Why Concepts Matter, What Conceptual Analysis Is For, and the Case of Knowledge in Education
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8408342 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jane Gatley (0000-0001-7225-1835, Swansea University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 71 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 549-565 |
| Publication date | 2023-09-03 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | British Journal of Educational Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0007-1005 • E-ISSN: 1467-8527 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00071005.2023.2234453 |
| OpenAlex | W4385249286 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 17 |
The concept of ‘knowledge’ is central to education, particularly when it comes to the school curriculum. This paper makes the case for engaging in conceptual analysis, and in particularly conceptual engineering, in educational studies. Conceptual engineering emphasises analysing concepts with their purposes in mind. To illustrate the importance of this sort of conceptual analysis in education, I track the educational impact of three concepts of knowledge: (1) the traditional philosophical concept of knowledge as justified, true belief; (2) Michael Young’s concept of ‘knowledge of the powerful’; and (3) Young’s concept of ‘powerful knowledge’. I argue that knowledge as justified, true belief is too abstracted from educational purposes to provide much guidance for curriculum planning. Young’s ‘knowledge of the powerful’ prioritises the social role that knowledge can play over its value to individual students. Finally, ‘powerful knowledge’ is too unclear to provide appropriate guidance to policy makers and practitioners. By examining the interactions between these concepts of knowledge and historical policy and practice in education, I conclude that the focus of conceptual engineering on clarity about the purposes of education is central to good conceptual analysis
CLARITY · Conceptual framework · Curriculum · Engineering ethics · Epistemology · Knowledge engineering · Knowledge management · Pedagogy · Procedural knowledge · Social science · Sociology · Computer Science · Educational Theory and Curriculum Studies · Educator Training and Historical Pedagogy · Engineering · Global Educational Policies and Reforms
The Curriculum of the Future
From Constructivism to Realism in the Sociology of the Curriculum
Good education in an age of measurement
Analysis and Metaphysics
On the powers of powerful knowledge
Intrinsic value and educational value
Philosophy in Primary Schools
Knowledge, Learning and the Curriculum of the Future [1]
Ameliorating educational concepts and the value of analytic philosophy of education
Resisting Reality
Knowledge and the curriculum
Conceptual Ethics II
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |