Education Faculty Scholarship & Creative Works
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2008
Publication Title
Science & Education
Keywords
Thomas Kuhn, Ibrahim Halloun, models, paradigm, Science Education Research
Abstract
In Modeling Theory in Science Education, Halloun (2004) adopts the word ‘paradigm’, but his use of the term is radically different from that of Kuhn. In this paper, I explore some of the differences between Kuhn’s paradigms and Halloun’s paradigms. Where Kuhn’s paradigms are public, community-defining exemplars of practice, Halloun’s paradigms are private, individualized ways of thinking. Where Kuhn writes of the paradigm shift as a revolutionary, vision-altering conversion experience, Halloun writes of a gradual evolution from one way of thinking to another and an easy back-and-forth switch between paradigms. Since Kuhn’s paradigms are self-enclosed and incommensurable, there is no objective standard by which one paradigm can be shown to be superior to the other. But Halloun uses ‘viability’ as a standard for paradigm choice. Underlying all of this is the more basic question of whether the history of science is an appropriate metaphor for student progress in the classroom. I conclude with some brief thoughts on this question.
First Page
131
Last Page
141
Volume
17
Issue
1
Repository Citation
Wendel, Paul J., "Models and Paradigms in Kuhn and Halloun" (2008). Education Faculty Scholarship & Creative Works. 1.
https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/edu_fac/1
Original Citation
Wendel, Paul. "Models And Paradigms In Kuhn And Halloun." Science & Education 17.1 (2008): 131-141. Education Research Complete. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
DOI
10.1007/s11191-006-9047-5
Version
Post-Print