Biological Determinism and the Ideological Roots of Student Classification

Abstract

The issue of student classification was historically tied to the popular eugenics movement in the early 20th century. Supporters of this movement envisioned the ideal society as a biological meritocracy. They assumed that human betterment could take place only through controlled breeding. Biology would determine the human future. In the 1920's and 1930's this belief in biological determinism was joined with the assumption of differential biological worth. This combination of ideas supported programs of racial discrimination, immigration restriction, and student classification. The paper focuses upon the ways in which notions of differential biological worth were repeated, refined, and reintroduced as a basis for educational policy and for student classification. The work and influence of the eugenists and student classifiers Alfred E. Wiggam, H. H. Goddard, and Leta Hollingworth are analyzed. The paper proposes that the contemporary educator's emphasis upon student classification generally ignores the historical relationship between biological determinism, student classification, and the broader political issues of social justice and social equality. They are issues that are ignored at society's peril.