Social Pedagogy | Social Education

11

Authors: Andrea Preissová Krejčí, Jana Máčalová

This article is a critical review of the Czech approach to multicultural education. Using as an example the American multicultural educational system, we illustrate the narrow understanding of the content of multicultural education in the Czech Republic and Czech schools. We also point out the problematic moments which not only obstruct the successful fulfillment of educational goals, but may also strengthen or even create a stereotypical, xenophobic or racist environment in classrooms. The significant agents in this process are considered to the teachers on the one hand, and on the other the conceptualization of a specific vocabulary used in many textbooks, which is typical for racist and nationalist movements.

13

Authors: Hana Včelařová, Miroslav Chráska, Jana Martincová, Pavla Andrysová

The authors of this study present the results of surveys in significant areas of social pedagogy relating to both the prevention of overweight and obesity in children, and healthy lifestyle education. The psychosocial aspects of overweight and obesity in early age and preschool children are monitored in the context of selected socio-demographic indicators in the Czech Republic, Great Britain, the USA, Australia, some European countries, Iran and China. The purpose of such oriented studies is to find appropriate preventive, pedagogical or therapeutic interventions that could contribute to the elimination of risk factors in the particular societies. It turns out that the sociodemographic and psychosocial aspects of overweight and obesity in children (in terms of particular countries) cannot be always uniformly described and defined. Numerous psychosocial or sociodemographic characteristics were found when comparing different ethnic groups, the different age cohorts of parents or the different developmental stages of children, when comparing countries with various standards of living, or even just, when comparing different socioeconomic strata within the same country. It also appears that the relationships identified by the below-mentioned researches don´t have a straight forward effect, but are also modified by the influence of other variables. A common feature overweight and obesity in children in the majority of countries seems to be associated with significant social inequalities within a specific country. According to some authors, one of the possible ways to fight overweight and obesity in children is to reduce the inequalities of the macroeconomic society.

14

Authors: Petra Potměšilová, Miloň Potměšil

Children and pupils with special educational needs are becoming increasingly integrated into the mainstream educational process. In reality, there may be situations where during their education students with special needs come into contact with pedagogues who do not have the required specific competences. The aim of this paper is not only to describe briefly the conditions for integrated education, but also to summarize the requirements and support the staff needs in order to work more effectively on the basis of the respondents‘ concerns. Morevoer, the concerns of the pedagogues working in integrated educationwere analyzed by using qualitative tufts. The results of the analysis were related to the teachers‘ social conditions. The proposed support activities are divided according to the possible forms of preparation and follow-up support. The results and recommendations are based on the practical experience acquired during the praparationof students in Social Pedagogy at St. Cyril and Methodius Theological Faculty of the Palacky University in Olomouc.

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Authors: Jana Benešová

The article is a summary of the main findings concerning (re)construction of the gender identities of children placed in a contemporary diagnostic child-care facility in the Czech Republic. The research setting has the fictitious name DDÚ Archa. The author of the arcticle is summarizing the interim results from her Ph.D. dissertation project. The goal is to catch processes which have been neglected so far by the Czech professional community, and which may become potential disciplinary tools in the hands of professionals in a wide range of helping professions, including social and special pedagogy.