While Biesta’s framework provides a powerful lens for interrogating the purposes of education, its application in residential childcare highlights structural tensions. Institutional accountability and regulatory pressures often privilege measurable outcomes, which can inadvertently constrain opportunities for subjectification. Similarly, while experiential learning is philosophically justified, its effectiveness is contingent on intentional scaffolding, reflective dialogue, and ethical consideration. Where elements that require ongoing practitioner vigilance without such critical mediation, even well-designed activities may reinforce compliance-oriented behaviour rather than fostering autonomous, reflective learners.
Relational pedagogy, as conceptualised by Noddings (1984), emphasises the ethical, dialogical nature of education, where engagement arises through care, attentiveness, and responsiveness. Freire (1970) critiques the “banking model” of learning, advocating for co-constructed knowledge rather than passive absorption.
Workplace example illustrates these principles: a learner with ADHD disengaged from literacy sessions. By transitioning to co-authored learning goals, engagement, self-efficacy, and learning outcomes (Carr,2013) improved, while maintaining rigorous standards.
This demonstrates the synergy between relational, ethical, and pragmatist approaches, showing that pedagogical effectiveness depends not only on measurable outcomes but on attentiveness to learner experience and agency.
Poststructuralist perspectives further illuminate the subtle ways in which discourse, institutional norms, and power relations shape learner identity (Ormston et al., 2014 and Ravenscroft & Allison, 2018). Reflective practice sensitised me to these influences, highlighting the risk that unexamined organisational assumptions may perpetuate inequities. For example, conventional interpretations of engagement or compliance can obscure opportunities for meaningful learner participation. Conscious attention to power and identity, therefore, becomes central to ethical practice, reinforcing the necessity of reflexivity and critical awareness.
Sen’s (1999) capability approach complements these insights by emphasising learners’ substantive freedom to achieve valued functioning’s. In a further workplace example; tasks were redesigned into micro-roles, enabling learners to exercise autonomy, collaboration, and confidence. While attainment metrics remained static, observable improvements in agency, relational engagement, and self-efficacy highlighted the value of capability-focused practice. This approach foregrounds justice and human flourishing, challenging conventional outcome-driven evaluation and prompting critical reflection on the tension between institutional accountability and learner-centred ethics.
Experiential learning theories further reinforce both the philosophical and practical integration of learning approaches. Vygotsky (1978) highlights the importance of social and collaborative scaffolding in facilitating effective learning. In applied contexts, activities such as cooking, budgeting, and woodworking were redesigned as inquiry-driven, socially mediated tasks. While experiential learning promotes autonomy and problem-solving, it can lead to superficial skill acquisition if not supported by reflective scaffolding. Practitioner inquiry serves as a critical mechanism to balance structure with learner agency, ensuring that engagement remains both meaningful and ethically grounded (Ormston et al., 2014).
Critically, this integrated approach reveals persistent tensions. Institutional frameworks prioritise measurable outcomes, potentially constraining opportunities for subjectification, relational engagement, or capability development. Conversely, philosophical and reflective frameworks emphasise autonomy, justice, and ethical responsiveness, requiring practitioners to negotiate between systemic expectations and the unique needs of learners. Practitioner enquiry mediates these tensions, enabling a dynamic, reflective, and ethically-informed practice that aligns philosophical insight with practical decision-making.