William G. Perry - Summary of Perry's Research

Summary of Perry's Research

Perry's scheme outlines a student’s nine-position progression from dualist thinking to relativist thinking.

Summary of Position Basic Example
The authorities know e.g. "the tutor knows what is right and wrong"
The true authorities are right, the others are frauds e.g. "my tutor doesn't know what is right and wrong but others do"
There are some uncertainties and the authorities are working on them to find the truth e.g. "my tutors don't know, but somebody out there is trying to find out"
(a)Everyone has right to their own opinion
(b) The authorities don't want the right answers. They want us to think in certain way
e.g. "different tutors think different things"
e.g. "there is an answer that the tutors want and we have to find it"
Everything is relative but not equally valid e.g. "there are no right and wrong answers, it depends on the situation, but some answers might be better than others"
You have to make your own decisions e.g. "what is important is not what the tutor thinks but what I think"
First commitment e.g. "for this particular topic I think that...."
Several Commitments e.g. "for these topics I think that...."
Believe own values, respect others, be ready to learn e.g. "I know what I believe in and what I think is valid, others may think differently and I'm prepared to reconsider my views"

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