The epistemological origins of pedagogical mediation: theoretical bases and perspectives on knowledge construction

Abstract

Pedagogical mediation makes it possible to move beyond a traditional conception of teaching centered on the transmission of knowledge and to promote students’ active participation in conceptual construction. The objective was to analyze the epistemological origins of pedagogical mediation and identify the perspectives that underpin the construction and transformation of knowledge based on the contributions of Piaget, Vygotsky, Freire, and Ausubel. A theoretical and documentary review of their main ideas and their relationship with teaching and learning processes was conducted. The analysis identified four perspectives: Piaget’s constructivist perspective, centered on the construction of knowledge through interaction with the environment; Vygotsky’s sociocultural perspective, based on social interaction and mediation; Freire’s critical and dialogical perspective, associated with dialogue, reflection, and transformation; and Ausubel’s meaningful learning perspective, grounded in the relationship between prior knowledge and new learning. Taken together, these perspectives conceive the student as an active subject, the teacher as a mediator, and knowledge as a dynamic and contextualized construction. It is concluded that pedagogical mediation articulates cognitive, social, dialogical, and meaningful dimensions oriented toward educational transformation.