Educational Psychology: The Life History of Leta Stetter Hollingworth

892 Words2 Pages

i.
One of the most ignored innovators of educational psychology, Leta Stetter Hollingworth has immensely impacted our knowledge pertaining to children with exceptionalities. ii. Leta Hollingworth was born on May 25, 1886 in Dawes County Nebraska to Margaret Elinor Danley and John George Stetter (Silverman, 1992). Being the oldest of three sisters, Hollingworth’s mother died after giving birth to her. iii. Leta Hollingworth was born was born May 25, 1886 in Dawes County, Nebraska and died November 27, 1939. iv. Leta lived no ordinary childhood. She faced many hardships after her mother’s death; one being the disappearance of her father, leaving his children with their mothers parents. Hollingworth grew up on her grandparent’s farm until her father returned ten years later to reclaim his daughters. Leta’s father, now re-married to a woman named Fanny Berling, forced his children to live with their soon to be stepmother in Valentine, Nebraska. Berling was both verbally and physically abusive towards her stepchildren due to alcoholism being common amongst her family (Silverman, 1992). At the young age of 15, Leta graduated Valentine high school where she escaped and started a new life at the University of Nebraska.

v.
In 1906, Hollingworth received her Bachelor of Arts degree and became certified as a teacher in Nebraska. While attending the University of Nebraska, Hollingworth met her soon to be future husband, Harry L. Hollingworth. They got married and moved to New York City in December 31, 1908 (Silverman, 1992). She had no luck in finding a job in New York due to the fact that no schools were interested in hiring a married woman. She became frustrated and depressed after being out of work. A financial burden was placed ...

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...e of fifty-three, leaving her unfinished research with Harry Hollingworths. Leta’s most notable contributions to educational psychology in regards to giftedness was the publication of, Gifted Children: Their Nature and Nurture in 1926. Hollingworth was a strong believer that the social environment a child is brought up in has more of an impact on their development in comparison to their genetics. The opportunities and styles of education presented to a child highly influence a child’s behaviors and development.

Works Cited

Silverman, L. (). Leta Stetter Hollingworth: Champion of the Psychology of Women and Gifted Children . Journal of Educational Psychology , 84, 20-27.

Plucker, D. J. (2013, January 1). Human Intelligence: Leta Stetter Hollingworth. Human Intelligence: Leta Stetter Hollingworth. Retrieved , from http://www.intelltheory.com/lhollingworth.shtml

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