Reflections on the fundamental problems of teaching political science in community colleges are outlined. Facing the stark reality of a student population deficient in reading and writing skills, the teacher must make difficult concepts and material comprehensible in order to create a sense of attachment for the nation, its Constitution, laws, and…

This social studies curriculum guide for grades 5 and 6 is a product of the American Values Exemplary Center directed by Ralph H. Davis. The introduction describes a model program to introduce students to the functioning of local and national government through a student government program set up as an essential part of the social studies…

This paper, prepared for the Center for Research and Education in American Liberties Conference in 1968, argues that education is the foundation upon which democratic politics stands because of the transmittal by schools of the skills and values necessary for our political system to operate. The objective of the paper is to show the relationship…

This paper examines West Germany's educational system by discussing the status of K-12 political and social studies education. It was not until the late 1960s that social studies education was introduced as a subject on a wide scale into West Germany's school curriculum. The reason for its introduction and development was the desire to supplement…

This teacher's guide corresponds to the textbook "American Political Behavior" and provides resource materials and teaching suggestions. There is a lesson plan for each lesson in the course. The textbook tries to capture the vitality and drama of politics through the use of cases that describe the political activities of typical citizens…

The relative importance of government as measured in a sample of French secondary students is examined. Drawn from four different schools, 481 Parisian pupils served as the sample for the study. The students responded to a questionnaire ranking the importance of their relationships with the government and the police with seven other specific…

The legitimate use of authority in political and moral education is examined from a cognitive-developmental perspective. However, legitimate authoritative communications by a teacher must have the potential for reasoned elaboration. These communications then mark off the boundaries of rational and authoritative communication from non- and…

The lab activities described in this project, designed to help students integrate knowledge with action, are presently in the early developmental stages. Providing a setting for laboratory civics instruction, the school is viewed as a micro/political system offering a series of purposive participation experiences in which a transfer of knowledge…

This paper examines trends in social science and political education since World War II; discusses some of the fundamental directions established by the new social studies curricula; and evaluates the political science component of material produced by the curriculum development projects of the 1960's. Since World War II, the study of government…

Political orientations in children during a time period when Watergate and its ramifications were dominant political events are studied. The theoretical framework adopted for the study is one in which political learning is seen as evolving through an invariant sequence of developmental stages dependent on physical and intellectual growth. After…

Recent analyses of the linkages between policy analysis and politics suggests that contemporary focus on the first had been poorly attenuated to the theoretical needs of the second. This paper specifies the kinds of research in educational politics that should ensue if the politics-of-education field is to become less oriented to specific policies…

This paper, on the relationship between political socialization, the educational process, and what is taught in schools, is organized into three chapters, each of which is largely devoted to reviewing the literature of a particular area. Chapter 1 focuses on the process of political socialization in general and seeks to convey the variety of…

Competencies or general life skills and understandings that a political sciences course attempts to promote in the student in a general education curriculum are examined. General education is described as a set of skills which help individuals exercise control over their own lives. These compentencies consist of the understandings that (1)…

Analyzes changing approaches to moral education in China from 1949 to 1989, including the Cultural Revolution. Characterizes moral education as reflecting political ideology, used for political indoctrination. Claims that moral education benefits the government and not the individual. Lists teaching principles and discusses political courses…

This teacher-oriented guide presents information and resources for use in increasing political literacy of K-12 social studies students. The main objective of the guide is to further civic literacy through increased knowledge and understanding of political structures and processes and of effective citizen participation. Emphasis is on helping…