The principle that the child, the school and education itself are shaped largely by social and cultural forces was enunciated by

The principle that the child, the school and education are shaped largely by social and cultural forces was enunciated by reconstructionism.

Reconstructionism sees education as bound to society and calls on schools to reform and reconstruct the social order.

Existentialism, by contrast, centres on the individual's freedom and subjective choice, not on social shaping.

Pragmatism stresses experience, experimentation and problem solving, viewing truth by its practical consequences.

Perennialism looks to permanent, universal truths and great books, treating education as constant across time and culture.

Reconstructionism is associated with Theodore Brameld and draws on the earlier social reform ideas of George Counts.