The constructivist consensus revisited: Towards theoretical integrity in educational research
Résumé
This position paper critiques the pervasive, often uncritical, deployment of constructivism as a theoretical framework in educational research. Drawing on Laclau's theory of empty signifiers and Sartori's analysis of conceptual stretching, I argue that constructivism has become so semantically over-extended and theoretically diluted that it functions more as a legitimating device than an analytical tool. Its migration from developmental psychology into diverse educational contexts has produced systematic conflation of ontological and epistemological claims, methodological ambiguity, and a disconnect between theoretical claims and research design. Through analysis of contemporary educational research practices, I demonstrate how constructivism is routinely invoked to justify studies bearing little relationship to its foundational premises or what I term "theoretical window-dressing". The paper proposes alternative frameworks: cognitivism, critical pedagogy, activity theory, situated learning, connectivism, and humanism, which offer greater analytical potential and methodological alignment. I conclude by highlighting the dangers of theoretical promiscuity, advocating for renewed theoretical coherence, in educational scholarship
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