THE INFLUENCE AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF CHRISTIANITY TO EDUCATIONAL APPROACHES

Abstract

This article investigates the influences and contributions of Christianity to the main pedagogical approaches in educational psychology, namely: traditional, behavioral, humanist, cognitivist, and socio-cultural. Based on a literature review and documentary analysis, with the central work of Mizukami (1986) as a main reference, points of contact are identified between the theoretical foundations of each approach and Christian principles such as discipleship, inner transformation, free will, human dignity, and the promotion of social justice. The results indicate that although these pedagogical approaches use distinct scientific and philosophical languages, many retain implicit heritages or dialogues with the Christian tradition that shaped Western civilization. It is concluded that understanding these relationships contributes to a more comprehensive view of the educational phenomenon in contexts culturally marked by Christianity.