Women’s Ways of Knowing

1. Women’s Ways of Knowing Tacy Costanzo November 2004

2. The Development of Self, Voice, and Mind • By Mary Belenky, Blythe Clinchy, Nancy Goldberger, Jill Tarule • Women did not fit into traditional development theory • which was based on research done predominately on white men of privilege

3. Theory Basis • Built on William Perry’s Theory of Intellectual Development • Also Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development • And Gilligan’s Theory of Women’s Moral Development

4. Research Methods • 135 young women from various social, ethnic, economic, educational backgrounds • Extensive interviews on self-image, morality, learning style, life experiences • Themes emerged from their stories • Epistemological patterns noted • Five perspectives described

5. Five EpistemologicalPerspectives • Silence • Received Knowledge • Subjective Knowledge • Procedural Knowledge • Constructed Knowledge

6. Silence • All authority over knowledge exists outside one’s self • Disconnection between the known and the knower • Only broken by validation of the individual • Characterized by low self esteem, lack of self worth

7. Received Knowledge • Knowledge is dualistic, either right or wrong, black or white • There is only one correct answer to each question • The recipient, not the creator of knowledge • Requires external validation to believe in self

8. Subjective Knowledge • The truth finally resides within • The power of knowing is internal • Analyzing the past to understand the future • A new voice, barely a whisper, begins to speak

9. Procedural Knowledge • Ability to objectively express and receive knowledge (two kinds) • Separate knowledge is analytical and reasonable, critical thinking • Connected knowing is based on intuition and ‘gut feeling’ • Begins integrating separate and connected knowing into a single voice

10. Constructed Knowledge • Assimilate and integrate objective and subjective knowledge • All knowledge is constructed, one becomes part of their own knowledge • Believe in another’s beliefs, while not adopting them • Hear another’s voice without losing their own voice • Making a space for one’s self where her voice will always be heard

11. Major Findings • Women think differently than men • Women need to know that they are already smart in order to learn • Women acquire knowledge more readily through experience than instruction • Validation of self by a women’s community fuels further development and fosters learning • Women feel their way into learning and make sense of their world from the inside out

12. Theory to Practice • Teach the teachers • Understand students’ development level • Let them try their wings • Support the journey of self discovery • Engage the students in the process of their own education • Facilitate ‘active’ learning environments

13. Future Research • Larger, more diverse population • Strive to eliminate gender & cultural bias • Explore new research methodologies • Be open-minded to see and hear what hasn’t been seen or heard before • Longitudinal studies on perspective shifts Click to finish