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Development of Learner and Teaching Learning Process

Notes 1. Structuralism
In psychology Wundt and Titchener are the founders of the ideology of structuralism. In 1879
they founded the very first psychological laboratory in Leipzig, Germany. In this laboratory the

experimental study started of mental structure and activities. According to the structuralists
consciousness of human is the combination of different mental abilities and activities. In this ideology
they have tried to explain the nature of the structure of mind, consciousness and experience. School
of structuralism is such a thinking system of psychology whose subject scope and objective are
the nature of the conscious experience of a living thing. It’s main motto is to study the conscious
experience through scientific methods. Psychology surveys the internal experiences. Due to this

idea a few psychologists have called this school inter philosophical. This is based on the method of
internal philosophy. Through this method the different aspects and experiences of consciousness can
be studied properly.

Characteristics of School of Structuralism
1. They consider nervous system the basis of experience that helps to gain experience. According to
Titchner the unit of the human experiences is mental element.Experience is the conscious internal
structure of a human.
2. In this the information of mind and consciousness is gained through disintegration. The three element
of consciousness are—sense, talent and feeling. Sense is related to tangibility, talent is related to
ideas, and feeling is related to emotions.
3. Mind and body both have independent existence and they collectively make arrangements to mental
process happen.

Contribution of Structuralism in the Field of Education—This ideology has not only infl uenced
psychology but education too.
1. This ideology considered education as mental action and growth of experiences as motto of education.
2. They emphasized on scientific study in the field of education and educational psychology.

3. Emphasized on the serial inspection of the nature and structure of mental actions.
4. This ideology has historical importance of the development of psychology through scientifi c method.
Limitations of Structuralism—

1. Because of accepting the method of inter philosophy this school has worked in a limited fi eld of
psychology.
2. They did not work in the direction of entire mind.
3. They did not pay attention towards the problems related to the subjects, Motivation and Personality.
This school was badly critized in the beginning of 20 century. William James was the main critique.
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According to his view it is useless to analyze or study the elements of consciousness. We should rather
concentrate on how does consciousness effect the various parts of our body. It resulted the origin of a
new ideology that is called Fuctionalism.

2. Functionalism

This ideology was developed in America (In 1842–1910). It was developed as a reaction of school

of structuralism. This ideology is influenced by Durven’s theory of development. John D. V. and
Ronelds Angel gave functionalism a true nature. Its philosophical background is Pragmaticism. Why?
and What? Are the basis of this sect, according to Woodworth—“A Psychology that gives a correct
and arranged answer to the question, what humans do? And also the further questions how do they

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