Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Faculty Publications 2009-06-01 Psychologism and American Instructional Technology David Wiley
[email protected] Bekir Gur Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub Part of the Educational Psychology Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Wiley, David and Gur, Bekir, "Psychologism and American Instructional Technology" (2009). Faculty Publications. 846. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/846 This Peer-Reviewed Article is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact
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[email protected]. Psychologism and American Instructional Technology RUNNING HEAD: PSYCHOLOGISM AND AMERICAN INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY Psychologism and American Instructional Technology Bekir S. Gur Department of Instructional Technology & The Center for Open and Sustainable Learning (COSL) Utah State University
[email protected] David A. Wiley Department of Instructional Technology & The Center for Open and Sustainable Learning (COSL) Utah State University
[email protected] Psychologism and American Instructional Technology Abstract The centrality of psychology in the field of instructional technology has never been comprehensively questioned; most instructional technologists have assumed that (behaviorist, cognitivist, constructivist, or another) psychology is the ―natural‖ foundation for education and thus for instructional technology. The driving question of this article is: What are the problems of psychologism as found in the theories and practices of instructional technology? We present a brief genealogy of American instructional technology in relation to the influence of psychology; review critical psychology and discuss some problems of psychologism focusing on positivism, metaphysics, ecology and culture, and power; and provide a hermeneutical framework for the theory and practice of instructional technology.