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SPIRITUAL IDEALS IN NON-FORMAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT: RATIONALE AND STRATEGIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF ANALOGICAL PICTOGRAPHS (BAHA'I)
Abstract
The purpose of this dissertation is twofold. First, it seeks to substantiate the inclusion of spiritual ideals within the planning and development of non-formal education programs. As such, the review of the literature will also develop a rationale. This rationale is a philosophical and historical investigation of the central premises of formal education and the development of an alternative philosophical foundation more relevant to the problems of rural development. It proposes that the central dilemma of the modern epoch is a confusion of first principles; that human affairs and the systems designed to serve them have been impoverished by the wholesale application of a reductionist paradigm. This paradigm works extremely well for the physical sciences, but is wholly inadequate when applied to human affairs. The humanitarian ideal as enunciated by Socrates and Plato is suggested as a much more appropriate paradigm for human service systems. The second purpose of the dissertation is the development of some initial educational materials and strategies that could symbolize spiritual concepts in a way which would permit dialogue with a non-literate population. A developmental project operationalizing the theoretical premises outlined in the rationale is initiated. This project involves the selection of a rural, non-literate population and develops symbolical vehicles and educational strategies designed to disseminate these concepts to this population. This will primarily involve the development of a booklet of visual analogies. The target populations are selected communities in South Carolina and Georgia comprised of members of the Baha'(')i Faith, a worldwide, independent religion. The planned methodology is described in Chapter III. However, what emerges from the project's development is something quite different from what was anticipated at the outset. The "emergent outcomes" enable the author to critique the value of empirical models of evaluation within non-formal settings. This critique and the results of the evaluation are contained within Chapter V. The dissertation concludes by suggesting possible approaches to evaluation and program structure which are more consonant with the philosophical premises enshrined in the humanitarian ideal.
Subject Area
Adult education|Continuing education
Recommended Citation
OLDZIEY, PETER ADAM, "SPIRITUAL IDEALS IN NON-FORMAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT: RATIONALE AND STRATEGIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF ANALOGICAL PICTOGRAPHS (BAHA'I)" (1985). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI8509585.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI8509585