The educational task of the German vocational school (1958)

Abstract

This classic essay by Eduard Spranger (1882–1963) is here published for the first time in English, in a translation by Stephanie Wilde. In this contribution Spranger discusses and advocates the need for a vocational school that addresses the civic and individual needs of students as well as the vocational requirements of the nation. He emphasises personal growth, the need for self-knowledge in making a vocational choice and makes a point about the importance of the social role of occupations and the role that being part of a community plays in developing citizenship. He identifies that tasks of the vocational school as both to develop greater self-awareness and to lead young people into civic and vocational engagement. In doing this he acknowledges the influence of Georg Kerschensteiner on his own thought. Much turns in the discussion on differences between German and English expressions, and these are discussed in the complementary essay, ‘The Legitimation of School-based Bildung in the Context of Vocational Education and Training. The Legacy of Eduard Spranger’, by Philipp Gonon. An introduction to the broader context is provided in ‘Founding German Vocational Education: Kerschensteiner, Spranger and Fischer as key figures in the classical German VET Theory’ ‘…’ by Christian Steibe, Dina Kuhlee and Christopher Winch, the Editors of this Special Issue.