Premium
Constructing Czechoslovakia: The meaning of “intelligence” in Czechoslovak educational discourse, 1900–1939
Author(s) -
Lepková Katerina,
Heyting Frieda,
Mulder Ernst
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of the history of the behavioral sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.216
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1520-6696
pISSN - 0022-5061
DOI - 10.1002/jhbs.20046
Subject(s) - meaning (existential) , strict constructionism , sociology , epistemology , perspective (graphical) , social science , philosophy , art , visual arts
Before World War II, Czechoslovakia went through its constituting process, including the development of an educational system. We made an analysis of Czechoslovak discussions about educational uses of intelligence tests from a discourse‐theoretic and social constructionist perspective. In particular, we examined which connotations became associated with the concept “intelligence” in educational scientific publications about possible educational uses of the newly introduced tests in the years 1900–1939. Results substantiate the inextricable entwining of the meaning of “intelligence” with the unique characteristics of the historical situation in Czechoslovakia before World War II. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.