Özet:

This is a theoretical paper on proposing a way to do interdisciplinary research in education. The main focus of the paper is the integral theory, which was formulated by the American philosopher Ken Wilber. In this paper, I aim to recapitulate Wilber’s framework of Integral Methodological Pluralism (IMP) and discuss how it can be used in educational research to further the aims of interdisciplinary approaches. I will focus on how IMP can be applied to develop a better understanding of education as inquiry in the context of Philosophy for Children (P4C) and similar programs. Despite its international success P4C has come under sustained criticism from myriad positions, from both left and right of the political spectrum. I argue that in order to bolster the claims of P4C that it helps develop both inquiry as well as communication and collaboration skills and provide evidence for its utility in mainstream schooling, a multi-perspective approach to research is necessary. Wilber’s integral approach to reality and research provides a suitable framework to this end. If we would like to do fruitful interdisciplinary research in education, we need to develop an integral frame of mind to tackle the complexities of educational phenomena. There is no doubt the field of educational research stands to benefit immensely from an interdisciplinary approach to research. Such an approach, however, is doomed to failure if it is not conceived in an integral way from the very beginning. An integral approach to research will dramatically enhance our understanding of educational phenomena and inform our own practice of teaching and learning.

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