Topic 6 Synthesis of Foundations of Educational Research

1. Topic 6Synthesis of Foundations of Educational Research 北京师范大学研究生课程 教育研究的基础：方法论、知识论及本体论

2. The complexity of the social reality: In light of the ontological characterization of the social reality stipulated by the critical realists and new institutionalists, social and educational researchers are now in a better position to clarify the objects of study confronting them. The features of the social reality may be summarized as follows Synthesis of the Foundations of Social Educational Research

3. The complexity of the social reality: The primary object of study in social and educational research is human agent. They are endowed with capacities of meaning creating and understanding, intentional planning and will of carrying out their plans to the ends. These human agents also endowed with the capacities to work cooperatively and concertedly to fulfill collectively recognized goals. They are able to typify, habitualize, routinize, objectivate, crystalize and institutionalize their concerted efforts into standardized and formalized “rules of the game” known as “institution”(North, 1990, P. 3) Synthesis of the Foundations of Social Educational Research

4. The complexity of the social reality: Based on the conceptions of social institution human social interactions are then construed to have possessed the features of regularity, persistence, continuity, and commonality or even universality across space and time. As a result, these features can be studied with statistical-positivistic methods with the objectives of obtaining valid and reliable law-like conclusions and predictions. Synthesis of the Foundations of Social Educational Research

5. The complexity of the social reality: It must be emphasized immediately that these “law-like” and predictable results are in essence different from those attained in natural-scientific researches. The degrees of universality across space and permanence over time of the results produced in social sciences are not as nomological as those in natural sciences. That is because, in ontological terms, social institutions Synthesis of the Foundations of Social Educational Research

6. The complexity of the social reality: ….That is because, in ontological terms, social institutions are context-dependent, that is the institutional features constituted are “conditioned” by the social-cultural, geo-political, and epochal contexts under which these features are constituted. transformable by human actions, that is though these institutional features are enduring over time, they can be changed by transformation or revolution by human efforts. Synthesis of the Foundations of Social Educational Research

7. The complexity of the social reality: ….. However of course, as Karl Marx reminded us, “Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past. The tradition of all dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brains of the living” (in The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte, 1852) Synthesis of the Foundations of Social Educational Research

8. The complexity of the social reality: These conditionally transformational and “emancipatable” features of social reality have triggered the theoretical movement of “critical social science” (Habermas, 1971; and 1987). These research tradition as a whole believes that social realities are embodied with biased power hypostatization and distorted ideological hegemony. As a result, social and educational researchers are obliged not only to reveal the meanings embedded in human interactions and the regularities manifested in social institutions, but also to critically assess that plausible biases and distortions embodied in social reality. Synthesis of the Foundations of Social Educational Research

9. The diversity of epistemological perspectives: Given such a complexity found in social and educational reality, the theories of knowledge that could help and guide social and educational researchers are by definition multiple in natures. Synthesis of the Foundations of Social Educational Research

10. The diversity of epistemological perspectives: Aims and “interest” of knowledge: The general aims and specific objectives of attaining knowledge, or in Habermas terms knowledge-constitutive interest, can therefore be differentiated into to work and to control under the principle of efficacy, to understand or even to agree under the principle of communicative rationality, and to emancipate under the principle normative reasons and reasonableness. Synthesis of the Foundations of Social Educational Research

11. The diversity of epistemological perspectives: Forms and substances of beliefs to be justified: Accordingly, the beliefs or subject matters to be enquired and tested may appear in the following formats empirical/logical propositions, which can be verified or falsified with empirical data and/or logical procedures; meaning manifestations and representations, which can be interpreted, communicated and reciprocally understood in order to reach consensus; and biased power relationships and distorted ideological hegemony, which can be explanatory criticized and possibly rectified and emancipated. Synthesis of the Foundations of Social Educational Research

12. The diversity of epistemological perspectives: Conceptions of truth: The different types of beliefs will then be justified against the three different conceptions of truth and their respective principles. They are the objective truth based on the correspondence principle between propositions and empirical facts; the practical truth based on the principle of communicative rationality and communicative ethics; the normative truth based on the principle of virtuous, moral and political reasons and reasonableness. Synthesis of the Foundations of Social Educational Research

13. The diversity of epistemological perspectives: Modes of justifications and explanations: In order to lend valid justifications to the respective beliefs against the corresponding principles of truth, social and educational researchers have developed, throughout the years, different models of explanations and methods to build up their justifications. They include model of causal explanations of antecedent conditions and subsequent effects, more specifically, the statistical-probabilistic explanation in social research, which employ variety of quantitative methods, such as experiments and survey; Synthesis of the Foundations of Social Educational Research

14. The diversity of epistemological perspectives: Modes of justifications and explanations : …. …. model of intentional explanation, which employ variety of research methods in interpretive research to reveal the meanings, intentions and values embedded in different types of human representations, including human actions, social interactions, literal texts, etc. model of functional-institutional explanation, which mainly employ comparative-historical method to account for the existence, continuity and discontinuity of particular types of social institutions, such as educational institution; Synthesis of the Foundations of Social Educational Research

15. The multiplicity in research methods: Confronted with such a complexity of social reality and diversity of theories of knowledge, social and educational researchers could no long adopt the approach of methodological monism and are required to submit to the approach of methodological pluralism, such as quantitative an qualitative research methods listed above. Synthesis of the Foundations of Social Educational Research

16. Given all the impasses explored in this course and the conceptual tools introduced in the perspective of Critical Realism and New Instiutionalism, I think we are in the position to provide a preliminary resolution (in sketch) to these methodological, epistemological and ontological disputes. The Institutional-Realist Synthesis

17. Ontological Synthesis Methodological Synthesis Structure Social Facts as Objective Things Culturally Integrative Lifeworld Power-Steering State & Money-steering market Methodological Collectivism Analytical-structuralism Objectively regularity, persistence, continuity, and universality Nomolgical-causal Explanation Institution (as Rules of the game) Institutional Realism Functional-institutional Explanation Legitimation of tradition Rational-choice Explanation Sedimentation Intentional Explanation Formalization Objectivation Interpretive Understanding of Representations, e.g. actions, texts, relics, discourse, etc. Routinization Methodological Individualism Typification of Habitual Actions Subjective Meanings Subjective meanings Conscious Being Agents

18. Ontological Synthesis: Institutional Realism Morphostatic & institutional endurance Morphogenetic & institutional Change Structure Power-Steering State & Money-steering market Culturally Integrative Lifeworld Socialization Reinstitution Objectively regularity, persistence, continuity, & universality Rules of the game Internalization Institution Transformation or Revolution Legitimation of tradition Role Induction Sedimentation Emancipation Formalization Role Performance Resistance Objectivation Routinization Typification of Habitual Actions Taking the role as one’s own: Identification Idea Change Agents with Subjective meanings

19. Epistemological Synthesis in Institutional Realìsm Objective- Factual Regularities Regularity, Persistence, Continuity, Universality Objective Corresponding Principle Empirical-Causal Propositions Objective Truth Verified Universal Causal Law Power-Hypostatized Structure Prediction & Control Universal Causal Law Explanatory Critique Normative Truth Normative Ground Institutional Realism Understanding & Agreement Ideological-Frozen Belief-system Confirmed Interpretation Practical Truth Interpretation & Intentional Explanation Practical Corresponding Legitimation, Sedimentation, Formalization, Objectivation, Typification Lifeworld Communicative Actions Subjective meanings Subjectivemeanings

20. Topic 3Methodological & Epistemological Foundations of Historical-Hermeneutic Studies End