Public-domain ebook
Language: en1,580 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
In: Education·Health & Medicine·Parenthood & Family Relations
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #9173.
The book is a comprehensive, scholarly guide to the physical, mental and moral development of youths from pre‑adolescence through the teenage years. Hall frames his work as a condensed version of his earlier, larger volumes on Adolescence (1904), intended for teachers, parents and students who need a more affordable, practical reference. The opening pages explain that the text follows the original material closely, with only minor updates and a new chapter on moral and religious education, and that the scientific basis for his conclusions rests on those earlier works. The contents list reveals a systematic treatment of topics such as muscle development, industrial and manual training, gymnastics, play, crime, biographies, social ideals, intellectual education, and a separate focus on the education of girls, culminating in a discussion of moral and religious training. Hall’s aim is to present a “mechanical, repetitive, authoritative” pedagogical approach that aligns with the physiological and psychological characteristics of children aged eight to twelve.
Written in the formal, didactic prose of the early twentieth century, the book reflects the era’s confidence in scientific classification and the belief that education should be rigorously structured. Hall’s voice is that of an experienced educator and researcher, peppered with references to contemporary European systems, evolutionary theory, and the “plasticity” of the adolescent mind. Readers who appreciate historical perspectives on educational psychology, the evolution of physical‑culture movements, and the social attitudes toward gender and morality of the 1900s will find this work engaging. It will especially appeal to scholars of the history of pedagogy, collectors of classic educational literature, and anyone interested in the detailed, sometimes controversial, prescriptions for shaping youth in a rapidly industrializing society.
The opening · free to read
I have often been asked to select and epitomize the practical and especially the pedagogical conclusions of my large volumes on Adolescence, published in 1904, in such form that they may be available at a minimum cost to parents, teachers, reading circles, normal schools, and college classes, by whom even the larger volumes have been often used. This, with the coöperation of the publishers and with the valuable aid of Superintendent C.N. Kendall of Indianapolis, I have tried to do, following in the main the original text, with only such minor changes and additions as were necessary to bring the topics up to date, and adding a new chapter on moral and religions education. For the scientific justification of my educational conclusions I must, of course, refer to the larger volumes. The last chapter is not in "Adolescence," but is revised from a paper printed elsewhere. I am indebted to Dr. Theodore L. Smith of Clark University for verification of all references, proof-reading, and many minor changes.
G. STANLEY HALL.
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