Education sciences, also known as education studies, education theory, and traditionally called pedagogy, seek to describe, understand, and prescribe education policy and practice. Education sciences include many topics, such as pedagogy, andragogy, curriculum, learning, and education policy, organization and leadership. Educational thought is informed by many disciplines, such as history, philosophy, sociology, and psychology.
Faculties, departments, degree programs, and degrees on education sciences are often called simply faculty of education etc. It is likewise still common to say she is studying education, which is only very rarely expressed as studying education science(s) and was traditionally called studying pedagogy (in English) in most European countries. Similarly, educational theorists may be known as pedagogues depending on the country.
For example, a cultural theory of education considers how education occurs through the totality of culture, including prisons, households, and religious institutions as well as schools. Other examples are the behaviorist theory of education that comes from educational psychology and the functionalist theory of education that comes from sociology of education.
The earliest known attempts to understand education in Europe were by classical Greek philosophers and sophists, but there is also evidence of contemporary (or even preceding) discussions among Arabic, Indian, and Chinese scholars. Educational sciences are examined in this book.