%0 Journal Article %1 Biesta2009 %A Biesta, Gert %D 2009 %J Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability(formerly: Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education) %K aims education philosophy purpose %N 1 %P 33-46 %R 10.1007/s11092-008-9064-9 %T Good education in an age of measurement: on the need to reconnect with the question of purpose in education %U https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-008-9064-9 %V 21 %X In this paper I argue that there is a need to reconnect with the question of purpose in education, particularly in the light of a recent tendency to focus discussions about education almost exclusively on the measurement and comparison of educational outcomes. I first discuss why the question of purpose should always have a place in our educational discussion. I then explore some reasons why this question seems to have disappeared from the educational agenda. The central part of the paper is a proposal for addressing the question of purpose in education---the question as to what constitutes good education---in a systematic manner. I argue that the question of purpose is a composite question and that in deliberating about the purpose of education we should make a distinction between three functions of education to which I refer as qualification, socialisation and subjectification. In the final section of the paper I provide examples of how this proposal can help in asking more precise questions about the purpose and direction of educational processes and practices.

@article{Biesta2009, abstract = {In this paper I argue that there is a need to reconnect with the question of purpose in education, particularly in the light of a recent tendency to focus discussions about education almost exclusively on the measurement and comparison of educational outcomes. I first discuss why the question of purpose should always have a place in our educational discussion. I then explore some reasons why this question seems to have disappeared from the educational agenda. The central part of the paper is a proposal for addressing the question of purpose in education---the question as to what constitutes good education---in a systematic manner. I argue that the question of purpose is a composite question and that in deliberating about the purpose of education we should make a distinction between three functions of education to which I refer as qualification, socialisation and subjectification. In the final section of the paper I provide examples of how this proposal can help in asking more precise questions about the purpose and direction of educational processes and practices.}, added-at = {2024-09-07T13:15:58.000+0200}, author = {Biesta, Gert}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/21cc5c162fff7443203aa1152f3173f77/yish}, day = 01, description = {Good education in an age of measurement: on the need to reconnect with the question of purpose in education | Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability}, doi = {10.1007/s11092-008-9064-9}, interhash = {dcf5d9519bd1ff40af191b0a71996ac7}, intrahash = {1cc5c162fff7443203aa1152f3173f77}, issn = {1874-8600}, journal = {Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability(formerly: Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education)}, keywords = {aims education philosophy purpose}, month = feb, number = 1, pages = {33-46}, timestamp = {2024-09-07T13:15:58.000+0200}, title = {Good education in an age of measurement: on the need to reconnect with the question of purpose in education}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-008-9064-9}, volume = 21, year = 2009 }