A Study The Changing Conceptions Of The Aims, Curricula, And Methods Of Secondary Schools In The United States

Author

Louis Connie Davis, Prairie View Agricultural and Mechanical College

Date of Award

5-1953

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Degree Discipline

Education

Abstract

Education at any given time or place is, in large measure, the product of the civilization of which it is a part; however, much it may be influenced by custom and tradition, for it is always sensitive to contemporary social forces. It is not too much to say that social forces beating in on the school from without in the long run determine the essential tenets of its philosophy, the degree, and kind of educational opportunities that will be afforded the various social classes, the content, and organization of the curriculum, the preparation and status of teachers, the sources of financial support, the agencies of administration, and the form of structural organization which the educational system takes. For these reasons, social forces within this nation have made necessary the change in the curriculum of the secondary school for a period extending over two centuries or more.

Purpose of the Study.- It is believed that the whole of our educational scheme has not always been exactly what it is today, but rather our concepts, aims, curricula, and methods have come about due to the changes in the economic, and social structure of American society. To show that our American educational scheme has been subjected to the swaying influences of societal evolution is the purpose of this study.

In the development of this paper, the following questions were raised: first, to what extent did the primary aims of our past education meet the demands of the age in which they served? Mulhern says the past education is defective from these main points of view, namely, (1) Inflexible curricular (2) Inadequate facilities and teachers' inefficiency, and (3) Lack of vocational guidance.^ An examination of these defects will be made, briefly, to explain the nature of them.

Committee Chair/Advisor

C. Y. Prunty

Committee Member

M. F. Bradley

Committee Member

M. F. Bradley

Publisher

Prairie View Agricultural and Mechanical College

Rights

Date of Digitization

12/16/2021

Contributing Institution

John B Coleman Library

City of Publication

Prairie View

MIME Type

Application/PDF

Recommended Citation

Davis, L. C. (1953). A Study The Changing Conceptions Of The Aims, Curricula, And Methods Of Secondary Schools In The United States. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/pvamu-theses/848