CRITERIA FOR THE THEORETICAL ADEQUACY OF CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF PLANNED EDUCATIONAL CHANGE.

THE CURRENT INADEQUACY OF A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ALLOWING ACCUMULATION AND SYNTHESIS OF KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING EDUCATIONAL CHANGE IS EVALUATED. CONSIDERATION OF EDUCATIONAL CHANGE AS SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE PRESUPPOSES EXPLORATION OF THE DIFFICULTIES THAT RESTRICT THE MEETING OF THE ACCEPTED SCIENTIFIC CRITERIA OF DESCRIPTION, EXPLANATION, PREDICTION, AND CONTROL AS WELL AS THE SCIENTIFIC METHODOLOGICAL REQUIREMENTS OF OBJECTIVITY AND SKEPTICISM. WITHIN AN ESTABLISHED BODY OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE A STRUCTURE OF PHENOMENA IN LOGICAL RELATIONS AND A METHODOLOGY MADE UP OF DEFINITE RULES OF PROCEDURE CAN BE DISCERNED. WITHOUT A STRUCTURE OF RELATIONS AND PROCEDURAL METHODOLOGY, INQUIRIES MAY OR MAY NOT LINK UP WITH EACH OTHER AND RESULT IN AN ACCUMULATION OF FINDINGS RATHER THAN A CUMULATION OF RESULTS. AN INADEQUACY OF THIS NATURE IS CHARACTERISTIC OF KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING EDUCATIONAL CHANGE. WITHOUT CONSENSUS UPON THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF RELATIONAL AND METHODOLOGICAL FACTS, IT IS DIFFICULT TO FORMULATE THEORIES THAT SYNTHESIZE LARGE AREAS OF WELL-ESTABLISHED FACT. THE ATTEMPT TO MAKE A SCIENCE OUT OF ANY SOCIAL PHENOMENA IS CONSTANTLY QUESTIONED BECAUSE OF THE INHERENT SUBJECTIVITY OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES, THE VALUE FACTORS OF BOTH INVESTIGATOR AND INVESTIGATED PHENOMENA, AND THE COMPLEXITY OF GROUP DYNAMICS. A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR EDUCATIONAL CHANGE SHOULD TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THESE INHERENT DIFFICULTIES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL PHENOMENA ANALYSIS. ITS SCIENTIFIC STUDY COULD PROCEED ALONG THE TWO LINES--(1) AN EXTRAPOLATION OF EXISTING TRENDS IN SOCIAL SUBSYSTEMS AND A SPECULATION OF CONSEQUENCES, AND (2) AN EMPHASIS ON CRITICISM OF WHAT HAS BEEN DISCOVERED, INCLUDING AN EXAMINATION OF CONSISTENCY, EMPIRICAL CONSEQUENCES, AND ATTEMPTS AT FALSIFICATION. (GB)