(CZ) Závěry z tříletého výzkumu občanské výchovy v 6. - 9. ročníku základní devítileté školy
(EN) Conclusions from a Three-Year Research into Civic Education

In the years 1958/59—1960/61 a research was carried out at 15 experimental Twelve- Year Schools into civic education, which from the year 1959/60 is gradually being introduced as a subject in the Basic Nine-Year Schol. The research has confirmed that the inclusion of civics in he curriculum of the Basic Nine-Year School has been fully justified and the general conception of the subject, as prepared by the Pedagogical Research Institute in Prague, has been correct. The subject in question is one which has a clearly educational character, and which serves the purpose of furthering the ideological, political and moral education of the pupils. Civic education a) acquiaints pupils with fundamentals of the social system of government in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, explains to them the most important tasks of^socialist and communist construction and guides them to an active participation in the political, economic and cultural lif^ of the people, b) together with other subjects it lays the foundations of the scientific world outlook of the pupils and strengthens their atheistic conviction, c) acquaints the pupils with fundamentals of Communist ethics and helps to guide them to act consciously according to the principles of Socialist comradeship.
The syllabus check-up has confirmed how appropriate it has been to lay down the alms, the tasks, and the content of this subject, especially as regards the requirement of bringing school close to life. Some parts of the syllabus contain material which must be made more concrete or which must be better planned to suit Individual grades.
The organisational forms, methods and processes recommended are bringing positive results. It has been clearly shown that a correct use of suitable forms, methods and processes is an important condition for a successful realization of the educational alms of the subject. As a result of the research the syllabuses have been amended to express more clearly how to apply correctly In civic education the principle of bringing school close to life, the principles of pupils’ activity, object teaching and appropriateness (suggestions for talks with guests, the use of excursions, the application of the educational value of works of art, suggestions for raising the activity of pupils, etc.).
The success of civic education depends above all on the personality of the teacher and on the degree of co-ordination between his work and that of the other teachers and other members of the staff of educationists; civic education fulfils its mission the more successfully the more organic link It becomes in the system of the educational work of the school.
The research has brought some valuable findings, which have made it possible to prepare the syllabus of the subject more correctly, to prepare basic methodological material for teachers and to get down to a profound elaboration of some basic questions concerning both the theory and the practice of the. new subject. In further researches it will be especially useful to throw more light on the role played by civics In the communist education of pupils, to elaborate and check In greater detail the content of the subject, to solve some questions concerning correct application of the principles of communist education in civics, to check the suitability of textbooks or texts used for this purpose, to inquire into the problems involved in appraising and marking pupils in civic education. Special attention should be given to a deeper inquiry into the role played by this subject in forming the ethico-political profile of the pupils, because in this important field the teachers have met with, and still meet with, relatively greatest difficulties.