Critique of the Schema Concept |
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| Authors: | Bo Dahlin |
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| Institution: | Department of Teacher Education and School Development , University of Oslo , PO Box 1099, Blindern, N‐0316 Oslo, Norway |
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| Abstract: | A basic concept in most theories in cognitive psychology, as well as in many versions of constructivism, is that of the schema. The questions behind this paper concern the nature of schemata and what role the concept plays in educational theory and practice. It starts with a brief look at the historical development of the concept, from Kant to its use in some modern textbooks of psychology. One argument is that during its history the originally hypothetical character of the concept has been forgotten. It is now more or less taken for granted that schemata exist. But there are logical inconsistencies in applications of the concept and its usefulness within educational theories can be questioned. The concept also lends itself to manipulatory psychological practices, illustrated by the example of a US advertising company. The paper ends with a suggestion that we return to Aristotle and a more phenomenological approach to the questions of learning and knowledge formation. |
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| Keywords: | Cognitive Schema Learning Perception Phenomenology |
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