exploring the application of empirical research in philosophy for children: analysis of two case studies in caring thinking

This study examines whether the effectiveness of the Philosophy for Children (P4C) program can be validated through empirical research. I begin by analyzing Matthew Lipman’s pioneering empirical research from the 1970s, where he assessed improvements in critical thinking among elementary students wh...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: ji, hye in
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:Brasil
Institución:Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ)
Repositorio:Childhood & Philosophy (Rio de Janeiro. Online)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.www.e-publicacoes.uerj.br:article/88956
Acceso en línea:https://www.e-publicacoes.uerj.br/childhood/article/view/88956
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:caring thinking
empirical research
lipman
philosophy for children
pensamento cuidadoso
pesquisa empírica
filosofia para crianças
pensamiento cuidadoso
investigación empírica
filosofía para niños
Descripción
Sumario:This study examines whether the effectiveness of the Philosophy for Children (P4C) program can be validated through empirical research. I begin by analyzing Matthew Lipman’s pioneering empirical research from the 1970s, where he assessed improvements in critical thinking among elementary students who participated in his lessons using his philosophical novel. Next, I explore Lipman’s rationale for integrating caring thinking with critical and creative thinking in the multidimensional approach to thinking, and I discuss the implications of caring thinking’s emergence. I then analyze research trends in caring thinking through empirical studies conducted both in South Korea and internationally. Finally, I present two research cases I conducted—one quantitative and one qualitative—examining caring thinking as the central focus. I analyze the results in detail and discuss common implications found in both approaches, exploring how the limitations of each method might be complemented by the other. In conclusion, I argue that empirical research of caring thinking, conducted through complementary quantitative and qualitative approaches, can demonstrate and reinforce P4C’s philosophical goals.