EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY ANALYSIS ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
OVERVIEW
The purpose of this assignment is to evaluate a particular educational philosophy that has
influenced educational development throughout history. The educational philosophy will be
evaluated in consideration of opposing views. Students may choose to analyze one of the
following educational philosophies: essentialism, existentialism, idealism, pragmatism,
progressivism, and realism. As students research and conduct the analysis, they demonstrate
knowledge of educational philosophies of the past, discuss the historical context surrounding the
educational philosophy, critically analyze the educational philosophy, relate the educational
philosophy to their own educational beliefs and its relevance for today’s education and
classrooms.
INSTRUCTIONS
This paper is based on the topic you selected from the choices listed in the overview for this
assignment and should be in current APA format.
Please note that this paper is not a personal philosophy of education and no previously
submitted assignment can be submitted for this educational analysis paper.
Length: This paper is to be at least 5 pages in length from the introductory paragraph to the
conclusion. This does not count the title page, abstract, or reference pages.
Citations and References: Cite a minimum of seven sources throughout the paper and list them
on the reference page. Of the five sources, one of them is required to be the course textbook. A
minimum of three scholarly sources must be included in the section to critically analyze the
educational philosophy. Other sources may include academic journal articles, books, and
textbooks from other courses.
Structure: You have a great deal of latitude in how the paper is structured, but it should follow a
logical progression of thought and the guidelines below. See the rubric for required elements.
1. Title Page
Pagination: In APA, all pages are numbered. The title page should be page 1.
Title: The title should not be the name of the assignment (i.e., Educational Philosophy
Analysis). It should be related to the early educational pioneer that you have selected.
The first letter of all words should be capitalized except for articles (e.g. a, an, the),
conjunctions (e.g., and, but), and short prepositions (e.g., of, about), unless they appear as
the first word, which is always capitalized. Center and bold your title and position it near
the middle of the page or slightly above the middle.
EDUC 604
Other Information on Title Page: All other information on the title page should comply
with current APA requirements.
2. Abstract: The heading of the abstract should be centered and in bold font.
Place the abstract at the top of a page by itself after the title page.
Do not indent the first line.
The abstract is a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of the paper. It should
present the main ideas and main conclusions/implications. Including the main ideas and
conclusions in the abstract is much more important than a simple outline of the structure
or headings.
3. Introduction: Do not use the word “Introduction” as a heading for this section.
The purpose of the introductory paragraph is different from that of the abstract. Do not
simply copy the abstract.
In this section, introduce your thesis statement that will be developed throughout the
paper. It is the main idea you are presenting. Save other supporting ideas for the body of
the manuscript. Do not overload the introductory paragraph with too many concepts that
distract from the key point of the thesis statement.
It is best to place the thesis statement at the end of the introductory paragraph. It is
typically one or two sentences that serve as a transition into the rest of the paper. Some
writers choose to place it as the first sentence of the introduction. Either option is
acceptable as long as the introduction is well written and has a logical progression of
thought.
4. Summary and Historical Context: Centered in bold with all major words capitalized, enter
the first Level 1 heading of your paper. (Level 2 headings are unnecessary for this short of a
paper.) Use the words “Summary and Historical Context.”
This brief section describes/summarizes the topic you have chosen so the reader
understands the setting in which the topic developed. This is a succinct presentation of
events or circumstances that may have influenced the topic.
Include transitions that build a logical progression from the thesis statement in the
introductory paragraph into the topic and its historical context.
5. Critical Analysis: This Level 1 heading should be formatted the same as the previous one.
Use the words “Critical Analysis.” This section should reflect various perspectives about the
topic, including your own.
6. Comparison of Educational Philosophy with Personal Educational Beliefs: This Level 1
heading should be formatted the same as the previous one. Use the words “Comparison of
Educational Philosophy with Personal Educational Beliefs.” This section should compare
your personal beliefs about education to the educational philosophy you have selected.
EDUC 604
7. Implication for Today’s Education and Classroom: This Level 1 heading should be
formatted the same as the previous one. Use the words “Implication for Today’s Education
and Classroom.” This section should discuss the implications for use of this educational
philosophy in America’s educational system and today’s classrooms.
8. Conclusion: Use the same Level 1 formatting as you have done with your other headings
above and enter the word “Conclusion” in centered, bold font. Although your conclusion
should include concepts from the thesis statement in the introduction and should have some
alignment with the title of the paper, you should not simply restate the thesis statement. Wrap
up the paper by emphasizing your main idea and draw a clear conclusion. Typically, a good
conclusion does not introduce new information. The conclusion is where you are to discuss
implications about what you have already shared and relate ideas to current educational
issues.
9. References: Starting at the top of the next page after the end of the manuscript, center in
bold font the heading “References.”
Double-space everything throughout your paper, including the reference page. Do not
insert additional extra lines/spaces.
Using a hanging indent, which means that the first line of every reference is left-justified
with all other lines of the reference indented.
Follow the format below for books. Only initials are used for the author’s first and
middle names. See the APA manual for examples of multiple authors, editors, etc.
Authorlastname, A. B. (2019). Book title in italics with only the first word and proper nouns, like
Christian, capitalized: If there is a subtitle, the first word is capitalized. Publisher.
Follow the format below for journal articles. Both the journal title and the volume
number are italicized. There is no space between the volume and issue numbers.
(Sometimes, the source provides no issue number. If that is the case, simply place a
comma after the italicized volume number.) Page numbers are last without “p.” or “pg.”
before them.
Authorlastname, A. B. (2019). Article title in regular font with only the first word and proper
nouns, like European, capitalized: Subtitles may or may not be used. Journal Titles
Capitalize All Major Words Except for the Articles, Conjunctions, and Short
Prepositions, 15(2), 41-50. https://URL (make sure the URL is hyperlinked)
EDUC 604
Miscellaneous Tips
First-Person Pronouns: Per the APA manual, first-person pronouns are permitted. However,
they should rarely be used and are intended only for conveying an incident about your life story
(e.g., “I was born into poverty”) or explaining the actions you took as a researcher (e.g., “I
conducted focus groups with participants.”) A good writer makes strong declarative statements
in third-person plural (e.g., teachers, parents, leaders, etc.) in terms of “ought” and “should”
rather than overusing redundant statements such as “I believe that,” “I think that,” “to me,” “for
me,” etc. Almost always, sentences are strengthened by simply omitting references to self.
It is considered poor writing to refer to yourself in third person (e.g., “this author”). It also may
confuse the reader because there are typically multiple authors being discussed within a
manuscript.
Academic Integrity: This paper will be screened by plagiarism-checking software, which
reports to the professor the degree to which your paper is similar to other works. The following
tips will help you avoid issues with plagiarism:
Direct Quotes: No more than 15% of your paper should be made up of direct quotes.
Therefore, do more summarizing and paraphrasing than quoting. Short quotes should be
in quotation marks and longer quotes of 40-words or more should be indented. If you do
not set off direct quotes in this manner and/or do not cite them, it is plagiarism.
Ideas and Facts: If the idea or fact is not your own, you must cite its source. When not
directly quoting, summarize, or analyze the idea in your own words
