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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Using Philosophy for Children (P4C) in Teacher Education: Developing Critical Thinking and Dialogic Engagement Among Pre-Service Teachers
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1 Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey Üniversitesi, Eğitim Fak., Türkçe ve Sosyal Bil. Eğitimi Bölümü 70100, Karaman,
Türkiye
Received: 15 January 2025 | Published online: 10 March 2026
© 2026 by the Authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
Abstract
This study examines the use of Philosophy for Children (P4C) in teacher education and explores how philosophical inquiry practices influence pre-service teachers’ critical thinking and dialogic engagement. While P4C is often treated as a pedagogical method for improving thinking skills, this study approaches it as a philosophical practice that emphasizes the epistemic, normative, and ethical dimensions of thinking and dialogue. From this perspective, critical thinking is understood not merely as a measurable cognitive skill but as a normative practice involving justification, coherence, and responsiveness to alternative viewpoints. The research adopts a mixed-methods design combining quantitative data on critical thinking dispositions with qualitative analyses of dialogic interactions during P4C sessions conducted with pre-service teachers. The findings indicate that participation in P4C-based dialogue supports the development of critical thinking dispositions and enhances awareness of the epistemic and ethical responsibilities involved in dialogic reasoning within teacher education contexts.
Keywords
Philosophy for children (P4C)
critical thinking
dialogic talk
teacher education
philosophical ınquiry
community of ınquiry.
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