Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives of Child-Centred Education

Child-centred education is an educational approach that places learners at the centre of the teaching and learning process. The approach emphasizes learners’ interests, abilities, developmental stages, and active participation in classroom activities. It developed as a reaction against traditional teacher-centred methods that viewed learners as passive recipients of knowledge. Philosophically, child-centred education promotes freedom, creativity, experiential learning, and holistic development, while psychologically it is based on cognitive, emotional, and social development theories. Modern educational research supports the importance of child-centred practices in promoting critical thinking, creativity, motivation, and learner well-being (Campbell & Løkken, 2023). This article examines the philosophical and psychological foundations of child-centred education, its principles, benefits, and challenges in contemporary educational systems. The study concludes that child-centred education remains an effective approach for promoting independent learning, creativity, and total child development.

Keywords: Child-centred education, philosophy of education, psychology of learning.