Mindfulness has all but become a mainstay in modern education. Yet despite the incredible enthusiasm and increased application in schools, there remains significant divergence between advocates and critics. Advocates assert that mindfulness practice promotes individual and societal health and well-being. Meanwhile, critics question the intention…

In this essay Ryan Kemp makes an unlikely case for value stability, arguing that people should almost never aspire to become radically different and that, given this, some people should be reluctant to pursue educational experiences that wildly broaden their life possibilities. His account is developed and structured around two borrowed examples,…

It has become commonplace within the educational research community to invoke the transformative power of education. The call to adopt a 'transformative' approach to teaching and learning can be heard in fields as different as adult education and school leadership and as estranged as social justice education and educational psychology. While there…

The purpose of the article is to contribute to the discussion about the relevance of existential issues in contemporary education. Analysis presented in the paper is related to the problems of self-awareness, becoming oneself and self-development. First, the author begins by depicting the meaning of human existence in the light of philosophy. The…

Skills, jobs, and even self-enrichment were not historically regarded as the ultimate goals of the liberal arts; they were byproducts. The reason liberal arts education was called "liberal" in the first place was because it was supposed to cultivate a free human being. Education on the liberal model aimed to liberate. The goal of liberal…

This article argues, from a critical realist perspective, that it would be beneficial to extend thinking on how personal and social education could become more central to students' learning. We explore how constructive-informed arrangements which emphasize cognitive skills and affective qualities could be realized through experiential…

The aim of this study is to analyze the core values embedded in the philosophy of Basic Education in Oman. Those values are used to develop a standard to guide the administrative work and performance related to teaching and learning in secondary schools in Oman. 449 school administrators (principals, their assistants, educational supervisors and…

This publication discusses differential rationality; it asserts that the development of institutions, professions, and individuals involves the differentiation of forms and styles of thinking and knowing that are, in various ways, idiosyncratic. Based on this understanding, differential rationality can be seen as a developmental construct that…

This article isolates and analyzes several philosophical misinterpretations of the philosophy of freedom in education current in the free school movement. (Editor)

Two divergent approaches to a prison educational program attempt to go beyond accreditation or amusement and address instead attitude change, human choice, judgment, and empowerment. The first, most obvious approach, focuses on the provision of knowledge. The second approach starts with a focus on individual development. Its aim is to facilitate…

Discusses the evolution and the tenets of the LIFECAREER philosophy developed jointly by the authors and based on Young's theory of "general universe process." Considers the ways in which vocational choices are made and the life-long nature of career development. Evaluates career development theories. (JHZ)

Individual autonomy and responsibility to society through declared goals of education can be realized only when teachers provide a learning environment in which pupils are encouraged to make autonomous judgments in an environment of cooperative relationships. (JD)

To shed light on whether reason or attitudes, the intellect or the emotions, should be the primary focus of educational efforts, the writings of Jean Paul Sartre on human motivation are digested. Educators should foster the conscious and deliberate acceptance of the human condition of freedom. (PP)