Methodologies of Textbook Analysis in Czechoslovakia

Abstract

In the world today as well as in Czechoslovakia there is a need to develop a new philosophy of education which addressed the future of mankind and to examine what this means for the new selection of subject matter in history teaching and for the process of understanding history. Textbook preparation is now in process in Czechoslovakia, although many main research questions are still unanswered. In the project the functions of history textbooks are evaluated according to given criteria. Functions of the classical conception of a textbook are divided according to their educational aims. It is recognized as: The informative function of textbook – leading to build the structure or system of historical facts; The methodological function – leading to the process of understanding historical facts through historical sources; The evaluation – leading to an explanation which draws on both historical facts and historical processes.