of constructivism in instructional development (ID) have been often discussed outside the context of the long-standing paradigmatic pursuits from which constructivism stems. Efforts to continue an intellectual journey, exploring how different theoretical bases lead to different implications for ID, must be based on a clear understanding of different paradigms. Hence, constructivism is discussed here in the context of the underlying paradigm debate involving the old positivist paradigm and the new constructivist paradigm. This article explores how these different paradigms have shaped different theories and practices in ID. Specifically, three versions of constructivism and how they have influenced ID are critically examined. Finally, it is recommended that the two paradigms, positivism and constructivism, can be applied in a complementary way in ID.

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