This field study examines the changes in primary
schooling in New South Wales from 1904 to 1922 in an
attempt to provide an historical perspective on contemporary
schooling. Two distinct phases are identified. The
first of these is a settlement (1904-1916) dominated by the
eclectic concerns of the New Education movement. It is
argued that this settlement was a fragile arrangement held
together by the rhetoric of prominent educationists but
that it did not operate effectively at the classroom level.
The contradictions inherent in it, and the bureaucratic
resistance to which it was subjected, as well as the
practical difficulties faced by teachers, meant that the
settlement disintegrated into crisis when teachers'
frustrations were further aggravated by the effects of the
Public Instruction (Amendment) Act of 1916 and popular
perceptions of declining standards. The hardships caused
by the First World War heightened the difficulties under
which teachers were expected to work, adding to the
turmoil. The crisis which began in 1916 and continued until
Peter Board resigned, was characterized by a preoccupation
with retardation and a growing interest in intelligence and
achievement testing. The third and final chapter examines
the wider social, economic and political concerns of the
period and explores the connection between events in
society and those in the schools.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/219083 |
| Date | January 1983 |
| Creators | Kelloway, Karen Elizabeth, n/a |
| Publisher | University of Canberra. Education |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | ), Copyright Karen Elizabeth Kelloway |
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