“Mary Baker Eddy’s Contribution to Adult Education: An Historical Biography”

Armer, Gina R. M. “Mary Baker Eddy’s Contribution to Adult Education: An Historical Biography.” PhD Dissertation, University of Idaho, 2009.

Armer claims that her study “demonstrates that Mary Baker Eddy’s contribution to the field of Adult Education is so significant she should be called the Mother of Adult Education” (iv). Her unique contributions were made to a field not even distinguishable until 25 years past her death. The focus of Armer’s study is on Eddy’s college—the Massachusetts Metaphysical College. Armer analyzes her motives in establishing a college before a church and why she closed it so soon after its founding, at the height of its success. Primarily, Eddy needed to turn her attention to larger public concerns and could not find a suitable qualified replacement for herself. She also indicated it was a God-directed move to turn from forms of human organization. In the process of continuously modifying her educational process, even after closing the college, Eddy made several significant enduring contributions to the system of educating adults. In addition to her mandate of “total disregard of sex distinctions in students and teachers” (an unusual requirement for the 19^th century), her educational legacy consists of “lifelong learning, continuing education, mentoring, vocational application, life-centered learners having previous life experiences, service learning, [and] independent self-directed study” (132).

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See also annotation:

“A College for Teaching Christian Science” by The Mary Baker Eddy Library