The significance of myth for curriculum development

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Sara McClendon Stohler (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
David E. Purpel

Abstract: This dissertation explores the question of whether myth represents a kind of knowledge and a way of knowing useful to children at particular stages of development. The question is approached through an examination of theories about the potential significance of myth as an element in and shaper of modern consciousness. Myth as a way of interpreting reality is contrasted with the scientific rationalism of our age and is defined as a way of assigning meaning through narratives and symbols that create a unified concept of nature and human life. The study found that the importance of myth in the learning process is different at different stages of development. At all stages, attention to myth in education supports the values of imagination, meaning, and community; but in childhood the main contribution is to developing the imagination and in adolescence, to establishing meaning.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 1981
Subjects
Myth $x Curricula
Fairy tales $x Education
Children's stories $x Curricula

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