William Graves Perry Jr.Intellectual and Ethical

DevelopmentPresenter: Kevin Foster

EDUC 551 7/2/09

OverviewBackgroundLiteratureContributionReaction

BackgroundWilliam Graves Perry Jr. (1913 – 1998)

Born in Paris, FranceGraduated from St. Mark’s SchoolReceived both his bachelor’s and master’s from Harvard

Studied English and GreekTaught English for 10 yearsAssistant dean at Williams College

Returned to Harvard in 1946Founded and lead the Bureau of Study Counsel for 33 years

Educational psychologist who focused on the development of college students.

"Every student in my class has a completely different teacher.“• http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/1999/05.27/mm.perry.html

BackgroundFather worked on the restoration of Williamsburg, VA and

designed many of Harvard’s buildings.During WWII Perry Jr. taught celestial navigation to naval

pilots, none of whom were subseqently lost due to navigational errors.

• http://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/18/classified/paid-notice-deaths-perry-william-g-jr.html

While working at Harvard, he and his staff counseled over 400 students a year.

He was appointed full Professor of Education in the Harvard Graduate School of Education (1965-1979) because of his work.

His article “Examsmanship and the Liberal Arts,” discusses the role of “bull” (b.s.) in undergraduate epistemological development.

LiteratureCognitive and Ethical Growth: The Making of Meaning

(1981)Forms of Ethical and Intellectual Development in the

College Years.Most well known/influential piecePublished in 1970 after a 15 year study.

Covered 50s and 60s.Proposes that college students pass through a predictable

sequence of stages of epistemological growth. Epistemological - the study or a theory of the nature and grounds

of knowledge especially with reference to its limits and validity.• http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epistemological

Primary reference for discussion on epistemological development of college students.

Perry’s SchemeFocuses on nine stages of development

Basic Duality Full Dualism Early Multiplicity Late Multiplicity Contextual Relativism Pre-Commitment Commitment Challenges to Commitment Post-Commitment

Dualist to relativist Viewing truth as black or white to viewing multiple truths all

as legitimate alternatives.

Three broad categories Dualism + multiplicity

Relativism discovered

Commitments in relativism development

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_G._Perry

Dualism/Received KnowledgeThere is a right and wrong answer to all

questions possessed by an authority.Basic Duality

The authority has the answer. There is a right answer to question Teacher knows right and wrong. Students learn the right answer from

authority/teacherFull Dualism

Realize there is a right and wrong answer, but the authority does not know it, others do.

Learn to find the right answer.

Rapaport, W: The Perry Scheme of Intellectual development: approaches to successful learning.

Multiplicity/Subjective KnowledgeDiversity of opinion and values is recognized as legitimate

in areas where right answers are not yet known.There are multiple conflicting answers.

Early Multiplicity Teacher/Authority does not have the answer, but someone is working

on finding the answer Student begin to trust self and explore finding the right answer.

Late Multiplicity Where the teacher/authority doesn’t have the answer, everyone has

the right to their own opinion. No wrong answer. Teacher/Authority does not want the right answer. Wants the

student to think a certain way. Students B.S. Most Freshman are around this stage

• Rapaport, W: The Perry Scheme of Intellectual development: approaches to successful learning.

Rapaport, W: The Perry Scheme of Intellectual development: approaches to successful learning.

Rapaport, W: The Perry Scheme of Intellectual development: approaches to successful learning.

Rapaport, W: The Perry Scheme of Intellectual development: approaches to successful learning.

Relativism/Procedural KnowledgeDiversity of opinion, values and judgment derived from

coherent sources, evidences, logics, systems, and patterns allowing for analysis and comparison.Contextual Relativism

Everything is relative but not equally valid There are no right or wrong answers, it depends on the situation, but

some answers might be better than others. Theories are not truth but metaphors to interpret data with. All answers must be support and put into context.

The search for truth is more precious than its possession.”-Einstein

Pre-Commitment Student has to make their own decision

What the student thinks is important not what the teacher/authority thinks.

No one is going to tell you whether or not you are right.

Commitment/Constructed KnowledgeAn affirmation, choice, or decision (career, values, politics,

personal relationship) made in the awareness of RelativismCommitment

First commitment For this topic I think…

Challenges to Commitment Several Commitments

For these topics I think… Discovers responsibility of choices

Post-Commitment Believe own values, respect others, ready to learn

Students knows what they believe in, but willing and able to consider other views and reconsider their own views.

Learning is an on-going process.

Challenges

The idea of a fixed development process

It is possible that different stages are visited through out development.