education

Introduction & Top Questions
Education in primitive and early civilized cultures
- Prehistoric and primitive cultures
- Education in the earliest civilizations
  - The Old World civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and North China
    - Egypt
    - Mesopotamia
    - North China
  - The New World civilizations of the Maya, Aztecs, and Incas
    - The Maya
    - The Aztecs
    - The Incas
Education in classical cultures
- Ancient India
  - The Hindu tradition
  - The introduction of Buddhist influences
  - Classical India
  - Indian influences on Asia
- Ancient China
  - The Zhou period
    - Xi (Western) Zhou (1046–771 bce)
    - Dong (Eastern) Zhou (770–256 bce)
  - The Qin–Han period
    - Qin autocracy (221–206 bce)
    - Scholarship under the Han (206 bce–220 ce)
    - Introduction of Buddhism
- Ancient Hebrews
- Ancient Greeks
  - Origins
  - Sparta
  - Athens
    - Education of youth
    - Higher education
  - The Hellenistic Age
    - The institutions
    - Physical education
    - The primary school
    - Secondary education
    - Higher education
- Ancient Romans
  - Early Roman education
  - Roman adoption of Hellenistic education
    - Roman modifications
    - Education of youth
    - Higher education
  - Education in the later Roman Empire
Education in Persian, Byzantine, early Russian, and Islamic civilizations
- Ancient Persia
- The Byzantine Empire
  - Stages of education
    - Elementary education
    - Secondary education
    - Higher education
  - Professional education
- Early Russian education: Kiev and Muscovy
- The Islamic Era
  - Influences on Muslim education and culture
  - Aims and purposes of Muslim education
  - Organization of education
  - Major periods of Muslim education and learning
  - Influence of Islamic learning on the West
Europe in the Middle Ages
- The background of early Christian education
  - From the beginnings to the 4th century
  - From the 5th to the 8th century
  - The Irish and English revivals
- The Carolingian renaissance and its aftermath
  - The cultural revival under Charlemagne and his successors
  - Influences of the Carolingian renaissance abroad
  - Education of the laity in the 9th and 10th centuries
- The medieval renaissance
  - Changes in the schools and philosophies
    - Monastic schools
    - Urban schools
    - New curricula and philosophies
    - Thomist philosophy
  - The development of the universities
    - The Italian universities
    - The French universities
    - The English universities
    - Universities elsewhere in Europe
    - General characteristics of medieval universities
  - Lay education and the lower schools
Education in Asian civilizations: c. 700 to the eve of Western influence
- India
  - The foundations of Muslim education
  - The Mughal period
- China
  - The Tang dynasty (618–907 ce)
  - The Song (960–1279)
  - The Mongol period (1206–1368)
  - The Ming period (1368–1644)
  - The Manchu period (1644–1911/12)
- Japan
  - The ancient period to the 12th century
  - The feudal period (1192–1867)
    - Education of the warriors
    - Education in the Tokugawa era
    - Effect of early Western contacts
European Renaissance and Reformation
- The channels of development in Renaissance education
  - The Muslim influence
  - The secular influence
- The humanistic tradition in Italy
  - Early influences
  - Emergence of the new gymnasium
  - Nonscholastic traditions
- The humanistic tradition of northern and western Europe
  - Dutch humanism
  - Juan Luis Vives
  - The early English humanists
- Education in the Reformation and Counter-Reformation
  - Luther and the German Reformation
  - The English Reformation
  - The French Reformation
  - The Calvinist Reformation
  - The Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation
  - The legacy of the Reformation
European education in the 17th and 18th centuries
- The social and historical setting
  - The new scientism and rationalism
  - The Protestant demand for universal elementary education
- Education in 17th-century Europe
  - Central European theories and practices
    - The pedagogy of Ratke
    - The pedagogy of Comenius
    - The schools of Gotha
  - French theories and practices
    - Courtly education
    - The teaching congregations
    - Female education
  - English theories and practices
    - The Puritan reformers
    - Royalist education
  - The academies
- Education in 18th-century Europe
  - Education during the Enlightenment
    - John Locke’s empiricism and education as conduct
    - Giambattista Vico, critic of Cartesianism
    - The condition of the schools and universities
  - The background and influence of Pietism
    - August Hermann Francke
    - Johann Julius Hecker
  - The background and influence of naturalism
    - The Sensationists
    - The Rousseauists
  - The influence of nationalism
    - France
    - National education under enlightened rulers
    - England
- European offshoots in the New World
  - Spanish and Portuguese America
  - French Québec
  - British America
    - New England
    - The new academies
    - The middle colonies
    - The Southern colonies
    - Newfoundland and the Maritime Provinces.
Western education in the 19th century
- The social and historical setting
- The early reform movement: the new educational philosophers
  - Pestalozzi
    - The pedagogy of Pestalozzi
    - The influence of Pestalozzi
  - Froebel and the kindergarten movement
    - The pedagogy of Froebel
    - The kindergarten movement
  - Herbart
    - The psychology and pedagogy of Herbart
    - The Herbartians
  - Other German theorists
  - French theorists
  - Spencer’s scientism
- Development of national systems of education
  - Germany
    - Humboldt’s reforms
    - Developments after 1815
    - Girls’ schools
    - The new German universities
  - France
    - Development of state education
    - Secondary education
  - England
    - Elementary Education Act
    - Secondary and higher education
  - Russia
  - The United States
    - The educational awakening
    - Secondary education
    - Education for females
    - Higher education
  - The British dominions
    - Canada
    - Australia
    - New Zealand
- The spread of Western educational practices to Asian countries
  - India
    - Education under the East India Company
    - Indian universities
  - Japan
    - The Meiji Restoration and the assimilation of Western civilization
    - Establishment of a national system of education
    - The conservative reaction
    - Establishment of nationalistic education systems
    - Promotion of industrial education
Education in the 20th century
- Social and historical background
- Major intellectual movements
  - Influence of psychology and other fields on education
  - Traditional movements
  - New foundations
    - Progressive education
    - Child-centred education
    - Scientific-realist education
    - Social-reconstructionist education
- Major trends and problems
- Western patterns of education
  - The United Kingdom
    - Early 19th to early 20th century
    - Education Act of 1944
    - The comprehensive movement
    - Further education
  - Germany
    - Imperial Germany
    - Weimar Republic
    - Nazi Germany
    - Changes after World War II
  - France
    - The Third Republic
    - Changes after World War II
  - Other European countries
    - Italy
    - The Netherlands
    - Switzerland
    - Sweden
  - The United States
    - Expansion of American education
    - Curriculum reforms
    - Federal involvement in local education
    - Changes in higher education
    - Professional organizations
  - Canada
    - Canadian educational reforms
    - The administration of public education
  - Australia and New Zealand
    - Australia
    - New Zealand
Revolutionary patterns of education
- Russia: from tsarism to communism
  - Before 1917
  - 1917–30
  - The Stalinist years, 1931–53
  - The Khrushchev reforms
  - From Brezhnev to Gorbachev
  - Perestroika and education
- China: from Confucianism to communism
  - The modernization movement
  - Education in the republic
  - Education under the Nationalist government
  - Education under communism
  - Post-Mao education
  - Communism and the intellectuals
Patterns of education in non-Western or developing countries
- Japan
  - Education at the beginning of the century
  - Education to 1940
  - Education changes during World War II
  - Education after World War II
- South Asia
  - Pre-independence period
  - The postindependence period in India
  - The postindependence period in Pakistan
  - The postindependence period in Bangladesh
  - The postindependence period in Sri Lanka
- Africa
  - Ethiopia
  - Liberia
  - South Africa
  - General influences and policies of the colonial powers
  - Education in Portuguese colonies and former colonies
  - German educational policy in Africa
  - Education in British colonies and former colonies
  - Education in French colonies and former colonies
  - Education in Belgian colonies and former colonies
  - Problems and tasks of African education in the late 20th century
- The Middle East
  - Colonialism and its consequences
  - The second half of the 20th century
  - The Islamic revival
  - Migration and the brain drain
- Latin America
  - The heritage of independence
  - Administration
  - Primary education and literacy
  - Secondary education
  - Higher education
  - Reform trends
- Southeast Asia
  - Myanmar
  - Malaysia and Singapore
  - Indonesia
  - Philippines
  - Thailand
  - Cambodia
  - Laos
  - Vietnam
Global trends in education
- The development and growth of national education systems
  - Education and social cohesion
  - Education and social conflict
  - Education and personal growth
  - Education and civil society
  - Education and economic development
- Global enrollment trends since the mid-20th century
  - Primary-level school enrollments
  - Secondary-level school enrollments
  - Tertiary-level school enrollments
  - Other developments in formal education
  - Literacy as a measure of success
- Global commitments to education and equality of opportunity
  - Access to education
  - Implications for socioeconomic status
  - Social consequences of education in developing countries
  - The role of the state
  - Social and family interaction
  - Alternative forms of education

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Young students in white uniforms sit at tables in a classroom, creating art projects with paper and glue, while a teacher stands nearby in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

The Greek philosopher Plato

Marble bust of Aristotle with a beard and draped robe, showing detailed facial features and wavy hair, set against a dark background.

Portrait painting of Peter I the Great by Aert de Gelder, showing him in armor with a blue sash, one hand on his hip and the other resting on a cane, against a dark background.

University of Heidelberg

courtyard of the madrasah of Sultan Ḥasan

Juan Luis Vives

Related Questions

Young students in white uniforms sit at tables in a classroom, creating art projects with paper and glue, while a teacher stands nearby in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. — a classroom in Brazil Students and an instructor in a classroom in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

education

discipline

Also known as: instruction

Written by

Mehdi K. NakosteenAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 9, 2026 •History

education, discipline that is concerned with methods of teaching and learning in schools or school-like environments as opposed to various nonformal and informal means of socialization (e.g., rural development projects and education through parent-child relationships). What do you think? Explore the ProCon debates Education can be thought of as the transmission of the values and accumulated knowledge of a society. In this sense, it is equivalent to what social scientists term socialization or enculturation. Children—whether...

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