The plurality of academic didactics paradigms : on the need for complementarity of approaches

This paper refers to the concept of interdisciplinary nature of academic didactics as a field of social sciences which uses knowledge and results derived from educational sciences, psychology, philosophy, sociology and didactics specific to particular subjects. It was pointed out that considerations on the teaching practice in all the scientific disciplines constitute another source of knowledge in the field of academic didactics. Diversity of theoretical and methodological approaches is determined by science-specific and discipline-specific research methodology paradigms, diversified teaching culture dependent on environmental conditions as well as diversified teaching class patters for students which are often specific to an educational profile. The issue addressed in this paper is whether there is a single didactical paradigm that would unify approaches so different in terms of theory and practice. The paper provides a map of academic didactics paradigms, description of difficulties related to paradigmatic translations as well as lack of consent to multiparadigm approach and issues with interferences and shifts between paradigms. Despite the existing difficulties suggestion is made to promote complementary attitude to various approaches. It is supported by the concept of relations between the assumed academic didactics effects and teaching strategies that lead thereto, which are constituted by different teaching and learning patterns.