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Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014
1-1-1979
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Barber, James C., "A study of the functional relationship between John Dewey's theory of inquiry and classroom teaching strategies
designed to implement inquiry thinking." (1979). Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 3469.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/3469
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A STUDY OF THE FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN
JOHN DEWEY'S THEORY OF INQUIRY AND
DESIGNED TO IMPLEMENT
INQUIRY THINKING
A Dissertation Presented
By
JAMES C . BARBER
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
May 197 9
Education
© James C . Barber 1979
DESIGNED TO IMPLEMENT
INQUIRY THINKING
A Dissertation Presented
By
JAMES C. BARBER
School of Education
111
DEDICATION
IV
ABSTRACT
Designed to Implement
Inquiry Thinking
(May 1979)
V
VI
ing is stressed.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Chapter
I. INTRODUCTION
The Problem ]_
The Purpose 2
The Design 5
Delimitation 7
Definition of Terms 0
Chapter
II. THE RELATIONSHIP OF THEORY TO PRACTICE ... 12
Theory to Practice 27
Chapter
III. JOHN DEWEY'S PHILOSOPHY AND THEORY OF
INQUIRY 32
Dewey's Naturalism 33
Dewey's Logic Compared to Traditional
Logic 40
Some Teaching Implications of Dewey's
Logic
Dewey's Views of Experience 48
Teaching Implications of Dewey's Views
of Experience
Dewey's Problem Solving Schema 68
vii
Vlll
Page
Possible Teaching Implications .... 75
Logical Positivism and Dewey’s
Pragmatism -j-j
Logical Positivism 77
Positivism Compared with Dewey's
Pragmatism 73
The Issue of Values 8 3
The Influence of Positivism 85
Summary and Teaching Implications . . 87
The Philosophy and the Theory
Synthesized 89
Chapter
IV. TVIO SIGNIFICANT PAST ATTEMPTS TO IMPLEMENT
DEWEY'S PHILOSOPHY 92
Method 102
Kilpatrick's Distortions of Dewey's
Ideas 105
Probable Reasons for the Distortions . 107
The Dewey School 108
Chapter
V. INTEGRATING THEORY WITH PRACTICE .... 116
Page
Chapter
VI. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 142
Conclusions 142
Recommendations 155
Author's Observations 162
BIBLIOGRAPHY 164
^
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
The Problem
The Purpose
p. viii.
. ^.
efforts
^Ibid
.
terpretation.
The Design
notions of logic.
theory
tions are; (1) What are the issues involved in the re-
Delimitation
spective .
terpretation .
.
Definition of Terms
lished .
racquet
as a guide.
10
philosophical position.
less .
11
his philosophy.
12
13
Introduction to Descriptive
and Prescriptive Theory
Descriptive Theory
2
hypotheses. Descriptive theory purports to tell what is
the case. It attempts to describe the world as it
is,
without making use of value judgments. Newton's theory
of gravitation is an example of descriptive
theory.
Newton's theory is used to describe and explain actual
16
^Ibid.
^Ibid . , p . 19
. .
17
quire to be ^justified." 9
^Ibid . , p . 26
Prescriptive Theory
culture.
of thought.
21
a value base.
18
Ibid . , p . 67
22
a value base.
Summary
Dualism
24
and practice.
^“Ibid . , p. 188
..
25
questions
26
efforts
197 6 ,
p"! 187 .
^^Ibid., p. 219.
.
27
education.
26
Ibid
97
John Dewey, Experience and Education (New York:
Macmillan Publishing Company, 1938), p. 28.
23
28
philosophy. In fact, Dewey's theory can be labeled
^^ 4th ed., s. v.
Encyclopedia of Educational Research ,
29
30 . .
of intelligence.
Dewey said. Laws and facts, even when they are arrived at
31
^^Ibid., p. 327.
CHAPTER III
JOHN DEWEY'S PHILOSOPHY AND
THEORY OF INQUIRY
32
. "
33
Dewey's Naturalism
cal activity are native to the mind, and they show themselves
^Ibid . , p . 169
34
35
^Ibid . , pp . 88-89
C
Dewey, How We Think , p. 83.
^Ibid . , p . 84
. .
36
® Ibid
^Ibid . , p . 88
38
12
David W. Marcell, Progress and Pragmatism, James,
Dewey, Beard, and The American Idea of Progress (Westport,
Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1974), p. 197.
^
^Abraham Kaplan, The Conduct of Inquiry: Methodology
for Behavioral Science (Scranton: Chandler Publishing
Company, 1964), p. 389.
39
Dewey felt his logic was a marked improvement upon the tra-
ditional logic of rationalism.
41
world's best books and that the best books were the
present.
1
Dewey, Logic; The Theory of Inquiry , p. 10.
8.
42
^^Ibid . , p . 52
Ibid . , p . 54
43
45
concept
46
concept. He said, ^
Too often the student and teacher are contented
with a series of somewhat perfunctory examples
and illustrations, and the student is not forced
to carry the principle that he has formulated
over into further cases of his own experience.
Insofar, the principle is inert and dead; it /
does not move into new facts or ideas. ^7
O "5
47
are no reasons for it." 2 8 Thus, the word dog does not
strategies
48
29 103.
Bernstein, John Dewev , p.
.
49
experience
on
John Dewey, Experience and Education (New York:
Collier Books, 1938), p. 25.
50
32
John P. Wynne, Philosophy of Education from the
Standpoint of the Transaction Theory (Farmville, Virginia:
Longwood College Foundation, 1971), p. 6.
33
George R. Geiger, John Dewey in Perspective (New York
McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1958), p. 16.
34
Henry Miller, "Transaction: Dewey's Last Contribu-
tion to the Theory of Learning," Educational Theory 13
(Jan. 1963): 13.
51
another
Ibid . , p . 133
Ibid
52
53
55
wrote
56
experience
knowing experience.
spring of doing.
46
Dewey, Democracy and Education , p. 275.
.
58
—
thing, an object, or a cosmos must so far as we
are concerned, be made on the basis, and in terms,
of aspects of event which inquiry, as itself a
cosmic event, finds taking place. 48
121.
^^Dewey and Bentley, Knowing And The Known , p.
. ,
59
49 131
Kaplan The Conduct of Inquiry , P- .
50
Ibid
" .
60
judges .
52-rK-^
Ibid
54
Dewey, Democracy and Education , p. 158.
55
Geiger, John Dewey in Perspective , p. 20.
. .
62
56
Bernstein, John Dewey, p. 62.
to experiment.
64
65
67
implemented
68
other definition, his mos t,,,f amous one, inquiry and knowing
—
were put in the context of a problem situation. In this
63
Dewey and Bentley, Knowing and the Known, p. 295.
69
fi 4
Dewey, Logic; The Theory of Inquiry , pp. 104-105.
71
fi 9
Dewey, Logic: The Theory of Inquiry , p. 345.
70
Dewey, How We Think , p. 107
, .
72
solving
^^Ibid . , p . 115
74
Bernstein, John Dewey, p. 102.
73
hoping for the best is not the best procedure for teaching
75
Dewey, Logic: The Theory of Inquiry , p. 107.
7 fi
Geiger, John Dewey in Perspective , p. 63.
. .
74
77
Dewey, Democracy and Education , pp. 154-155.
78
Ibid . , p . 155
1
75
lems was important, Dewey did not think the ends of inquiry
76
as dogmatic assertions.
77
pragmatism.
Logical Positivism
out
A
p
Harry S. Broudy, "The Philosophical Foundations of
Educational Objectives," Educational Theory 20 (Winter 70);
15.
85
Richard J. Bernstein, The Restructuring of Social and
Political Theory (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,
1976) , p. 5.
79
by positivism.
86
Dewey and Bentley, Knowing and the Known , p. 136.
.
00
at any time.
^^Ibid . , p . 162
^
^Philip L. Smith, Sources of Progressive Thought in
American Education (Columbus, Ohio: By the Author, The
Ohio State University, 1977), p. 105.
83
the same. He said, "I hold that one and the same method
93
Smith, Sources of Progressive Thought , p. 98.
94
Ibid . , p . 100
.
84
acceptability.
ency, and logical rigor, they place the ethical outside the
95
John Dewey, "Experience, Knowledge and Value," in
The Philosophy of John Dewey ed. Paul Arthur Schlipp
,
qc
Robert E. Mason, "Grounds of Acceptable Theory in
Education," Studies in Philosophy and Education 1 (Jan. 61)
51.
97
Ibid . , p . 50
35
101 167-172.
Bernstein, John Dewey , pp.
.
88
with problems.
experience
has its own moral code. It includes being open and public,
90
and the ought. The is and the ought of life do not belong
91
102
Steven Cahn, "Introduction," in New Studies in the
Philosophy of John Dewey ed. Steven M. Cahn (Hanover, New
,
"More than any other Kilpatrick has been acclaimed over the
92
93
94
social surroundings.^
"The steps that have been used are those of the Dewey
analysis of thought." 4
^ Ibid . , p . 17
^Ibid . , p . 12 .
7
95
^Ibid . , p . 11
Q
Cremin, The Transformation of the School , p. 218.
Q
Ernest E. Bayles, Democratic Educational Theory (New
York; Harper & Brothers, 1960), p. 236.
97
Projects .
said, "I soon dropped the title 'Herbert and Froebel' and
14
ultimately called the course 'Foundations of Method.'"
98
impossible to do.
1s
wirth, Dewey as Educator , p. 91.
^^Ibid . , p . 92.
^^Ibid / . / p . 219 .
the teacher has not onl y the right but the duty to suggest
22
Cremin, The Transformation of the Schools , p. 220.
23
John Dewey, "Progressive Education and the Science
of Education," in Dewey on Education ed Martin S.
, .
Criticisms by Teachers
the last analysis it may well be that Bode ' s work more
27
Florence Sweeney, "Learning by Doing," Saturday
Review of Literature October 22, 1949, p. 14.
,
103
bank, but this alone does not give them the insight into
learning
31
Ibid . , p . 151
. .
104
Ibid . , p . 163
^^Ibid.
.:
105
Kilpatrick's Distortions of
Dewey's Ideas
follows
^^Ibid., p. 165.
107
tions of education.
tions .
Dewey pointed out that the ideas in the book were tested
^^Ibid., p. 425.
110
^^Ibid., p. 234.
430.
^
^Mayhew and Edwards, The Dewey School , p-
Ill
in II
more mature investigation and research." 47
. .
The
"^^Ibid . , p . 272 .
^"^Ibid . , p . 273 .
.
112
tions were used to open inquiry: they were not the end of
ful work, grew carrots and lettuce in the garden, and with
of human effort.
"^^Ibid.
51
Ibid
.
113
a later date, but one which was based upon the earlier
^ 438.
^Mayhew and Edwards, The Dewey School , p.
^^Ibid . , p . 476
^^Ibid . , p . 467.
. . .
114
community
regard, Wirth states, "It seems fair to add that the kinds
The Laboratory School, there was one teacher for every eight
^^Ibid., p. 429.
notion.
58
John Dewey, Democracy and Education (New York:
The Free Press, 1944), p. 329.
CHAPTER V
116
.
117
Teaching Strategies
inquiry effective." 2
120
problems
the concept hold up? Did you discover any new concepts?
122
concept
Dewey has noted that induction and deduction are key ele-
be told that they must list two concepts that they re-
rejected these ideas. The students would have until the end
126
fer their idea, they are going from the general to the
particular
ideas did you learn from the similar situation?" The teacher
is teacher dominated.
ized.
this data. The teacher would ask students for their con-
The
cepts. He will ask students to test their concepts.
^Ibid., p. 187.
129
by testing it.
unemployment?"
teacher on why these places would have the data they were
their problem?
ment and automation which may have been used for problem
given problems such as, "What will equal two blue rods?"
sets the inquiry teacher off from the teacher who uses
information. '
Students could also be given problem situ-
ations in which they are to develop this concept inductive-
ly. In any event, they would still have to test the con-
ball.
sult in inquiry.
the
The notion of purpose can be used to illustrate how
prediction.
137
experience
personal experience.
ducing states from 1955 to 1959. The data sheet the teacher
inform the teacher that inquiry teaching does not end here.
Another student points out that this would mean that his
The student cites some rare stamps that he had bought from
a friend.
the first situation, this was not done. The first situa-
In this
tion was an inductive, intellectual exercise.
140
their experience.
the city?" This does not mean that anything beyond the
philosophical outlook.
141
Summary
the teacher provided the problems, the data, and the con-
CHAPTER V I
teaching
Conclusions
142
143
145
an inductive method.
146
On the other hand, it does mean that Dewey did not oppose
147
stated
of much debate.
149
for students.
is not born with innate ideas, nor does the learner simply
ment
150
154
conceptual framework.
ment, the pure food and drug act, and interstate commerce
.
155
could be generated.
framework
Recommendations
are made:
156
tions .
ification requirements.
158
to every problem.^
159
McCarthy Era.
izens in order that they may have the basis for intelligent
. . 7
decisions
system instituted.
161
Author’s Observations
tation .
BIBLIOGRAPHY
164
165
Books, 1929.
.
166
1973.
January 1963.
59 .