Underdetermination, Assemblage Studies and Educational Technology: Rethinking Causality and Re-Energising Politics

Autor/in	Perrotta, Carlo
Titel	Underdetermination, Assemblage Studies and Educational Technology: Rethinking Causality and Re-Energising Politics
Quelle	In: Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research, 10 (2021) 1, S.43-56 (14 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Perrotta, Carlo)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2254-7339
Schlagwörter	Educational Technology; Technology Uses in Education; Educational Research; Science and Society; Epistemology; Cultural Influences; Social Influences; Evidence; Experience; Social Science Research; Political Issues; Social Bias + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Unterrichtsmedien; Technology enhanced learning; Technology aided learning; Technologieunterstütztes Lernen; Bildungsforschung; Pädagogische Forschung; Erkenntnistheorie; Cultural influence; Kultureinfluss; Sozialer Einfluss; Evidenz; Erfahrung; Social scientific research; Sozialwissenschaftliche Forschung; Politischer Faktor
Abstract	This article examines underdetermination as a key theoretical assumption in an emerging body of educational research. Underdetermination is described as a broad philosophical position that assumes that social, scientific and technological phenomena cannot be reduced to linear relationships between antecedents and consequences, for instance through the canonical progression from scientific hypotheses to experimentation and then empirical truths. Rather, phenomena are underdetermined by constellations of social and material influences that make the choice of univocal explanations problematic. The principle of underdetermination is implicit in a recent strand of educational research that critiques orthodox interpretations of scientific practices, innovation processes and policy dynamics, recasting them as social, material and political "assemblages". In the article, I analyse the philosophical and epistemological tenets of underdetermination, in order to clarify its nature as a "first principle" in this emerging body of research. By doing so, the article brings into view a broader theoretical debate that has great bearing on future research efforts. The article critically considers the continued theoretical relevance of underdetermination, whilst acknowledging critical arguments mounted against it, namely ontological relativism and political weakness. Some supplementing theoretical ideas are explored in the conclusion. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	University of Alicante. Carretera San Vincente del Raspeig, Alicante, 03690, Spain. Tel: +34-96-590-3721; Fax: +35-96-590-3464; e-mail: editor.naerjournal@ua.es; Web site: https://naerjournal.ua.es
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01