Education – Invention, heyday and disappearance of a fundamental pedagogical concept

Abstract

The increasing marginalisation of the concept of education in elementary pedagogical discourse is, among other things, a consequence of the focus on the concept of education in education policy. In the past 25 years, the relationship between education, upbringing and care has increasingly shifted in favour of education, whereby the aspect of upbringing has lost importance. From a dialectical perspective, the focus on (self-)education can be understood as the antithesis of the previously authoritarian upbringing. This raises the question of what synthesis is needed to reposition education as a value-conveying process. Against this background, the present article argues in favour of a necessary revitalisation of the concept of education in the context of a historical-systematic examination. The timeliness of this topic is reflected in numerous recent scientific publications (Schierbaum, Oliveras & Bossek, 2023; Holztrattner, 2023; Verbeek, 2024), which emphasise the necessity of a holistic view of the pedagogical task. Central to this is a reflected balance between external and self-determination in order to ensure maturity and self-determination as a central educational goal. This requires an integrative approach that anchors both individual and social aspects in future framework plans, thus ensuring sustainable pedagogical practice and the development of responsible citizens.