In this article Cristoph Wulf examines the basic concepts of pedagogy and educational science in the German-speaking world, looking at education and socialization from the perspective of educational anthropology. He makes evident that the complex German concept of "Bildung," in particular, can only be fully understood by means of a…

Every theory of education endorses an image of a human being as someone who can be educated and is capable of self-education and self-cultivation. Since J.F. Herbart, educationalists have been sketching this image under the title "Bildsamkeit," which has become a central element of the specific German way of speaking about educational…

Studies on the quality of nature of science (NOS) representations in school science textbooks report them being mostly of implicit manner and not fully adequate. However, the often underlying NOS framework of the consensus list in these studies is criticized as undifferentiated and inadequate. The family resemblance approach (FRA) to NOS shows…

The philosophical foundation of Bildung in the context of vocational education and training was significantly shaped by Eduard Spranger (1882-1963). However its legacy is not as present today since vocational schools in german-speaking countries today focus strongly on competences. This article sheds light on the emergence of this concept,…

Purpose: This article explores the question of what is meant by justice in pedagogical contexts and whether there is a proven pedagogical concept of justice at all, from which the public and scientific controversies about justice in pedagogical contexts can be judged. Design/Approach/Methods: Instead of developing a positive pedagogical concept of…

Purpose: The study investigated how economic models are presented in textbooks for upper secondary school in Germany, and which forms of engagement are initiated by tasks related to the models. Design/methodology/approach: The available textbooks for teaching economics in upper secondary school in Germany (n=47) were examined using a deductive…

This paper aims to reflect Fischer's ideas on vocational orientation and vocational choice as fundamental prerequisites for vocational education in the current German system of vocational guidance in general and vocational education schools. A special focus is placed on Fischer's view on the relevance of informed choice when choosing an…

Empirical research on teachers' professional knowledge is mostly conducted worldwide with reference to the construct 'pedagogical content knowledge' (PCK) introduced by Lee S. Shulman. In the 'Consensus Model' (CM) and the 'Refined Consensus Model' (RCM), PCK was further developed and differentiated. Nevertheless, neither PCK nor CM and RCM…

The article analyses the theatre of Sixt Birck, an evangelical teacher of the Reformation era, within educational and practical pedagogical background of the period. It is proved that in Basel, when school reform was in process, Birck, having studied Melanchthon's commentaries on Terence and Quintilian's theory of imitation and become familiar…

Thinking and writing draw on those who have gone before, in a more than abstract way. In this article, I answer the call of one philosopher--Novalis, the early German Romantic--in the form of a séance, which is really a dialogue with the dead. I speak to him, as a Maori writer, about the abstract philosophical issues that Maori encounter and…

The first of two volumes dedicated to this little-explored topic, this volume gathers international perspectives to critically assess how Waldorf education has been perceived and discussed in both public and academic arenas. The book thereby challenges the historical concept of Waldorf education as an international movement championing…

At present, there are relatively few international studies that reflect research in religious didactics from a metatheoretical perspective. Against this background, the fundamental question of this contribution is whether there are research designs that are typical for research in religious didactics. For this purpose, research was conducted for a…

This article discusses the nature of vocational education and its relation to citizenship as put forward by Georg Kerschensteiner, Aloys Fischer and Eduard Spranger. The chief aim of the article is to respond sympathetically to views which many Anglophone readers may find unfamiliar, given the German context from which they arise. In particular,…

This study explores the integration of military themes and Nazi ideology within the "Mathematisches Arbeits- Und Lehrbuch" textbook series, which was a prominent tool in Nazi Germany for embedding National Socialist principles in mathematics education. Authored by Otto Zoll, a Nazi Party member, these textbooks were strategically…

Werner Jaeger (1888-1961) was at his time the most brilliant and the most influential German classicist. His most important project was a tripartite study that he finally published under the title of "Paideia. Die Formung des griechischen Menschen" (1933-1947). "Paideia" was much more than a detailed scholarly book on pedagogy…