Rethinking the notion of technology in education: Techno-epistemology as a feature inherent to human praxis

Educators repeatedly underscore the intimate relationship between science and technology. This is problematic because technology, far from being “applied science,” presupposes a unique epistemology (techno-epistemology). A focus on the role of science in technology overshadows this unique way of knowing and hence limits technology education and privileges a scientific worldview in education. To appropriately frame the unique epistemology of technology in education, we propose a cognitive framework developed to understand the use and development of tools in human activity, namely, Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). Drawing on a case study of technology that is not rooted in a (Eurocentric) scientific tradition, the SXOLE (Reef Net) fishing technology of the WSÁNEĆ (Saanich) people, we show how technology can be understood as inherent to human praxis, which presupposes a dialectically related and unique epistemology that is incommensurable and irreducible to a scientific worldview. The implications of this framework for science and technology education are discussed.