The Development Of Curriculum Thought In John Franklin Bobbitt: An Historical Study

The aim of this study is to analyze the fundamentals of the rational, planning, and scientific technical curriculum development movement that has been quite powerful and still has continued influence in the field of curriculum and instruction in light of J.F. Bobbitt’s published works between 1911 and 1918. J.F. Bobbitt is the most impressive figure in curriculum field because his thought influenced behavioristic curriculum approach and system approach in curriculum development. The focal point of the study is the question of how J.F. Bobbitt’s thoughts on education shaped the understanding of curriculum. In light of this question, the study aims to unravel the historical and philosophical back story of the rational and planning approach in curriculum development.The study employees the help of historical analysis to scrutinize the effects of the industrial revolution that was gaining momentum in the US mid-19th century and the socioeconomic changes, it brought and their influence on J.F. Bobbit’s thoughts on education. In addition, the study examines how this important theoretician’s thoughts on curriculum evolved between 1911 and 1918 in light of his published works. Consequently, the author hopes that this study would contribute to the understanding of curriculum theory efforts and the historical roots of curriculum development paradigm in Turkey.

Keywords

Curriculum development, John Franklin Bobbitt, Rationale-planning, Scientific management