Freirean Pedagogical Love In P-12 Education: A Theory-to-practice Investigation

Abstract

ABSTRACT

This theory-to-practice qualitative narrative study uses Freire’s (2005, 2011) ideas of pedagogical love to create a Freirean critical social justice approach (FCSJEA). This approach serves as a framework for comparisons, analysis, and discussions of emic themes from the study’s eight participants’ narratives, to etic elements of the study’s Freirean model. The purpose of these comparisons are to determine whether or not, and to what extent, parallels, areas of conversion, or areas of divergence exist between both as well as for identifying possibilities for theory-to-practice applications for this model in P-12 curriculum development, instruction, and learning in contemporary U.S. settings. The study utilizes a methodological bricolage that blends Stake’s (1995) qualitative instrumental design with the qualitative narrative approach found in Clandinin and Connolly (2000) and others. A criterion-based purposeful sampling determined selection of included participants. Findings indicate that the Freirean model offers a useful theory-to-practice approach for transformative P-12 education. There are two sets of recommendations. The first involves a need for scholarly theory-to-practice research similar to this study. This should include diverse participant pools and multiple voices including students, parents and caregivers, teachers, policymakers, school leaders, as well as all other interested parties. The second set of recommendations calls for teachers, all educators, curriculum workers, and education policy makers to utilize Freire’s language of humanization education as starting points for transformative P-12 educational actions. These recommendations call on each of us to become morphogenetic change agents as described by Freire, this study, and Archer’s (1995, 2013a, 2013b, 2016) change process. These are the possibilities hoped for by Freire and the faith upon which this study stands. Keywords: Freirean pedagogical love, Dewey, morphogenesis, postmodern theory, Freirean critical social justice educational approach (FCSJEA), dehumanization/ humanization, transformative education, equity, justice, bricolage, instrumental-narrative design, pre-kindergarten to 12 grades (P-12), emic themes and elements, etic themes and elements.