Democratic Education Research Articles

Post-Modernist Eksperimental Mangunan School in Democratic Curriculum and Post-Pandemic Era: Is It Relevant?

The Merdeka Belajar Curriculum is the national curriculum currently in use. However, alternative curricula can also develop in Indonesia. One of the schools that implements this alternative curriculum is Eksperimental Mangunan JHS, Yogyakarta, which has Mangunan pedagogy. Due to COVID-19, post-modernist schools must implement distance learning and have learning experiences with technology. A qualitative method with a semi-structured interview approach to related parties was used to obtain the required data. The Merdeka Belajar and Mangunan Pedagogy curricula are based on democratic education; the difference is that Mangunan schools provide character and environmental education. Besides, the use of technology is carried out in this school following the post-pandemic situation. However, this school does not digitalize education but continues to acclimate to the context of students' educational needs.

Educational Studies in Wartime: How War and Dictatorship influenced the Educational Theory of Philipp Abraham Kohnstamm (1875–1951)

Between the two World Wars, the Amsterdam physicist Philipp Abraham Kohnstamm (1 875–1951) became one of the founders of Dutch academic pedagogy. In the theory developed by Kohnstamm in the 1920s, the war played a significant role in the background. Kohnstamm’s philosophy of personalism was intended as a defense against fascist tendencies towards Gleichschaltung and dictatorship. With his educational ideas, Kohnstamm wanted to strenghten democratic citizenship and the emancipation of the lower classes. In the 1930s, Kohnstamm entered into a debate with National Socialism and emerged as a principled proponent of democracy and democratic education. As a German and Jew of origin, who later became Dutch and Christian, the rise of National Socialism strongly influenced Kohnstamm and it caused that he only finished three of the seven planned volumes of his magnum opus. In this paper, in which Kohnstamm’s resistance against war and dictatorship is further elaborated, the Dutch scholar is presented as a case of educational studies in wartime.

THE PLACE OF THE REPUBLIC EDUCATION COUNCIL IN HEYDAR ALIYEV'S NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY

In the educational history of the independent Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republican Education Council occupies an important place with its history of creation, content, and rich heritage. In this article, the Republican Education Council, which has held an important position in the process of educational construction of our independent state for many years, is considered as the educational heritage of Heydar Aliyev, and the study of its place in the construction of national education is discussed.

Treading the Narrow Path – Rethinking Democratic Education in Times of Polarization

Abstract This essay examines the relationship between knowledge, politics, and education in the context of the global crisis of democracy and the growing prevalence of political polarization. Focusing on the issue of vaccine hesitancy, I explore how citizens’ reference to knowledge and values shapes their political judgements and argue for the importance of education in facilitating informed and reasoned decision-making. Drawing on Hannah Arendt’s dialectical account of politics and knowledge, I highlight the limitations of reducing political debates to a quest for ‘right knowledge’, arguing that it neglects the coordination of diverse values and interpretations that is essential to democratic processes. To do so, I discuss ‘educationalization’ of the political during the COVID-19 pandemic, wherein the dissemination of empirically grounded information became a strategy to generate public consent. However, my essay cautions against the hegemony of empirical knowledge, which can lead to despotic politics and the proliferation of misinformation. To ensure differentiated and reasonable judgements in uncertain situations and conflicts, I turn to Arendt’s concept of reflective and political judgement, emphasizing the ability to imagine others’ perspectives and construct general principles. The educational task, therefore, encompasses not only conveying factual knowledge but also nurturing reflective judgement that strikes a balance between factual truth and divergent interpretations, values, and interests.

Thinking with Spinoza, Locke, and Dewey about self-control, education, and democracy

In the 17th century Spinoza and Locke wrote about education as aiming at self-control. In the 20th century Dewey argued for a similar view in Experience and education, where he described education as enabling people to have control over their own lives. These three philosophers all saw self-control as involving both the ability to make well-advised decisions and the competences necessary to follow them through. In the first half of the paper their theories are rephrased and explained. After that, the elements they have in common are analysed and supported with references to recent philosophical and psychological work on self-control. It is also argued that these common elements apply not only to individuals but also to groups and communities. The concluding section is a reflection on the relevance of what they said to modern discourse on educational aims and education for democracy.

Lev Tolstoy, A Founder of Democratic Education.

In this philosophical-theoretical study of Lev Tolstoy's pedagogical legacy of his Yasnaya Polyana school in the Russian Empire (1859-1862), I raised three major questions: (1) was Lev Tolstoy a democratic educator, and if so, why can one claim that, (2) if so, what kind of a democratic educator was he, and (3) what kind of limitations to his democratic education have I observe and what were the sources of these limitations? My answer to the first question was unequivocally positive. I argue that Tolstoy was the conceptual founder of democratic non-coercive education and the first known practitioner of democratic education for children. In my view, his democratic education was based on educational offerings provided by the teachers. His democratic educational philosophy was based on non-coercion, naturalism, anarchism, liveliness, pragmatism, pedagogical experimentation, student responses, pedagogical self-reflection, and dialogism. At the same time, his democratic education was limited to his uncritical acceptance of conventionalism. Tolstoy's attraction to Progressive Education was facilitated by ignoring his enormous powers, both explicit and implicit, that he manifested exercised in the school and enacted through his "pervasive informality." In my judgment, Tolstoy overemphasized pedagogy over self-education and did not distinguish learning from education. Still, Tolstoy's pioneering work in democratic education, both in theory and practice, remains mostly unacknowledged and unanalyzed while continuing to be highly relevant and potentially influential.

Political emotions in a literature classroom

ABSTRACT The democratic potential of literature education has often been accentuated. In this article, we draw on Gert Biesta’s subjectification conception of democratic education, and view democracy as a concept open for (re)negotiation in the classroom. We are informed by Chantal Mouffe’s agonistic democratic theory, and its view of dissent as a foundational aspect of democracy, in that the struggle itself constitutes the identities of the opponents. Agonistic proposals for democratic education also pay attention to political emotions in the classroom. We pair agonism with Sara Ahmed’s view of emotion as performative to explore how power, identity and emotions are entangled in a student group and how this entanglement is integrated in the students’ conceptions of democracy. The students were in their last year of upper secondary school in Sweden. We analysed audio recordings from three group interviews with a total of eleven students. The interviews followed a literary discussion about the short story ‘Farangs’ by Rattawut Lapcharoensap, which was video recorded. The analysis shows that students referred to emotion when constructing the collective identities of themselves and their opponents, and that the power relations between these collective identities influenced what literary interpretations were centred in the discussion.

A Multiple Regression Model On The Relationship Between Deliberative Democracy And Political Equity: The Cases Of Greece And Turkey

This article presents a multiple regression model in which the effect of the political equality index on the quality of deliberative democracy in Greece and Turkey is investigated. The data was drawn from the V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) database which was announced in March 2024. As far as Greece is concerned, the final conclusions of the research include the positive effect of increasing the participation of women and LGBTI people on the index of deliberative democracy. Also, an interesting finding is the fact of the absence of importance of the participation of individuals in primary and secondary education in deliberative democracy, a fact that may be linked to the discredit of the Greek school. As far as Turkey in concerned, there is a negative relationship between the participation of citizens in tertiary education, as well as a negative relationship between the distribution of power by sexual orientation and deliberative democracy index. Finally, the participation of citizens in primary education has a positive coefficient and is highly statistically significant.

THE PLACE REPUBLIC OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION IN NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY OF HAYDER ALIYEV

In the educational history of the independent Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republican Education Council occupies an important place with its history of creation, content, and rich heritage. In this article, the Republican Education Council, which has held an important position in the process of educational construction of our independent state for many years, is considered as the educational heritage of Heydar Aliyev, and the study of its place in the construction of national education is discussed.

Curriculum as ‘folding’ democratic practice: Integrating Deleuzian and Deweyan philosophies with the lived experiences of English teachers

AbstractThis article advocates the revision of the English as an Additional Language (EAL) Curriculum in Australia into a “curriculum as ‘folding’ democratic practice”, a concept deeply informed by the lived experiences of sixteen teachers of English from multilingual backgrounds. Using hermeneutic phenomenology and narrative inquiry, this study explores how these educators leverage their personal and professional lived experiences to transcend the limitations of a curriculum dominated by Australian Standard English. These narratives highlight the adaptation of the curriculum through ethical engagements with learners’ diverse needs, embodying democratic and pluralistic approaches. Drawing on Gilles Deleuze’s (1993) concepts of the “fold” and “molecular possibilities” and John Dewey’s “democratic education” (1916), the research illustrates the potential of a responsive and inclusive curriculum that fosters intercultural capabilities in superdiverse classrooms. This study advocates an EAL curriculum that not only imparts linguistic skills but also prepares learners for meaningful participation in a globally interconnected society, extending the scope of English language education and teacher capabilities in Australia and beyond. The research highlights broader implications for other subject-related curricula, suggesting principles that could foster inclusivity and intercultural understanding.

Promoting Inclusion through Democratic Education: Strategies and Implications

Promoting Inclusion through Democratic Education: Strategies and Implications

Curriculum theory and developmentally appropriate practice

ABSTRACT The authors begin this article with an account of the crises in education in the US today. Curriculum theory is applied to the ideas in the 4th edition of NAEYC’s ‘developmentally appropriate practices,’ and the relationship between the ideas in this edition to current issues is discussed. The authors also present a brief description of democratic education. They conclude with a recommendation to democratise early childhood teacher education that includes the development of individual and group platforms.

TEACHING HISTORY IN HIGH SCHOOL AS A WAY TO BUILD A COMPLEX OF SELF-IDENTIFICATIONS OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

This study examines the role of history education in shaping the complex self-identifications of high school students, highlighting its significance in the broader context of democratic education principles and human rights. Recognizing the transformative power of history education, the research investigates how historical narratives and teaching methodologies influence students’ identity formation and their perception of societal roles. Through a mixed-methods approach, involving surveys and observations from 300 high school students across ten schools in the Dnipropetrovsk region, this study explores the interplay between historical education and student self-identity, focusing on the integration of multiple perspectives, critical thinking, and ethical reflection in the curriculum. The findings reveal that exposure to diverse historical viewpoints not only enhances students' understanding of history but also actively supports their personal and social identity development. Critical engagement with historical content, especially involving ethical dilemmas and social injustices, encourages deep reflection and aids in forming a nuanced personal and social identity. Moreover, the study addresses the challenges posed by global educational dynamics and the media, which often contrast with the objectives of historical education, suggesting that an enriched historical curriculum can serve as a counterbalance to external influences. The research underscores the need for history educators to adopt inclusive and reflective pedagogical strategies that foster a critical understanding of history while supporting complex identity formation among students. By doing so, history education not only contributes to the academic development of students but also plays a crucial role in preparing them for active and informed citizenship in a democratic society. The study’s recommendations advocate for continuous teacher development and curricular adjustments to better meet the diverse needs of students, ensuring that history education remains a pivotal element of modern educational systems.

Modernity and democracy in normal school: the School Republic in the 1920 reform in São Paulo (Brazil)

ABSTRACT At a time when extremist movements are gaining proportions on the world stage, it is relevant to reanalyse experiences that intended to establish democracy as a principle in school education. The School Republic was one of them, which was proposed by the Sampaio Dória Reform, in 1920, taking the New School as its context; the School Republic aimed to promote modernity and provide students with knowledge and experience, and incorporate democracy. The School Republic was a student association that had the function of practical learning in civic education. Organised along the lines of a presidential republic, the association should have its own constitution to govern its operation. This article aims to analyse the School Republic proposal and its role in teacher education for democracy and to map the experiences of implementing school republics in normal schools. The starting point is that by having self-government as its axis, the student association would promote new configurations and change the constituted ethos and habitus, threatening the established and inscribed power of principals and teachers in normal schools. For Sampaio Dória, students should learn to live in a democracy through civic activities. Among other changes promoted by the reform, the more horizontal relationship between teacher and student seems to have shaken the school field, ending the school republic

Correction to: Preparing teachers for critical global and democratic practice: shifting inquiries into the teaching of democracy and global citizenship in teacher education

Correction to: Preparing teachers for critical global and democratic practice: shifting inquiries into the teaching of democracy and global citizenship in teacher education

A fragmentation of Dewey: Dewey in the political and educational reforms of China, 1910s–1920s

ABSTRACT Dewey’s influence on Chinese education has been described as a prime example of the transfer of knowledge from the West to the East. This article investigates the precise process of this transfer by re-examining two themes stressed in current scholarship: Dewey’s thoughts on education and democracy and his incremental approach to educational and social reform. In doing so, it explores the many roles Dewey played in both radical and moderate reforms and in an educational discourse that shifted its focus from democratic education to education informed by the scientific attitude. As a result, it raises further theoretical questions about the conceptualisation, unity and diversity, and ‘influence’ of Dewey in transfer processes. In this article, we argue that Dewey’s ideas were subject to constant reinvention in Republican China and that the received Dewey was largely a fragmented Dewey born out of its ever-shifting socio-political and cultural context.

Reform Pedagogy Meets History Education in the Writings of Four Norwegian Gymnasium Teachers (1917–1954)

This article explores relationships between ideas of reform pedagogy and conceptions of history education in the writings of four Norwegian upper secondary school history teachers who worked at the same rural gymnasium, Eidsvoll landsgymnas (ELG), between 1936 and 1939. While expressing support for certain principles of reform pedagogy, their ideas of purposes, content, and methods of history education varied considerably. This article demonstrates diversity within Norwegian reform pedagogy. Although these teachers could agree in criticism of the “old school” and in support of more student-centred and active education, their conceptions of history, as well as their goals for societal development, differed greatly. While one of the teachers saw strengthening national identity as the main goal of history education, others emphasised history education’s role in education for democracy.

Educational Democracy on The Perspective of Islamic Educational Philosophy

Educational Democracy on The Perspective of Islamic Educational Philosophy

The reactionary use of concepts of secularism, pluralism and freedom of expression: implications for education studies

ABSTRACT This paper is the text of a keynote address given at the Education Studies Association of Ireland Conference on March 31st 2023. Drawing on diverse examples of reactionary politics in Ireland and the UK such as protests against queer-inclusive education, the maintenance of sectarian and Catholic majoritarian schooling, and the use of ideas of 'free speech' arguments to shut down anti-racist education, Karl Kitching argues for vigilance against the use of ostensibly liberal ideas about secularism, pluralism and free expression to damage collective solidarity, equality and democracy in education and wider society.

Seminar Pemuda Berdaulat Undiksha: Menelaah Peran Pemuda dalam Menjaga Kelangsungan Demokrasi

Democracy is a system of government based on popular sovereignty, while democratic education is the process of teaching people about democracy, including its concepts, principles, and applications. Every citizen, especially the youth, plays a crucial role in shaping the nation's future. However, the younger generation is often less involved in national political and economic affairs, leading to problems that affect society's quality of life. Government actions often fail to have a positive impact on the younger generation and do not prioritize their interests. Consequently, the younger generation fails to grasp the importance of their role in shaping the nation's future and solving the problems they face. The aim of this activity is to equip the younger generation with modern and peaceful education about democracy. Therefore, it is essential to strive for the role of the younger generation in realizing democracy and economic-political stability so that they can play a more active role and have a positive impact on society.