Exploratory Orientation as an Educational Goal

Abstract This article lays the foundations for the notion of exploratory orientation as an educational goal. After reviewing the conceptual roots of exploration, the article examines the essence of the experience of exploration and its developmental benefits. Then, turning to the context of school, the article discusses the mostly implicit role of exploration and of exploratory orientation in a number of perspectives concerned with adaptive student engagement. The article concludes by briefly noting the environmental and instructional practices that could facilitate an exploratory orientation among students, and by calling for further conceptual and empirical work in this domain.