ERIC Number: EJ1461029
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Feb
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-2004
EISSN: EISSN-1741-5446
Available Date: 2025-02-10
Doubt and Transformation in Education
Marieke Schaper1
Educational Theory, v75 n1 p5-26 2025
Fostering transformative experiences is a central goal of education. In this article, Marieke Schaper examines the relationship between doubt and transformation in education, specifically problematizing the idea that doubt can serve as a catalyst for transformative experiences in the classroom. Schaper's thesis is that doubt is not valuable by itself; it must encompass certain characteristics if it is to support meaningful transformation while avoiding the risks of transformative education. In making this argument, Schaper proposes the concept of "aspirational doubt" as an educationally valuable subcategory of doubt. She begins by engaging with the vast philosophical and psychological literature on doubt and, based on this analysis, identifies five main conceptions of doubt that wield influence. Next, she points to the ethical risks of using doubt as an educational catalyst, particularly for transformative purposes, but instead of rejecting the role of doubt in transformative education, she explores the potential of aspirational doubt to circumvent these risks. She concludes with a discussion of the practical implications for fostering aspirational doubt in the classroom.
Descriptors: Role of Education, Transformative Learning, Credibility, Learning Experience, Aspiration, Ethics, Risk, Teaching Methods
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2191/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Institute of Education, University of Tübingen