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The Use of Praxis in the Classroom to Facilitate Student Transformation

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Abstract

Critical management education typically assumes that management courses that emphasize critical reflection—that is, courses that critique problematic systems and structures, and ask students to dialogue about and actively reflect upon these critiques—will foster student transformation. In contrast, critical theory typically suggests that transformation requires praxis, that is, critical reflection plus practical action where students enact their new knowledge in their everyday lives. We empirically test these assumptions by measuring student transformation in management classes that emphasize critical reflection and in other classes that emphasize praxis. We find no significant differences in three measures of student transformation in classes where only critical reflection is emphasized, but significant differences in all three measures when praxis is emphasized. In a content analysis of student praxis assignments, we find further evidence of the link between praxis and student transformation. Specifically, the majority of students value praxis, describe changes in their self-understanding/consciousness thanks to assignments that emphasize praxis, and plan to continue new behaviors that address concerns raised by critiques of problematic systems and structures. Finally, we find that the greater a student’s self-described effect of praxis, the greater that student’s transformation. Taken together, the results suggest that the practical application dimension of praxis is a key “missing ingredient” in the teaching of business ethics as students move from (merely) critically reflecting on ethical issues, to actually becoming transformed by their knowledge.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Odette School of Business, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada

    Kent Walker

  2. I.H. Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 5V4, Canada

    Bruno Dyck & Frederick Starke

  3. Paul J. Hill School of Business, University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada

    Zhou Zhang

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  1. Kent Walker
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  2. Bruno Dyck
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  3. Zhou Zhang
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  4. Frederick Starke
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Correspondence to Kent Walker.

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This research involved human subjects and ethics approval was received from both research ethics boards at the University of Windsor and the University of Manitoba.

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Walker, K., Dyck, B., Zhang, Z. et al. The Use of Praxis in the Classroom to Facilitate Student Transformation. J Bus Ethics 157, 199–216 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3630-3

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