A Study Of Bruner 's Educational Thought Transformation

Though a psychologist by training, Jerome S. Bruner has always been, and still is, one of the leading figures in education. His theory of education in the 1960 s and the 1970 s directly influenced the education revolutions around the world. His former theories were assembled in The Process of Education, which was published in 1960. On the contrast of his former theories, his later educational claims proposed after 1980 s were more obscure and were hardly comprehended or introduced. His later theories were assembled in The Culture of Education, which is also a sign of transmission in his thinking paradigm. Hitherto, the domestic research on Bruner’s later education theories is relatively insufficient.In this paper, the historical transmission in education theory is emphasized. The first chapter gives a brief introduction about Bruner’s life as well as the contrast between his former and later works in order to outline the whole process of Bruner’s transmission in education theories. The following chapter introduces Bruner’s autobiography: In Search of Mind: Essays in Autobiography(Published in 1984). Through Bruner’s retrospect of his academic life, we can have a better comprehending on his later education theories. The third chapter highlights another significant work related to the transmission: Celebrating Divergence: Piaget and Vygotsky. In this essay, Bruner discussed on Piaget and Vygotsky respectively, in which Bruner illustrated the standpoint of his later education theory. The last chapter discusses recent research status in China and illustrates what we can learn from Bruner’s later education theories for reference.