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Centre for Education Economics (CfEE) paper casts
serious doubt on the conviction among modern
educationists that enjoyment and learning go
hand-in-hand
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On average, traditional methods are more effective from
a learning perspective than progressive ‘child-centred’
teaching methods
A new report from the Centre for Education Economics (CfEE),
published today (Wednesday 14 November), has found the belief
that pupil enjoyment leads to achievement is widely a myth.
It argues that, on the contrary, there is little evidence that
interventions and strategies which have positive effects on
achievement also raise pupil happiness and a joy for
learning.
The report, which will be launched today (Wednesday 14 November),
investigated a wide range of evidence around the relationship
between pupil happiness and achievement. It found that on
average, traditional, teacher-centred methods are more effective
from a learning perspective than the progressive ‘child-centred’
teaching methods widely advocated in modern schooling.
It goes on to argue that while student wellbeing is still
important, this trade-off between happiness and achievement is
something policymakers need to take seriously when it comes to
setting policy, rather than relying so heavily on flawed
educational theory.
Deeply entrenched beliefs
Report author Gabriel Heller-Sahlgren,
said: “The idea that positive emotions and
achievement go hand in hand has become deeply entrenched within
the education system. These progressive ideals regarding pupil
enjoyment are an important reason why modern educationalists
historically have supported pupil-centred teaching methods.
Indeed, it is still commonly believed that it is necessary to
make learning ‘invigorating’ for learning to take place at all.
“Yet our research has found that there is little rigorous
evidence in favour of this assumption, which stems from a
misinterpretation of Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s agenda-setting
book Émile, or On Education. There is much to
suggest that progressives, then as now, misunderstood fundamental
aspects of Rousseau’s theory – especially his views on pupil
happiness. In fact Rousseau’s most fundamental insight was that
effective learning is often not enjoyable.
“Our report highlights the existence of a trade-off between pupil
happiness and achievement in education. The answer is clear:
there is little evidence that interventions and strategies that
have positive effects on achievement also raise pupil happiness
and a joy for learning.”
Traditional education is not a ‘flaw’ of the
system
The research scrutinised a wide range of evidence. Researchers
found that direct instruction, drill, and memorisation are
crucial aspects of traditional education, and are neither
inherently fun nor inspiring, yet they are necessary components
for successful learning, both in terms of factual knowledge and
more complex processes, such as problem solving and critical
thinking. Such features are therefore not fundamental flaws
of a traditional education system, as progressive educationalists
so often advocate.
CfEE argues that while the report does not mean that policymakers
should ignore pupil wellbeing, it does cast serious doubt on an
important tenet of modern educational theory, which is currently
being promulgated through the highest echelons of international
policymaking.
Gabriel Heller-Sahlgren, added: “The idea of pupil-centred
learning has perhaps unsurprisingly also taken hold in the policy
debate. Indeed, in the past decades, education policy in most
western countries has become increasingly pupil-centred as
governments have sought ways to improve achievement.”
“However policymakers should start taking the concept of
trade-offs seriously in education. Policymakers and stakeholders
must carefully assess the extent to which their proposed policies
involve trade-offs between learning and enjoyment – and, if so,
which goals to promote and which ones to discard.”
