Functional Contextualism in Learning and Instruction: Pragmatic Science or Objectivism Revisited?

Abstract

0 Eric Fox presents an interesting case for applying functional contextualism (FC) constructs and principles to learning and instruction. He draws on several well-debated issues related to the instructional design and technology (IDT) field's shifting philosophical-epistemological roots and pedagogical practices. His is not the first attempt to question the foundations of the field or propose pragmatic alternatives to reconciling constructivist-inspired practices with time-tested, traditional instructional design methods (see, for example, Lebow, 1993; Rieber, 1993); it will not be the last. However, Fox raises several issues that require clarification. This is perhaps the nature of straw-man arguments: To strengthen the face validity of a particular perspective, the legitimacy of competing perspectives must first be undermined. In this case, Fox provides a selective and somewhat limited analysis of constructivist-inspired approaches to bolster the case for and significance of FC advocacy. While I will not revisit the largely unproductive objectivist-constructivist debates of the past decade, I question several of Fox's assertions and argue that while FC has value for the IDT field, it is consistent with and an extension of objectivist-inspired instructional engineering rather than an alternative to constructivist-inspired approaches.