Polské národnostní školství na Zaolší

Abstract

The present work describes the course of development of education in Cieszyn Silesia from the Middle Ages to the present day, based on historical, pedagogical and empirical research. The aim of this publication was to summarize the most important facts about education in Cieszyn Silesia, especially Polish education, from its beginning till nowadays. For this purpose, an analysis of materials and documents was carried out, as well as an analysis of statistical data. An empirical study was also conducted in order to describe the characteristics of pupils who attend schools with the Polish language of instruction and children who attend kindergartens with the Polish language of instruction. Until 1920 the work covers the development of education in the whole Cieszyn Silesia, after 1920 it describes education in the Czech part of Cieszyn Silesia, in Zaolzie. Within the framework of the study, normative prints and documents stored in the archives were used, and a library search was carried out. Other significant sources were the teachers‘ press, Školský Věstník published since 1904, Miesięcznik Pedagogiczny, which came out in 1892–1939 in Cieszyn, and Przewodnik Oświatowy. Gwiazdka Cieszyńska was also an important source. In the description of the present condition of education with the Polish language of instruction in Zaolzie, the study made use of the websites of schools and kindergartens with the Polish language of instruction, the websites and pedagogical library of the Pedagogical Centre for Polish National Education and the Congress of Poles. In order to obtain information on the characteristics of pupils and children who attend schools and kindergartens with Polish as the language of instruction, a quantitative and qualitative own survey was conducted. The questionnaire technique was used, which was addressed to parents of children from kindergarten and primary school with Polish as the language of instruction in Karviná. There were 203 participants in the study. A non-standardized interview was conducted with18 parents of children of the primary school and kindergarten with Polish language of instruction in Karviná in order to complement the information collected in the survey. The interviews were conducted in 2018 and 2019.