The formation of the tendency of pragmatism and business-like efficiency in the American social thought and the pedagogy in the first half of the 20th century
Authors:   Vyatka State University, Pomelov Vladimir B. 
Published: January 2024

Introduction. The relevance of the research is connected with the need of modern Russian pedagogical science to study the patterns and features of the development of American public thought and pedagogy. The purpose of the study is to study the process of formation of the trend of pragmatism and efficiency in American public thought and pedagogy in the first half of the XX century. Methods and methodological approaches. The leading research methods are a critical analysis of the original scientific and pedagogical literature, mainly of the American authors, and a scientific and pedagogical interpretation of the information contained in the sources; comparative and historical methods, as well as an axiological approach that allows us to identify the value essence of the phenomena and facts. Results. The idea of practicality, entrepreneurship and efficiency was most clearly manifested in the United States, which was due to the rapid development of capitalism, large-scale production, mass entrepreneurship and scientific and technological progress. The fascination with efficiency increased public attention to those institutions of public life that were "suspected" of indelicacy and inefficient management. The school was declared an inefficient institution that could not stand comparison with industrial enterprises according to the criteria of efficiency and economy. Such a superficial understanding of the educational process was in the interests of those who would like to reduce the school budget, first of all, military monopolies. In American pedagogy, the definition of a busy person as a productive person making a visible and significant contribution to the common cause has appeared. Such a person has a rich imagination, is receptive to new things, shows a creative, innovative approach to solving life problems; shows responsibility in relationships with other people. A businesslike person is characterized by independence, perseverance, altruism, a high degree of self-control, a highly developed sense of understanding moral values, and an optimistic approach to life. The concepts of genius, talent, giftedness, according to J. F. Gilmore, are outdated. Instead, he proposed the term self-actualization, which, in his opinion, reflected the human desire for self-realization. Discussions. The philosophy and practice of pragmatism largely continues to determine school educational policy in the United States. One of the most important tasks of training J. E. Davis and F. M. Hetchinger proclaimed the ability to "look good in case of changes", the acquisition of skills that can be sold on the labor market. The presence of these skills should allow the individual to integrate into society, adapt to life. An important way to achieve these objectives was the revision of school curricula in the direction of their greater practical orientation. E. Thorndike supported the idea of reducing the proportion of general education subjects, referring to practical needs. He put into practice the idea that mathematics, physics, chemistry and natural science are equivalent in importance to such applied subjects as home economics, cooking, shorthand, sewing, chemistry in everyday life. As a result, the list of academic disciplines was significantly expanded in secondary school. Among them are driving a car, small aviation, personal hygiene, mental hygiene, people's relationships, child care, writing plays, amateur theater, educational radio and television. Those who tried to criticize the current situation with the content and number of subjects were declared backward people whose views do not correspond to practical America. The pragmatists J. A. Logsdon, V. M. Kerensky, M. Kig, F. Koppel, M. Kohler and others proclaimed "both the alphabet and the road to the ticket office", i.e. both knowledge and their practical application in life. At the same time, they clearly preferred teaching practical skills, even without deep theoretical knowledge. Conclusions. The philosophy and practice of pragmatism have largely determined and continue to determine the policy of school education in the United States. The scientific novelty of the study lies in a meaningful analysis of the scientific views of a number of American pragmatists, who had not previously been the subject of careful study by domestic comparative educators. At the same time, the study of the views of the leading teachers of the USA is relevant and important for Russian science due to their undoubtedly significant influence on the formation of the global educational space. The prospects for further research are connected with the study of the scientific attitudes of modern American scientists and educators.