Critical or Conformist Economic Education? : Reflexivity Versus Functionality in the Conflict of Interests

Christian Fridrich

doi:10.14288/ce.v16i2.187006

Critical or Conformist Economic Education?

Reflexivity Versus Functionality in the Conflict of Interests

Authors

Christian Fridrich University of Teacher Education Vienna

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14288/ce.v16i2.187006

Keywords:

economics education, critical thinking, reflexive attitude, enlightenment, reflexivity, functionality, business interests, criticism

Abstract

This article focuses on an essential element of economic education, namely the ability to think critically. First, the significance of education and empowerment is discussed in relation to the two levels of subject and society. Subsequently, the educational intentions in the two fundamental paradigms of economic education are characterized, namely in socio-economic education and in economistic education. In these, reflexivity and functionality are expressed in different ways: either as the implementation or negation of critical approaches. As a result, criticism, the ability to think critically and a reflexive basic attitude of young people are either promoted or suppressed. This has significant consequences for students’ understanding of themselves and the world. Based on a differentiated concept of the ability to think critically (according to Hedtke, 2023a), facets of critical or uncritical economic and financial education are analyzed in a differentiated manner in relation to the subject level and the societal level in a four-field diagram developed from this. Finally, implementations of critical economic education and their opponents are discussed using Austria as a case study.

Author Biography

Christian Fridrich, University of Teacher Education Vienna

Prof. Dr. habil. Christian Fridrich is Head of the Department and Professor of Geographical and Socioeconomic Education at the University of Teacher Education Vienna, Austria, and teaches at the Universities of Graz and Vienna, he is co-founder and co-editor of three scientific series, head of several international R&D networks, head of the nationwide expert group on geographical and socioeconomic education, member of the steering group and the scientific working group of the National Financial Education Strategy of the Austrian Ministry of Finance and the Oesterreichische Nationalbank, member of the curriculum group of the Austrian Ministry of Education, textbook author. Research interests: Theory, didactics and empiricism of economic education; “everyday worlds”, pre-concepts and conceptual growth; visual literacy, data visualization and visual communication; interculturality and diversity.

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Published

2025-04-30

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 2 (2025)

Section

Articles

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