Achievement Liberating Pedagogy as a Response to Declining Wellbeing

Hauptsächlicher Artikelinhalt

Lea Ringskou, Noomi Matthiesen, Thomas Szulevicz, Svend Brinkmann

Abstract

The aim of this article is to articulate the contours of an achievement liberating pedagogy as a response to a general decrease in wellbeing among children and young people in Denmark. The analysis is based on a research project conducted in leisure time centers and youth clubs. The decrease in wellbeing is complex but nevertheless calls for pedagogical and institutional action. We argue that the achievement society can be seen as one explanation of the decrease in wellbeing. We propose that an achievement liberating pedagogy can be a pedagogical response to the negative consequences of an achievement society. Achievement liberating pedagogy is a world-centered pedagogy based on practices that unfold in both structured and spontaneous activities. It involves a pedagogical intention of liberation from instrumental and result-oriented activities, from individual measurements and from self-optimization. Instead, it aims to direct the pedagogical telos away from individual achievement, towards communities and joint activities engaged in for their own sake. Based on empirical findings, we draw the contours of achievement liberating pedagogy, its pitfalls and conditions that can challenge it. The analysis is based on theoretical inspiration from Hartmut Rosa’s theory of resonance and Max Van Manen’s analysis of pedagogical tact.

Schlagwörter: wellbeing, achievement society, achievement subject, achievement liberating pedagogy, leisure time pedagogy, professional claims

Bibliographie: Ringskou, Lea/Matthiesen, Noomi/Szulevicz, Thomas/Brinkmann, Svend: Achievement Liberating Pedagogy as a Response to Declining Wellbeing, IJREE – International Journal for Research on Extended Education, No. 1-2026, S. 37-56.

Artikel-Details

Erscheinungsdatum: Juli 2026
Open Access ab: 21.07.2027
Open-Access-Lizenz: CC BY 4.0

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