Theoretical Research in Education [TheoRE]

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Johannes Bellmann
• Subject Area: General Education and History of Education
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 518846242

The fundamental starting point of the network is the widely shared agreement that any production of knowledge that sees itself as scientific is subject to the claim that the respective statements can be substantiated and made plausible both in terms of content and method. While for empirical and historical research approaches differentiated methods and methodologies are available that reflect the connection between genesis and validity of knowledge, this is still largely a desideratum for the field of theoretical research. Although ‘Allgemeine’ and ‘Systematische Erziehungswissenschaft’ show a high degree of reflection on epistemological and methodological issues, the standard works on 'theories', 'concepts' and 'methods of educational science' usually refer to established paradigms and epistemological traditions and thus perpetuate them. So far, there is no typology and methodology of theoretical research across 'schools'. Therefore, the network tries to delineate theoretical research in a systematic, historico-epistemological and methodological perspective by examining typology and function, forms and development as well as methods and quality criteria. (1) From a systematic perspective, the question is asked about the typicity of theoretical research in contrast to as well as in relation to other research approaches (empirical, historical, practice-oriented). Can specific reference problems of theoretical research be reconstructed, i.e. questions to which theoretical research tries to give an answer, which can only or primarily be dealt with by this research approach? Which tasks are dealt with, which functions are fulfilled? (2) From the perspective of the history of science, we ask about the different forms and the internal differentiation and development of theoretical research. Which forms of theoretical research have been established in educational science? How are these forms and their changes related to the respective epistemological and disciplinary contexts? To what extent does the change in theoretical research also reflect a change in the self-understanding of the discipline as a whole? (3) Finally, from a methodological perspective, we ask about specific methods of theoretical research. Are there commonalities across individual (partly paradigmatically bound) methods in the field of theoretical research that characterize these individual methods as methods of theoretical research? What are the possibilities and limits of standardizing methods of theoretical research? Which quality criteria for theoretical research can be discussed and justified? How do these relate to the quality criteria of other research approaches? The results of the network will be published in three Special Issues of international journals as well as in a handbook "Theoretisch Forschen in der Erziehungswissenschaft/Theoretical Research in Education".

• DFG Programme: Scientific Networks
• Co-Investigator: Professor Dr. Norbert Ricken