Philosophical, Historical and Sociological Basis of Education

PERENNIALISM  The aim of education is to ensure that students acquire

PHILOSOPHICAL BASIS
understandings aboutOF EDUCATION
the great ideas of Western
civilization.
 The focus is to teach ideas that are everlasting, to seek
enduring truths which are constant, not changing, as
the natural and human worlds at their most essential
level, do not change.
 The cultivation of the intellect is the highest priority in a
worthwhile education.
 The demanding curriculum focuses on attaining cultural
literacy, stressing students' growth in enduring
disciplines.
 The loftiest accomplishments of humankind are
emphasized– the great works of literature and art, the
laws or principles of science.
 Advocates of this educational philosophy are Robert
Maynard Hutchins who developed a Great Books
program in 1963 and Mortimer Adler, who further
developed this curriculum based on 100 great books of
western civilization.
ESSENTIALISM  Essentialists believe that there is a common core of
knowledge that needs to be transmitted to students in a
systematic, disciplined way.
 The emphasis in this conservative perspective is on
intellectual and moral standards that schools should
teach.
 The core of the curriculum is essential knowledge and
skills and academic rigor.
 Schooling should be practical, preparing students to
become valuable members of society. It should focus on
facts-the objective reality out there--and "the basics,"
training students to read, write, speak, and compute
clearly and logically. Schools should not try to set or
influence policies.
PROGRESSIVISM  This educational philosophy stresses that students
should test ideas by active experimentation.
 Learning is rooted in the questions of learners that arise
through experiencing the world. It is active, not passive.
 The learner is a problem solver and thinker who makes
meaning through his or her individual experience in the
physical and cultural context.
 Curriculum content is derived from student interests and
questions. The scientific method is used by progressivist
educators so that students can study matter and events
 Philosophical, Historical and Sociological Basis of Education

systematically and first hand.

 John Dewey was its foremost proponent. One of his
tenets was that the school should improve the way of
life of our citizens through experiencing freedom and
democracy in schools. Shared decision making, planning
of teachers with students, student-selected topics are all
aspects. Books are tools, rather than authority.
RECONSTRUCTIO  Reconstructionist educators focus on a curriculum that
NISM/CRITICAL highlights social reform as the aim of education.
THEORY  Theodore Brameld (1904-1987) was the founder of
social reconstructionism, in reaction against the realities
of World War II. He recognized the potential for either
human annihilation through technology and human
cruelty or the capacity to create a beneficent society
using technology and human compassion.
 George Counts (1889-1974) recognized that education
was the means of preparing people for creating this new
social order.
 Critical theorists, like social reconstructionists, believe
that systems must be changed to overcome oppression
and improve human conditions.
 Paulo Freire (1921-1997) was a Brazilian whose
experiences living in poverty led him to champion
education and literacy as the vehicle for social change.
 Freire saw teaching and learning as a process of inquiry
in which the child must invent and reinvent the world.
For social reconstructionists and critical theorists,
curriculum focuses on student experience and taking
social action on real problems, such as violence, hunger,
international terrorism, inflation, and inequality.
 Strategies for dealing with controversial issues
(particularly in social studies and literature), inquiry,
dialogue, and multiple perspectives are the focus.
Community-based learning and bringing the world into
the classroom are also strategies.
ECLECTICISM  The eclectic approach is a teaching style used in
teaching a second or a foreign language.
 This approach combines the principles of various
methods and approaches of teaching a language
depending on the lesson objectives and individual
differences of students (Iscan, 2017).
 According to Kumar (2013), the eclectic theory of
language teaching has emerged in the 1990s as an
additional theory of language teaching.
 Philosophical, Historical and Sociological Basis of Education

 The eclectic approach becomes popular because it

contributes to achieving the learning objectives without
much pressure on both teachers and learners.
 The eclectic approach helps in having a clearer vision for
learners of what they are learning.
 Teaching with this approach includes but is not limited
to using multiple tasks, lively learning and high
interaction between students and teachers.
 Larsen-Freeman (2000) emphasized the importance of
the eclectic approach in teaching. In her point of view,
the eclectic approach is pluralistic, consistent and entails
diverse learning activities that match with learners’
needs.
EXISTENTIALISM  Existentialism is a school of philosophy that “focuses on
the importance of the individual rather than on external
standards” (Johnson et. al., 2011, p. 93).
 Existentialists believe that our reality is made up of
nothing more than our lived experiences, therefore our
final realities reside within each of us as individuals. As
such, the physical world has no real meaning outside
our human experience.
IDEALISM  Idealism is a school of philosophy that emphasizes that
“ideas or concepts are the essence of all that is worth
know- ing” (Johnson et. al., 2011, p. 87).
 Within an idealist educational philosophy, the curricular
focus is on ideas rather than the student or specific
content areas.
 Learning is also intrinsically motivated.
 Teaching methods used within idealism include: lecture,
discussion, and Socratic dialogue.
REALISM  Realism is a school of philosophy with origins in the
work of Aristotle. This philosophy emphasizes that
“reality, knowledge, and value exist independent of the
human mind” (Johnson, 2011, p. 89).
 Within a realist educational philosophy, the curricular
focus is on scientific research and development.
 Outcomes of this thinking in classrooms today include
the appearance of standardized tests, serialized
textbooks, and specialized curriculum (Johnson et. al.,
2011).
PRAGMATISM
 Pragmatism is “a process philosophy those stresses
evolving and change rather than being” (Johnson et.
al., 2011, p. 91). In other words, pragmatists believe
 Philosophical, Historical and Sociological Basis of Education

that reality is constantly changing so we learn best

through experience.
 According to pragmatists, the learner is constantly
conversing and being changed by the environment with
whom he or she is interacting. There is “no absolute
and unchanging truth, but rather, truth is what works”
(Cohen, 1999, p.1).
 A pragmatist educational philosophy calls for teachers
who can support students learning by promoting
questioning and problem-solving during the natural
course of lesson delivery.
 The curriculum is also interdisciplinary
CONTEMPLATIVE  Contemplative education cultivates inner awareness
EDUCATION through rigorous first-person investigations, often called
"contemplative practices."

 Contemplative practices in the classroom range widely:

silent sitting meditation, walking meditation, deep
listening, mindfulness, yoga, calligraphy, chant, guided
meditations, nature observation, self-inquiry and many
others.

 In some classes, contemplative learning involves a few

moments of silence as students are invited to collect
themselves to the present moment.

 In other courses, contemplative methods are

thoroughly integrated into assignments, exams, and
discussion formats.

DEMOCRATIC  Democratic education is education which most

EDUCATION appropriately meets the needs of the learner, the
community and society.
 It does this through developing reflective individuals
who are collaborative problem-solvers and creative
flexible thinkers.
 Democratic education can apply to learners of all ages
in any learning environment. That said, a significant
focus is placed on democratic schools and children as
that is where a lot of the formal education in our
societies takes place.
CLASSICAL  It is a long tradition of education that has emphasized
EDUCATION the seeking after of truth, goodness, and beauty and
 Philosophical, Historical and Sociological Basis of Education

the study of the liberal arts and the great books.

 It is largely because of its approach to how and when
students are taught. Regardless of their learning style,
children learn in three phases or stages (grammar, logic
or dialectic, and rhetoric), known as the trivium.
MARXISM  Marxists argue that education aims to legitimise and
reproduce class inequalities by forming a subservient
class and workforce. 
 Education also prepares children of the capitalist ruling
class (the bourgeoisie) for positions of
power. Education is part of the 'superstructure'.
 The superstructure consists of social institutions such as
the family and education and society's religious,
ideological, and cultural dimensions. 
 It reflects the economic base (land, machines, the
bourgeoisie, and the proletariat) and serves to
reproduce it.
NATURALISM  Naturalism is a revolt against traditional system of
education, which gives very little freedom to the child.
 In naturalism, maximum freedom and central position is
given to the child. This philosophy believes that
education should be according to the nature of child.
 It advocates creation of natural conditions in which
natural development of child can take place.
BEHAVIORISM  The stimulus-response sequence is a key element of
understanding behaviorism. A stimulus is given, for
example a bell rings, and the response is what happens
next, a dog salivates or a pellet of food is given.
 Behavioral learning theory argues that even complex
actions can be broken down into the stimulus-
response. 
 Pavlov’s Dogs is a popular behaviorism experiment. A
group of dogs would hear a bell ring and then they
would be given food. After enough time, when the bell
would ring the dogs would salivate, expecting the food
before they even saw it. This is exactly what
behaviorism argues—that the things we experience and
our environment are the drivers of how we act. 
ROMANTICISM  Educational romanticism consists of the belief that just
about all children who are not doing well in school have
the potential to do much better.

 Correlatively, educational romantics believe that the

 Philosophical, Historical and Sociological Basis of Education

academic achievement of children is determined mainly

by the opportunities they receive; that innate
intellectual limits (if they exist at all) play a minor role;
and that the current K-12 schools have huge room for
improvement.

 Educational romanticism characterizes reformers of

both Left and Right, though in different ways.

 Educational romantics of the Left focus on race, class,

and gender. It is children of color, children of poor
parents, and girls whose performance is artificially
depressed, and their academic achievement will
blossom as soon as they are liberated from the racism,
classism, and sexism embedded in American education.

 Those of the Right see public education as an

ineffectual monopoly, and think that educational
achievement will blossom when school choice liberates
children from politically correct curricula and obdurate
teachers’ unions.

CONSERVATISM  Conservatism believes in the restoration of concepts

that have not been maintained and that institutions
should continue to operate in alignment with their
originally intended purpose.
 Conservatives have some foundational principles that
they hold on to rigidly, unlike the liberalists, who are
very flexible with their principles and open to change.
 Conservative education maintains the use of the
traditional curriculum with the purpose of using the
conveying of information to students as a way to help
them adopt the already established culture.
 Conservatives are generally opposed to individualism
and are more supportive of the assimilation of
individuals into the already established social order.
 Conservatives do not approve of the inclusion of non-
academic activities in the school curriculum as it might
have the effect of diluting the effectiveness of the
children’s education.

LIBERALISM  Liberalism has a wide influence on contemporary work

within the field of education. Given this breadth of
effect, it is not surprising that liberalism can be invoked
 Philosophical, Historical and Sociological Basis of Education

in the service of multiple end many of which appear to

be at odds with one another.

 Liberalism’s fundamental commitments of “equality”

and “liberty” in education in order to provide a general
shape to the arguments that animate its goals. Taken in
tandem, these commitments provide access to the
arguments that populate various forms of liberalism in
education, such that their careful study enables
educational researchers and practitioners to better
position their understandings and analyses in a
conceptual context.

CONSTRUCTIVIS  Constructivism is an important learning theory that

M educators use to help their students learn. 
 Constructivism is based on the idea that people actively
construct or make their own knowledge, and that
reality is determined by your experiences as a learner.
 Constructivism is crucial to understand as an educator
because it influences the way all of your students learn.
Teachers and instructors that understand the
constructivist learning theory understand that their
students bring their own unique experiences to the
classroom every day.
HUMANISM  Humanistic learning is student-centered, so students
are encouraged to take control over their education.
They make choices that can range from daily activities
to future goals.
 Students are encouraged to focus on a specific subject
area of interest for a reasonable amount of time that
they choose.
 Teachers who utilize humanistic learning believe that
it’s crucial for students to find motivation and
engagement in their learning, and that is more likely to
happen when students are choosing to learn about
something that they really want to know. 
 Humanists believe that people have one life to live -
there is no afterlife. As a result, they focus on being
happy and making the most of their life. They also
believe they have a duty to support others.
POSITIVISM  Positivism — stemming from the Latin "a posteriori,"
meaning "based on reasoning and facts" — is a
teaching philosophy based on evidence-based learning
and verifiable notions.
 Philosophical, Historical and Sociological Basis of Education

 It's a teacher-oriented philosophy that relies on

concrete data and knowledge gained through
experiments.
NATIONALISM  Nationalists showcase their love for their country and
natural spirit and use it to teach students in ways that
tie the interests of a nation to the symbols that
represent it.
 While the curriculum remains the same, teachers often
impart biased information to students that lean in favor
of their country using their perceptions of reality.
 For instance, teachers that follow this philosophy,
especially in adversary countries, often try to highlight
aspects favorable to their country while discussing with
students. A great example of this is American
Exceptionalism, which implies that the United States is
a special country.
ETHNO-  Ethno-Nationalism is similar to nationalism, but instead
NATIONALISM of loyalty lying with one’s country, it lies with one’s
ethnic or racial group.
 An ethnic-nationalist teaching philosophy creates
resistance to the cultural and educational imposition by
other groups. However, it also uses it positively to
preserve the unique characteristics of a particular
ethnic group.
 Philosophical, Historical and Sociological Basis of Education

HISTORICAL BASIS OF EDUCATION

PRIMITIVE Some Characteristics of Primitive Culture
EDUCATION 1. Relatively Simple
2. Relatively narrow social and cultural contracts
3. Extraordinary conservative and prone to superstitions
4. The organization of primitive life is tribal not political so
that one function of education is to enable one to live
with his relatives.
5. Absence from primitive cultures of reading and writing
Types of Education
1. Vocational. This includes learning the skills in procuring
basic necessities of life hunting, constructing a hut, etc.
2. Religious (animistic). Consisted in learning how to
participate in ritualistic practices to please or to appease
the unseen spirits roaming around.
Content to be Studied
1. Ways of procuring the basic necessities in life and of
protecting life from dangers.
2. Superstitious. Included as how to worship before the
dwelling of an unseen spirit such as big tree, a big rock,
a river, etc.
EGYPTIAN Aims of Egyptian Education
EDUCATON 1. Training of Scribes
2. Religious
3. Utilitarian
4. Preservation of Cultural Patterns
Types of Education
1. Religious Education
2. Vocational-professional Education
3. Military Education
4. Public Administration
5. Priesthood Education
6. Home Arts Education
Content to be Studied
1. Reading, writing, and language
2. Religious and secular literature
3. Artistry in metals and lapidary
4. Mathematics, especially geometry and surveying, were
studied due to the frequent inundations of their field
which washed away the landmarks which had to be
replaced.
5. Subjects in astronomy, engineering, architecture
 Philosophical, Historical and Sociological Basis of Education

physics, medicine, embalming, dentistry, and law were

taught in the temple schools by the priests.
6. Music, dancing, playing the harp, cymbals, drum, lyre,
guitar, tambourine, and clapping to rhythm.
7. Sports, games, and physical education with swimming,
wrestling, archery, and hunting and fishing taken as
vocations and avocations.
8. The Military Schools offered training in the use of the
bow and arrow, battle axe, lance, mace, and shield.
Egypt became a military power in the ancient world
from 1600 to 1400 BC.
Outstanding Contribution of Egypt Education
The outstanding contributions of the early Egyptians to
education were probably geometrical measurement and
surveying.
GREEK Spartan Education
EDUCATION Spartan Education was based upon the laws of
Lycurgus. It was the basis of Spartan political, social, and
educational system. This turned Sparta into a totalitarian
soldier state. This system lasted for 700 years from the 9 th to
the 2nd century BC. especially during the 5th century.

Aim of Education
1. Military. To make every citizen invincible in war,
possessing physical perfection and complete obedience
to the state.
2. Discipline. To develop conformity and obedience,
courage strength, cunning, endurance, and patriotic
efficiency.
Content to be Studied
1. Intensive gymnastics and paramilitary exercises.
2. Practice moral and social habits for the state such as
controlling the appetite, modesty, obedience, and
respect and listening intently to elders, etc.
3. Reading and writing to a limited extent to understand
the Lycurgus laws and some poems of Homer.
4. Music with serious, moral and martial rhythm to arouse
patriotism.
5. Speech had to be laconic and terse.
6. For girls, gymnastics to make them string to bear strong
children.

Athenian Education
Education was supervised by the State although
Philosophical, Historical and Sociological Basis of Education

education was not compulsory. It was not clear, however, if

the State maintained public schools.
Aims of Education
1. Good Citizenship
2. Individual Excellence
3. Man-sided development
Types of Education
1. Civic Training
2. Moral Training
3. Physical Education
4. Intellectual Education
5. Art
Content to be Studied
1. Reading by the Alphabet Method
2. Writing on Wax and Tablets
3. Arithmetic for Market Use
4. Homeric and other poems
5. Gymnastic Exercises
6. Physical Education Exercises
7. Military Training Subjects
Later Athenian Education
Aims of Education
1. By the Sophist, pragmatic and utilitarian
2. By Socrates, development of the power of thinking.
3. By Plato, control by individual rulers.
4. By Aristotle, rational living.
Types of Education
1. Moral Training
2. Professional Training
3. Intellectual Training
4. Vocational Training
5. Domestic Training
6. Physical, Military and Civic Training
7. Science and Philosophy Education
8. Aesthetic and Cultural Education
9. Sports and Games
Content to be Studied
1. Lower Elementary Level – Reading, writing, arithmetic,
poetry and gymnastics.
2. Higher Elementary Level – Physical and Military
Exercises grammar, declamation. Argumentation and
public speaking.
3. Secondary Schools – Geometry, astronomy, drawing,
grammar, and rhetorics.
 Philosophical, Historical and Sociological Basis of Education

4. Higher Level – Philosophy, mathematics and science.

Outstanding Contributions to Education and Humanity
1. The Socratic Method of teaching as far as the method is
concerned.
2. Another is in the realm of philosophy. The greatest
worlds philosophers came from Greece, among whom
were Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and others.
3. Another is in the field of mathematics. Euclidean
geometry has been for 2 thousand years up to the
present.
4. Arts and classical literature are also great contributions.
ROMAN Aims of Education
EDUCATION 1. Utilitarian. Education was for practical purpose, to
produce men who would be active and efficient in daily
life.
2. Moral. To produce good citizens who knew how to
exercise their rights, fulfil their duties and obligations,
and acquire virtues such as piety, obedience, manliness,
courage, bravery, industry, honesty, prudence etc.
3. Military. To train to be good soldiers and conquerors in
war.
4. Civic and Political. To train men to be participative and
wise in politics.
5. Religious. To Train men to have reverence for the gods.
Content to be Studied
1. In the elementary Education were included rudiments of
reading, writing, and calculation. Arithmetic was
primitive because of the cumbersome Roman notation.
The Twelve Tables later gave way to the Latin
translation of Homer.
2. In secondary school, grammar was the chief study with
the inclusion of literature, prose, poetry, and language.
Greek and Latin authors reflecting the new literary
attitudes were studied.
3. In higher schools, rhetorics as the chief study. This
included declamation, extemporaneous speaking,
debates on points of Roman law and moral principles,
especially, ethical and cultural content, history, music,
astronomy, philosophy,. Etc.
4. In the university, applied science and professions such
as law, medicine, architecture, and mechanics were in
the curriculum.
Outstanding Contributions to Education and Civilization
The major contributions of the Romans to education and
 Philosophical, Historical and Sociological Basis of Education

civilization are their methods of organization, management,

and administration. They had constructed a carefully organized
education ladder which probably became probably the
forerunner of many ladderized education systems of today.
Another was the Roman organized body of civil law which
became the basis oF the legal systems in many countries
including the Philippines.

HISTORICAL Pre-Colonial Period

FOUNDATION OF 1. The type of education is informal and unstructured
EDUCATION IN 2. The home serves as their school
THE PHILIPPINES 3. The parents serve as their teachers
4. Focused more on vocational than academics
5. Tribal Tutors (for example, the Babaylan)
6. Most communities, stories, songs, poetry, dances,
medicinal practices and advice regarding all sorts of
community life issues were passed from generation to
generation mostly through oral tradition
7. Some communities utilized a writing system known as
baybayin
8. Alibata – composed of 17 symbols representing the
letters of the alphabet.
Method of Education
1. “Tell Me” or “Show Me” or demonstration method
2. Alibata (baybayin) which is composed of 14 consonants
and 3 vowels
3. Oral, practical and hands on KNIP

Spanish Period
1. Education was formal
2. Established schools from the primary level to the tertiary
level of education
3. Focused on the Christian Doctrines
4. Separate Schools for Boys (Colegios) and Girls
(Beaterio)
5. Illustrados were accommodated in the schools
6. Missionary Teachers (Friars) replaces the tribal Tutors
7. Catholic Doctrine schools that were set up initially
became parochial schools which taught reading and
writing along with catechism.
8. Education Degree of 1863 – Mandated the
establishment of free primary schools in each town, one
for boys and one for girls, with the precise number of
schools depending on the size of the population.
Philosophical, Historical and Sociological Basis of Education

9. The curriculum required the study of Christian Doctrine,

values and history as well as reading and writing in
Spanish, mathematics, agriculture, etiquette, singing,
world, geography, and Spanish History. Girls were also
taught sewing.
Method of Teaching
1. Catechetical Instruction
2. Use of Corporal Punishment
3. Rote Memorization
4. Instruction was in dialect

American Contribution
1. Course of study is prescribed uniform and centralized
2. Formal Structure and existence of an educational
system
3. 1899- more schools were opened, this time, with 24
English language teachers and 4500 students
4. Act NO. 74 – A highly centralized, experimental public
school system was installed in 1901 by the Philippine
Commission.

Japanese Contribution
Characteristics:
Course of Study
1. Prescribed
2. Uniform
3. Centralized
6 Basic Principles of Japanese Education
1. To stop depending on western countries like the U.S.,
and Great Britain. Promote and enrich Filipino culture.
2. To recognize that the Philippines is a part of the Greater
East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere so that the Philippines
and Japan will have good relations.
3. To be aware of materialism to raise the morality of the
Filipinos
4. To learn and adopt Nippongo and to stop using English
language.
5. To spread elementary and vocational education
6. To develop love for work.

The Present Education System in the Philippines

1. Was patterned to the educational systems of Spain, and
of the United States after the liberation of the
Philippines in 1946
Philosophical, Historical and Sociological Basis of Education

2. Elementary and high school is compulsory which is

administered by the Department of Education.
 Philosophical, Historical and Sociological Basis of Education

EMILE  Emile Durkheim, the French sociologist, for the first

SOCIOLOGICAL
DURKHEIM time feltBASIS
the need ofOF EDUCATION
sociological approach to Education.
He considered education “to be something essentially
social in character, in its origin and its functions.”
 He emphasized that education is not a static
phenomenon but a dynamic and ever-changing process.
Every society with its own changing socio-cultural needs
will require an education to meet those needs.
JOHN DEWEY  The development of the individuality is dependent on
the reaction of the individual to his social environment.
Hence, we can say “by educational sociology we mean
the science which describes and explains institutions,
social groups and social processes, and social
relationships in which or through which the individual
gains and organizes his experiences.”
 John Dewey emphasized the importance of the
socialization of the individual for education.

PAYNE  According to Payne, from the point of view of

educational sociology the functions of education are
mainly three (a) transmission of social and cultural
heritage, (b) development of new social patterns, and
(c) creative and constructive role.
CURRICULUM The impact of educational sociology on the principles of
CONSTRUCTION curriculum construction cannot be ignored. In ancient
age the child was regarded as an adult. The adults used
to frame the curriculum and imposed it on the young
learners.
This curriculum was obviously the brainchild of the adults.
The child, his interests and inclinations were not taken
into consideration. But in the modern age all these
traditional views of curriculum construction have been
totally rejected as unscientific. The curriculum is now in
conformity with the general aims of education and it
must help in the total development of the child. In the
modern sense the curriculum is not mere a bundle of
subjects but includes all types of activities in the school,
which provide diverse experiences to the child. It is now
the sum total of the experiences gathered by the child
through social interactions in the school. Modern
 Philosophical, Historical and Sociological Basis of Education

curriculum thus emphasizes the social need of education.

ACTIVITY Nothing can be taught, everything is to be learnt is the

PRINCIPLE IN main idea of present-day education. The children are no
EDUCATION longer passive recipients of knowledge they are now
active participants in the learning process. This means
that every useful productive work has learning value.
Thus work-based education helps in the social
development of the child. It prepares an individual to
face the social reality. It helps in the process of
socialization of the child and bringing social cohesion and
solidarity.