An analysis of approaches to knowledge and their implications for distance education

Epistemology is a branch of philosophy concerned with understanding human knowledge's origin, structure, method, and validity. It forces reflection so that actions based on knowledge as close as possible to what can be considered accurate cannot be established. This study aimed to analyze the different approaches to knowledge found in scientific publications 2024 and their implications for distance education. The method used was the scientific-technological one in its four stages: formulation of research questions, data collection in scientific databases, organization of data into semantic groups, and generation of results using some schematic form. The results showed that a) there are 25 approaches to knowledge, b) six semantic groups that summarize the approaches can be formed: set, cognition, information, final stage, result, and skills, and c) the implications for distance education are the application of these groups in the planning and execution of training or professional qualification proposals. The conclusion was that epistemology functions as a kind of guarantee of the validity, reliability, and trustworthiness of the knowledge that structures distance education so that what is studied is in line with what the job market needs and the professional's profile to be trained.