(CZ) Pedagogický výzkum učně
(EN) Pedagogical Research on Apprentices

The scientific and research work of the Research Institute of Vocational Schooling in Prague is directed to the solution of conceptual problems of training young people for occupations. These problems involve researches on pupils and apprentices, for vocational training must correspond to the needs of society as well as to the pupils’ capacities.
Researches on apprentices are concentrated in the research assigimient entided Development of the Apprentice’s Personality in the Process of Vocational Training. Its aim is to find out how vocational training affects the apprentice, how it stimulates or hampers his development
In researches on apprentices it was necessary to solve the methodological problem of conceiving the assignment in such a way as to make it cover, in spite of the exceptionally rich variety of the whole system of training, all the problems involved in their general form. The research respected as much as possible the variability of the basic signs characterizing the apprentice. As regards the system, it only took account of those differences which are of a fimctional nature.
In order to overcome the difficulties resulting from the variety of vocational training, die strategy that was chosen proceeded from extensive researches picking out from among the whole group those apprentices whose training was not going on as desired, to intensive researches which were to find out the causes of this phenomenon.
The researches that have been carried out have shown that the most serious problem is the relatively unsuccessful vocational training of apprentices with very good learning pre-requisites whose results do not correspond to their capabilities and who find it difficult to adapt themselves to the conditions of vocational training. It appears that a certain correction of the conception of vocational training will be necessary in order to enable apprentices with specific pre-requisites for learning to assert themselves fully in the field of blue-collar occupations.