1. Athleticism: A Case Study of the Evolution of an Educational Ideology.
- Subjects
HISTORY of sports ,SCHOOL sports ,ENDOWED public schools (Great Britain) ,BRITISH education system ,EDUCATION ethics ,EDUCATIONAL sociology ,HUMANISTIC education ,MORAL education ,HISTORY ,NINETEENTH century ,HISTORY of education - Abstract
The article examines the concept of "athleticism," a belief in the importance of sports in moral education, in the 19th century educational philosophy of the British private schools known as endowed public schools. Athleticism held that sports, especially team sports, were highly effective in developing desirable qualities such as moral courage, loyalty, and the ability to cooperate. It is noted that a belief in the value of sports in education had been a tenet of British education for hundreds of years before the 19th century, but that period is held to represent the apogee of the influence of the idea. The ideal of athleticism, which was part of an educational philosophy broadly defined as liberal education, is contrasted with an increased emphasis in British society as a whole on occupational competence, creating a lesser role for the "gentlemen" who were the ideal products of the public schools.
- Published
- 2010
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