ABSTRACT
Aims are also philosophical statements which form a basis of an educational theory. Teachers stressed the wider, more general, social aims, suggesting the need to relate to people, the 'building up of social relationships', 'acquisition of socially acceptable manners' and the 'importance of promoting social integration'. Both parents and teachers were concerned about the emotional development of children, parents placing it second and teachers fourth. Despite this, however, only one school mentioned it and a careful check of the curriculum content of the five schools revealed no content relating to emotional development. Unquestionably the organization and curriculum content provided the potential opportunity to develop the children's autonomy. Curriculum was interpreted primarily in terms of the timetable, and consisted largely of a list of activities. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of the notion of autonomy as an aim of education, and gives a few examples of its relevance to the education of the mentally handicapped.
