What is thought, and how can it be taught? Philosophy and literature have often promoted different conceptions although each requires, consciously or not, a mutually inclusive understanding. The question of value, which lurks at the centre of this, was given special salience by the literary critic, and 'anti-philosopher', F. R. Leavis who still…

Despite the Aristotelian renaissance in the philosophy of education, the development of virtue has not received much attention. This is unfortunate, because an attempt to draft an Aristotelian model of moral development can help philosophers to evaluate the contribution Aristotelian virtue ethics can make to our understanding of moral development,…

This article draws on Martha Nussbaum's distinction between basic, internal, and external (or combined) capacities to better specify possible locations for children's "incapacity" for autonomy. I then examine Maria Montessori's work on what she calls "normalization", which involves a release of children's capacities for…

The study of literature needs a kind of justification that it currently does not appear to have. It needs a justification that can articulate its role in relation to democratic social and political values, and it needs to do so in ways that are able to distinguish those from the economic motives and the interests of science that also drive…

This paper begins by illustrating how the social model of disability currently dominant in emancipatory disability research projects a reality "out there". Drawing on John Law's (2004) writing on how statements are turned into taken-for-granted assumptions, we argue that the model of research exemplified by Colin Barnes (2002) stifles rather than…

In this article I examine the consequences of the dominance of intuitive thinking in moral judging and deciding for the role of moral reasoning in moral education. I argue that evidence for the reliability of moral intuitions is lacking. We cannot determine when we can trust our intuitive moral judgements. Deliberate and critical reasoning is…

It is well documented that the application of business models to the higher education sector has precipitated a managerialistic approach to organisational structures (Preston, 2001). Less well documented is the impact of this business ideal on the student-teacher encounter. It is argued that this age-old relation is now being configured…

Explores possible roles for the philosophy of science in science education. Reiterates the belief held by many philosophers that science is the best kind of knowledge of the natural world and shows how the philosophy of science can aid achievement of science education objectives. Journal availability: see SO 507 421. (DB)

Discussion of two problems in the relationship between theory and practice in education. First is the propensity to consider educational theory simplistically as sets of ideas. A new means of representing conceptual relationships is given. Second is the gap between existing theory and practice. A new concept, "socio-practical," is formed to help…

The author argues that there exists an essential relationship between self-expression and gaining a personally significant understanding of the world. This relationship encompasses notions of freedom, personal autonomy, and authenticity. Discusses the inadequacies of a currently popular model for educational practice. For journal availability, see…

A framework for conducting educational studies is presented. While the framework takes issue with some of John Wilson's ideas concerning the nature of educational studies (Oxford Review of Education v8 p3-19 1982), it contains a methodology for implementing many of his practical, problem-oriented proposals. (RM)