Critical Theory Research

Critical theory research in curriculum studies can be described as concerned with issues of power, intersecting oppressions, and inclusion–exclusion. Science is viewed as a form of political engagement that is ideologically and historically embedded. The general purpose of critical research is to address societal structures and institutions (whether long standing or newly emerging, ideological, discursive, or material circumstance) that oppress and exclude so that transformative actions can be generated that reduce the inequitable power condition. In curriculum studies, this critical examination focuses on the overall institution of education as a location of institutionalized, intersecting inequities (e.g., gender, race, socioeconomic level, sexual orientation) and more specifically, on the educational content experienced by students in daily [Page 158]educational practice (e.g., knowledges considered to be important, language and ...