The Scottish tradition in education. An intimate study of the early nineteenth century

Finlayson, Isabel (1956) The Scottish tradition in education. An intimate study of the early nineteenth century. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

In order to place the period studied in its context, a brief survey was made of the history of Scottish education up to the beginning of the 19th. century, studying the interplay of church and secular influences in, forming the tradition. After a summary of the administrative developments which were to take place in the 19th century, prior to the Education Act of 1872, the writer gave reasons for making a study of the educational experiences of individuals, to supplement the facts already in the text-books. Fifty such individual histories were studied, in order to open up the subject and suggest lines of enquiry. Points noticed included the great diversity of schools available, the numerous irregularities in the school-careers of individuals, the widespread practice of home study mid self-education, and the existence of a certain measure of frustration in the after-careers of intelligent pupils, Contemporary descriptions of schools were collected, revealing a variety of types of educational institution, of varying standards. Similar accounts threw light on the lives of school children, students and teachers. It became increasingly evident that, at the period studied Scottish education was dependent upon the home. The general atmosphere of homes of the time was investigated, and an account given of the studied pursued there. The private reading and efforts, both solitary and organised, towards self-improvement, of young people of the early nineteenth century, were considered, and a separate chapter was devoted to the education of girls. Consideration was given to some of the controversial issues of the time, such as the influence upon Scottish education of English ways, and the emergent conflict between science and religion. In a final chapter the whole study was summarised and conclusions dram, with comparisons between the period studied and contemporary developments, balancing loss against gain. The gain in efficiency and comprehensiveness of the modern educational system would appear to be offset in Scotland by a certain decline in the family concern for education which was a special feature of the Scotland of the past, and was derived from the beliefs which underlay the Scottish way of life.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Keywords: Education history
• Date of Award: 1956
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:1956-72691
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 11 Jun 2019 11:06
• Last Modified: 11 Jun 2019 11:06
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/72691