Pestalozzian Influences on Female Education: The Work of Pestalozzi's Female Associates in Switzerland, Germany, and the United States during the Early Nineteenth Century

Abstract

Pestalozzi, the Swiss educational reformer of the early nineteenth century, changed the landscape of education for centuries to come. His praxis spread to European countries and to the United States. The reformer's influence has been primarily explored in men's education. This research aims to bring to light the unexplored field of Pestalozzi's influence--female education through the work of Pestalozzi's female associates such as Rosette Kasthofer and Josephine Stadlin in Switzerland, Betty Gleim in Germany, and Emma Willard, Zilpah Grant, Mary Lyon and Catherine Beecher in the United States. First two chapters trace the development of Pestalozzi's character, views and methodology. Chapter three treats the subject of female education in Switzerland and the German lands and the work of female Pestalozzians. Chapter four illustrates the implementation of the Swiss system of education in Prussia and other German lands and the adaptation thereof by the United States. The conclusive chapter demonstrates the effects of Pestalozzianism on the American female education and its spread.