Abstract:
van Tol’s (2023, 2024b) social ecological model of education argues there is a tension in educational goals between preparing students for employment (viz. “perform[ing] work under the direction and control of [one’s] employer (Australian Government Fair Work Ombudsman, n.d.)), and preparing them for active citizenship (viz. “work[ing] [freely] for the common good” (Council of Australian Governments Education Council, 2019, p. 8). The model argues these are two radically different concepts of ‘work’, and that therefore education for one, tends to occur at the expense of the other.
The model provides a framework for research in education along two principal lines, and its aim is to place citizenship education at the centre of a progressive research program to fulfil the aforesaid policy goal: that all young Australians become active and informed citizens “who…work for the common good, in particular sustaining and improving natural and social environments”.
The first line of research is a history of the contended tension. A preliminary exploration of this history in Australia suggests that during the full employment era that followed World War II, employment was not a major educational goal, while active citizenship was highly effective; but that in the neoliberal era of un-employment which began in the 1970s, preparation for employment has become the dominant aim of education (van Tol, 2024a). How citizenship education evolved across the 1970s transition from full-employment to un-employment remains to be investigated, both in Australia, and internationally. More generally, given that early-modern citizens resisted becoming employees (van Tol, 2023, p. 15), how has the tension between these two political-economic roles evolved in educational aims since the beginning of modern schooling?
The second line of research involves a micro-level exploration of the model. How do students, teachers, and other educational stakeholders understand its tensions? This micro-level research includes possibilities to address the youth mental health crisis.
References
Australian Government Fair Work Ombudsman. (n.d.). Independent contractors. Retrieved June 12, 2024 from https://www.fairwork.gov.au/find-help-for/independent-contractors#difference-between-contractors-and-employees
Council of Australian Governments Education Council. (2019). Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration. Retrieved from https://www.education.gov.au/alice-springs-mparntwe-education-declaration/resources/alice-springs-mparntwe-education-declaration
van Tol, J. (2023). Social ecology and the school-to-work transition: Global prospects for sustainable development. Globalisation, Societies and Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2023.2267471
van Tol, J. (2024a). Education and full employment in the Capitalocene: Political possibilities, ecological imperatives. The Journal of Environmental Education, 55(2), 180-190. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2023.2259838
van Tol, J. (2024b). A social ecological model of education: Economic problems, citizenship solutions. The Journal of Environmental Education, 55(3), 249-266. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2023.228424
The model provides a framework for research in education along two principal lines, and its aim is to place citizenship education at the centre of a progressive research program to fulfil the aforesaid policy goal: that all young Australians become active and informed citizens “who…work for the common good, in particular sustaining and improving natural and social environments”.
The first line of research is a history of the contended tension. A preliminary exploration of this history in Australia suggests that during the full employment era that followed World War II, employment was not a major educational goal, while active citizenship was highly effective; but that in the neoliberal era of un-employment which began in the 1970s, preparation for employment has become the dominant aim of education (van Tol, 2024a). How citizenship education evolved across the 1970s transition from full-employment to un-employment remains to be investigated, both in Australia, and internationally. More generally, given that early-modern citizens resisted becoming employees (van Tol, 2023, p. 15), how has the tension between these two political-economic roles evolved in educational aims since the beginning of modern schooling?
The second line of research involves a micro-level exploration of the model. How do students, teachers, and other educational stakeholders understand its tensions? This micro-level research includes possibilities to address the youth mental health crisis.
References
Australian Government Fair Work Ombudsman. (n.d.). Independent contractors. Retrieved June 12, 2024 from https://www.fairwork.gov.au/find-help-for/independent-contractors#difference-between-contractors-and-employees
Council of Australian Governments Education Council. (2019). Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration. Retrieved from https://www.education.gov.au/alice-springs-mparntwe-education-declaration/resources/alice-springs-mparntwe-education-declaration
van Tol, J. (2023). Social ecology and the school-to-work transition: Global prospects for sustainable development. Globalisation, Societies and Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2023.2267471
van Tol, J. (2024a). Education and full employment in the Capitalocene: Political possibilities, ecological imperatives. The Journal of Environmental Education, 55(2), 180-190. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2023.2259838
van Tol, J. (2024b). A social ecological model of education: Economic problems, citizenship solutions. The Journal of Environmental Education, 55(3), 249-266. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2023.228424