Abstract
Educationalization is the social tendency to behave as if social problems could be solved by educational means. Educationalization as a concept derives from the German Pädagogisierung, a term that denotes the transformation of sociopolitical issues into pedagogical issues. In particular, educationalization applies to the current condition around the world in which educational systems are being held accountable not only for traditionally recognized purposes of schooling (delivering curricula, engaging students in scholarly inquiry, and preparing students for life beyond school) but also for reducing poverty, improving public health, preventing crime, and cleaning up the environment. Educationalization trends present a tangle of issues that range from debates about curricular mandates to the responsibilities of teachers for fostering democratic citizenship and environmental sustainability. Use of the term educationalization usually signals the belief that social problems ought to be the responsibility of social institutions (public, governmental, state) rather than schools. The term educationalization is used almost exclusively in its pejorative sense by historians, philosophers, and theorists who believe that schools are ill equipped to solve social problems. This chapter presents historical and philosophical perspectives poised to highlight assumptions about educationalization that have become naturalized in practice.
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Fendler, L. (2018). Educationalization. In: Smeyers, P. (eds) International Handbook of Philosophy of Education. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72761-5_81
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72761-5_81
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