Kaiserslautern - Fachbereich Sozialwissenschaften
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Subject of this book is an epistemological consideration - a consideration which could be characterised as a main theme - maybe the main theme - of that part of philosophy we all know as epistemology: the nature of knowledge. But other than the most essays on the subject of knowledge, here I am going to deal with a largely overlooked account to try to find an answer to the epistemological question of knowledge. This is the mental state account of knowledge (Price in his 'Belief' the formulation ``mental acts'' and Williamson talks about a ``state of mind''). Or to put it into the question I chose as title: is knowledge a mental state? We have to concede first that there is only a small group of philosophers who used to explain knowledge in terms of a mental state, particularly the `Oxford Realists'. And secondly, the acceptance of the MS thesis is low and negative. There is an interesting detail here: unlike the poor interest in an epistemic theory such as the MS thesis, philosophers like Prichard or Austin (and their philosophical thinking) are not really living in the shadows of philosophical consideration. Indeed their philosophical impact is high level, if we consider for instance Prichard's moral writings or Austin's theory of speech acts. I think we can conclude from this fact that the reason of the `negative' ignorance in respect of their epistemological point of view was not caused by a negative quality of their philosophy. Now, the question we are faced with (and that should be answered here) is: what is wrong with the MS thesis even though it is held by high class philosophers? Why is the epistemic thinking of Cook Wilson, Prichard and Austin afflicted with such ignorance? I will try to explain this later on with the notion of an unreflected Platonian heritage during 2000 years of epistemic thinking - a notion which is similar to a point Hetherington has called ``epistemic absolutism''. So, there are three main purposes which I am pursuing in this consideration: 1.To explain the reasons why there is such an ignorance towards an assertion of the MS thesis. I am going to pursue this through an analysis of knowledge which will demonstrate the inappropriateness of the JTB thesis as an adequate analysis of knowledge. 2.To describe that it is a mistake to ignore or at least underestimate the MS thesis in the discussion of an appropriate definition of knowledge and to maintain that the MS thesis is the key to a general theory of knowledge. 3.Conclusion: If the first two steps are correct, the JTB thesis is insufficient in order to give an account of the nature of knowledge in general. A consequence from this is: all the epistemic theories which are dealing with the JTB thesis are based on deficient assumptions. Hence their results - notably the well-known externalism/internalism debate - are insufficient, too. So, there is a need for a new theory of knowledge based on the MS thesis. In the course of my consideration I am going to justify the following three theses: i) The JTB thesis as a definition of knowledge in general is deficient, as the JTB thesis describes the propositional aspect of knowledge only. But the propositional knowledge - the so-called `knowledge that' - is merely one element among others that has to be recognized in search of a theory of knowledge. ii) The status of the `knowledge that' is derivative and not ultimate. It is derived from the non- propositional knowledge in order to make the non-propositional knowledge communicable to others. The mode of the `knowledge that' is indirect and thus can be stated in the third person point of view only. This ultimate kind of knowledge - the knowledge which the `knowledge that' is derived from - is the non-propositional knowledge. Its mode is direct and hence it is restricted to the first person point of view. Therefore the basis towards a theory of knowledge in general has to be this non-propositional aspect of knowledge. iii) Hence, taking the first two theses for granted, an appropriate theory of knowledge needs an account of the non-propositional knowledge. The MS thesis will accomplish this task.
This Dissertation tried to provide insights into the influences of individual and contextual factors on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) teachers’ learning and professional development in Ethiopia. Specifically, this research focused on identifying and determining the influences of teachers’ self perception as learners and professionals, and investigates the impact of the context, process and content of their learning and experiences on their professional development. The knowledge of these factors and their impacts help in improving the learning and professional development of the TVET teachers and their professionalization. This research tried to provide answers for the following five research questions. (1) How do TVET teachers perceive themselves as active learners and as professionals? And what are the implications of their perceptions on their learning and development? (2) How do TVET teachers engage themselves in learning and professional development activities? (3) What contextual factors facilitated or hindered the TVET Teachers’ learning and professional development? (4) Which competencies are found critical for the TVET teachers’ learning and professional development? (5) What actions need to be considered to enhance and sustain TVET teachers learning and professional development in their context? It is believed that the research results are significant not only to the TVET teachers, but also to schools leaders, TVET Teacher Training Institutions, education experts and policy makers, researchers and others stakeholders in the TVET sector. The theoretical perspectives adopted in this research are based on the systemic constructivist approach to professional development. An integrated approach to professional development requires that the teachers’ learning and development activities to be taken as an adult education based on the principles of constructivism. Professional development is considered as context - specific and long-term process in which teachers are trusted, respected and empowered as professionals. Teachers’ development activities are sought as more of collaborative activities portraying the social nature of learning. Schools that facilitate the learning and development of teachers exhibit characteristics of a learning organisation culture where, professional collaboration, collegiality and shared leadership are practiced. This research has drawn also relevant point of views from studies and reports on vocational education and TVET teacher education programs and practices at international, continental and national levels. The research objectives and the types of research questions in this study implied the use of a qualitative inductive research approach as a research strategy. Primary data were collected from TVET teachers in four schools using a one-on-one qualitative in-depth interview method. These data were analyzed using a Qualitative Content Analysis method based on the inductive category development procedure. ATLAS.ti software was used for supporting the coding and categorization process. The research findings showed that most of the TVET teachers neither perceive themselves as professionals nor as active learners. These perceptions are found to be one of the major barriers to their learning and development. Professional collaborations in the schools are minimal and teaching is sought as an isolated individual activity; a secluded task for the teacher. Self-directed learning initiatives and individual learning projects are not strongly evident. The predominantly teacher-centered approach used in TVET teacher education and professional development programs put emphasis mainly to the development of technical competences and has limited the development of a range of competences essential to teachers’ professional development. Moreover, factors such as the TVET school culture, the society’s perception of the teaching profession, economic conditions, and weak links with industries and business sectors are among the major contextual factors that hindered the TVET teachers’ learning and professional development. A number of recommendations are forwarded to improve the professional development of the TVET teachers. These include change in the TVET schools culture, a paradigm shift in TVET teacher education approach and practice, and development of educational policies that support the professionalization of TVET teachers. Areas for further theoretical research and empirical enquiry are also suggested to support the learning and professional development of the TVET teachers in Ethiopia.
Im absoluten Schluss wechseln die Begriffsmomente Allgemeinheit, Besonderheit und Einzelheit untereinander die Position und reichern sich dadurch wechselseitig an, so dass eines identisch mit dem anderen ist, das es selbst ist. Dies bedeutet logisch Selbstbestimmung und Freiheit. Der Prozess ist dialektisch, indem sich das Allgemeine besondert, auseinanderlegt und im Einzelnen wieder mit sich zusammenschließt. Der absolute Schluss ist so die logische Grundstruktur von Phänomenen der Objektivität wie Mechanismus, Chemismus, Teleologie, aber auch Religion, Philosophie sowie theoretischer und praktischer Vernunft.
(1) Das Konstrukt des Lebensstils stellt für den Automobilmarkt in erster Linie ein Instrument zur Segmentierung des Marktes dar. Bestimmte Zielgruppen werden identifiziert und der Absatz der Produkte für diesen Personenkreis wird optimiert. Standardisierte Modelle der Sozialwissenschaften werden in der Ökonomie unmittelbar eingesetzt. Untersucht wurde der Lebensstil im Rahmen dieser Arbeit in einem erweiterten Kontext – unter anderem erfolgte eine Betrachtung des Lebensstils neben alternativen Methoden der Marktsegmentierung. (2) Im Mittelpunkt stand eine Fallstudie bei Peugeot Deutschland, einem Importeur französischer Fahrzeuge in Deutschland. Der Nutzen des Lebensstils für diesen Anbieter im Automobilmarkt wurde quantifiziert und in Relation zu weiteren Verfahren der Zielgruppenselektion gestellt. Dazu erfolgte zunächst eine Darstellung des aktuellen Standes der Sozialforschung zum Thema Lebensstil mit den für ein Unternehmen heute relevanten Modellen der Institute und Agenturen. (3) Zu Beginn des empirischen Teils stand eine ausführliche Analyse der aktuellen Rahmenbedingungen im Automobilmarkt. Es folgte die Erörterung der besonderen Situation von Peugeot als deutsche Importortorganisation einer französischen Konzernzentrale. Vier umfangreiche Experteninterviews sowie eine Inhaltsanalyse von Schulungsunterlagen verdeutlichten die aktuelle Nutzung der verschiedenen Möglichkeiten der Marktsegmentierung bei Peugeot in Deutschland. (4) Über eine Diskriminanzanalyse wurde in Folge ein Modell für eine Optimierung der Zielgruppenplanung erarbeitet, welche in Relation zu bestehenden Ansätzen, besonders den Typologien des Lebensstils, gestellt wurde. Es konnte für die Marke Peugeot in Deutschland aufgezeigt werden, dass die Variablen des Lebensstils grundsätzlich eine hohe Erklärungskraft für das Konsumverhalten besitzen, diese jedoch eine geringere Bedeutung als geografische oder soziodemografische Merkmale aufweisen. Weiterhin wurde die Diskriminanzanalyse für die Optimierung in der Media-Planung eingesetzt. Dargestellt wurde am Beispiel der Media-Planung, dass eine Kombination der Kriterien des Lebensstils mit automobilspezifischen Variablen effizienter ist als die Verwendung einheitlicher Lebensstiltypologien der Institute.