Children’s Rights in Education. Identifying Didactics in Educational Issues of Children’s rights: An International Research Synthesis.

Author(s):

Lotta Brantefors(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2014

Network:

25. Research on Children's Rights in Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

25 SES 07, UNCRC: Issues, Prospects and Theoretical Frames

Paper Session

Time:

2014-09-03

17:15-18:45

Room:

B034 Anfiteatro

Chair:

Didier Reynaert

Contribution

Objective and theoretical framework

In this research synthesis theories of didactics have been used to analyse the field of education and children’s rights. Previous studies indicate that the field of education has a relatively low level of theorising, and the convention and the rights are often treated as theories in themselves (Quennerstedt 2009, 2011). Theories of didactics could in this respect contribute to theoretical frames for analyses, descriptions and discussions of educational matters. In this pilot study the overall aim has been to explore the international field of research related to children’s rights and education, and to map, synthesise and categorise possible findings in terms of didactics. The primary objective was to find out whether there is a field of research and/or a field of knowledge that could be termed children’s rights’ didactics and, in case there is, how it is conceptualised.

The term didactics has a long tradition particularly in Northern Europe. Didactics wide range of theories and models are used as tools for analysing and discussing content related educational questions of teaching, learning, curriculum and socialization. The why (motives), the what (the content) and the how (methods) are central topics in didactic research and didactic analysis, and these questions are explored on the basis of a variety of theories and levels (macro, meso, and micro) (Gundem 1998, Hopman 2007, Hudson & Meyer 2011). The three didactic questions (the why, the what and the how) have also guided this study. Another central point of reference in didactics, and in this study, is the didactic triangle where the three elements – teacher, learner and content – together represent the core in educational situations. These elements are interrelated and form each educational act (e.g. Klette 2007). However didactic research and didactic traditions are contextual. This study is situated in a research tradition that is influenced by Anglo American curriculum theory (cf Popkewitz e.g. 1997). Education is here analysed and discussed in terms of meaning-making, communication and moral and political consequences of education (e.g. Englund 1986; Englund, Quennerstedt & Wahlström 2009; Biesta 2010; Brantefors 2011).

Method

The investigation was put through by analysing a selection of online abstracts from educational databases as EBSCO and ERIC. By combining education and children’s rights or human rights with different educational terms as didactics, teaching, learning, curriculum, curriculum studies, pedagogy, socialization, knowledge and content the international searching was carried through. These combinations were repeated a lot of times. Only English keywords were used. The search period was between 1990-2013, but most publications that came up were from last decade. The inclusion criteria resulted in approximately ninety (90) texts in the first place; mainly scientific articles related to education. But when categorised on the basis of the three central didactic questions only thirty-one (31) could be included in further analysis The following questions (for categorisation) were asked: i) Are the texts discussing in terms of motives for education in children’s rights (the why)? ii) Are the texts discussing content matters as for example the choice of content in education (the what)? Or iii) are they more concerned with methodological issues on how to do and how to educate the children in children’s rights (the how). By analysing the texts with these questions in mind the abstracts were sorted out in a matrix.

Expected Outcomes

The result of the study shows that first of all the term didactics is a non-existent concept related to human rights or children’s rights in education. Not a single publication has been conceptualised or defined as didactics. However spread worldwide there are publications with approaches that could be labelled didactics, most of them related to keywords like teaching and learning. In those publications two main categories of didactics have been distinguished: (1) More than half of the studies are primarily dealing with methods (the how) in children’s rights’ education. This category is dominated by analyses and/or discussions about diverse strategies for developing participation. (2) The other half of the thirty-one publications are content related studies (the what) with different orientations: i) Text focus (e.g. investigations of study material and textbooks), ii) Beliefs (e.g. investigations of teacher’s or children’s ideas) and iii) Norms and values (e.g. fostering to democratic values). Only one article addresses the question of motives (the why) in education. The conclusion is that there is a field related to human rights or children’s rights and education that could be named children’s rights’ didactics. The issues treated in the analysed publications are so far “true” didactic questions, even if they are not conceptualized like that. When comparing the orientation of research between countries it differs a lot. For example, Turkey seems to have a content related research tradition and Sweden stands out with research on children’s rights in relationship to fundamental values. Most articles are from Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and some from the African continent, but many countries are invisible in the searching. In sum, to further identify and conceptualise a field of didactics would provide opportunities for analysing and clarifying education and children’s rights in greater extent.

References

Biesta, G. 2010. Good education in an age of measurement: ethics, politics, democracy. Boulder, Colo.: Paradigm Publishers. Brantefors, L. 2011. Kulturell fostran. En didaktisk studie av talet om kulturella relationer i texter om skola och utbildning. [Cultural Education. On Cultural Relations in Texts about School and Education.] Diss. Uppsala: University of Uppsala. Englund, T. 1986. Curriculum as a political problem: changing educational conceptions, with special reference to citizenship education. Diss. Uppsala: University of Uppsala. Englund, T., Quennerstedt, A. and N. Wahlström 2009. Education as a Human and a Citizenship Rights – Parents’ Rights, Children’s Rights, or. . . ? The Necessity of Historical Contextualization. Journal of Human Rights, 8:133–138. Gundem, B.B. 1998. Understanding European didactics: an overview: didactics (Didaktik, didaktik(k), didactique). Oslo: Institute for Educational Research, University of Oslo. Hopmann, S. 2007. Restrained Teaching: the common core of Didaktik. European Educational Research Journal, 6(2), 109-124. Hudson, B. & Meyer, M. A., red. 2011. Beyond fragmentation: didactics, learning and teaching in Europe. Opladen: Budrich, Barbara. Klette, K. 2007. Trends in Research on Teaching and Learning in Schools: didactics meets classroom studies. European Educational Research Journal, 6(2) Popkewitz, T. 1997. The curriculum theory tradition: studies in the social/cultural and political contexts of pedagogical practices. In An evaluation of Swedish research in education, eds: K-E Rosengren, and B. Öhngren, 42-67. Stockholm: HSFR/Swedish Council for Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Quennerstedt, A. 2009. Children’s Rights in Education – Transforming Universal Claims into New Zealand Policy. New Zealand Journal of Education Studies, 44 (2), 63-78. Quennerstedt, A. 2011. The construction of children’s rights in education – a research synthesis. International Journal of Childrens Rights, 19 (2011), 661-678.

Author Information

Lotta Brantefors (presenting / submitting)

Uppsala University

Department of Education

Uppsala

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