The Praxis Journal: Integrating Theory and Practice

To reduce student resistance to the study and perceived utility of theory, the author developed a course in organization theory and behavior, grounding it in a praxis approach to both teaching and learning. This approach, based philosophically and theoretically in John Dewey's pragmatism and Karl Weick's “natural selection” view of organizational life, takes the form of a semester-long praxis journal assignment that asks students to apply theories to events, situations, or conditions in their own organizations and to analyze those in the effort to better explain and/or to better understand the vagaries of organizational life. Presented as well are a discussion of the evolution of the praxis journal assignment, student response to it, and its use as a student learning outcomes assessment tool.