This thesis analyses the development of the Froebel movement in Britain from 1900-1939, a critical period with challenges to Froebelian hegemony in early childhood education from new pedagogical models, organisations and disciplines, and from critiques of conservative orthodoxy. It argues that Froebelians were successful in meeting these challenges through pedagogic revision and through realignment of British Froebelians’ focus on the kindergarten to encompass children in junior schools. The findings build on previous studies, providing an in-depth account which concludes that by 1939 Froebelians had a revitalised central organisational structure and a sound base for what had become a major national movement. The thesis claims that revisionist Froebelian pedagogy provided the foundation for practice in nursery, infant and junior schools, reflected in the recommendations of the Consultative Committee Reports of 1908, 1931 and 1933. These successes were driven by relationships formed by the Froebel Society, with organisations, notably the Nursery School Association, and with modernising officials in the Board of Education. The thesis argues that Froebelian women achieved some success in negotiating gendered power relations and presents biographical snapshots to show how ambitious career paths were pursued to advance Froebelian agendas. A qualitative approach was employed, drawing on interpretive frameworks from history, history of education, sociology, gender and cultural studies, with documentary analysis of private records from Froebelian organisations and the Nursery School Association, public records from the Board of Education and the London County Council and secondary published sources. The thesis concludes that despite successes Froebelians were not able to overcome contemporary patriarchal discourse which granted low status to women’s role as nursery and infant teachers and to the education of young children. Froebelians remained an élite and overwhelmingly chose careers in private schools, but nevertheless achieved some success in implementing Froebelian approaches in state nursery, infant and junior schools.

本論文主要探究十九世紀德國著名教育家 Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel (1782-1852) 教育思想中遊戲觀與其對現代遊戲教育與設計美學的影響。在 Froebel 的教育觀中，遊戲是啟發孩童學習與發展的核心，他主張遊戲不僅是生理表面上的一種必然現象，也是彙整經驗的自然法則與發展腦力的機會。對 Froebel 而言，遊戲更是人作為一個被創造的存在與展現創造力的核心本質。為發展與鼓勵孩童的自我活動，他創設幼兒園（Kindergarten），並遵循自然法則設計一系列遊戲恩物，將遊戲與教育結合，提供教養者引導孩童時的參考與方法。Froebel 強調家庭與女性的重要性，尤其是母親的角色；認為孩童是人類的胚芽，宜細心呵護培養。他從整體的觀點，也就是「統一體」（unity）的概念來看待孩童，認為孩童的生命與表現是一種完整的存在與象徵。人存在的使命與生命的最終目的，即是認識自己與萬物，認識萬物之間、萬物與自己的關係，以及不斷以創造性的形式彰顯人之內在神性。他將藝術作品與上帝在大自然的作品相比擬，認為人以創作藝術作品活現其精神，如同上帝創造自然一樣，相信藝術即是人內在生命的表現。此藝術與精神關聯的思想，不僅影響十九世紀後期世界各國的幼兒教育，也影響了二十世紀以來的設計教育與建築美學。 / This thesis is to study the theory of play by the 19th century famous German educator Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel (1782-1852) and its influence in the modern education and art. In his theory, play is the engine that drives child’s learning and is the cornerstone of development. Froebel considered play not only the physiological nature, but also the natural law of gathering experiences and the opportunity of developing brain power. Play is even the core essence of man as a created being and nurturing creativities. He established Kindergarten to encourage children’s self-activity, designed a series of Play Gifts to provide educators means of educating as play. In his pedagogy, family and female, especially mother, caring and nurturing human offspring, are very important in education of man. Overall, he considered children’s life and appearance are signs of unity and existence. To understand self and things and the relationships between them, and to recreate continuously man’s inner self are the goals of man’s life. He considered man’s arts and God’s creations are equally representing each spirit, and believed arts are from man’s inner self just as nature is created by God. His view of connecting arts and inner self affected not only the early childhood education all over the world in late 19th century, but also the design education and the art of architecture from the 20th century onward.