Dewey's Concept of Democracy as the Foundation Stone in Education Research: An Impossible Dream?

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Abstract

In recent research examining elementary school culture in Ireland, a school principal remarked that ‘Democracy is not a free for all, and children have to understand that and parents too; democracy doesn’t mean getting your own way- it means a balance of listening and speaking’ (Turner, 2017: 24). The principal’s observations capture the inherent tension identified by Dewey between authority and freedom, which can present as an intractable impediment to developing democratic school communities. This tension is further reinforced in education research, leading to the exclusion of children’s voices. Drawing on two large government-funded research studies, this paper suggests that positioning Dewey’s concept of democracy as the foundation stone of education research may not be an impossible dream after all.

Authors

• Emer Ring, Mary Immaculate College

• Lisha O'Sullivan, University of Limerick