190039 VO BM 4 Education as a Science (AHP) (2025S)

The central assumption of this course is that educational theory and research does not take place in a vacuum, but is thoroughly enmeshed with social, political, and cultural realities that define contextually what is educational in education, what should be researched, and how it should be researched. The aim of the course is (1) to introduce students to the historical epistemology of the educational sciences; (2) to make students acquainted with major currents in educational thinking (1900-present); (3) to show how these currents can be understood against their historical background, and (4) to raise an awareness for the interdependency of educational theories and research methodologies.

The course gives on overview of major currents in educational thinking and discusses per current (1) central educational concepts, theories, and ways of thinking; (2) their embeddedness in context-specific and culturally-framed thought styles; (3) the relation between educational theory (epistemology) and educational research (methodology); (4) exemplary cases of educational research.

At the end of the course, students are able to:
- define key concepts pertaining to various educational theories and research traditions;
- outline the fundamental assumptions of different thought styles in educational thinking;
- situate educational theories within their historical timeframe;
- discuss the relation between social, political, and cultural aspects and educational theory and research;
- compare different paradigms of educational theory and research;
- evaluate the congruency between educational theories and research methodologies.

After an introductory lecture in which the general set-up of the course is explained as well as the central topics are introduced, there will be thematic lectures on different currents of educational theory and research.