JOHN FRANKLIN BOBBITT’TE PROGRAM DÜŞÜNCESİNİN GELİŞİMİ: TARİHSEL BİR İNCELEME

THE DEVELOPMENT OF CURRICULUM THOUGHT IN JOHN FRANKLIN BOBBITT: AN HISTORICAL STUDY

Özet

Bu çalışmanın amacı eğitim programları ve öğretim alanında oldukça güçlü bir akım olan ve günümüzde etkisini hâlâ devam ettiren rasyonel, planlamacı ve bilimsel teknik program geliştirme perspektifinin temellerini, J. F. Bobbitt'in 1911-1918 yılları arasında yayımlanan eserleri bağlamında incelemektir. J. F. Bobbitt, program alanında ortaya koyduğu perspektifle kendisinden sonra gelen program düşüncesi ve anlayışını derinden etkilemiştir. Davranışçı program geliştirme yaklaşımı ve sistem yaklaşımının temellerini oluşturması açısından önemli katkıları olan J. F. Bobbitt'in program geliştirme alanına getirdiği perspektifin temelleri onun 1911-1918 arasında katıldığı araştırma projeleri ve yazdığı makalelerde bulunabilir. Bu nedenden dolayı araştırma tarihsel süreç açısından 1911-1918 yılları arasında J.F.Bobbitt'in yaptığı çalışmaları incelemektedir. Araştırmanın odak noktasını J. F. Bobbitt'in eğitime ilişkin düşünceleri bağlamında programı nasıl anladığı sorunsalı oluşturmaktadır. Bu sorunsaldan hareketle program geliştirmedeki rasyonel, planlamacı yaklaşımın tarihsel ve felsefi arka planı çözümlenmeye çalışılmıştır. Tarihsel yöntemin kullanıldığı bu çalışmada ilk olarak Amerika Birleşik Devletleri'nde 19. yy'ın ortalarından itibaren hız kazanan sanayileşme ve beraberinde gelen sosyoekonomik değişim irdelenmiş ve bu değişimin J. F. Bobbitt'in eğitim düşüncesini nasıl etkilediği tartışılmıştır. Bu teorik perspektiften yola çıkarak bu önemli teorisyenin 1911-1918 arasında gelişen program düşüncesi, yine eserleri bağlamında irdelenmiştir. Araştırmanın özellikle ülkemizde fazlaca dikkat çekmeyen program teorisi çalışmalarına ve program geliştirme paradigmasının tarihsel köklerinin anlaşılmasına katkıda bulunacağı düşünülmektedir

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyze the fundamentals of therational, planning, and scientific technical curriculum development movement that has been quite powerful and still has continued influence in the field of curriculum and instruction in light of J.F. Bobbitt’s published works between 1911 and 1918. J.F. Bobbitt is the most impressive figure in curriculum field because his thought influenced behavioristic curriculum approach and system approach in curriculum development. The focal point of the study is the question of how J.F. Bobbitt’s thoughts on education shaped the understanding of curriculum. In light of this question, the study aims to unravel the historical and philosophical back story of the rational and planning approach in curriculum development. The study employees the help of historical analysis to scrutinize the effects of the industrial revolution that was gaining momentum in the US mid-19th century and the socio economic changes, it brought and their influence on J.F. Bobbitt’s thoughts on education. In addition, the study examines how this important theoretician’s thoughts on curriculum evolved between 1911 and 1918 in light of his published works. Consequently, the author hopes that this study would contribute to the understanding of curriculum theory efforts and the historical roots of curriculum development paradigm in Turkey Industrialization and urbanization, having gained a momentum especially after 1865, as well as social mobility in the forms of immigration and emigration have resulted in a significant socioeconomic transformation in the USA. Factors such as increased industrial production, higher domestic and international trade volumes, immigration, urbanization, development of the machine industry, and novel perspectives on management introduced especially during the early years of the 20th century and high efficiency in production achieved by these perspectives have not only had an influence on the cultural structure but also on education and have accelerated the socioeconomic and sociocultural transformation processes in the USA (Bensel, 2000; Blumin, 1976; Burton, 1981; Hounshell, 1984). The most significant results brought about by this socioeconomic and sociocultural transformation were observed in the form of new movements of ideas and practices introduced in the field of education. Particular attention was given to teaching the social norms to new generations and providing them with a prospering socialization process for the future of the American democracy and significant movements of ideas have emerged within this framework. Some of the most fundamental movements of ideas in that period were introduced by a number of educational reformers and philosophers such as J. Dewey, W. H. Kilpatrick, and Frank McMurry with their efforts to transform the school life into the aspects of real life in the form of activities such as handicraft and project works provided within the scope of studentcentered teaching practices (Cremin, 1964; Tanner & Tanner, 1975). A monograph titled The Principles of Scientific Management written by F. W. Taylor in 1911 paved the way for a new period in the USA by means of having an influence on a great number of activities not only in the field of industrial production but also in the social domain. Time and motion study, a system suggested by F. W. Taylor, fundamentally relied on the simplification of the production process and the performance of the work by breaking it up into smaller sections within the scope of industrial production. During his long-term engineering career, F. W. Taylor identified that it took less time when the work was broken into smaller sections whereas much more work was performed during the equal period of time and put this theory into practice in industrial production. Since the results F. W. Taylor had obtained from such practice indicated an incredible increase in productivity, he called this production model as the Scientific Management and published his work in the form of a monograph (Callahan, 1962; Haber, 1964). This monograph, published by the title of The Principles of Scientific Management, caught the attention of educationists within a short time. J. F. Bobbitt, lecturing on educational management in the University of Chicago, was also among these educationists interested in the work of F. W. Taylor (Kliebard, 1995; Seguel, 1966). J. F. Bobbitt adapted the ideas of Frederick W. Taylor, the most prominent productivity expert of the period, to the field of education. According to J. F. Bobbitt, the most important element in a curriculum was the perspective to determine the product of the curriculum. In other words, curriculum should accurately define the qualities of the product to be created. This definition process should be in accordance with the scientific methods. Achieving productivity as the basis for the principles of scientific methods substantially depends on this definition. Therefore, curriculum developers should primarily analyze the social world and social activities in terms of sociological, psychological, and economic aspects to determine which areas of skills have an influence on the development of society and democracy and then determine the objectives of curriculum in line with the conclusions obtained from such analyses. This procedure forms a basis for the scientific approach in curriculum development. On the other hand, curriculum development also entails technical aspects. Once the objectives are identified, one should ensure the realization of these objectives in the most efficient fashion. This would be achieved only by means of the teaching process. J. F. Bobbitt attributed the quality of the product to be created to the teaching process and emphasized the significance of active learning. Therefore, he supported the progressivist movement that was highly prominent in education during the period in which the aforementioned work was published. In this context, J. F. B