Social aspects of Catholic teacher training in Szeged between the two world wars

Abstract

The teaching profession - and teacher education in close connection with it - has undergone enormous changes over the past centuries. They have evolved from practical, methodologically trained ‘craftsmen’ to highly qualified professionals. Teacher training has come a long way from the normal school system initiated by Maria Theresa to the academic basis of higher education. In different historical periods, the prestige of the teaching profession has been shaped by current social needs and educational policy considerations, while at the same time these factors have influenced the internal content of teacher training and the length and manner of training. In my thesis I will outline the history of teacher training in Hungary, and then I will describe the operation of the Catholic teacher training college in Szeged. Naturally, the scope of this thesis exceeds the need for completeness, so I will focus on the period between the two world wars. Although they can also be traced to other periods, it was in this period that aspects of the internal structure and content of social needs and training and their interrelationships were really emphasised. This is illustrated by the social-educational content and its changes, which were constantly present in training and were of particular importance in the period under study. In my thesis, therefore, I examine the social aspects of teacher training (Catholic male teacher training) in Szeged between the two world wars, and I also explore the interrelations between the profession of teacher and social contents and activities.