A Historical Survey Of The Discipline Of Education In American Comprehensive Universities

American comprehensive universities lead the development of the Discipline of Education in American universities during the 20th century,especially in forming the Discipline of Education,offering education curriculum and constructing education theories.They also have a significant and far-reaching influence on the Discipline of Education in other countries.Systematically studying this topic and specifically combing the historical process and track of the establishment,development,adjustment and reorganization of the Discipline of Education in American comprehensive universities,and then revealing its general characteristics are of signality.It can not only show the basic features of the Discipline of Education in American modern universities,but also provide a reference for the construction and development of the Discipline of Education in contemporary Chinese universities.The dissertation consists of six parts,including an introduction and five chapters.Chapter ? presents the background and the beginning of the establishment of the Discipline of Education in American comprehensive universities from 1870s to 1880s,and surveys the development of American public schools and teachers' professional training which promoted American universities to set up the Pedagogical Chair.The university scholars,such as William Harold Payne and G.Stanley Hall,offered pedagogy and psychology courses,carried out research on children and psychology,and created conditions for the establishment of the Discipline of Education in American universities.Chapter ? discusses the establishment of the Discipline of Education in American comprehensive universities from 1890s to early 20th Century,focusing on Columbia University and other three universities.They offered education courses,founded educational journals,and then formed independent Department of Education,which developed into Teachers College or College of Education.Based on this platform,Josiah Royce,Elwood P.Cubberley,John Dewey and other university educational scholars explored education problems,and promoted the construction of educational theories,laying the foundation for the development of the Discipline of Education in American universities.Chapter ? discusses the development of the Discipline of Education in American comprehensive universities from early 20th Century to 1920s,emphasizing on Columbia University and other three universities.They promoted the construction and development of College of Education or Graduate School of Education,offered diversified education curriculum,developed graduate education,and established master and doctor degrees.University educational scholars,represented by Edward Lee Thorndike,John Dewey,Paul Monroe,Henry W.Holmes,Lewis M.Terman,Charles H.Judd,John F.Bobbitt etc.,developed education knowledge and improved educational research methods,then established education disciplines like philosophy of education,history of education,education administration,education psychology,curriculum theory etc.,effectively promoted the growth of the Discipline of Education.The Discipline of Education in American universities entered a period of prosperity.Chapter ? discusses the adjustment and reorganization of the Discipline of Education in American comprehensive universities from 1930s to 1960s,focusing on Columbia University and other three universities.In order to deal with the Great Depression of 1930s,the Second World War and the "cold war" between the East and West after the Second World War,they adjusted the Discipline of Education timely,reorganized the education curriculum,created M.A.T and Ed.D,and strove for government funds and social resources actively.Representatives of university educational scholars,like William H.Kilpatrick,Harold O.Rugg,Lawrence A.Cremin,James B.Conant,Jerome S.Bruner,George D.Spindler and Ralph W.Tyler further developed philosophy of education,history of education,teaching theory and curriculum theory,and created educational anthropology and other education disciplines.They also carried out investigation and research of public schools and teacher education,in order to promote the integration and reconstruction of the theoretical knowledge of education and enhance the academic value and social utility of education.Chapter ? analyzes the path of the construction and development of the Discipline of Education in American comprehensive universities on the basis of summarizing the dissertation,comprehensively introduces the specific measures for the construction and development of the Discipline of Education in American universities,and then carries out the research on the group of educational scholars in American comprehensive universities.Focusing on Columbia University and the University of Chicago,the chapter carries out a comparative study on the different characteristics of the Discipline of Education in American comprehensive universities.Finally,it discusses the main problems in the Discipline of Education in American comprehensive universities.Modern American comprehensive universities set up Department of Education,College of Education or Graduate School of Education,and cultivated multi-level education professionals.University education scholars made use of their academic advantages in constructing the theoretical system of educational knowledge.Education is therefore regarded as an independent university discipline.However,the education curriculum in American comprehensive universities is complicated,and its discipline system is changeable.In particular,the Discipline of Education in American comprehensive universities is not fully consistent with the scientific standards.It is considered to be not "scientific" or "academic".Although education gets more and more attention in social life and national construction,the Discipline of Education still stays in the contradictory position in comprehensive universities.