An examination of Roy Bhaskar’s critical realism as a basis for educational practice

ABSTRACT

This article is an up-dated version of Gordon Brown's ontological approach to education. It tests the hypothesis that Roy Bhaskar's critical realism can successfully underpin education by applying it to: (1) curriculum; (2) pedagogy; and (3) assessment. It argues that critical realism provides an inter-disciplinary praxis, built around science, sociology and metaphysics, which can be taken up by educationalists to enhance their agency and produce positive knowledge cultures in their every day practices. Therefore Bhaskar's critical realism can unify those streams of educational thought that tend to create divisions which impede the development of knowledge cultures, and limit agency.

KEYWORDS:

• Critical realism
• Roy Bhaskar
• ontology
• epistemology
• inter-disciplinary inquiry
• agency

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mehri Mirzaei Rafe

Mehri Mirzaei Rafe is a doctoral student at the University of Tehran, Iran. Her PhD study is on the philosophy of education of Roy Bhaskar as an applied thinking curriculum. In addition, she is currently an invited intern at the University of Texas at Dallas, Centre for Values in Science, Technology and Medicine, has published several peer-reviewed papers in the field, and has presented at major international conferences. Mehri currently also works at the University of North Texas as a doctoral research advisor.

Khosrow Bagheri Noaparast

Khosrow Bagheri Noaparast (Professor) is an academic at the University of Tehran, Iran, focusing on the philosophy of education, and examining how agency can be enhanced through teaching and learning.

Afzal Sadat Hosseini

Afzal Sadat Hosseini (Associate Professor) is an academic at the University of Tehran, Iran, focusing on the philosophy of education, and examining how agency can be enhanced through teaching and learning.

Narges Sajadieh

Narges Sajadieh (Assistant Professor) is an academic at the University of Tehran, Iran, focusing on the philosophy of education, and examining how agency can be enhanced through teaching and learning.