Study Notes on Kohlberg and Mayer's Development as Aim of Education

Authors: Lawrence Kohlberg and Rochelle Mayer, both affiliated with Harvard University.
Main Argument: An exploration of the psychological and philosophical foundations of educational progressivism.
- Contrasts progressivism (based on John Dewey) with two other ideologies:
- Romantic ideology
- Cultural transmission ideology
Thesis: Only progressivism, supported by cognitive-developmental psychology, interactionist epistemology, and examined ethics, adequately addresses educational processes.

Core Issue: The selection of ends for the educational process.
Importance of Goals: Clear educational objectives are essential for determining effective programs versus those teaching unimportant facts or attitudes.
Lack of Empirical Research: Despite numerous studies on educational methods' effects on outcomes, there is a deficit of studies validating what these outcomes mean.
Inquiry: Questions arise about why standardized tests (such as IQ and achievement tests) are used for evaluating educational programs.

Three Strategies to Define Objectives:
1. Desirable trait or "bag of virtues" strategy
2. Prediction of success or "industrial psychology" strategy
3. "Developmental-philosophic" strategy
Findings:
- First two strategies lack robust theoretical foundations, leading to logical criticisms.
- The developmental-philosophic strategy, rooted in Dewey and Piaget's work, provides a sound rationale for educational objectives, aligning with empirical research findings.

Translation of Cognitive Development: Establishing a rational progressive ideology involves defining educational aims, content, and methods based on developmental psychology.
Contrasting Ideologies:
- Romantic Ideology: Emphasizes the child's innate goodness, maximal freedom, and self-direction in learning. Denies rote learning's value.
- Cultural Transmission: Centers on disseminating cultural information, values, and social roles. Focuses on knowledge as externally given and culturally dictated.

Value-Relativity: The challenge of establishing universal educational ends beyond individual or cultural specificities.
Relation of Is to Ought: Linking children’s psychological characteristics to philosophical statements about desirable traits.

Strength of Progressive Approach: Combines psychological and ethical philosophies to define and justify educational ends.

Longitudinal Evidence: Assessing definitions like the "bag of virtues" or academic achievement as educational objectives.
- Findings: Little support for either strategy concerning their efficacy or justification.
Key Arguments:
1. Current emphasis on academic achievement supplemented by mental health lacks empirical justification.
2. The focus on a value-neutral educational psychology is misguided.
3. Promotion of human development presents a more scientifically and ethically defensible educational standard.

Romantic Ideology:
- Originators include Rousseau, Freud, and Gesell.
- Central belief: Child’s innate goodness should guide education; avoid suppression by external controls.
- Emphasizes natural growth and individual autonomy.
Cultural Transmission Ideology:
- Historical roots in classical education.
- Education viewed as the direct transmission of culturally significant knowledge and moral values.
Progressivism:
- Stemming from Dewey's pragmatic views.
- Development seen as sequential stage progression requiring an educational environment that stimulates cognitive conflict and social interaction-driven growth.

Three Psychological Theories:
1. Maturationist Theory: Rooted in Romanticism, sees development as organic growth.
2. Associationistic Learning Theory: Tied to Cultural Transmission, emphasizes external influences shaping responses.
3. Cognitive-Developmental/Interactionist Theory: Embodies Progressivism, claims thought is reorganized through interactions with the environment.

Romanticism: Knowledge derived from self-experience and emotional insight.
Cultural Transmission: Knowledge viewed as objective and empirical, focusing on measurable behaviors.
Progressivism: Advocates knowledge as a balanced relationship between inquiry and problematic situations inherent in the child's experiences.

Romantic Ideology: Identifies educational objectives by desirable traits representing healthy personality development.
Cultural Transmission: Centers objectives on social conformity and skill acquisition leading to societal success.
Developmental-Philosophic: Defines objectives through expectations of psychological adequacy, substantiated by holistic and empirical developmental evidence.

Virtue and Mental Health Standards:
- Lists of virtues often lack empirical grounding in psychological research and have vague applications.
- The “industrial psychology” method reduces educational objectives to empirical predictions of success within arbitrary educational systems.

Concept of Development:
- Acknowledges irreversible, general behavior change defined strictly through interactions between cognitive growth and environmental experiences.
- Importance placed on development as defined not just by change over time or ability but by increased cognitive and moral adequacy.
Educational Interventions: Emphasize exposure to constructive conflict for growth and the critical transition from one stage to another, promoting necessary educational experiences.

Progressivism asserts that education should aim towards the holistic development of the individual, incorporating both intellectual and moral growth.
Educational objectives should be grounded in psychological and ethical theory, promoting non-indoctrinative methods that engage with children as active participants in their educational journeys.
Final Takeaway: Merging ethical principles with scientific insights creates a comprehensive, democratic approach to education as development, respecting the dignity and potential of all learners.