Critical realism with a ‘small-c’: using domain theory to conceptualize therapeutic education

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe recent rise in popularity of nurture groups in British schools appears to be aligned with a broader shift towards therapeutic education. With initial origins in attachment theory, nurture group practice has more recently embraced Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) as a way of enhancing children’s emotional wellbeing. Research into school-based SEL initiatives has, however, been caught in a crossfire between positivist and interpretivist traditions. The focus of this paper is to steer a middle course by developing a critical realist account which, in applying domain theory, elaborates on the generative mechanisms at work in nurture group practice. This article is based on ethnographic research conducted within one English school which sought to explore qualitatively how SEL was constructed in text, talk and practice. Additionally, this paper illustrates the benefits of ‘small-c’ critical realism as a way of overcoming certain dichotomies and dualisms inherent in social theory.