Request and intentions

The Department for International Herbartianism Research investigates the highly diverse and in the pedagogical research partial controversial discussed pedagogical trend that was constituted in the succession of the important pedagogist and philosopher Johann Friedrich Herbart (1776-1841) which gained influence in pedagogical theory and practice worldwide. The Herbartianism as a pedagogical movement in succession of J. F. Herbart had developed all features of a scientific school and prepared the field for the variation of educational sciences today in its lastly successful struggle for the recognition of pedagogy as an independent academic discipline.

Besides this the Herbartians built an international network of educational research but also created pedagogical innovations of practice (for example foundations of schools, concepts for the academic education of teachers, commitment for adult education and social education). This international networking is not adequately investigated by now.

In this focus the department is especially working on two tasks: it is at first doing fundamental research. Secondly, it takes care for international exchange, i.e. it initiates and coordinates cooperative contacts and makes them transparent for the scientific community. This means the department supports networks of the international Herbartianism-Research.