Retrieving the forgotten influence of Herbart on subject English
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the strong influence of Herbartian ideas on the first secondary school-based English course (1911) in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Whilst previous research has established the influence of the “New Education” on the (NSW Director of Education, Peter Board, the architect of the) 1911 courses, no specific analysis of Johann Friedrich Herbart’s educational ideas has been undertaken in relation to this seminal secondary English course.
Design/methodology/approach
Through using three of Herbart’s key educational ideas as an interpretive framework to analyse the 1911 NSW Courses of Study for High Schools English course, the paper demonstrates the influence of those ideas on this inaugural secondary English course.
Findings
The analysis reveals that the NSW 1911 secondary English course was influenced by Herbartian educational ideas underpinning the course.
Research limitations/implications
This paper focuses on the “pre-active”1911 rhetorical English curriculum in NSW, rather than the “enacted” implemented curriculum.
Practical implications
The paper identifies Herbartian influences on the 1911 NSW English syllabus, revealing important philosophical ideas.
Social implications
Future English curriculum design will benefit from the identification of the philosophical ideas embedded in the NSW 1911 English curriculum.
Originality/value
This analysis provides insights into the Herbartian influences on the first secondary English course in NSW.
Keywords
Citation
Carter, D. (2016), "Retrieving the forgotten influence of Herbart on subject English", English Teaching: Practice & Critique, Vol. 15 No. 1, pp. 40-54. https://doi.org/10.1108/ETPC-01-2016-0013
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited