A Dilemmatic Approach to Education: Exploring a New Model of Educational Theory

A Dilemmatic Approach to Education offers a unique approach to educational theorizing that enriches the way we think about education. Problematizing conventional education theory, it presents an unorthodox thesis that education is defined by an internal conflict between competing core values, which in turn produce core dilemmas.

The book locates the theoretical foundations of a dilemmatic approach in the works of thinkers such as G. H. Mead, Gert Biesta, Luca Tateo, and Etienne Wenger. It then relates this dilemmatic approach to a general theory of education, partly defined as the realization of the 'good', conceived in terms of competing core values. The book uses Schwartz's theory of universal values as a framework for disclosing the core values competing in educational models. The dilemmatic nature of educational leadership (including social justice leadership) is set within the context of leading leadership theories and illustrated through exemplary leadership dilemmas. Lastly, the book identifies ethical self-understanding and communities-of-practice as practically effecting a dilemmatic approach to education.

Presenting an innovative understanding of the nature and meaning of education, this book will be of great interest to academics, researchers and post-graduate students in the field of educational theory and educational research, as well as those interested in a deep engagement about the meaning of education.