Session Information
Session 9B, Education Policy and Curriculum Development in the Knowledge Society
Papers
Time:
2005-09-09
13:00-14:30
Room:
ENG
Chair:
Bo Dahlin
Contribution
Globalisation of education continually gives rise to collision of different theories and concepts simultaneously aiming at the same practical domain. Since the overall recognition of theory- laden essence of scientific knowledge in the mid- 20th century, attempts to reconcile different concepts have provided multiple forms of debates. Contests about pioneering projects - such as paradigm incommensurability thesis, critical rationalism, sociology of knowledge, and diverse forms of constructivism and postmodernism - have largely framed the legitimation debate of education in general, as well as of many educational concepts and sub- disciplines. Recently, new dimensions have been added and argued, such as Steve Fuller' s social epistemology or Joseph Rouse's anti-essentialist cultural studies. The present paper focuses on the legitimation of social pedagogy as scientific concept and academic discipline. The genuinely German concept of social pedagogy has recently spread in many Northern and Eastern European countries, but has faced difficulties in assuring its scientific status and identity in relation to other disciplines - particularly to these of general education and social work. Admittedly, these problems have for long persisted in German educational discussion, also. In present paper it is argued that legitimation problems of social pedagogy partly result from its poor connection with broader discussion of legitimation principles of scientific knowledge and theories. This is a deficiency common in both German as well as in Northern and Eastern European discourse of social pedagogy. Generally concept of social pedagogy and its disciplinary identity has been attempted to legitimise on the base of its historical descent, or on the base of empirical research done within its framework and conceptual tools. Alongside these paths, however, it will never be possible to outbid any of the rival concepts. Consequently, social pedagogy has two broad alternatives in warranting its maintenance and further inculcation. First, it can overtly allocate its legitimation in any of the anti-universalist (e. g. postmodernist) cast. Thereby, but, any trans-contextual argument for its facilities amongst the rival concepts and academic disciplines is virtually yielded up. Alternatively, social pedagogy is in unceasing need to elaborate all the unique properties required for assuring its status as scientific concept and academic discipline. Thus far, social pedagogy has been unable to satisfy this demand, but neither has it explicitly relinquished its universal pretensions. Analysing the concept against the broader background of epistemological debate helps to foster the self- reflection of social pedagogy and, in particular, makes it more convenient for the proponents of other conceptual frameworks and disciplines. The paper, thus, consists of the following parts. Firstly, reception of social pedagogy, and its legitimation difficulties in Northern and Eastern European countries will be delineated, with particular concentration to Scandinavian and Baltic states. Internationally available published material will be used as research material. Secondly, current state of affair in legitimation of social pedagogy in German discourse will be outlined, focusing on the recent articles explicitly concentrating on theory of social pedagogy and published in Zeitschrift für Pädagogik, the leading educational journal in Germany. Thirdly, similarities of legitimation difficulties of social pedagogy in all these countries will be analysed and presented. Finally, relevant conclusions will be made and some preliminary suggestions for applying the contemporary epistemological debate to legitimation of social pedagogy.
Search the ECER Programme
- Search for keywords and phrases in "Text Search"
- Restrict in which part of the abstracts to search in "Where to search"
- Search for authors and in the respective field.
- For planning your conference attendance you may want to use the conference app, which will be issued some weeks before the conference
- If you are a session chair, best look up your chairing duties in the conference system (Conftool) or the app.