Orthodoxy, cultural compatibility, and universals in education - Roland G Tharp and Stephanie Stoll Dalton

Are western psychological and educational theory and practice truly applicable to a range of diverse settings around the world? We demonstrate that there is a globally dominant pedagogical orthodoxy - not exclusively western - for which there is little supportive theory nor evidence of efficacy. There is an alternative - Standards for Effective Pedagogy - that aspires directly and by design towaard universalism. We describe ths pedagogical system's nearly forty-year developmental history, as well as its methods, disciplines, and evidence for efficacy. Examples and prospects for application in a variety of cultures are discussed, as well as the political and philosophical limits of a universalist approach.
From: Comparative Education, Vol. 43 no. 1 (February 2007), pp. 53-70