The guidance and influencing of girls leaving school at fourteen : a study in the content, methods and contradictions in this process based on the girls' departments of the London County Council maintained elementary schools 1904-1924
This examination of the pressures and influences on London elementary schoolgirls is set in a period when local authority and state pressures for conformity over attendance and health regulations were placing increasing burdens on homes and families. Simultaneously emphasis on the training of daughters in domesticity and infant care, under professional guidance at school, was becoming a powerful obligation on educators. This obligation was expected to reach far beyond mere technical training, contributing to a structure of moral control with supervision extending beyond school into early years of employment. The newly established London County Council Education Authority, both in size and in the variety of elementary schools, offers rich material on the operation of this process of attempted control and of conflicts engendered within it. Attempts to establish a coherent and consistent moral structure for elementary schoolgirls presented acute difficulties which are considered in this thesis. Thus pressure for the teaching of domestic subjects met counter demands that general education for girls should have priority, with any narrowing of their horizons towards domesticity being resisted. Infant care tuition,
St John, Diana Elwell
History
The guidance and influencing of girls leaving school at fourteen : a study in the content, methods and contradictions in this process based on the girls' departments of the London County Council maintained elementary schools 1904-1924. This examination of the pressures and influences on London elementary schoolgirls is set in a period when local authority and state pressures for conformity over attendance and health regulations were placing increasing burdens on homes and families. Simultaneously emphasis on the training of daughters in domesticity and infant care, under professional guidance at school, was becoming a powerful obligation on educators. This obligation was expected to reach far beyond mere technical training, contributing to a structure of moral control with supervision extending beyond school into early years of employment. The newly established London County Council Education Authority, both in size and in the variety of elementary schools, offers rich material on the operation of this process of attempted control and of conflicts engendered within it. Attempts to establish a coherent and consistent moral structure for elementary schoolgirls presented acute difficulties which are considered in this thesis. Thus pressure for the teaching of domestic subjects met counter demands that general education for girls should have priority, with any narrowing of their horizons towards domesticity being resisted. Infant care tuition,
guidance influence girl leave school fourteen study content method contradiction process base girl department london county council maintain elementary_school examination pressure influence london elementary set period local_authority state pressure conformity attendance health regulation place increase burden home family simultaneously emphasis training daughter domesticity infant care professional guidance school_become powerful obligation educator obligation expect reach far_beyond mere technical training contribute structure moral control supervision extend_beyond school employment newly establish london county council education authority size variety elementary_school offer rich material operation process attempt control conflict engender within attempts establish coherent consistent moral structure elementary present acute difficulty consider thesis thus pressure teach domestic subject meet counter demand general education girl priority narrow horizon towards domesticity resist infant care tuition