Department of Educational Foundations

Wist 113
1776 University Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96822
Tel: (808) 956-7913
Fax: (808) 956-9100
Email: edef@hawaii.edu
Web: coe.hawaii.edu/edef/

Faculty

*D. B. Edwards Jr., PhD (Chair)—global education policy, global governance of education, international organizations, international development and education, privatization, decentralization, education in Southeast Asia and Latin America, decolonial approaches to education
*B. Cheng, EdD (Graduate Chair)—comparative and international education, education policy
*X. Di, EdD—philosophy of education, history of education, sociology of education
*A. J. Means, PhD—educational policy, sociology of education, educational theory
*W. Perry, JD—Indigenous studies, law and policy, Hawaiian rights, sovereignty
*H. Tavares, PhD—politics of education, educational policy studies, critical theories of education

Cooperating Graduate Faculty

M. Maaka, PhD—Indigenous education, language and cognition, research methodologies; politics in education

Affiliate Graduate Faculty

S. Bell, PhD—global and international higher education administration, internationalization, international educational exchange, study abroad, globalization in education
K. Ogawa, PhD—economics of education, education finance, education policy and planning, impact evaluation, comparative international education

*Graduate Faculty

The Academic Program

The Department of Educational Foundations takes an interdisciplinary approach to the critical examination of educational issues by focusing on explaining and interpreting education-asking and responding to the “why” questions. The department is committed to the professional and personal intellectual growth of educators and laypersons who wish to broaden and deepen their understanding of educational problems, questions, issues and controversies. The department adopts a multidisciplinary approach to educational inquiry by drawing on the disciplines of the humanities and social sciences. We value and affirm multiple perspectives, multiple voices, and collaboration in a program that is committed to engaging and deepening the prospect of democratic education. We seek to move our students toward greater appreciation of complexity, clarity, and compassion through our curriculum.

Related to the traditional disciplines are the department’s four areas of emphasis: history of education, philosophy of education, socio-cultural foundations, and international/ comparative education. Related areas of study include educational policy studies, the politics of education, legal issues in education, and multicultural education.

Graduates with the MEd degree are expected to be able to analyze alternatives in educational thought, policy and practice related to the social and ethical problems faced by schools and other educational agencies at the state, national and international levels. Graduates with the PhD are expected to exert professional expertise in the field of education and deal with those aspects and problems in society that need to be taken into account in advancing educational thought, policy development and practice, especially where these concern the social role of the school and other educational agencies.

Programs

Master’s

Educational Foundations, MEd

Doctorate