In 2006, after receiving the Division 15 Career Award, Alexander delivered a keynote address entitled “Evolution of a Learning Theory: A Case Study.” This presentation was a clarion call for greater respect for and attention to scientific speculation in educational psychology as a critical component in theory building. To build her case, Alexander drew on the writings of a provocative cosmologist, Joao Magueijo (2003), as an analogy to the processes and experiences that led to the Model of Domain Learning (1997, 2003)—her theory of academic development. Within the published text of her presentation, Alexander outlined the confluence of factors that instigate or inhibit scientific speculation and the conditions that transform such speculation into empirically supported theories. For this topical collection, the premises, factors, and conditions touched on in that keynote delivered 16 years ago will be revisited and re-examined in light of contemporary practices and prevailing orientations in educational psychology.

2006 年，在获得第 15 部门职业奖后，亚历山大发表了题为“学习理论的演变：案例研究”的主题演讲。这次演讲响亮地呼吁人们更加尊重和关注教育心理学中的科学推测，将其作为理论构建的关键组成部分。为了论证她的观点，亚历山大借鉴了一位具有争议性的宇宙学家 Joao Magueijo (2003) 的著作，作为对领域学习模型 (1997, 2003)（她的学术发展理论）的过程和经验的类比。在她发表的演讲文本中，亚历山大概述了激发或抑制科学推测的因素的汇合，以及将这种推测转化为经验支持的理论的条件。在这本专题合集中，我们将根据教育心理学的当代实践和流行方向，重新审视和审视 16 年前主题演讲中所涉及的前提、因素和条件。