Emphases Transfer Of Teaching Research From Domain-general To Domain-specific

With the development of teaching research, the research orientation shifted from "domain-general" to "domain-specific". "domain-general" refers to ignoring the difference between divergent contents of disciplines, it paid close attention to bring the universal and interdisciplinary theory into practice. "domain-specific" refers to regarding contents of disciplines as important variables, it emphasis on the particularity of teaching theory when applied in different disciplines.Because of the influence of rationalism, teaching research focus on the orientation of "domain-general", neglecting the role of subject matters on the law of teaching. Through the points of Comenius, Skinner and Gagne, we can understand it. Comenius advocated a uniform way of teaching based on nature. He also advocated teachers to use same ways to teach all subjects. To solve the current situation of the teaching inefficiency, Comenius put forward to the didachography. Just as typography can produce batch printed paper, teachers can be competent enough for the teaching of all subjects. Skinner, the representative of behaviorism, put forward to program teaching by scientific experiment in order to make teaching scientific. He placed great emphasis on the role of reinforcement. Every behavior can be molded as long as take the appropriate reinforcement. Every content can be effectively controlled if implement teaching by certain steps of program teaching. Gagne, the representative of behaviorism, divided learned capability into five parts-verbal information, cognitive strategies, motor skills, attitudes, which is universal in divergent disciplines. At the same time, he put forward to the basic model of learning process. He then divided external teaching process into eight stages correspond with it, which is provide effective guidance for the teaching practice.However, after the 50 s and 60 s of the 20th century, research interest has moved to "domain-specific". Namely, it paid attention to how the differences of subject content affected teaching research. It can be seen this turn through the thoughts of Glaser, Schwab, Shulman. Glaser played a backbone role in the shift from "domain-general" to "domain-specific". He criticized that research at that time focused on "knowledge-lean" problem solving and ignored the role of subject content. His main focus on the field of physics problem solving proved the interaction between knowledge structure and cognitive process. Schwab as representative of Structuralism Curriculum Reform attached great importance to the significance of disciplinary structure. He elaborated three levels of the meaning of disciplinary structure, that is organizational structure, substantial structure and method structure. After the failure of Curriculum Reform, Schwab turned to practice orientation of curriculum development process, and paid attention to the particularity of practice. Shulman as disciplinary teaching expert trumpeted domain-specific call most loudly. Faced with the fact that being lack of subject content in the teaching and research, Shulman put forward to the new field of pedagogical content knowledge, which improved teachers’professional ability.Teaching research converted from "domain-general" to "domain-specific", and three main reasons can be accounted for this shift. Firstly, the progress of learning theory. As basic subject of education research, psychology research provides strong support for the development of teaching theory. Learning theory developed from behaviorism to cognitivism to situational teaching, and its focus changed from external behavior model to the cognitive structure of human’s mind to specific situation of the production and application of knowledge. These research results promoted the shift of teaching and research center. Secondly, the rise of postmodernism. Postmodernism opposed to the grand narrative paradigm, pursuit of nature and the view of objectivism. According to it teaching research is viewed by divergent disciplinary perspective gradually. Thirdly, the shift of process philosophy. Thinking mode of Philosophy has changed from physical thinking mode to process thinking mode. Process philosophy considered things as relational thinking mode which is against subject-object dichotomy. It advocated the unity of purpose and means, process and methods. Researchers required to focus on the background about concrete education event when used relational thinking mode.Teaching research shifted from domain-general to domain-specific has utmost importance. Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean to abandon domain-general research orientation. It has dialectical relationship between domain-general and domain-specific. Domain-general in a particular time background has its rationality and limitations as domain-specific has. Therefore, it’s reasonable pursuit of teaching research to maintain effective tension between the two.