Doret de Ruyter | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (original) (raw)

Papers by Doret de Ruyter

International Journal of Ethics Education

The aim of this empirical study is to understand how bachelor students at universities of applied... more The aim of this empirical study is to understand how bachelor students at universities of applied sciences (UAS) use their ethical compasses during internships. Semi-structured interviews were held with 36 fourth-year bachelor students across four UAS and three different programs in the Netherlands: Initial Teacher Education, Business Services, and Information and Communication Technology. To our knowledge, no studies appear to have investigated and compared students from multiple professional fields, nor identified the dynamics and the sequence of the strategies in the decision-making process that students use when faced with ethical dilemmas during internships. We found that students’ ethical dilemmas stemmed from: mentors’ or managers’ behaviours/requests, colleagues’ behaviours, organisations’ morally questionable incentives, pupils’ home situations, and pupils’ behaviours/personal stories. The majority of students used multiple strategies and first investigated the ethical dile...

Studies in Philosophy and Education

Various authors see human flourishing as the overarching aim to which education should contribute... more Various authors see human flourishing as the overarching aim to which education should contribute. We ask whether fostering wonder can help education attain this aim. We discuss two possibilities: firstly, it may be that having a sense of wonder as adults (possibly fostered by and/or refined due to education) contributes to flourishing itself. Secondly, it may be that fostering wonder in education increases the likelihood that education promotes flourishing, which it might do simply by increasing children’s intrinsic interest in what they learn. We argue that there are many plausible connections between wonder and human flourishing (relating to its epistemic and aesthetic dimensions, among others), and that we have reason to believe that early experiences can influence adults’ capacity for wonder. Furthermore, wonder increases the likelihood that education ‘succeeds’; and it supports people’s ability to live well by heightening their appreciation for the world, helping to uncover ba...

The British Journal of Social Work

Social work professionals in urban contexts struggle to serve different groups equally. Critical ... more Social work professionals in urban contexts struggle to serve different groups equally. Critical social work literature advocates critical reflexivity in social work practices. Focusing on existing support practices, it encourages scrutinising the implicit ways social work practices can maintain and reproduce power imbalances and othering structures. However, it has not examined the tensions connected with phases in which the first contact between clients and professionals occurs and clients’ engagement in social work programmes begins. Stimulated by an empirical research into parenting-support in a city in the Netherlands, this article examines theoretically the notion of ‘encounter practices’ through which professionals reach out to people considered in need of support but not asking for help. We disentangle how encounter practices can be interpreted through different understandings of professional engagement, emerging from either critical or affirmative traditions of social work....

Theory and Research in Education

Primary and secondary schools across the world are expected to contribute to the citizenship deve... more Primary and secondary schools across the world are expected to contribute to the citizenship development of their pupils. Most citizenship curricula focus on the acquisition of knowledge and the cultivation of skills and attitudes. Citizenship-related self-efficacy beliefs are often neglected in the literature on citizenship education, although they appear to play a crucial role in learning processes, among others as explanatory factors for the inequalities between students in different educational tracks. As such, studies on the development of citizenship-related self-efficacy beliefs have the potential to inform practice in a way that fosters greater equality of opportunity. However, as the literature on civic and political self-efficacy uses different dimensions and conceptualizations, this poses challenges to both the scientific accumulation of knowledge and translation to teaching practices. Here, we analyse the conceptual challenges and propose a framework for the study of sel...

The Oxford Handbook of Meaning in Life

This chapter explores the relation between education and meaning in life. People experience meani... more This chapter explores the relation between education and meaning in life. People experience meaning in life when they (a) can make sense of their life and the(ir) world, (b) have purpose in life, and (c) experience significance and that they matter. The chapter describes how family life and parental upbringing, as well as students’ participation in schools and teachers’ education, can make positive and unique contributions to children’s (future) meaning in life. It concludes that parents and teachers should open the complex world to help children find their way, present a meaning framework that provides a standpoint from which to evaluate what is significant while also giving sufficient freedom to engage with other views on the good life, and develop relationships with children that foster their feelings that they matter while at the same time instilling a desire and sense of responsibility to matter to others.

Pedagogiek

Samenvatting Dit artikel doet verslag van een onderzoek waarin de opvoedingswaarden van ouders di... more Samenvatting Dit artikel doet verslag van een onderzoek waarin de opvoedingswaarden van ouders die gebruik maken van kinderopvang Humankind in kaart zijn gebracht door middel van een survey-onderzoek en interviews met een aantal ouders. De belangrijkste uitkomst van het survey-onderzoek, uitgevoerd met een vertaalde versie van Schwartz's Value Survey (N=1518), is dat ouders het meest wensen dat hun kinderen opgroeien tot gelukkige en eerlijke mensen. Vergelijking tussen ouders van verschillende levensbeschouwelijke achtergronden laat zien dat seculiere ouders conformisme, traditie en zekerheid minder belangrijk vinden dan religieuze ouders. Interviews met humanistische ouders (N=10) laten zien dat ouders hun wens dat hun kinderen gelukkig zijn, invullen als: eigen keuzes maken, genieten van het leven, rekening houden met anderen, veiligheid, gezondheid en verbondenheid. Ouders vinden deze opvoedingswaarden belangrijk vanwege invloeden uit de opvoeding die zij zelf genoten hebben, hun levensoriëntatie, kenmerken van de samenleving, kenmerken van het kind en/of volwassenwording van het kind. Het artikel eindigt met een discussie van de resultaten.

Pedagogiek, 2021

Van 'debat' en 'open breken' tot 'er is gewoon weinig tijd om daarbij stil te staan'.

In many countries publications in Web of Knowledge journals are dominant in the evaluation of edu... more In many countries publications in Web of Knowledge journals are dominant in the evaluation of educational research. For various purposes comparisons are made between the output of philosophers of education in these journals and the publications of their colleagues in educational research generally, sometimes also including psychologists and/or social scientists. Taking its starting-point from Hayden’s article in this journal (2012), this paper discusses the situation of educational research in three countries: The Netherlands, South Africa and Norway. In this paper an alternative for comparing research output is offered by invoking comparisons with colleagues at the international level from within the same sub-discipline. It is argued that if one would do so a different picture would emerge, even if one were to limit oneself to particular kinds of publications. The case is then made that if comparisons are regarded as a necessary part of the evaluation of an individual scholar (for ...

Bordón. Revista de Pedagogía, 2017

Due to professional crises both within and outside the university, ethics education is receiving ... more Due to professional crises both within and outside the university, ethics education is receiving increasing attention in both academic literature on higher education as well as in discussions in universities themselves. This article describes and evaluates four ways in which ethics could be part of the university curriculum: 1) teaching an academic ethics module, 2) introducing students into professional ethics; 3) promoting academic citizenship; 4) fostering the ability to live a good life. METHOD. The four interpretations of ethics education at the university are subjected to a philosophical analysis. In each case, the intention of the educator is scrutinized by means of a reflection on the interpretation of 'ethics' and 'education'. For this relevant literature is used and philosophical argumentation applied. RESULTS. The results of the description and evaluation of each interpretation of ethics education are presented in each section. It is argued that the most minimal interpretation (teaching an ethics module) is less minimal than suggested yet insufficient. Teaching professional ethics is necessary, but will come to full fruition when students leave the university although their work ethics as students will add to their general professional ethical qualities. Dutch law requires universities to promote academic citizenship and personal development. This requires that students have the opportunity to obtain democratic civic dispositions and that universities provide frameworks with which students can form their conception of the good life. DISCUSSION. In the final section we supplement our conclusion that universities should promote academic citizenship and aim to foster students' ability to live a good life with a sobering note and urgent call: successful pursuit of these aims is only possible in an ethical environment and ethos that are currently lacking in universities. Thus, universities also have to work on their own ethical standards.

Journal of Religious Education, 2015

The central question in this article is whether teaching morality necessarily means paying attent... more The central question in this article is whether teaching morality necessarily means paying attention to 'worldview'. We investigate a conceptual and a justificatory relationship between these two. A distinction is made between organised and personal worldview and between narrow and broad morality. Some schools want to avoid influence on the students' views based on organised worldviews they adhere to. This is not always possible. The article explains why. It demonstrates that that when one teaches broad morality, attention is paid to the personal worldview of students. Finally, the article discusses the implications of our analysis for reflections on education.

Religious Education, 2016

This article aims to argue that worldview is a useful concept in religious education because of i... more This article aims to argue that worldview is a useful concept in religious education because of its encompassing character. In the first part of the article three essential characteristics of "worldview" are distinguished: "worldview" includes religious and secular views; a distinction between organized and personal worldviews should be made; and existential questions are a necessary part of "worldview." The second part of the article demonstrates how two articles about Grimmitt's distinction between learning about and from religion benefit from using "worldview" and how the authors can address their points more clearly by using the concept and its three essential characteristics.

Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 2016

This study examines a factor that has thus far received little attention in research on attitudes... more This study examines a factor that has thus far received little attention in research on attitudes toward violent in-group defense, namely, the role of perceived parental ethnic socialization. We hypothesized that perceived parental ethnic socialization (i.e., cultural socialization, egalitarianism, bias/mistrust) affects attitudes toward violence in defense of the in-group by others as well as willingness to use such violence oneself via its influence on collective identity factors (in-group connectedness, collective deprivation, religious superiority, connectedness with mainstream society). We analyzed a sample of children of Turkish Muslim migrants in the Netherlands. The data came from a survey conducted among pupils at seven secondary schools (age 14-18, N = 133). Results show that perceived parental ethnic socialization has an indirect effect on attitudes toward and willingness to use a violent in-group defense that runs via the collective identity factors. Perceived parental socialization that emphasizes equality is related to less willingness to use violent in-group defense. Perceived parental messages of mistrust of the other and preparation for bias were associated with a more positive attitude toward violent ingroup defense by others and toward willingness to use such violence. Perceived cultural socialization correlates positively with attitude toward violent in-group defense by others and willingness to use violent in-group defense. The total size of the indirect effects of perceived parental ethnic socialization was modest. We did not find a direct effect of perceived parental socialization.

Theory and Research in Education, 2014

Theory and Research in Education, 2010

The development of autonomy in children is a central concern of liberal philosophers of education... more The development of autonomy in children is a central concern of liberal philosophers of education. We endorse the liberal intuition that autonomy matters and that it is an appropriate aim of education. However, we divert from autonomy liberals, who defend a rather limited and demanding conception of autonomy that is closely connected with skills of critical thinking and reflection. As a consequence of this conception, they believe that (orthodox) religious education poses one of the severest threats to the development of autonomy. We do not deny the value of their conception of autonomy. Our point, however, is that the inhibition of the development of this kind of autonomy is not by far as serious a problem as the frustration of a more basic form of autonomy that the majority of people are expected to achieve. Focusing on this kind of autonomy, we argue that it is not religious education, but rather certain ingrained features of consumer societies that pose the greatest threats to t...

Teachers and Teaching, 2010

... 13540600903478474 http://www.informaworld.com Our teachers want to be the best: on the necess... more ... 13540600903478474 http://www.informaworld.com Our teachers want to be the best: on the necessity of intra-professional reflection about moral ideals of teaching Doret J. de Ruyter* and J. Jos Kole VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands ...

Studies in Philosophy and Education, 2008

This article aims to open a new line of debate about religion in public schools by focusing on re... more This article aims to open a new line of debate about religion in public schools by focusing on religious ideals. The article begins with an elucidation of the concept 'religious ideals' and an explanation of the notion of reasonable pluralism, in order to be able to explore the dangers and positive contributions of religious ideals and their pursuit on a liberal democratic society. We draw our examples of religious ideals from Christianity and Islam, because these religions have most adherents in Western liberal democracies that are the focus of this article. The fifth and most important section ''Reasonable pluralism and the inclusion of religious ideals in public secondary schools'' provides three arguments for our claim that public schools should include religious ideals, namely that they are important to religious people, that they are conducive for the development of pupils into citizens of a liberal democracy, and that the flourishing of pupils as adults is advanced by encountering religious ideals. We also offer a more practical reason: religious ideals can more easily be included within public education than religious dogmas and rules.

Journal of Educational Change, 2008

The article develops a conception of education that we have named liminal education. Liminal educ... more The article develops a conception of education that we have named liminal education. Liminal education tries to counter the centripetal tendencies of the centre (particular that of the consumer market) by disclosing alternative positions in order to enable children to cultivate a critically reflective disposition. A second feature of liminal education is that it carries the potential to assist children in recognising that otherness is not the same thing as being alien. Finally, it is characterised by an embodiment of the notion of 'communitas', a state in which no one can have authority over another or see themselves as superior. For children who live within the dominant (centre) culture and who find security in consumerism, liminal education is important because it offers them imaginative possibilities which could give rise to alternative conceptions of the good life. Children in liminal communities will benefit from liminal education, because they will have a better understanding of their own position and those of others, which, we believe, will reduce the anxiety of loosing one's identity and thereby the need to return to anxiously held foundational beliefs. Keywords Border pedagogy Á Consumerism Á Diversity Á Economy Á Fundamentalism Á Liberal education Á Liminal education Á Security Marc Chagall, Over the Town Marc and Bella Are happily flying over Vitebsk …-this is a real a shining good but if you look closely there's a lout squatting on the mud

Ethics and Social Welfare, 2009

Part of being a good professional is, so we contend, to have ideals. Ideals essentially complemen... more Part of being a good professional is, so we contend, to have ideals. Ideals essentially complement the deontic considerations that are usually taken as the main components of professional moral deliberation. Yet the notion of profes-sional ideals is problematic. As professional ideals ...

Educational Theory, 2007

In this essay, Doret J. de Ruyter defends the claim that parents as well as professional educator... more In this essay, Doret J. de Ruyter defends the claim that parents as well as professional educators need to impart ideals to children in order to realize their wish that children become happy and flourishing adults. The argument consists of two parts. First, de Ruyter shows how ideals are important to construing the meaning of objective goods. Second, she contends that educating children with ideals is important to motivating them to strive for something higher or better. De Ruyter's analysis rests on two key concepts: ''ideals,'' which refer to things one believes to be superb, excellent, or perfect, but that are as yet unrealized, and ''happy flourishing,'' which describes the fulfillment of objectively identifiable generic goods and the person's satisfactory meaningful interpretation of these goods.