Communication, relativism, and student development

Abstract

Recent contributions to communication theory imply that an education in communication requires an encounter with relativism. With empirical support, William Perry has schematized the role of relativism in student development. Therefore, the Perry scheme is commended as a paradigm for research and practice in communication education. An assessment of three approaches to communication pedagogy, from Perry's perspective, suggests the unique relevance of the “communicative experience model” for intellectual and ethical development through relativism.