Students’ Experiences of Philosophy Classes in Higher Education: A Case Study

Saulius, Tomas; Malinauskas, Romualdas

doi:10.13187/ejced.2019.4.879

European Journal of Contemporary Education

2019

DOI: 10.13187/ejced.2019.4.879

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Students’ Experiences of Philosophy Classes in Higher Education: A Case Study

Tomas Saulius¹,

Romualdas Malinauskas²

Abstract: The current paper addresses research question of how do students of one university (in our case study-Lithuanian Sports University, LSU) experience the educational effect of introductory philosophy course. To answer this question, method of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was employed. In accordance with this qualitative approach, we used method of purposive sampling. Sample of current study consist of 8 participants (3 females and 5 males). All participants are first year undergraduate students… Show more

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Cited by 2 publications

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Philosophy in mass education system: Teaching as a mimetic practice

Pavlovskij

2022

Obraz. nauka

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Introduction. The article tackles the problem of changing the role and place of philosophy in the mass education system. Today, mass education is closely connected with pragmatisation and technologisation; and these two processes spawn a concern whether it is useful to study philosophy, and, as a consequence, an aspiration to transform the understanding of teaching itself.Aim. The aim of the present paper was to reconceptualise the bespoke teaching experience within the framework of personalised academic tracks launched in the University of Tyumen in an attempt to address the problem.Methodology and research methods. The theoretical part of the research lays out the foundation of philosophy teaching as a mimetic practice based on a methodology, which is developed through the following concepts: the dichotomy of E. Giddens’ practical and discursive consciousness, M. Polanyi’s tacit knowledge, E. Mach’s economy of thought, and C. Wulf’s mimesis. This was a starting point of a philosophy teaching practice that was tested on a batch of students, approximately a quarter of which agreed to take an anonymous survey about the process and the results of the joined work.Results and scientific novelty. A draft of a conceptual foundation of mass philosophy teaching in the current context is laid out. At the core of the process, there is a mimetic transfer of tacit knowledge, ensuring a skill to philosophise. This process presupposes an interaction of four actors: a teacher, a student, a text and a group of students. The lecture is a demonstration of a personal philosophic style, and the Socratic seminar is a joint practice with an unpredictable finale. In this practice, there is a system, where the teacher is an inquiring moderator launching the student’s personal search, the text provides a connection with a philosophic tradition, and the group – with the everyday life. The survey showed that this approach is effective: students like the process, they understand the connection of the philosophical ideas with the real life, and they track the level of their own understanding of philosophical texts.Practical significance. The research results may be useful for other philosophy teachers who on the basis of this study may adjust their teaching practices to a mass philosophy course delivered in the current conditions; and for further development of the theory, first and foremost, in terms of formulating the philosophical content being used.

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Philosophy in mass education system: Teaching as a mimetic practice

Pavlovskij

2022

Obraz. nauka

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Assessment of students’ critical thinking maturity in the process of teaching philosophy

Pavlovskij,

Pavlovskaya

2024

Obraz. nauka

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Introduction. Developing critical thinking is one of the primary objectives of modern education. From the authors’ perspective, both the method and the content of the discipline, especially philosophy, have historically evolved through dialogue within the intellectual tradition of the era, which is valuable for fostering critical thinking. Aim. The study aimed to develop and test a methodology for assessing the role of philosophy in shaping critical thinking, considering its expertise, knowledge, and skills. Methodology and research methods. The development of critical thinking was assessed during the analysis of the philosophical text. Prior to the test, it is worth noting that the authors conducted an expert assessment of the text, which later served as a reference assessment, and developed a grading scale. Gradually, examples of typical student errors were added to the scale, facilitating further assessment. Results. Nearly all students were able to summarise the provided text by the end of the course, although with varying degrees of distortion. At the beginning of the course, approximately one-tenth of the students were unable to do it, indicating that the understanding and interpretation of a text was beyond their ability. The absence of dynamics in all three skills indicates that a student has not developed a critical thinking mindset if their results are low. Among the students, the weak and average ones exhibit the most significant overall improvement (16–20% of the class enhance their performance across all criteria). The test revealed tender points in the student’s critical thinking development: a feeble argument assessment skill and a poor understanding of the voice behind the text. Scientific novelty. The proposed assessment methodology enables the connection of texts to assess the development of critical thinking with philosophical objectivity. Practical significance. This work provides a convenient tool for monitoring critical thinking skills in each student. Measuring critical thinking skills through students’ written works may help track individual accomplishments of the learners and indicate areas of growth in the course taught.

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Students’ Experiences of Philosophy Classes in Higher Education: A Case Study

Cited by 2 publications

References 12 publications

Philosophy in mass education system: Teaching as a mimetic practice

Philosophy in mass education system: Teaching as a mimetic practice

Assessment of students’ critical thinking maturity in the process of teaching philosophy

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