Waldorf Education and Educational Science

Waldorf Education and Educational Science

Status assessment and development perspectives

On the one hand, Waldorf education draws on a relatively successful international pedagogical practice with a proven tradition of more than ninety years; on the other hand, from the perspective of educational science, it is burdened with the reputation of being pre-scientific or even unscientific. Its anthroposophical foundations appear ideologically influenced and incompatible with a modern understanding of science. It therefore constitutes a borderline case for thinking in educational science.

Over the past decade, empirical research has examined numerous fields of Waldorf educational practice; hardly any other school movement from classical reform pedagogy has opened itself so extensively to school research. However, the theoretical foundations of Waldorf education and their claim to validity continue to present a challenge for educational science. There is widespread disagreement and lack of clarity within the discipline regarding the scientific character of Waldorf education and the extent to which its concepts and practices can be connected to the field. A more in-depth discussion of these issues appears particularly urgent at present, as a growing number of higher education degree programs shaped by Waldorf education are being established in connection with the Bologna reforms.

Such clarification was also called for in an accreditation notice by the German Council of Science and Humanities, which points to the danger of “making a specific, ideologically shaped pedagogy, in the sense of an extra-scientific educational doctrine, the foundation of a higher education institution.” (Statement on the accreditation of the Freie Hochschule Mannheim i. Gr.)

The contributors to the research project aim to advance clarification of these and other questions and to identify future fields of discussion and cooperation between educational science and Waldorf education in the areas of philosophy of science, school development and school research, general didactics and teaching research, as well as teacher education.

The research project was carried out in cooperation with the Federation of Independent Waldorf Schools and was designed to run for three years. The project began in summer 2011.
The following thematic priorities were addressed:

• Review of educational science positions on Waldorf education; topic-specific positioning of Waldorf education within educational science discourse.
• Fundamental epistemic examination of the question of the scientific character of anthroposophy in relation to the understanding of science in educational science.
• Educational science and Waldorf education / reform pedagogy
• Waldorf education and anthroposophy anthropology
• Developmental psychology
• School autonomy (institutional)
• Theory of the professions (personnel)
• Learning theory
• Didactics
• Scholarly critical examination of topics specific to Waldorf education

The project concluded with a specialist conference in autumn 2013 and a publication of the results.

Project leadership:
Prof. Dr. Jost Schieren (Alanus University)
Walter Riethmüller (Executive Board Member of the Federation of Independent Waldorf Schools)

Contributors:
Prof. Dr. Wenzel M. Götte (Freie Hochschule Stuttgart)
Prof. Dr. Peter Loebell (Freie Hochschule Stuttgart)
Prof. Dr. Harald Schwaetzer (Alanus University)
Prof. Dr. Albert Schmelzer (Institute for Waldorf Education, Inclusion and Interculturality Mannheim)
Jun.-Prof. Dr. Wilfried Sommer (Alanus University)

The project was funded by the Educational Research Unit within the Federation of Independent Waldorf Schools and by the “Waldorf Foundation.”

Further information from Prof. Dr. Jost Schieren and via the contact form.