Bulletin of Educational Research

Abstract

This paper primarily aims to explore the epistemological/methodological problem of research itself on education under the context of subjective/objective dichotomy. It will initiate its analysis on Max Weber’s conception of “rationality” as reexamination to bring out the problem. Underlying his framework of “rationality”, Weber leaves a very important question in dividing “instrumental rational” and “value rational”: that is, the question whether there is definite division between the objective-based instrumental rational and the individual-subjective value rational. The writer calls such assumption “Weber’s proposition” to which it proclaims differently the attitudes of inheriting (Modern) and abandoning (Postmodern).

From the perspective of inheriting attitude, Jurgen Habermas adopts the conception of communicative rationality, attempting to resolve “Weber’s proposition” by “the paradigm shift of rationality”. On the other hand, Michel Foucault abandons “Weber’s proposition.” Foucault’s assertion of postmodern is definitely different from Habermas/“Postmodernity” which announces directly “the death of subject” to which it dissolves the objectivity and sobriety of knowledge and rationality by the use of play or irony through the negation of absolute objective rationality.

With regards to the positioning, all of the assumptions proposed by Weber’s “ethics of responsibility” of Habermas’ communicative rationality have the same ambition to diminish the subjective involvement of the researcher’s value through individual rational awakening in order to establish the objective study ground. Foucault, in contrast, considers that it is natural to have the researcher’s subjective value involved. He thinks that the announcement of anything objective in knowledge pursuing itself has somewhat the function of power hidden behind. Despite the difference and contradiction between the discourses of Weber, Habermas and Foucault, the writer expects to provide a perspective of reexamination, through the juxtaposition of the different viewpoints, on both the subjective and the objective assumptions of research in education.

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