Good work for a better society: John Dewey and education through occupations

This dissertation explores how Deweyan education through occupations aims to promote the development of certain kinds of freedom among students. The analysis further emphasizes that Dewey maintained a meliorist, liberatory agenda throughout his educational work. This is a fresh viewpoint which stands in contrast to commentaries which emphasize Dewey's interest in child-centered education.;The first chapter offers a fresh analytic viewpoint on School and Society. The primary focus of the account is on Dewey's plan for education through occupations. The mistaken emphasis on child-centered education is addressed, and Dewey's social meliorism is highlighted. Education through occupations is analyzed into component goals, and it is suggested that the main aim of Dewey's educational program is the development of competent, cooperative, free citizens.;The second chapter connects some of Dewey's early Hegelian philosophical work with his educational program in School and Society. A brief exposition of Hegel's position in the Philosophy of Right is offered, with a particular focus on Hegel's idea of absolute freedom. This exposition is followed by an analysis of one of Dewey's earliest books, Outlines of a Critical Theory on Ethics. Hegelian notions of absolute freedom are shown to be present in the Outlines . Textual evidence is then presented which links the theoretical framework of the Outlines to Dewey's early educational thought.;Chapter 3 examines some of the intellectual challenges that Dewey faced in the 1920s. Analyses are offered of two authors whose work particularly troubled Dewey: Walter Lippmann and C.E. Ayres. Dewey addresses both authors' concerns in The Public and its Problems and Individualism: Old and New. Certain elements of the two works, together with Dewey's educational writings in Soviet Russia, highlight Dewey's continued commitment to the promotion of freedom by means of education through occupations.;The fourth chapter analyzes several outstanding objections to Dewey's plan for education through occupations. The question of the contemporary relevance of Dewey's educational program is also addressed. Particular attention is paid to research programs that are concerned with situated cognition and communities of practice. Education through occupations is shown to be an excellent starting point for future educational reform efforts.