Waldorf education – a survey of empirical research

Abstract

Today there exists a growing amount of empirical research into Waldorf education and thereby also a growing need to create an overview, especially for English-speaking audiences who cannot fully access the existing German-language ones (Peters 2020a; Böhle & Peters 2011, 2010). There are publications in English and German that provide a selected account (Dahlin 2017; Randoll & Peters 2015; Paschen 2010; Gidley 2010a) but a full survey in English focusing on empirical research has been lacking. This survey is an attempt to both give a comprehensive overview in English and to provide at least a glimpse of what the research has been about. The text is based on the third iteration of a survey done for the benefit of the students at the Waldorf University College (WLH) in Sweden.
A previous article has explored research of a more theoretical nature (Tyson 2023). This survey focuses on empirical studies including historical research from 1990 onward.