Dissertation Information for Linda Frazier Uzureau NAME: - Linda Frazier Uzureau
DEGREE:
- Ph.D.
DISCIPLINE:
- History
SCHOOL:
- Emory University (USA) (1981)
ADVISORS: - Kermit E. McKenzie
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: - None
MPACT Status: Incomplete - Inspected
Title: THE EDUCATIONAL THOUGHT OF M. I. KALININ
Abstract: Western historians of Soviet education have generally directed their attention to the "romantic" era of the 1920s. There is little doubt that the progressive pedagogical philosophy that dominated this period is the most relevant to our own educational experience. However, the influence of the progressives upon Soviet schools was short-lived. A second, and apparently more permanent, foundation for the Soviet educational system was laid by the conservative pedagogical leaders of the 1930s. This study focuses upon the works of one such leader: M. I. Kalinin. Though his contributions to Soviet educational history have long been considered important by Soviet pedagogical scholars, Kalinin's role in education has virtually been ignored in the West.
Chapter I of this study is a biographical sketch of Kalinin. Because his opportunities for formal schooling were so limited, Kalinin's personal and professional experiences (what he called the "school of life") played a significant part in shaping his pedagogical perspective.
Chapters II through IV describe Kalinin's activities in the field of education and analyze his pedagogical philosophy as it was revealed through his many articles and speeches devoted to that topic. In Chapter II Kalinin's role in education during both the progressive period and the Cultural Revolution is explored. Particular attention is placed upon Kalinin's direct involvement in the massive anti-illiteracy campaign of the 1920s. Chapter III concentrates upon Kalinin's pedagogical statements of the 1930s. It was during this period, when both progressive and radical pedagogues were denounced, that Kalinin's reputation as an important figure in the field of education was established. In addresses directed to all segments of the educational community Kalinin articulated his conservative views on the goals of education, the proper content of the curriculum, the effective methods of teaching and the relative roles and responsibilities of administrators, teachers and Komsomols. By the close of that decade Kalinin had emerged as an important spokesman for the pedagogical right. During the period of World War II (the subject of Chapter IV) Kalinin developed his ideas on pedagogy, particularly in the area of vospitanie. Indeed, Kalinin was to become known not only as a specialist on vospitanie, but also as a master vospitatel'.
The final chapter of this study considers Kalinin's place in Soviet pedagogical literature. An analysis of pedagogical journals, monographs, textbooks and reference books reveals not only the frequency with which Kalinin's works were published and reviewed, but also the significance attached to his thoughts during the various periods in Soviet educational history. Kalinin's works were first published in the late 1930s and they assumed their greatest importance during the Zhdanovshchina. With the death of Stalin and the decline of the Zhdanovshchina the attention paid to Kalinin decreased, but certainly did not cease. Indeed, a wide variety of pedagogical publications highlighted his works as recently as 1975, the centenary of his birth.
This study of Kalinin's educational thinking is an excellent vehicle for understanding the conservative pedagogical school of thought which triumphed in the 1930s and which, to a large degree, continues to shape the principles and practices in contemporary Soviet schools. Moreover, the analysis of Kalinin's changing standing in Soviet pedagogical literature reveals the way official pedagogical policy has evolved over the last forty years. Finally, this study of Kalinin, the "Peasant President" and All-Union "Starosta," provides an excellent example of the interlocking nature of politics and pedagogy in the Soviet Union.
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MPACT Scores for Linda Frazier Uzureau A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-08-18 14:06:45
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