Nina V. Martishina

The relevance of the research is due to the fact that in the process of transforming various spheres of human activity, including education, specific people, their views and actions play a significant role at all times. This article serves as an illustration to this thesis. Its purpose is to identify and substantiate the philosophical and pedagogical ideas of N.F.S. Grundtvig, which largely determined the development of the Danish educational system and became the basis for the activities of folk schools for young people — an effective alternative to state schools. The approaches and methods inherent in works on the history of pedagogy and education served as the methodological basis for the research. The problem-personalistic approach helped to look at the substantive aspects and growth points of Danish educational practice in the period under consideration, relying on the ideas of N.F.S. Grundtvig. The systematic approach made it possible to consider them as a complex, multi-faceted system. The philosophical approach contributed to looking at the pedagogy and education of Denmark through the prism of Grundtvig’s worldview concept. General scientific methods of analysis and synthesis, comparative methods in their totality contributed to a deeper understanding of his philosophical and pedagogical views, their causes and consequences. The presented materials are the results of a historical and pedagogical study. They show that there was an intensive transformation of the education system in 19th-century Denmark, in which, along with state schools, well-organized, popular among the population folk schools for youth appeared. It has been proven that the ideological inspirer of the ongoing transformations, the author of the conceptual ideas underlying the schools of the new type, the undisputed authority for those who sought to create truly folk schools, was N.F. S. Grundtvig — a thinker, pastor, poet and writer. The significance of the results can be characterized from two positions. In theoretical terms, it lies in expanding the understanding of alternative educational systems, the influence of historical figures who found themselves among the spiritual mentors of the nation on the school and education as a whole; the results of the study complement the history of pedagogy and education, as well as comparative pedagogy. In practical terms, it consists in the possibility of using the results obtained within the framework of the study for the development of models of new types of schools. In addition, they can be included in the course of comparative pedagogy for students of pedagogical specialties.