Social Realism,

Behaviorism and
Scientific Empiricism
in Education
Haizel Faith C. Dagupan
Discussant
 Introduction
In the western world sociological tendency in
education is a new thing where as in Indian education
system it is visible in vedic system of education itself.
It is because in western world democracy is a new
concept while Indian had democratic system of
government during vedic and epic periods.
 Development of sociological tendency in
education in the western world is a result of
philosophies represented by social realism,
behaviourism and scientific empiricism. Educators
and philosopher like Rousseau, Pestalozzi Herbart and
Froebel are noted advocates of sociological tendency
in education.
 SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY

 The world appears to be an orderly intelligible

structure
The evolutionary development suggests that there
is purpose in the universe
 William James was a strong defender of moral
freedom and indeterminism; he believed that
determinism is an intellectualistic falsification of
experience.
 John Dewey (1859-1952)

• According to Dewey, the individual and the social

milieu cannot be kept apart except by a false
abstraction
• Dewey's emphasis on freedom and democracy
 MAN, NATURES, AND FREEDOM

 According to Dewey's instrumentalism, man

and nature are always interdependent
 Man is not part body and part mind;
he is naturalized within nature, and nature is
so interpreted as to take account of him
 MEANING OF SOCIOLOGICAL
TENDENCY
Sociological tendency in education means the
inculcation of social qualities in children so that
while developing their own individualities, they
also contribute their best to social welfare and
advancement.
 The aim of sociological tendency is to develop
society.
 Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
(1746 – 1827)
 he emphasized the development of child
according to his interests, needs and
natural disposition, so that he is able
to adopt a profession of his choice and
lead his life happily
 Johann Friedrich Herbart
(1776 – 1841)

 only morally developed persons can bring

about social good and as such he advocated
moral development as the chief aim of
education
 Friedrich Frobel
(1782-1852)
 Froebel also laid emphasis on the social
development aim of education to enable an
individual to achieve happiness in his
life
 In this way, we are led to believe that there is a
great similarity between the psychological and
sociological tendencies.
 Both tendencies have common aim of social
reform and social welfare. Both deny the
prevalent form of rigid discipline and advocate
essential changes in the curriculum to make
education as an effective means for alround
development and alround welfare
 Michel de Montaigne
(1533 – 1592)
 He emphasised the value of individualism and
considered faith of far less importance than reason
 The development of the educated man, according to
Montaigne, depends on his physical excellence
 The value of education is that it facilitates the full
enjoyment of life
 John Amos Comenius
(1592 – 1670)
 He asserted that "Ultimate end of man is eternal
happiness."
 Comenius believed in the principle of universal
education
 He has propounded nine rules regarding the methods
of teaching.
1. Teaching methods should be simple,
2. The purpose of reading material should be
told to children,
3. children only useful knowledge should be
given to
4. Teaching should be done very effectively,
5. General rules should be explained,
6. Parts of the material should be taught step
by step in a sequence,
 7. Chronology should be followed,
8. Various parts of subject-matter should be
discussed clearly,
9. Teaching should be continued till learning is
achieved.

Comenius is called the father of modern education

 PHILOSOPHY OF SOCIAL
REALISM
 upholders of this ideology condemned
cramming and giving full importance to
society and the social environment, they
emphasised the attainment of real
knowledge
 According to Montaigne
 the purpose of education is to develop
intelligence and self discrimination in children
so that they are able to lead their lives
smoothly and successfully.
 He was of the view that children should learn
first their own mother-tongue, then
language of the neighbours and last of all
Greek and Latin languages.
 About the method of teaching, Lord
Montaigne has written— "A boy should
not so much memorize his lesson as
practice it. Let him repeat it in his
actions."
 EXPONENTS OF
SOCIOLOGICAL TENDENCY
Every philosopher and educator as per his concept of
society has placed for a suitable system of education,
but in modern concept of sociological tendency in
education apart from Lord Montaigne and Comenius
Jean Jacques Rousseau, Pestalozzi, Herbart, Froebel and
Tolstoy deserve special mention. Rousseau's concept of
the philosophy of education, which had made lasting
influence on sociological tendency in education.
 Jean-Jacques Rousseau
(1712 – 1778)

His Life
The most important works on which his fame rests are: The
Social Contract, The New Heloise, The Emile and The Confessions
 Rousseau Gave Rise to a New
Education
He made the child the centre of education. He says,
"We never know how to put ourselves in the
place of children. We do not enter into their ideas, but
we ascribe to them our own.“ He also said “The
individual is an entity in himself, infinitely precious, and
should never be sacrificed to fit the needs of society."
 His Naturalism and Education

 According to Rousseau, nature, man and things are the three

sources of education. Rousseau stands for spontaneous
development of organs and faculties
 "Plants are developed by cultivation, men by
education."
 The Aim of Education
"To live is not merely to breathe; it is to act, it is to
make use of our organs, our senses, our faculties, and
of all those parts of ourselves which give us the feeling
of our existence. The man who has lived most, is not
he who has counted the greatest number of years, but
he who has most thoroughly felt life." Hence according
to Rousseau the aim of education is
complete living.
 The Emile
 In this book Rousseau tries to show how the evils of
society can be eradicated by education
 He explains how his negative and naturalistic
principles can be applied to education of a child
 The Stages of Development and
Education
 He divides man's life into four stages viz., infancy
(from one to five); childhood (from five to twelve);
boyhood (from twelve to fifteen) and youth (from
fifteen to twenty).
Rousseau says, "Each age, each period of life has its
proper perfection, a sort of maturity which is all
its own.
 Rousseau has made a notable contribution to the
theory and practice of education by showing that
at every stage the mental structure of the child
undergoes a change and what is suitable for one
period may be unwholesome for the other period.
 Infancy
 He recommends country life, freedom, sports and outdoor
games
Rousseau says, "Observe Nature and follow the route
which she traces for you. She is ever exciting children to
activity, she hardens the constitution by trials of every
sort, she teachers them at an early hour what suffering
and pain are.... Then school them to the hardships which
they will one day have to endure. Harden their bodies to
the changes of seasons, climates and elements as well as
to hunger, thirst, and fatigue."
 Childhood
 Rousseau regards childhood as the most
critical period of human life. During this
period he insists on training the senses.
 Boyhood
 During this period the child should
be instructed in natural sciences
 Youth
 This period is predominantly of
moral education
 The Education of a Girl
 He says, "The whole education of women
ought to be relative to men. To please
them, to be useful to them, to make
themselves loved and honoured by them,
to educate them when young...."
 Rouseau's Influence on Modern
Education
• He praised the virtues of the primitive man
and recommended a
simpler basis of social organisation.
•Herein Rousseau sowed the seed of
vocational education to germinate in future
 Rousseau and the Scientific
Movement in Modern Education
His call was "back to nature". This helped the
introduction of sciences in the curriculum and
today we find the study of physical forces, natural
environments, plants and animals in schools and
colleges.
 Rousseau and the Psychological
Movement in Modern Education
Rousseau exposed the importance of motivation, of
creating problems, and of utilizing the senses and
activities of the child. Hence Rousseau may be called
the father of the psychological movement in modern
education.
 Rousseau's Influence on Later
Educational Reformers
Rousseau advocated many-sided maturing and
training. Pestalozzians emphasized the "harmonious
development of faculties". Herbart, too, speaks of many-
sided interests. Pestalozzi has partially emphasised
Rousseau's idea of maturing of the child's instincts and
capacities. Froebel imbibed this view more clearly.
Pestalozzi, Herbart and Froebel, like Rousseau meant to
provide appropriate activities for each stage.
 Rousseau made it clear that sense perception
is fundamental in elementary education

 Rousseau reminded the educational world that

it is from the industrial standpoint that the
study of social relations should be approached.
 Tolstoy
 Tolstoy believed that education should cultivate
a love of country, bit it was not to encourage
nationalism
 He maintained that "only a freely developed
personality armed with information and
scientific knowledge can change life."
 .

 In his educational theories, Tolstoy showed

the importance of the personality of the teacher
 Education, to Tolstoy, was a process of
identification
 What Led to the
Development of Sociological Tendency
On the basis of educational philosophies of Montaigne,
Comenius, Dewey, Pestalozzi, Herbart, Froebel, Tolstoy and
about all Rousseau that following courses led to the
development of sociological tendency in education:
(1) Social Aim
(2) Philosophy of Naturalism
(3) Development of Democratic Feeling.
(4) Industrial Revolution.
(5) Psychological and Scientific Tendencies
(6) Introduction of Sociology
 Characteristics of
Sociological Tendency
The study of educational thoughts and general philosophies
of Montaigne, Comenius Rousseau, Pestalozzi, Herbart,
Froebel and Tolstoy brings out following characteristics of
sociological tendency;
(1) Preparation for Successful Social Life.
(2) Development of Social Values
(3) Modifying Individual's Behaviour According to
Environment
(4) Opposition of Individualism
(5) Study of Problems Connected with Practical
Life
(6) Emphasis on Vocational Education
(7) Importance of Social Subjects in the
Curriculum
(8) Understanding the Complexities of Life
(9) State Education System
(10) Free and Compulsory Education
 Impact of Sociological Tendency
in Education
Under the influence of sociological tendency, people
were inspired with the feeling of social service and public
good.
This new awakening expressed itself in the following
activities and areas.
(1) Provision of Vocational Education.
(2) Establishment of Public Schools
(3) Philanthropic School
(4) Use of Monitorial System
(5) State of System of Education
(6) Diffusion of Adult Education
Life is not a Problem to be
Solved, but a Reality to be
Experienced.

- Soren Kierkegaard
Thank You 