Reproduction of social inequalities in the case of economic education in vocational education and training (VET) schools – Theoretical considerations on the concept of reflexive pedagogy

Abstract

The German education system in general and the vocational school system in particular aim to follow meritocracy as a guiding principle. Thus, all children should have equal chances for success at school independent of their social backgrounds. As they are the first instance of socialization, families have a special impact on learning processes, which also holds true for economic education. Taking into account subject-oriented learning theory, learning hindrances and learning resistance possibly correlate with the social background and experiences of the learner. The Bourdieuian concept of reflexivity offers a method which can be transferred to the teaching and learning process and can be considered for economic education. In this paper, facts are presented to show that the claim that meritocracy is applied as a principle for the German education system is just a myth. In the case of vocational schools and especially in the case of economic education, quantitative and qualitative studies are presented, that show the impact of family background and the perceptions of teachers towards the family backgrounds of pupils. Finally, considerations on the Bourdieuian concept of reflexivity in the context of science are transferred to the field of pedagogy. This ‘reflexive pedagogy’ is reconstructed for economics education in the VET-system in particular. To follow up this line, implications for teachers and teacher training are discussed.