Orthodoxy, cultural compatibility, and universals in education

Abstract

Are western psychological and educational theory and practice truly applicable to a range of diverse settings around the world? We demonstrate that there is a globally dominant pedagogical orthodoxy—not exclusively western—for which there is little supportive theory nor evidence of efficacy. There is an alternative—Standards for Effective Pedagogy—that aspires directly and by design toward universalism. We describe this pedagogical system’s nearly forty‐year developmental history, as well as its methods, disciplines, and evidence for efficacy. Examples and prospects for application in a variety of cultures are discussed, as well as the political and philosophical limits of a universalist approach.

Notes

1. A parallel TIMSS study of international science lessons (released after this paper was completed) appears also to support this conclusion (Roth et al., 2006).

2. Under the auspices of two successive National Research Centre contracts to the University of California, Santa Cruz, from the US Department of Education: The Centre for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence (CREDE); and earlier, The National Centre for Research on Cultural Diversity and English Language Learning.

3. Our group is currently at the Centre for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence (CREDE), at the Graduate School of Education, University of California, Berkeley.