Experiences of Philosophy Education in the UK

Commissioned project

This project was commissioned by the British Philosophical Association (BPA) .

The Eleanor Glanville Institute, University of Lincoln, was commissioned to conduct research assessing the strengths and weakness in the promotion of EDI in philosophy in post-16 education, at undergraduate and PGT/PGR level, and teaching/academic staff across the UK.

Note: Prof Belinda Colston (Director of the Halsden Centre), in her capacity as Founding Director of the Eleanor Glanville Institute, University of Lincoln, developed and led this project. 

Introduction

It has been acknowledged for some time, that in the UK women are under-represented in philosophy. While efforts to address this under-representation are still emerging, less attention has been paid to how diverse and inclusive philosophy might be with regards to other groups, including disabled people, people of colour and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

Project aims & objectives

The research aimed to evaluate the diversity and inclusion within the taught provision of philosophy in the UK and to assess the strengths and weaknesses in the promotion of EDI across the discipline.

Six research objectives were defined:

• Determine the demographics (including gender, race, ethnicity, class and disability) of those studying philosophy A-level, Highers, and International Baccalaureate (i.e. post-16), and undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students and staff (at all levels) in Philosophy in the UK.

• Investigate the experience of, and attitudes towards, the study and teaching of philosophy in all the above groups.

• Understand if and how post-16 and undergraduate and postgraduate syllabi in philosophy shape perceptions of the discipline concerning equality and diversity.

• Identify the potential barriers to study of philosophy for under-represented groups in the UK.

• Identify potential strategies for improving diversity and inclusion in the discipline in the UK.

• Make recommendations for further, more detailed, research studies on identified equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) issues in philosophy in the UK.

Research methodology

The research adopted a mixed method approach, including surveys, focus groups, creative capture, interviews and co-creation workshops:

• The student survey was designed for post-16, undergraduate (UG), postgraduate taught (PGT), and postgraduate research (PGR) students studying philosophy. The survey included a mix of open and closed questions about their lived experience of studying philosophy. 

• The staff survey was designed for all providers of philosophy education in the UK (schoolteachers / HE Course Leaders) to understand the barriers to inclusion in philosophy education and to evaluate successful and unsuccessful mitigation strategies adopted. 

• Student focus groups were designed for post-16 and year 1 UG students studying philosophy to understand their lived experience of transitioning from tertiary to higher education.

• Creative capture (multi-modal participant submissions: diary entries, screenshots from social media posts/blogs, video / audio recording, prose, poetry, lists) was designed for year 2 UG / Year 3 (Final year) UG / PG to collect in-depth & spontaneous lived experience focussing on transitioning from UG to PG study.

• Semi-structured interviews were used as a follow-up to the creative capture.

• Co-creation workshops were designed for both providers of philosophy education in the UK (schoolteachers / HE Course Leaders) and the students studying philosophy at all levels (post-16, undergraduate and postgraduate) to co-create interventions and strategies for making philosophy more inclusive and diverse.

Ethical approval

Ethical approval for the research was received from the University of Lincoln Human Research Ethics Committee in September 2023.