Jan Władysław Dawid

Jan Władysław Dawid (26 June 1859 in Lublin – 9 July 1914) was a teacher, psychologist, pioneer of educational psychology and experimental pedagogy in Poland. He was a lecturer at the Flying University (now known as the Society for Educational Courses, also known as The Society for Science Courses) in Warsaw. He since held other numerous roles including editor of a number of Polish journals such as the Educational Review (Przegląd Pedagogiczny) (1889–1897), Voice (Głos) (1900–1905) and Social Review (Przegląd Społeczny) (1906–1907).

Life Dawid studied law at Warsaw University from 1872 and after graduating, went on to Leipzig and Halle, Saxony-Anhalt from 1882 to 1884 to study natural sciences. There he was heavily influenced by W. Wundt and H. Ebbinghaus. His largest merits were on the basis of empirical psychology to spread the idea of conducting experimental research on children, on their perceptions and concepts of the world, their thinking and intelligence, while the idea of developing a child's mind, his will and action skills. These ideas disseminated by both the conduct of systematic research, involvement in the numerous group of collaborators, by writing books on these studies, developing their own research and by translating books from many languages. David's interest in issues related initially to education, which had developed a base in the work of science (1892). Unfortunately, due to vast political activity in Poland at the time and difficulties in financing (Dawid's post as editor of Głos ending in 1905) eventually accumulated to the taking of Jadwiga's life in 1910 and subsequent worsening of Dawid's health.

Works

Nauka o rzeczach (The Science of Things, 1892) Inteligencja, wola i zdolność do pracy (Intelligence, Will and the Ability to Work, Warsaw, 1911) O duszy nauczycielstwa (On the Soul of Teachership, Lublin, 1912) O intuicji w mistyce, filozofii i sztuce (On Intuition in Mysticism, Philosophy and Art, Kraków, 1913) O rzeczywistości duchowej (On Spiritual Reality, Warsaw, 1935)