This paper reviews four currently recognized modes of inquiry available to reading researchers, including both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The paper discusses empiricism, interpretive research, critical science/theory, and action research, briefly describing the purposes, goals, and assumptions underlying each mode of inquiry. The…

Acting as a sliding signifier, the term "critical thinking" has been bandied about for years now by educators who often ascribe widely varying meanings to it. Researchers and writers mainly stress the "thinking" half of the phrase, often leaving unexamined what it means to be "critical." Those in the fields of critical pedagogy and critical…

This book challenges current paradigms of literature instruction by making a strong case for teaching critical theory in high school literature classrooms. The book urges teachers to expand their theoretical repertoires. It argues for the importance of multiple perspectives in enabling students to better read and interpret literature, as well as…

Urges incorporation of ethics into social studies curriculum. Provides an overview of ethical theory including principle-based theories of utilitarianism and deontology and virtue-based theories. Discusses philosophies of social science including positivism, interpretivism, and critical social science. Suggests teaching methods and curriculum…

This book is a valuable resource for those concerned with alternative approaches to education, and for such courses as educational theory or philosophy. Drawing on elements of progressive education, existentialism, feminist pedagogy, and values education, critical humanism combines the holistic-psychological concerns of humanistic education with…

Asserts that most representations of non-Western cultures are inherently tainted with Eurocentric and colonialist precepts. Argues for, and describes, a variety of strategies to deconstruct these perceptions. Maintains that issues of ethnicity, inclusion, and difference are more complex than normally thought. (MJP)

Asserts that the sociology of education is fraught with noncommunicating paradigms. Outlines this paradigm split from a critical theory perspective. Discusses the use of history to support education reform efforts. (CFR)

Urges a reframing of the social sciences curriculum in terms of the socioeconomic interests of the disadvantaged. Proposes a curriculum specifically designed to expose the ideological and political advantages enjoyed by the dominant culture. Includes specific activities to promote empowerment among the disadvantaged. (MJP)

Argues that, far from being a dangerous and destructive break with the past, various factions of postmodernism actually parallel modernist beliefs. Both movements share groups whose creative revisionists approach seeks a constructive accommodation. Similar parallel destructive approaches also exist. (MJP)

This work probes the confines of traditional approaches to teaching about diversity, and it explores the possibilities for redefining links between theory and practice, thereby presenting an alternative repertoire for teacher education that emphasizes the relationship between ideology and pedagogy. The publication is in 3 sections. Part 1,…

Examines the challenge of educating increasing numbers of minority and impoverished students to produce effective citizens and future workers. Offers a lesson on reconceptualizing European westward expansion to analyze the social construction of knowledge. Argues that schools can and must help students think critically, deal with social and…

Current concepts of critical thinking need to be reconstrued into the much broader concept of "critical being" and applied to higher education. Under this construct, critical persons (students) become more than just critical thinkers; they engage critically with the world and with themselves; they not only reflect critically on…

Examines the possibility of developing a socially critical geography curriculum in Australian schools. Emphasizes teachers' responsibility to evaluate, select, and use appropriate instructional materials. Explains technical, interpretive, and critical approaches to geography instruction by contrasting three activities based on "Women of…

This personal report of classroom experiences at an urban commuter college relates the experiences of a teacher and a group of working-class students studying the book "Utopia," which is also the metaphor for the hoped-for learning experience. The book, illustrated by excerpts from student-submitted work, shows how pedagogical theory leads to…