A Study in Individual Differences in Children and Their Effects on School Administration

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Date

1910

Authors

Hoffman, H. H.

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

University of Oregon

Abstract

An efficient system of public instruction must take into account the mental, moral, and physical differences of children. These differences are far more pronounced than one who has not investigated the subject would believe. One of the most harmful popular fallacies is “all men are created equal.” Yet it seems that the educational system of our country has been founded on this assumption. As a matter of fact, there is no sense in which all men, or any two men for that matter, are equal. Every individual is the product of two fundamental factors - heredity and environment period from the nature of the case these can never be the same at any two periods in the lives of forbears or offspring, consequently known to men can be equal intellectually, morally, or physically. Realizing the importance of this truth, the author has conducted an extensive series of tests in his school consisting of pupils ranging from 8 to 20 years of age. These tests involve reason, judgment, memory, perception, rapidity of forming concepts, rapidity of muscular coordination, variety of interest in the things of life, etcetera. The results should be of much interest to all students of education.

Description

17 pages

Keywords

education, psychology, research

Citation