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PHILANTHROPIC IDEAS STRENGTHENED THE AUTONOMY OF A SPECIALIZED SCIENCE OF NURTURING IN THE AREA OF CROATIA

M. Lukas

Abstract

Binding the outgrowing of educational content, often observed just as a group of rules throughout history, with ethical ideas of good and philanthropy that have the power to change the image of the world, this paper aims to demonstrate the factors and social conditions in which processes that have contributed to the science of nurturing, namely pedagogy, take place, as an independent and autonomous scientific discipline in today's Croatian territory. Over the course of history, the pedagogy systematized from the practical and written passing on of pedagogical ideas of persons that were not pedagogues to the presenting of various educational ideas in educational journals, books, textbooks, regulations that have proved as necessary conditions for making its general theory. Until the second half of the 19th century there is already a thousand years old institutional education in Croatia which developed from natural – experiential, through practical – experiential to theoretical – pedagogical. Factors such as opening of the first teachers' colleges, lasting efforts for better pedagogical education of teachers, finding appropriate sources of pedagogical knowledge, the possibility of personal perfecting in the profession, the emergence of professional journals and associations, passing the First Educational Act and compulsory elementary education in Croatia had a strong incentive for modernizing science, which until then was called the science of nurturing, and bringing it to the level of neighboring countries. University level of dealing with the content of pedagogy in Croatia can be monitored since 1874/1875th academic year when the content is taught as one semester general subject and the classes are linked with dr. Ivan Kohari? and after dr. Martin Štigli? who held pedagogical seminars at the Faculty of Theology in Zagreb. Since the academic year 1876/1877 the pedagogy is taught as a part of philosophy at the Faculty Mudroslovni (of humanities and social sciences) in Zagreb and the classes were held by former Dean of the faculty dr. Franjo Markovi?. The class of pedagogy as a completely independent scientific discipline at the same university from 1895 is held by dr. ?uro Arnold. Therefore, historical analysis of the content of available literature in this paper presents the connection between pedagogy and its mainstream science of philosophy of the late 17th century and describes the necessary conditions and factors that contribute to the independence of pedagogical science. Historical span that this paper covers stops at the year 1928 when pedagogy alters from general subject to an independent study group equal to all other study groups. Social conditions that promote ideas of philanthropy were represented as well as factors that transform this science from empirical – inductive to rational – deductive with its traditional division into theoretical and practical. In the observed period theoretical – scientific pedagogy seeks to answer the questions: what is the educational act, which educational aims prevail and what is the educational ideal of time, what are desirable educational resources and work methods, which principles to govern by, which factors determine powerlessness and educational failures. Practical pedagogy implied addressing physical and spiritual educational areas in which the spiritual area includes the intellectual, emotional and volitional sphere of human. Moral and ethical analysis of people who were teachers is emphasized by observing their professional and personal life considering it as an example for their students but also for the people in the environment in which it operated.

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