What is good in higher education? An empirical ethics study of relational pedagogy

In the landscape of contemporary higher education, understood to have a pervasive culture of measurement, relational pedagogy emerges as a critical discourse challenging the observed emphasis on carelessness, metrics and individualism.

Research in this field typically takes a normative stance arguing for a return to core care principles through relational pedagogies. Yet, normative descriptions of relationships can be at odds with the empirical realities of education in practice.

Drawing from Science and Technology Studies (STS) and empirical ethics this project aims to apply an empirical lens to relational pedagogy, seeking to inform the ongoing debate on care and care deficiency in higher education through an examination of practices and differences.This is a three-year project where we will investigate three educational programs—engineering, humanities, and interdisciplinary studies—each embodying distinct pedagogical lineages and epistemological values.

Through interviews, ethnographic observations, and document analysis, we seek to uncover the articulated and enacted pedagogical and epistemological goods and values across these settings.

The proposed project holds significant implications for relational pedagogy by offering an empirical foundation to challenge the field’s core assumptions and fostering the exploration of alternative approaches to conceptualizing care and pedagogical goods in higher education.