Running head: SOCIAL RECONSTRUCTIONISM 1

Social Reconstructionism

Mackenzie Ammirato

Courtney Flores

Biola University

Social Reconstructionism
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Through the study of philosophies, ideologies, and theories, individuals can be equipped

with a variety of analytical ideas to guide how they see the world. These ideas can range from

ancient to current, and from conservative to progressive--yet all have significant effects on

different aspects of life. Specifically, philosophies, ideologies, and theories have all significantly

impacted education, including the perception of it’s purpose, and how it should be approached.

These ideas provide perspective on a topic that, while broad, is vital to shaping each generation

of individuals. A more recent theory, called Social Reconstructionism, has pushed traditional

boundaries, encouraging education to be used as a tool of change; by analyzing schools that do

and do not practice Social Reconstructionism, it is evident that there are inherent strengths and

weaknesses to this theory.

Introduction to Social Reconstructionism

Social Reconstructionism is a direct contrast to conservative theories like Perennialism

and Essentialism. Supporters of Social Reconstructionism, called Reconstructionists, believe

that education should encourage social change and reform. Essentially, Social Reconstructionism

supports the idea that educators can influence the social stances and culture of the next

generation through their curriculum, which is defined as “social engineering” (Gutek, 1997, p.

307). Reconstructionists follow John Dewey’s philosophy of Pragmatism, focusing on social

and cultural reconstruction. According to Sutinen (2014), Reconstructionist are also associated

with Marxism, as they “have a clear idea of planned social reality based on Marxist social

philosophical thinking” (p. 22). While Reconstructionist may not agree on the specifics of this

theory, they do agree on a few main ideas, including the idea that philosophies, ideologies, and

theories and culturally based, that culture is always changing, and that individuals can

reconstruct culture for positive change. Rather than standing behind universal theories,
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Reconstructionists recognize that our world is always changing, and that culture should be

changing with it.

Reconstructionists believe that the world is currently experiencing a cultural crisis, and

that it is in dire need of reform to ensure survival. Gutek (1997) explained that

Reconstructionists identify that the present society is scientifically and technologically rich, yet

their culture remains unchanged since this development. Essentially, Reconstructionists believe

the world is in a cultural crisis because as world continues to change, individuals maintain an

idealized view of the past, often identified as nostalgia. Because culture has remained largely

unchanged while society continues to advance, this cultural crisis worsens according to the

Reconstructionists. Gutek (1997) identified systemic symptoms of a cultural crisis, which

include the unequal distribution of wealth and international tensions. For society to remain intact

and not collapse due to cultural crisis, Reconstructionist seek “fundamental cultural

reconstruction” (Gutek, 1997, p. 308).

George S. Counts is a notable Reconstructionist theorist, who did not identify as a

Reconstructionist, but aligned with the viewpoints of Social Reconstructionism. Gutek (1997)

explained that Counts identified an issue with the United States’s transition from “rural

neighborhood” (p. 310) life to “rapid rush” (p. 310) life. While Counts did not believe that this

lifestyle change was damaging, many individuals were not prepared for this change, and as a

result, faced a cultural crisis. According to Count (as cited in Gutek, 1997), educational

institutions were at fault for this crisis, as they could have prepared students for the world they

were entering. This lack of cultural preparation was defined at “cultural jet lag” (Gutek, 1997, p.

311).
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Cultural reconstruction is the solution that Reconstructionists have proposed to address

this cultural crisis, with the main responsibility resting with educational institutions. In the

classroom, students can learn about major problems in the world and identify their own cultural

predispositions. While these topics may not come naturally, educators have the ability to not

only embed social issues into their teaching, but to actually make them the basis for curriculum.

This style of school is called an Issue Oriented School, which believes that schools should be a

“societal laboratory [to practice] action-oriented problem solving [and to] become self-

empowered agents of directed social change” (Gutek, 1997, p. 317). In these types of schools,

students can identify which parts of their values have an ethical backing, and which may be open

to change. While cultural heritage is important, it may be linked with stereotypical thinking,

which encourages discrimination rather than unity. Schools follow the Reconstructionist theory

in hopes that their students will avoid a cultural crisis and be driven to combat social issues in

their daily lives.

Social Reconstructionism in Action

As cultural crises worsen and Social Reconstructionism begins to grow in popularity,

there are more schools willing to incorporate this theory into their curriculum and standards as a

way to create social change in their communities. For example, the North Carolina State Board

of Education has recently taken the steps to incorporate intercultural content into their

curriculum, hoping that students will develop an understanding for diversity and culture. In fact,

North Carolina State Board of Education even wrote these requirements into their curriculum,

requiring teachers to create lessons that teach students to combat stereotyping and to increase

global awareness. As our country grows more diverse, the North Carolina State Board of

Education has adjusted their standards and curriculum to influence social change, hoping
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students will be accepting and understanding of other cultures. This is just one of many ways

that Social Reconstructionism can exist in the present day. Overall, educational leaders saw a

need for social change due to their current society, and they took action.

While the North Carolina State Board of Education has taken great care to increase

intercultural understanding among their students, they have had some struggles along the way.

While many teachers have been eager to incorporate these standards into their curriculum, many

have also been afraid to perpetuate stereotypes instead of increasing global awareness. However,

the North Carolina State Board of Education has identified several important factors to teach

about other cultures without developing stereotypes. These tips include emphasizing similarities,

not focusing on one single traditions, discussing within-region diversity, and including cultural

lessons across all subjects, not just social studies. Additionally, the North Carolina State Board

of Education has provided its teachers with resources for lesson planning, and a course in

creating cultural awareness. Even though this is not an easy topic to incorporate into curriculum,

the North Carolina State Board of Education has made their desire for social change evident

through their standards, emphasizing their use of Social Reconstructionism.

Strengths of Social Reconstructionism

There are a variety of strengths associated with Social Reconstructionism, may of which

were described in Gutek’s (1997) Philosophical and ideological perspectives on education.

Social Reconstructionism’s greatest strength is it’s genuine motivation, which is to create a better

life for people by solving their cultural crises through social change. As it appears that this

theory’s pure motive is to help the world overall, this would be characterized as a strength. The

next strength of Social Reconstructionism is that it creates an environment for students to have a

better understanding of the world. In Parks’s (2006) study on Social Reconstructionism, students
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in the Multicultural Education classroom showed a deep understanding of how diversity affects

their society, while those not in the class only showed a general acknowledgement for the need

of diversity. Students in the Multicultural Education classroom also showed a strong

understanding of power structures, stereotypes, and White privilege--an understanding that was

overwhelmingly missing in the other classroom. This understanding is vital to the great social

change that Social Reconstructionism strives for (Parks, 2006). The final strength of Social

Reconstructionism is that it strengthens critical thinking skills as it continually challenges the

status quo. Because Social Reconstructionism causes students to challenge what may be

commonly thought, it forces them to wrestle with competing ideas, strengthening these critical

thinking skills. It is evident that there are a variety of strengths associated with Social

Reconstructionism that encourage educational institutions to adopt this theory into their

curriculum and standards.

Weaknesses of Social Reconstructionism

Although the schools in North Carolina did not express any significant weaknesses with

Social Reconstructionism, there are plenty of deficiencies that have been pointed out by

Christians and their view on Social Reconstructionism, specifically within the educational

setting. Social Reconstructionism encourages breaking away the traditional way of teaching and

incorporating diversity and current world views within education. In a public school setting,

Lugg (2000) explained that the views expressed at a public school can be seen as promoting their

own agenda and rather what is morally correct. The weakness with this is that it might not

always be the right view of an issue, but rather how the educator views that social issue. This can

cause confusion and promote hopelessness to the students. Another weakness suggested was the

idea of moving away from the foundational values of America. America was founded on biblical
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values, and with Social Reconstructionism, it is slowly transitioning from those religious roots,

and those foundations are being forgotten altogether (Lugg, 2000).

Aside from the Christian perspective, there are several other weaknesses with Social

Reconstructionism that may cause challenges when utilizing this theory within the classroom. In

order for this theory to be effective, the educator must have an understanding of the historical

and cultural foundations of the larger issue they are addressing, and sometimes this is not always

the case (Parks, 2006). This will make it difficult for the students to understand the issues fully

as they are being addressed and taught within the classroom. Due to the lack of knowledge, some

teachers find it difficult to incorporate this theory and tend to stray away from it. This lack of

knowledge also can cause the educator to be embarrassed or in fear of making a mistake

(Higgins, 2010). Another weakness with Social Reconstructionism is that the educator may fail

to explain the issue before incorporating it into a lesson. By doing this, it may unintentionally

cause the students to stereotype and create their own assumptions, since they were not given the

correct and necessary information (Higgins, 2010). If Social Reconstructionism is going to be

implemented within the classroom, then the proper research and understanding needs to take

place ahead of time.

Is Social Reconstructionism A Threat to the U.S.?

As stated above, Social Reconstructionism does go against the traditional way of

addressing social issues and in a public school setting, and can go against the foundations that

the country was built upon all together. Although Social Reconstructionism is different from

what most Americans are used to in the classroom, it does, however, raise a threat to the

historical foundations of the United States. The whole idea of Social Reconstructionism as

defined by Gutek (1997) is to bring about change in our society, which will most likely not
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reflect ideals of the majority. This can cause a threat as America is based upon their foundations

and history when it comes to politics and social norms. The reality is that the world is changing

and Social Reconstructionism is more relevant within education.

The Christian values in which America was built upon are also threatened by this theory.

Essentially, when history is being taught in the classroom, it is being taught from one perspective

in which usually happens to be the majority. If history is taught with a different perspective, then

students will be free to formulate their own opinion about history and eventually change how

society can view history. A new social order is what Social Reconstructionism strives for, and

revisiting past injustices and inequalities becomes a focus (Gutek, 1997). This can also become a

threat as a society is being formed and taught to question the history and integrity of America as

a nation. This has changed the political world as society is bringing up a new way of approaching

life and aiming to change society as a whole to renew the existing society (Gutek, 1997).

Christian Philosophy of Education

Social Reconstructionism may be a prevalent theory in public schools, but the idea of

reconstructionism is relevant in the Christian philosophy of education as well. Christians are not

going against the traditional values of society, but rather teaching their students the views of the

Bible and promoting Christian views on social issues. An example of this can be teaching

students to love their neighbor (Mark 12:31), or to care for those in need (Acts 20:35; Matthew

25:35-40; Proverbs 19:17). Christian Reconstructionism is also dedicated to reconstructing the

national government to based on Christian values and principles (Lugg, 2000). This idea of

raising awareness of the lack of God in the political realm is what this this theory or philosophy

stands for. Since America was founded on biblical principles, Christian Reconstruction believes

that America has fallen from their roots and ultimately leading the students incorrectly (Lugg,
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2000). A Christian philosophy is rooted in the Jesus and can be the foundation for education as

well; “rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing

with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:7). This has led educators to teach students the biblical

principles and views on social issues, rather than what public schools or society may teach.

Proverbs 21: 3 says, “To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.”

In order for our students to live acceptably to God, educators must teach those standards. It is

important the the Bible is emphasized in our schools and society, as it is identified as an

important resource for teaching and growth and sets the standards for civilization (Romans 15:4;

2 Timothy 3:16). Philosophy is defined by Gutek (1997) as pursuing truth, and in Christian

philosophy, the truth being pursued is Christ, taught through the Bible (John 14:6). The Bible is

the truth in which views on society and the foundations of citizenship are based upon. America

was also founded on those same principles, which drives the Christian philosophy to teach about

God and the influence that faith has on our country and how it is still relevant as they are

essentially teaching the students to be citizens of this nation.

Christian School

Christian schools have a unique opportunity to promote their faith and teach their

religious views freely. Due to the rise of Social Reconstructionism within the public educational

setting, Christian schools are also taking the classroom as an opportunity to guide and teach their

students the biblical views on social issues. Gutek (1997) talks about how Social

Reconstructionism essentially asks the question of what kind of school do they want, and what

kind of school can they have. This question essentially asks what kind of views are going to be

encouraged and taught, and ultimately, what kind of society will be formed at the school. With
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Christian schools, an obligation to teach their students about the Bible and to have a Christian

worldview on society is of a high importance.

The values that are taught within a Christian school are all based on the Bible and include

topics such as government, family, politics, and society (Ingersoll, 2015). In the classroom this

could happen by discussing historical events and pointing out the biblical parallels that could be

found. With science, creation will be taught as the main view, along with the opposing views.

Literature and arts can be taught by finding biblical metaphors in which the students find

relevance to them personally. Christian schools provide biblical teachings and present the student

with a Christian worldview. The controversy that arises with this is that students from a Christian

school may not always be prepared for society and may not be exposed to social issues as much

as a public school.

Compare and Contrast to Social Reconstruction

Social Reconstruction, in comparison to other theories, seems to be more preferred in the

public school setting. It is often compared to the theory of Pragmatism and shows some

similarities. Both theories have roots in the same concept of reconstruction of social and personal

experience (Gutek, 1997). With Liberalism, they both share the same principles on society but

Liberalism is motivated to preserving and improving the political society, where as Social

Reconstructionism is seeking to change it (Gutek, 1997). Progressivism is also similar to Social

Reconstruction but has some differences as well. Both theories promote having a new way of

thinking and expanded outlook on society, but Social Reconstructionism implements an

ideologically version of the future, where as Progressivism does not (Gutek, 1997).

Postmodernism has also been compared to Social Reconstruction. Both believe in interpreting

and analyzing history in a non objective and unbiased way, but Social Reconstruction believes in
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the enlightenment project, which Postmodernism is against (Gutek, 1997). The most opposing

theories and philosophies would be Conservatism, Essentialism, and Perennialism. Those

theories and philosophies would disagree with the mission of Social Reconstruction as they view

education as a place to teach cultural heritage (Gutek, 1997). Each theory and philosophy has

their own idea of how and what should be taught in the classroom, although there are some

similarities amongst them.

Conclusion

Social Reconstructionism has continued to encourage social change through the use of

educators and students. While this theory may be controversial, it is possible for Social

Reconstructionism to be incorporated into either a secular or Christian school. While there are

some possible weaknesses with this theory, it is evident that Social Reconstructionism has the

power to positively transform our society through the next generation. As society progresses, this

theory will likely continue to adapt with society and will be implemented in both public and

secular settings, in which educators should be prepared for.

References

Gutek, G. L. (1997). Philosophical and ideological perspectives on education. Needham

Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

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Higgins, R. (2010). Teaching world cultures. Learn NC. Retrieved from

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/6390

Ingersoll, J.J. (2015). Building God’s kingdom: Inside the world of Christian reconstruction.

Church History, 85(2), 426-427.

Lugg, C. A. (2000). Reading, writing, and reconstructionism: The Christian right and the politics

of public education. Educational Policy, 14(5), 622-638.

Parks, M. W. (2006). I am from a very small town: Social reconstructionism and multicultural

education. Multicultural Perspectives, 8(2), 46-50.

Sutinen, A. (2014). Social reconstructionist philosophy of education and George S. Counts.

International Journal of Progressive Education, 10(1), 18-31.