Teachers in Poland as Transmitters of Socio-Political Values. Final Report

The objectives of this research conducted between 1966 and 1968 were to analyze: 1) the role of education within the new Polish political system and the political culture; 2) the existing school organization, including the various reforms; 3) the process of teacher education and the role as well as place of teachers in the new political and socio-economic structure; and, 4) to determine the relative effectiveness of the educational enterprise and the teacher in meeting the definite expectations and goals of the political system; and, 5) to identify some of the factors which affect the process of value socialization, especially as this process concerns the educational enterprise and the teachers as socializers. The methods involved: 1) analysis of available literature; 2) interviews with educators and secondary school students; 3) school visitations; 4) analysis of student examinations; 5) attendance at conferences; and, 6) analysis of questionnaires administered to 416 education students and 276 secondary school teachers in five districts. It was found that both the educational system and the teachers were caught between conflicting pulls of values and norms with teachers not quite trained to meet systemic expectations, and the political system itself placing lower allocation priorities on education than on ventures with immediate and visible payoff quality. The major influencing factors in the socialization of teachers were: teacher age, prestige of educational background, commitment to general education, tenure, community, and social class. (Author/SBE)