Beyond ‘either-or’ thinking: John Dewey and Confucius on subject matter and the learner

Abstract

This article compares the educational thought of John Dewey and Confucius on the nature of and relationship between subject matter and the learner. There is a common perception in the existing literature and discourse that Dewey advocates child- or learner-centred education whereas Confucius privileges subject matter via textual transmission. Challenging such a view, this article argues that both Dewey and Confucius reject an ‘either subject matter or learner’ thinking that recognises no intermediate possibilities in between. Instead, both thinkers emphasise the importance of both subject matter and the learner, and maintain that educators need to direct learning by integrating appropriate content into the learner’s total experience. The article concludes by highlighting the contemporary relevance and educational implications of the views of Dewey and Confucius for the current trend to promote ‘student-centred education’.