How does language inform the tasks of education today and for what related pedagogical practices? 

In times of accelerated globalization, economic, cultural, political, and social interactions among different populations and regions around the globe increase. There are many languages in the world that model such interactions that need to be mediated and reflected in education. In the field of education, it is essential to consider the diverse linguistic backgrounds of students, educators, and researchers when addressing cultural responsiveness. Additionally, the emergence of transnational and transcultural studies within educational sciences underscores the significance of conducting such foundational research. Besides that, there have been cross-national dialogues and mutual influences about education in the past. 

We see the need to renew cross-border scholarship in an appreciation of the common roots of educational terminology to move forward amidst contemporary challenges. The principal purpose of this symposium is to, in the spirit of Wilhelm von Humboldt’s language studies, investigate various cultural archives by linguistic analysis and educational dialogue. “We” are scholars from different countries, the USA, Germany, and Sweden, collaborating to map multiple, simultaneous, and concurring claims of reality, experience, and meaning that form an idea of education. The joint concern is to listen to the various complementary or conflicting claims of different epistemic communities and propose an educational dialogue.

In this symposium, we describe the ethnographic, philosophical, political, hegemonic, and paradigmatic implications of the term “evidence” to shed light on these challenges. Evidence is frequently used in education sciences, particularly in the context of its legitimation. “Evidence-based education” is related to “evidence-based teaching,” “evidence-based learning,” and “school effectiveness” in educational reform contexts (Labaree, 2011; Labaree, 2014). In scientific contexts, this resembles “data-driven education” and the “what works” perspective. 

We seek context of varying terminologies, frames, and philosophical and curricular dialogue in different languages. As Jornitz (2008, p. 206) argues, “to give evidence” in the English language suggests an active process of substantiating information. It implies active responsibility and being accountable for the validity and reliability of judgments, assessments, and evaluations, emphasizing measurable outcomes. One can add that the term “evidence” is primarily associated with the domain of natural sciences rather than the humanities. According to Jornitz (ibid.) in German, “evidence” refers to what is self-understanding and doesn’t need further explanation or proof. “To prove evidence” is supposed to be done through philosophical (e.g., Husserl [1911] 2009), empirical, or methodological approaches. There are movements towards the English understanding when, according to Johannes Bauer & Ingo Kollar (2023, 124f.), “evidence is created” by rationally linking situated expertise and contextual knowledge of experts to the current state of scholarly knowledge. 

The focus of our symposium is on how language, especially expert terminology and official knowledge (Apple 2004), constitutes the frameworks of “what counts,” in the context of evidence, as pedagogical knowledge. What counts as pedagogical knowledge is mainly culturally and historically situated. Educational practices from across various regions and nations all reflect their respective and unique cultural contexts, much like the multitude of approaches to educational research reflects a wide variety of disciplinary, methodological, and theoretical perspectives present in the field. A “perspective” is a theoretical approach, a worldview, and/or a critical lens through which to inquire—in our case—about pedagogical linguistic issues. We will discuss and consider “evidence” in education by elaborating on political, historical, and philosophically informed perspectives. 

In our papers, we consider “evidence” from different perspectives, including political, historical, and linguistic approaches to the term evidence.

Apple, M. W. (2012): Knowledge, Power, and Education: The Selected Works of Michael W. Apple. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. http://www.123library.org/book_details/?id=60485. Bauer, J.; Kollar. I. (2023): (Wie) kann die Nutzung bildungswissenschaftlicher Evidenz Lehren und Lernen verbessern? Thesen und Fragen zur Diskussion um evidenzorientiertes Denken und Handeln von Lehrkräften. In: Unterrichtswissenschaft, 51, 123-147. Husserl, E. ([1911] 2009). Philosophie als strenge Wissenschaft. Hamburg: Meiner. Jornitz, S. (2008). Was bedeutet eigentlich ‘evidenzbasierte Bildungsforschung’? Über den Versuch, Wissenschaft für Praxis verfügbar zu machen am Beispiel der Review-Erstellung - In: Die Deutsche Schule 100/2, 206-216. DOI: 10.25656/01:27247. Labaree, D. F. (2011). “The Lure of Statistics for Educational Researchers.” In: Educational Theory 61 (6): 621–32. Labaree, D. F. (2014). Let’s measure what no one teaches: PISA, NCLB, and the shrinking aims of education. Teachers College Record, 116, 9, 1-14. Slavin, R. E. (2002). Evidence-Based Education Policies: Transforming Educational Practice and Research. Educational Researcher, 31(7), 15-21. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X031007015