The aim of the paper is to review the field of critical educational policy studies in view of identifying and describing general ‘styles’ (of critical reasoning) that underlie these studies (Hacking, 1992; Simons et al, 2005). Firstly, current perspectives and frameworks are inventoried and described by focusing on the variety of theoretical/epistemological (post-structuralism, critical theory, feminist theory, neo-Marxism, sociology of governance) and methodological ((critical) discourse analysis, content analysis, case-study, (open) interviews) influences (cf. Scheurich, 1994; Popkewitz, 1996; Lingard, 1997; Marshall & Peters, 1999; Whitty, 2002; Humes & Bryce, 2003; Olsson et al., 2004). Secondly, the changed role of nation state government in educational governance and policy making is discussed, and the need to focus on modes of regulation and governance beyond the nation state and to adopt critical perspectives and methodologies that are not 'state-centred' (Dale, 2005). Thirdly, the term ‘re-reading’ (or ‘re-problematisation’) is introduced as a general concept to unify (as well as to differentiate) different types or traditions of critical policy studies (see also: Rose, 1999; Simons, 2007). The concept of ‘re-reading’ addresses the following issues: 1) ‘re-reading’ suggests the importance of taking as a point of departure current challenges/problems for governments and the proposed (policy) solutions, for example, how do policy makers, political parties, organisations ‘read’ the problems and challenges they want to address, and which measures and instruments are proposed or implemented? 2) ‘re-reading’ not only focuses on policy texts, but could also be about reading applied governmental instruments, procedures, and strategies; 3) ‘re-reading’ today’s policy ‘reading’ is a critical activity that aims at a kind of de-familiarization with the current way policies pose problems, offer and implement solutions and justify agendas; 4) the critical potential of ‘re-reading’ could be related to a variety of perspectives: revealing an underlying rationality, identifying unspoken interests, focusing on unintended consequences, pointing at contradictions, mapping the field of contingencies. As such, ‘re-reading’ results in a de-familiarization with regard to how/which problems are being posed, how/which solutions are proposed or implemented and/or how both are connected; 5) ‘re-reading’ looks from an educational perspective at policies and governance, and not the other way around. Hence, the motives behind re-reading as a critical activity reside in educational concerns (e.g. justice, equality, educational values). With regard to the latter, different perspectives are adopted. Finally, by using the general term ‘re-reading’, the paper will differentiate between different styles of 're-reading' educational policies. The term ‘style’ is used to refer to a particular combination of a research attitude, mode of reasoning, set of methods and research domain.

literature review conceptual analysis

A review of the field of critical educational policy studies in view of the identification of particular 'styles' (of critical reasoning), and the introduction of the general term 're-reading' to grasp the focus of critical educational policy studies.