Abstract

Some current cognitive and instructional theories labelling themselves as "constructivist" give reason for approaching the problem of transfer of learning from a new perspective. In the constructivist view knowledge is always constructed within a certain context and is accordingly represented in a contextualized manner. This results in knowledge that cannot be flexibly applied to any problem conceivable, but merely to specific contexts. When dealing with the question under which circumstances knowledge is flexibly applicable, constructivists approach a typical problem of transfer without, however, referring systematically to the concept of "transfer". This contribution investigates whether and in how far transfer of learning can be conceptualized in terms of a constructivist perspective and discusses theoretical implications of such a view for reseach on transfer. Here, special emphasis is placed on constructivist conceptual models dealing with contextualized knowledge representation. From the discussion of these concepts it is proposed to map the contextualization of knowledge by relating knowledge to certain ranges of application