Middle school design and educational practice

Abstract

The thesis attempts to examine and explain the degree of congruance that existed between the theory of progressive middle school education, as exemplified in the design of five identical schools built in one county, and the practice of education that took place in them. The emergence of the English middle school is traced and an examination made of the curriculum planning that took place for the introduction of middle schools at both national and local level. A study is made of the growth of the progressive philosophy in this country and the implications it had for school design. By visits, interviews and the use of a questionnaire the practice of the five schools was found to be almost identical but very much at variance with the educational philosophy that formed the basis for the design of the schools. This disjuncture is discussed in terms of three factors:- 1. The myth of the progressive revolution in British education 2. The failure of the design of schools to influence significantly the practice that took place in them.That is a failure in architectural determinism. 3. The lack of commitment shown by the Local Education Authority to a progressive approach for education in the middle years.