The nature, elements, areas and methods of philosophical research in education: a call to intellectual order in Nigeria

Abstract

In Nigeria, philosophy of education is viewed as inferior to empirical sciences of natural and social domains due to their successes and their styles of investigating the truths through sense experience/observation, statistical analysis, hypotheses testing and experiments, the cause-effect phenomena, the problem-solving and useful products of sciences such as medical discoveries, information and communication technology, and many more. Sciences have been rated high that many people in the learning institutions would believe that empirical research approach is the only research method that can lead to the acquisition of knowledge and would try to limit philosophers to the method not technically theirs. However, philosophical research approach in philosophy of education, which involves logical and critical reasoning, has also been validated and proven by its advocates to be an authentic source of knowledge. To disclaim a source of knowledge in favour of another is like claiming that it is only 3 and 3 can equal 6 or it is like saying there is only one entry to a central city in a country. In order to make a call to an intellectual order regarding this misleading assertion by scientists, this paper defended philosophical research in education as authentic and applicable to life