Hammond, Michael (2015) A Habermasian perspective on joint meaning making online : what does it offer and what are the difficulties? International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 10 (3). pp. 223-237. doi:10.1007/s11412-015-9215-1 ISSN 1556-6107.

Preview

PDF WRAP_Habermas essay.pdf - Accepted Version - Requires a PDF viewer. Download (821Kb) | Preview

Request Changes to record.

Abstract

This paper is an exploration of the relevance of Habermas’s social theory for understanding meaning making in the context of shared online interaction. It describes some of the key ideas within Habermas’s work, noting the central importance it gives to the idea of communicative action - a special kind of discourse in which there is ‘no other force than that of the better argument’ and no other motive other than ‘the cooperative search for truth’. The paper then turns to the referencing of Habermas by educationalists in general and by supporters of online discussion in particular. It argues that a Habermasian perspective on meaning making is one in which participants strive for ‘genuine consensus’ by interrogating their own beliefs while actively engaging with opposing points of view. The value of this approach is that it introduces a concern for validity or truth into discussion of knowledge building and discriminates between emancipatory and strategic goals. While critics would argue that genuine consensus is not achievable, from Habermas we can better understand the importance of striving for such consensus.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General) H Social Sciences > HM Sociology L Education > LB Theory and practice of education
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Institute of Education ( -2013)
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Habermas, Jürgen, Intersubjectivity, Critical theory, Criticism (Philosophy), Computer-assisted instruction, Educational technology, Group work in education, Team learning approach in education
Journal or Publication Title:	International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning
Publisher:	Springer
ISSN:	1556-6107
Official Date:	September 2015
Dates:	Date Event September 2015 Published 16 June 2015 Available 20 May 2015 Accepted 11 November 2014 Submitted
Volume:	10
Number:	3
Page Range:	pp. 223-237
DOI:	10.1007/s11412-015-9215-1
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access
Date of first compliant deposit:	30 December 2015
Date of first compliant Open Access:	27 June 2016

Request changes or add full text files to a record

Repository staff actions (login required)

View Item

Downloads