Signifying the Transition from Modern to Post-Modern Schooling... 7vertical discourse of a knowledge domain which takes the form of a coherent, explicit,
systematically principled knowledge structure, hierarchically organized. The principle of the
structuring of the esoteric knowledge constituting the basis for the relevant content selection
̳moves the realizations towards more and more general propositions which integrate
knowledge at lower levels and across an expanding range of apparently different phenomena‘
(Bernstein, 1996, p.173). This form of content selection corresponds to specializations
maintaining strict boundaries vis-à-vis other fields of knowledge, a condition which in turn
favors social uniformity, and strict delimitation of academic fields from other social fields of
action.
c. Objectives and Mode of Assessment
The objectives to be accomplished in the education programs lying closer to this first
ideal type have mainly to do with the grasp of knowledge structures (ranging from surface to
deep ones) or with the ability to apply various methodological approaches of each specialized
knowledge domain. The objectives of this kind are aligned with a competence based model of
assessment (Bernstein, 1996). According to this model the pedagogic practice is focused on
the learner, and the progress he/she makes as he/she learns. Development is recorded through
intense observation and monitoring of the individual. Comparisons are often drawn between
the progressive sequence of development established within pedagogic settings and ̳natural‘
processes of maturation occurring outside the educational contexts. The dominating field
determining the objectives for each developmental stage of the learner tends to be the
conceptual one (Piaget) while other fields like those of psyche (Freud) or language
(Chomsky) are occasionally also taken into consideration (Bernstein, 1996).
The adoption of a competence based model of evaluation commands preference for
knowledge based objectives. This is a natural consequence of the fact that the content is
transmitted on the basis of highly hierarchical and vertically organized knowledge structures
of specialized knowledge disciplines, thus highlighting the need for assessing appropriate
levels of knowledge of particular age or ability groups appropriately.
c. The Social Relationships Established
The high specialization of the content in the corresponding programs preserves the
insulation between esoteric knowledge domains and every-day practical forms of knowledge.
In this way what eventually is preserved is power and social hierarchies between persons,
subjects and whole programs. Specifically, the clear separation between esoteric and practical
and/ or everyday knowledge in this case preserves explicit hierarchical social relationships
and unequal distribution of power between expert addressers and non-expert addressees as
well as between subjects (e.g. maths and music) or whole programs (e.g. vocational and
theoretical courses) of different epistemic status.
These explicitly established hierarchical social relationships have direct implications for
the social positions made available for participants in the relevant communication-pedagogic
process. This process is based on a unidirectional model of knowledge transmission from the
knowledgeable experts (teachers) to the passive and powerless non-expert students. In
conclusion, traditional pedagogy of transmission of pre-specified knowledge, prevails in this
ideal type, while teachers tend to maintain strict control over selection, transmission and
evaluation of knowledge.