Philosophy of Educational Knowledge

An Introduction to the Foundations of Science of Education,

Philosophy of Education and Practical Pedagogic

(by WOLFGANG BREZINKA The University ofKonstanz, Germany

translated by JAMES STUART BRICE and RAOUL ESHELMAN)

Disusun untuk memenuhi tugas Aanvullen

Penilaian Akhir Semester Ganjil
Mata Kuliah: Landasan Epistemologis Pendidikan
Dosen: Dr. H. Babang Robandi, M.Pd

Disusun oleh:
Neneng Tsani
NIM 2002118

PROGRAM PASCASARJANA STUDI PEDAGOGIK

FAKULTAS ILMU PENDIDIKAN
UNIVERSITAS PENDIDIKAN INDONESIA
BANDUNG
2020
Table of Contents
CONTENTS

Introduction: Pedagogics, Science and Metatheory 1

Lack ofAgreement on the Scientific Character ofPedagogics 2
Critique of the Present State of Pedagogics 2;
Doubts about the Possibility of a Scientific Pedagogics 3;
Scientific and Practical Theories of Education 4;
Pedagogics as a Mixed Normative-Descriptive Discipline 5;
Pedagogics as a Philosophical Discipline 5;
Gradual Transition to Ideological Pedagogics 6,
Pedagogics as a Pure Empirical Science 7;
Numerous Schools ofThought 8;
Reasons for the Lack ofAgreement 9
The Origins ofPedagogics in Practical Theories of Education 10
Education as an Art 11;
Educational Theories as Prescriptions for the Art of Educating 12;
Informing and Inspiring Educators 13; Dominance of the Normative Standpoint 14;
Elements of Traditional Pedagogics 14;
Dissatisfaction and Critique 15;
The Modem Concept of SCIence as a Standard for Pedagogics 16
The Dependency of Pedagogics on Value Judgements, Norms and Weltanschauung 18
The Indispensability of a Philosophy of Life in Practical Theories of Education 18;
The Misinterpretation of Practical Theory as ScientificTheory 19;
Ideology and Pedagogics 20;
Ideology and Empirical Theory 22
Reasons for Distinguishing between Types of Pedagogical Knowledge 23
The Deficiencies of Mixed Pedagogics 23;
Division of Labor and Specialization 24;
Three Classes of Educational Theories. Educational Science, Philosophy of Education, Practical
Pedagogics 24;
Terminological Problems 26;
Practical Importance of Agreement on Usage 26;
Differentiation of Pedagogical Statement Systems rather than the
Classification of Educationists 27;
Truth and Social Utility of Statement Systems 28
Concepts of Science and Methodological Rules as Stipulations 28
Science as a System of Statements and as an Activity 28;
The Ideal of Science 29;
Basic Epistemolowcal Positions 29;
Knowledge as the Goal of Scientific Activity 30; The Epistemology of Analytic Philosophy 31
The Tasks of a Metatheory ofEducation 33
The Concept of Metatheory 33;
Analysis, Critique and Standardization of Educational Theories 33;
Relationships among Education, Educational Theories and Metatheory of Education 35

I. Science of Education 37
The Concept ofEducation 38
Social Action 38; Psychic Dispositions 39; Purposes, Aims and Ideals 40;
Definition of the Concept of Education 40
The Variety ofEducational Phenomena 42
Different Aims of Education 43; Differences among Educands 45;
Differences Among Educators 46; Different Situations 46; Different
Forms of Education 47
The Subject Matter ofScience ofEducation. 48
Education as Fact 48; Educational Situations, Educational Fields 49;
Principal Topics 49; Material Object and Formal Object 49; Formulation
of Questions 50; Description and Explanation of Psychic Objectivations
51; Ends-Means Relationships 53; Educational Science as a Teleological
Causal-Analytic Science 53; Different Names for the Same Problems 57
Science ofEducation as an Empirical Social Science 58
Difficulties in Classifying Sciences 58; Human Sciences 59; Behavioral
Sciences 60; Sciences of Actions 61; Cultural Sciences 61; Social Sciences
63; Relationships to Psychology and Sociology 63; Practical Grounds for
an Autonomous Science of Education 63
Demarcating Science ofEducation
from the Pseudo-Science ofIdeological Pedagogics 65
Confessional Pedagogics 65; Political Pedagogics 66; Marxist Pedago~cs
66; "Critical" Social Science 67; "Critical" or "Emancipatory PedagOgICS"
67; Misuse of Science for Propaganda Purposes 68; Value-Neutrality as a
Distinguishing Feature 69
Requirements for the Language ofScience ofEducation 69
Descriptive, Prescriptive and Emotive Use of Language 70; Carity 72;
Ambiguity and Vagueness 72; Concepts and Their Clarification 73;
Normative and Emotive Connotations 75; "Socialization" as an Example
76; Theoretical Concepts 77; Hypothetical Constructs 78; Informational
Content 78; Comprehensibility 79; Objective Language and MetaLanguage 82
The Meaning and Limits ofthe Requirement of Value-Neutrality 82
Educating and Valuating 82; Value Experience, Valuating, Value Bearer
83; Value 83; Value Judgements 83; Norms 85; Valuative Basis of Science
86; Moral Problems in Disseminating and Applying Scientific Knowledge
88; Valuations and Norms as Subjects of Educational Science 88;
Explanation of the Norm of Value-Neutrality 89
INTRODUCTION 3

The fact that education exists in the world by no means implies that a science of education must also
exist. In the same fashion, educational actions can be based on knowledge originating from different
sciences. Thus according to this view, an autonomous science of education is simply unnecessary1O.
Doubts have been raised not only about the necessity, but also about the very possibility of such a
science.

Educology as an autonomous scientific discipline does not exist there. Hardly any attempt has been
made to establish a connection between the problems treated in these sub-areas that would create a
system of educational science. In Germany, the term science of education is occasionally applied in a
broad sense to the sum of «those empirical and normative disciplines dealing with education»12. In this
fashion, however, a mixture of disparate special areas of different sciences is merely given the deceptive
appearance of an autonomous science.

On the other hand, in English-speaking countries there are also theories of education that correspond to
German pedagogics.