Is there a 'crisis' in the disciplines of education?The 'foundation disciplines' of sociology, psychology, philosophy, history, and economics were once of major significance in the study of education in the UK and much of the English-speaking world. However, in recent years an increasingly invasive policy context , which has emphasised the production of knowledge which stresses only use value, has come to influence both teaching and research in education. As a result, the potential of the disciplines to the study of education has been progressively marginalised and, in comparison with other social sciences, the field appears to lack intellectual autonomy and coherence. But are disciplines of education actually significant in the study of education in the English speaking world compared to European countries, and do the whole range of disciplinary based perspectives have anything to offer research, scholarship and university teaching in education now and in the future?In this book, leading scholars from the UK, Europe and the USA consider the changing fortunes of each discipline of education as they have moved beyond the dominance of psychology, expanded with the massification of the university and tried to deal creatively with a smaller presence today. Competing definitions of each discipline are considered and then examined through their sociological context and epistemological contribution. The book brings their critical condition into the public view and explores the issue of the past, current and future shape of the disciplines and the pressures on them to change. It will be of interest to all international academics and researchers in the field of education and the contributory disciplines and to students on educational research methods and Education Studies courses.