反思J. Dewey 教材心理化為本的課程實驗所帶來的改變 A Ref lection on the Changes Brought by Curriculum Experiments Based on the Theory of Psychologizing of Subject Matter Initiated by John Dewey

Abstract

一般研究教育或課程史的學者皆同意，近百餘年來，在各地中小學所推動的重視兒童興趣、能力、需求等心理特質，並且以兒童的生活世界為場域、兒童的直接經驗為起點，逐漸導引兒童進行主動與積極學習的各項課程實驗，率皆與J. Dewey所提出的教材心理化主張有關。本研究主旨即在探討Dewey有關教材心理化主張的要義，並據以反思在美國及臺灣若干以此理念所進行的課程實驗，帶來了什麼樣的改變，且依據社會的情境解釋其原因。本研究指出，以Dewey教材心理化為理念的課程實驗，因受到各種主觀與客觀條件的限制，欲求其帶來改變，著實不易；但因學校組織的鬆散結合特性，而讓有志之士在有限制的情況之下，做出不斷進行類似課程實驗的抉擇。Education or curriculum scholars would agree that the more-than-one-hundred-years reform experiments implemented based on the children’s psychological traits, such as interest, ability, and need are originated by J. Dewey’s theory of the psychologizing of subject matter. The paper was aimed at analyzing the rationale of the theory, and reflecting the changes brought by selected curriculum experiments executed in the United States and Taiwan. It is found that some innovators were still willing to initiate new experiments even though history showed that the significant effects induced by some experiments could not easily be maintained and diffused. It is because those reformers would, in the loosely coupled school system, make contextually constrained choice in initiating new programs, although some subjective and objective factors would limit the effects of curriculum experiments.

Keywords

• 教材心理化
• 課程實驗
• psychologizing of subject matter
• curriculum experiments
• J. Dewey