ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a debate about educational theory that dominated philosophy of education during the 1960s and that continued well into the 1980s. This debate is important for three main reasons: first, it may serve as an introduction to some of the key philosophical issues that arise out of a consideration of the relationship between theory and practice. Second, it has left a legacy in the form of the normal institutional arrangements for training teachers and theorizing about education. Third, it argues that this debate is underpinned by an epistemology that also underpins many currently popular educational policies, theories and practices. Perhaps the most well-known contributors to the previously-mentioned debate were P. H. Hirst and D. J. O'Connor. These writers appear to disagree about the nature of educational theory. O'Connor argues that educational theory should be 'objective' and 'scientific' whereas Hirst seems to argue for a more pluralistic and evaluative conception of educational theory.
