THE PRINCIPLES OF EDUCATION BY JESSE H. COURSAULT, PH.D. PROFESSOR OF THE HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION EDITOR'S PREFACE DURING the later decades of the nineteenth century philosophy and psychology dominated the theory of education. From the principles of these two fields methods were deduced for which the claim was made that they produced the best results in instructional practice. During the twentieth century, however, experimental science has been the dominant method. Without regard for the philosophical point of view, specific methods of teaching, of supervision, and of administration have been studied in localized situations to discover the better practice. During these two latter decades a very considerable body of technique has been collected and to this constant accretions are being made. The force of the scientific impulse is, fortunately, not yet expended and it is confidently expected to continue indefinitely with increasing value. But since the tendency of science is to produce a body of technique, particle by particle, as investigators study small individual and relatively isolated problems, central attitudes and principles are temporarily ignored. The result of this is that the orientation of the whole mass of technique is lost sight of and those who practice do so without clear ultimate purposes in mind. With some subjects, such as the physical sciences, this tendency takes care of itself but in those sciences which treat of mind and men, so many uncontrolled factors enter into the direction and execution of practice that some guiding objectives are necessary in the present incomplete condition of knowledge and, in all prob 677769 |