Science as a Theatre of Truth: Conceptualising the Production of Knowledge in Reading Research

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Science as a Theatre of Truth: Conceptualising the Production of Knowledge in Reading Research
Language: English
Authors: Tatiana Mikhaylova (ORCID 0000-0002-5916-0565), Daniel Pettersson, Elin Sundström Sjödin
Source: Cogent Education. 2024 11(1).
Availability: Cogent OA. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 15
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Epistemology, Reading Research, Research Methodology, Dramatics, Audiences, Evidence
DOI: 10.1080/2331186X.2024.2439624
ISSN: 2331-186X
Abstract: Using reading research as an example, this article aims to provide new conceptual tools for examining the production of scientific knowledge. Drawing on the metaphor of a theatre of truth, it explores how scientific knowledge is staged, dramatised and communicated within the field of reading research. It highlights the performative and public nature of knowledge production and examines the role of human and non-human actors, such as researchers, audiences, methods and visualisations, in shaping what counts as scientific truth. Focusing on the articles published in the Journal of Reading Behavior (later Journal of Literacy Research), the study traces how shifts in paradigms -- such as the transition from qualitative to qualitative and interpretative approaches -- reconfigure the 'stage' of reading science. The article also introduces the concept of a contract of intelligibility to explore how shared assumptions and conventions govern the production and reception of scientific knowledge. We also consider the techniques of dramatisation that are used to differentiate concepts and demonstrate scientific truth in an accessible and persuasive way. Ultimately, the article underlines the need to critically examine the mechanisms through which educational research constructs and communicates its truths, thereby revealing its broader societal and political implications.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: EJ1453209
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Using reading research as an example, this article aims to provide new conceptual tools for examining the production of scientific knowledge. Drawing on the metaphor of a theatre of truth, it explores how scientific knowledge is staged, dramatised and communicated within the field of reading research. It highlights the performative and public nature of knowledge production and examines the role of human and non-human actors, such as researchers, audiences, methods and visualisations, in shaping what counts as scientific truth. Focusing on the articles published in the Journal of Reading Behavior (later Journal of Literacy Research), the study traces how shifts in paradigms -- such as the transition from qualitative to qualitative and interpretative approaches -- reconfigure the 'stage' of reading science. The article also introduces the concept of a contract of intelligibility to explore how shared assumptions and conventions govern the production and reception of scientific knowledge. We also consider the techniques of dramatisation that are used to differentiate concepts and demonstrate scientific truth in an accessible and persuasive way. Ultimately, the article underlines the need to critically examine the mechanisms through which educational research constructs and communicates its truths, thereby revealing its broader societal and political implications.
ISSN:2331-186X
DOI:10.1080/2331186X.2024.2439624