On The Development Of Science & Technology Education In U.k. In The Late Half Of 19th Century

Starting from the middle of 19th century, some profound changes in Britain's economic, political, ideological and other fields proposed a serious challenge to the tradition of classical education. Competition in the economic field made the British people gradually realize the necessity and importance of developing science and technology education. An in-depth political reform and the rise of middle-class created an appropriate political atmosphere for the establishment of scientific and technoogy education system. The rapid development of science and technology provided a sufficient knowledge reserve for science and technology education. The competition in the field of science and technology in several countries also provided a motive. The rise of utilitarianism and the spread of scientific education ideas in a large extent cleared the way for the development of science and technology education. Under this circumatance, the British government took some measures to promote the science and technology education system, such as founding several Royal Committees, passing laws and providing financial assistance. The Government's intervention and management played a very large positive effect on the development of science and technology education in England. After nearly half a century of development, England established the system of science and technology education by the end of the 19th century.After analyzing the background for development of science and technology education, telling about the Government's measures to intervene and promote science and technology education, this dissertation will elaborate the development of science and technology education at three levels: secondary education, higher education and adult education. In the field of secondary education, although classical disciplines were still dominant in public schools and grammar school curriculum of dominance, science subjects had been stepping into public schools and grammar school classroom. At the same time, to serve the community and stress the importance of science, private secondary schools received a faster development and played a very big role in improving abilitites in production and living areas. In the field of higher education, London University and City Colleges, which took modern science as the core teaching contents, broke through the University of Oxford and Cambridge's monopoly in higher education. The establishment of the examination system of Oxford and Cambridge honors degree in natural science, the increase of students who took part in and passed these examinations, marked that the science and technology education had a foothold in traditional Universities. The founding of Cavendish laboratory, Clarendon Laboratory and etc indicated that the British University began to assume the functions of the scientific research. In the field of adult education, Mechanics'Institutions, evening schools, science schools and other adult education institutions successively emerged. Some kinds of science associations and societies were established. All these institutions and organizations had played an important role in popularizing scientific knowledge and improving the technological level of the whole society.There are some valuable historical lessons from the development of science and technology education in the later part of 19th century in the England. We hope that this dissertation can deepen our understanding on the British history of modern education and provide reference for implement of the strategy of prospering the country through scientific and educational advances.