Influence of the institution of free learning on Spanish education

The purpose of the study has been to analyze Francisco Giner de los Ríos' contribution to contemporary educational thought. The historical background of Spain provided in the study served a twofold purpose: that of viewing the Institution of Free Learning in the perspective of other historical manifestations; and that of providing the reader with a frame of reference on which to base his conclusions to the ideas developed in the study. The intention was to eliminate bias by not choosing only those historical events which either emphasized or validated the hypothesis exposed in the study. The influence of Francisco Giner de los Ríos and the Institution of Free Learning on Spanish education has been underestimated by historians and critics. The educational, the social, and the historical circumstances in Spain have been judged with prejudice. Two prevailing attitudes emerged from the results of the Spanish Civil War of 1936: a radical, Republican point of view; and a conservative, pro-Franco tendency. This conflicting situation has caused misunderstanding in historical accounts of the era. It has provided history with a distorted interpretation and the public has been confused with regard to what actually took place. The Institution of Free Learning (1876) rose to combat religious and political control on Spanish education. Giner de los Ríos, who founded the Institution, viewed the ideal educational model for Spain as that one which had the support from the State, the Church, and the Spanish society, but which, at the same time, found itself free to design the curriculum, methodology, and materials that would be relevant to the needs of the individual student. A dynamic methodology that would involve the student as an integral component of the learning situation was essential in Giner's educational philosophy. This study has looked at the philosophy of Francisco Giner de los Ríos and at the Institution of Free Learning as a segment in historical continuity. In order to accomplish that task, events have been analyzed in terms of their causes and related consequences in a logical fashion. [...]