Knowledge Construction Is Culturally Situated: The Human Invention of Empirical, Narrative and Theoretical Knowledges

Abstract

In this chapter the different forms of knowledge construction that are typically illustrated in the literature are examined alongside of data that have been used to illustrate what they look like in practice. Three forms of knowledge are introduced: narrative, empirical and theoretical. Paradigmatic thinking and dialectical thinking are discussed in the context of generating scientific knowledge. Examples from both the science education literature and a study of preschool children learning about mixing materials are given. However, knowledge construction in these forms is not a common framework for reporting (or even discussing) reports in science education research. As such, studies which demonstrate different forms of knowledge construction in science learning are drawn upon and used alongside of empirical data generated by the preschool children studying the mixing of substances (empirical and narrative) and the form and structure of insects (theoretical) found in the outdoor area in the preschool. The latter highlights both commonplace practices found in preschools for teaching science, and discusses the challenge of introducing empirical knowledge in a play-based setting and puts forward evidence on how theoretical knowledge can be introduced to young children.