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A mixed methods study was conducted to determine the influence of the 20th century 21st progressive movement on educational attitudes, policies, and practices in century elementary schools. Six statements central to the progressivist philosophy were taken from John Dewey's My Pedagogic Creed. Questionnaires were sent to faculty at the university's partnership schools. Participants were asked to rate each of the six statements, indicating their level of agreement with the statement and the relevance the statement to their classrooms. Additionally, participants were invited to make comments on each statement. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted with selected participants to gather additional comments regarding the statements. The data were coded to the six statements using constant comparison. The analysis revealed that participants agreed with four of the statements and believed them to be characteristic of their classrooms: those dealing with using the students' instincts and tendencies to plan education experiences, instructing children in the proper social life, and making education authentic. They partially with the other two statements and found them to be partially relevant: those dealing with preparing students for the process of living today (rather than for future living), and those which extend home values.
Keywords: Progressivism, Dewey, Education, Philosophy.
INTRODUCTION
"Teachers are responsible for shaping the way society is. We have a strong influence on how society is and can be" (Amanda, 5th grade teacher).
In the late 19th century John Dewey helped to stimulate the significant educational movement called progressivism. He popularized the idea of "learning by doing" and having a "highly individualized approach built around children's interests and the social life of the children's community" (Ravitch, 2001, p. 67). John Dewey's progressivism differed significantly from traditional education which emphasized teacher direction and student passivity (Ozmon & Craver, 1999). Dewey's philosophy greatly impacted education both at that time and throughout the 20th century (Ozmon & Craver, 1999; Ravitch, 2001). However, the demands of contemporary society have brought about significant changes to the educational system in recent years. With these changes, the impact of progressivism on 21st century educational policies and practices is not clear and progressivism has not been the topic of much research in the past decade. The purpose of this project is to examine the impact of the 20th century movement...