"Critical Theory", the most influential contemporary theories in education, is in sharp criticism toward schools and society. This theory has taken its assumptions from Postmodernism, Existentialism, Neo-Marxism and Feminism approaches.
In this article, critical theory meaning , its origin and evolution as one of the most influential movements in the field of philosophy of education in brief and with emphasis on the perspective of the famous founders of the Frankfurt School, including Max Horkheimer, Herbert Marcuse, Michael Apple, Peter McLaren and Henry Giroux would be introduced. This study aimed to explore critical theory and its implications for education. The research questions are: a) What are the features and components of critical theory? b) What are the impacts of critical theory on education? c) What are the criticism toward critical theory in the educational realm”?
In this study, with conceptual analysis method, the findings related to the first question shows that Critical Theory is mainly based on the criticism toward various aspects of social life, including ideology, culture, and technology, Marxist theory and sociology , and positivistic epistemological theory. The results of the second question suggests that critical pedagogy theorists with analyzing the educational system within the structure of society considering school and its elements such as curriculum and teacher beyond the academic scope having major political, economic, social and educational roles. The findings related to the third question shows criticism toward critical theory including excessive politicization of educational spaces, off access educational system from the intellectual breeding of students as a main purpose. Concerning revolutionary changes rather than gradual , unrealistic and slogan expressed words and terms. etc that each of these items have been described in more detail in the text.