To Örebro University

Research topic/aim: This paper constitutes a philosophical response to the recurring discussion about how the cohesion of didactic research can be conceptualized in the face of its diversity and fragmentation (Gundem, 2011; Ligozat & Almqvist, 2018). So far, the challenge posed by fragmentation has been met with efforts to articulate a common ground on which all forms of didactic research can rest. This is most evident from the field’s tendency to define didactics in terms of some core elements or ideas. As a prevailing metaphor in contemporary research (cf. Sfard, 1998), the ‘core of didactics’ has figured in several key publications and has centered on, for instance, the expanded didactic triangle, the didactical questions or the contingent relationship between educational content and meaning (e.g. Hudson & Meyer, 2011; Hopmann, 2007; Klafki, 1995). While defining the field’s coherence is necessary, we argue that the use of ‘core’ as a prevailing metaphor implies an essentialist notion of didactics that risks limiting the originality of future research. As such, this paper aims to challenge the metaphor of a didactic core by providing an alternative way of conceptualizing the cohesion of didactic research. In other words, we aim to suggest and exemplify a new metaphor by which the field’s commonality can be understood in a non-essentialist manner.

Theoretical framework: The suggested metaphor draws on Ludwig Wittgenstein’s (1953/2009) philosophy about language games and how these are interconnected through a series of family resemblances, rather than only a single common feature. As such, we offer a conceptualizaton of didactic research as consisting of many different discourses which are related to each other through a network of similarties.

Methodological design: Although primarily a theoretical study, we exemplify and support our argument by presenting an analysis of empirical research articles published in the journals Acta Didactica Norden and Nordidactica during 2020-2022. By applying a purpose-related selection process (Creswell, 2013), a method of comparative reading (Säfström & Östman, 1999), and a retroductive analytical procedure (Glynos & Howarth, 2018) we tentatively sketch some of the language games and family resemblances that are present in contemporary didactic research.

Expected conclusions/findings: In total, three langauge games are outlined: i) didactics as research on curricular conditions, ii) didactics as research on meaning-making, and iii) didactics as research on teacher reflections. While the language games differ with regards to their objects of study, our analysis shows that their similarities can be sorted into categories based on theoretical, methodological, and practical affinity. The affinities of the language games are consequently used to illustrate and argue that it is reasonable to conceptualize the cohesion of didactic research, not in terms of a common core, but as a network of overlapping family resemblances.

Relevance to Nordic educational research: In sum, the relevance of this paper is two-fold. First, it presents a new and non-essentialist metaphor for conceptualizing the cohesion of the didactic research field. Second, by using examples drawn from the aforementioned journals, the paper can revitalize the current meta-discussion about didactics within the specific context of Nordic educational research.