John Dewey and the Democratic Role of Higher Education in England

Abstract

Education policy in England has been criticized for an overemphasis on narrow performance targets and the adoption of private sector principles. Universities and colleges have increasingly been viewed in terms of their value for the U.K. economy. This article argues that there are sound ethical (philosophical), political, and pedagogical reasons for a more rounded approach. To reassert a broader vision of education we require an ethical base, which we argue is provided by political philosophy in the writings of John Dewey. For Dewey, education must be viewed in the context of its role in democratic society. The article identifies basic principles that relate to Dewey's belief in democratic education and develops general indicators to test these principles. These indicators are then used to evaluate higher education and political science education in England.

Keywords:

• democracy
• experiential learning
• higher education
• John Dewey
• political science

Notes

The article examines HE in England rather than the United Kingdom as a whole—whilst HE in the four home nations (England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland) share many commonalities, policy is presided over by devolved assemblies (and mediated through different educational authorities) outside England.

The 2010 Browne Review further (at the time of writing) is likely to recommend the removal of the cap on student fees.

Dewey's position here is strongly supported by the Stanford school of civic education (e.g., Colby et al. 2003, 2007).

Forty in-depth exploratory semi-structured interviews were held with political scientists in England, the United States, Germany, and France between autumn 2008 and spring 2009. James Sloam thanks the Royal Holloway, University of London, Research Strategy Fund for its generous support.

HEFCE coordinates policy with the relevant government ministry. In England, responsibility for HE moved from the Department for Education and Employment to the Department for Education and Skills (in 2001) to the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (2007) to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (2009).

Campus Compact (2009) reports that in the United States “more than 98% of Campus Compact member campuses have one or more community partnership, and more than 90% include service or civic engagement in their mission statements.”

These institutional support structures are particularly important in research universities, where rewards (in career terms) for academic staff to set up such schemes are very low.

For example, significant evidence exists to show that young people's first participatory experiences—on their transition to adulthood—have a major influence on patterns of political behavior (e.g., voting) through their lives (e.g., Franklin 2004).

The QAA (2005, 5–6) stated that the following examples were typical: “students play a critical role in the evaluation, development and enhancement of both academic provision and the wider student experience” and “the presence of student representatives on its committees is an essential means of establishing their full membership of the institution and their participation in decision-making.”

The National Student Survey also contains a bank of questions on “work placements,” “social opportunities,” and the “learning community” (although these are generally not recognized in the league tables produced by media outlets, e.g., The Times and The Guardian newspapers).

For example, the emphasis placed on democratic education by the Truman Commission on Higher Education following World War Two. Likewise the U.S. culture of volunteering is deeply embedded—from De Toqueville's observations about Democracy in America in the early nineteenth century to President Obama's recent initiatives to promote public service. This is not, of course, to say that these pillars of democratic education have not come under pressure in recent decades, but that this threat was firmly met by efforts to revive civic engagement and democratic culture on U.S. campuses from the 1990s onwards (beginning with the establishment of the American Council on Education's forum on the Civic Responsibility of Higher Education).

Interviews with political scientists in England, the United States, France, and Germany (referenced above).

On the other hand, the positive influence of teacher training is undermined by the lack of rewards/incentives for good teaching and the prioritization of other pressures such as research and worsening staff-student ratios.