Abstract:

The objective of this paper is to examine how contemporary educational reforms, often presented as neutral and technical processes, implicitly construct specific conceptions of the human subject and reshape teacher–student relationships. The objective of this study is to analyze how these implicit anthropologies influence educator roles, practices of care, forms of agency, and the development of critical thinking in educational settings. Additionally, the paper focuses on how these assumptions are enacted through the roles of educators and how they influence the conditions necessary for fostering critical thinking within teacher-student relationships. The methodology underpinning this study is predicated on a theoretical and conceptual analysis that integrates the philosophy of education, critical pedagogy, and educational anthropology. The present study analyzes key reform discourses and policy orientations, focusing on how they are translated into pedagogical relationships and everyday classroom practices. The findings suggest that educational reforms are not inherently anthropologically neutral. Dominant reform frameworks that prioritize quantifiable outcomes tend to promote instrumental and outcome-oriented approaches, privileging standardization, accountability, and measurable performance. Such orientations frequently impede the relational dimensions of teaching, curtail opportunities for student agency, and constrain the development of critical thinking. Conversely, alternative pedagogical perspectives that prioritize care, dialogue, and mutual recognition engender more conducive conditions for cultivating critical thinking as a relational and co-constructed capacity. The paper's conclusion asserts that teacher–student relationships should be conceptualized as a pivotal context in which the ramifications of educational reforms become manifest and operational. This framework serves as a foundation for redefining teacher professional development and provides a conceptual basis for rethinking educational practices in reform contexts. It emphasizes care, agency, and dialogical engagement as essential conditions for fostering meaningful critical thinking.

Acknowledgement:
This article was produced as part of the ERASMUS+ project 2024-1-SK01-KA220-HED-000255794, "Implicit Anthropology of Reforms in Education" (IMANARE).

Keywords:

Educational reforms, implicit anthropology, educators, critical thinking.