This study examines the work of two critical curriculum theorists known as reconceptualists. Selected works of William F. Pinar and Michael W. Apple are reviewed as examples of existential and structural emphases within reconceptualism. The main concepts and themes of Pinar and Apple are discussed and compared with their common perceptions of traditional theories of curriculum and schooling.
William F Pinar is shown to be seeking the reconceptualization of curriculum studies through a blending of phenomenological, existential and psychoanalytic thought, to understand the nature of an individual's internal experiencing of schooling.
Michael W Apple is shown to be seeking, through a primary reliance on nee-Marxist thought, to understand the nature of external social structure which act to shape an individual experience of schooling.
Both are shown to view traditional curriculum theorizing and practice as valuing a reductionistic view of science derived from positivism, which produces the latent consequences of dehumanizing students and reproducing an unjust society.