The evolution of concepts and practices of moral education in the context of the development of Russian pedagogical thought during the 19th – early 20th century

Abstract

The article examines the evolution of moral education concepts in Russian pedagogical thought throughout the 19th – early 20th century. This period is considered as a time of fundamental transformation, when a complex transition took place from an estate-clerical educational paradigm to the search for humanistic and personality-oriented models. The relevance of the study is due to the continuing significance of the pedagogical dilemmas of that time, which makes historical analysis important for understanding modern educational issues and finding ways to address them. The aim of the work is to construct a multidimensional model of the evolution of pedagogical ideas, to identify its key stages, dominant paradigms, and overall vector of development. The methodological basis of the study is an interdisciplinary approach that combines historical pedagogical and comparative analysis with quantitative data processing methods. The source base includes works of leading educators K.D. Ushinsky, N.I. Pirogov, L.N. Tolstoy, specialized periodicals, and official documents. The key method was content analysis of text corpora, which helped to identify and evaluate the dynamics of three main paradigms religious monarchical, humanistic personal, social democratic, as well as to calculate integral indicators – the Humanization Index and the Secularization Coefficient – for four chronological stages 1801-1855, 1856-1881, 1882 1904, 1905-1917. The results of quantitative analysis demonstrate a nonlinear, pulsating nature of evolution. The period of the Great reforms 1856-1881 and the pre-revolutionary decade 1905-1917 became catalysts for sharp shifts toward humanization and secularization of pedagogical discourse. In these eras, there was an explosive growth of the humanistic personal paradigm, a shift of emphasis from qualities of obedience to personal dignity and independence, as well as a radical increase in the role of the family and the teacher’s personality in education, in contrast to the state and the church. The period of counter reforms 1882-1904 is characterized by a partial restoration of conservative ideas, but it could not reverse the fundamental changes that occurred in the 1860s. The overall development vector, despite temporary setbacks, was steadily aimed at recognizing the child as an intrinsically valuable individual and a subject of education. The study proves that by 1917 Russia had developed a pluralistic field of pedagogical concepts, laying the foundation for further educational explorations. It is concluded that the key content of the evolution was the transition from an object oriented to a subject oriented model of education, which manifested itself in the systemic growth of humanization and secularization of pedagogical consciousness.