Pragmatistiese tendense in Transvaalse laeronderwys

Abstract

The Transvaal primary education inevitably came in contact with a variety of educational trends of thought. The original C.N.E. principles were amended and sometimes changed. Some of these trends originated in the philosophy of Pragmatism.

To determine what was and still is of a pragmatistic nature and to find criteria for evaluation it was necessary in advance to describe briefly the fundamentals of Christian education as well as the educational thoughts of Pragmatism. After doing so inquiries were made to determine elements of a pragmatistic nature. It was evident that all elements of a pragmatistic nature in Transvaal primary education were not inspired directly by Pragmatism, and that is why it is only possible to talk about pragmatistic tendencies. Evaluation consists of criticism leveled at Pragmatism, the pragmatistic education and Transvaal primary education. After that recommendations were made. The most important of these is the formulating of C.N.E. principles with reference to a study of the pedagogic principle of the Bible. The intention is not to revert to the C.N.E. organization of the Z.A.R. but to use these unwavering principles as a basis for a new educational theory and practice suitable for modern circumstances.