Preference of Methods and Goals of Further Education from the Social Workers‘ Point of View

Further education of the employees in the field of social work is one of the future challenges. The goals of further education are constantly changing with regard to the changes in society and the requirements of the clients of social services. Social work represents a multidisciplinary conception of the performed work and a continual need for further education. In organizations, further education is implemented through various educational methods, which are also evolving. The article aims to identify which educational methods in the field of social work are preferred, both within the leading managerial positions and within the ones of social workers, and to describe the goals of further education in both groups. The goal was achieved through the quantitative research conducted in both groups – i.e. the managers and the social workers. Using the Survio platform, the research addressed organizations providing social serviced according to the Register of Social Service Providers of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic. The results were processed using descriptive statistics, and conclusions were drawn based on the results. The results showed different preferences of educational goals for managers who prefer the expansion of competencies and for social workers who prefer development. Research into the preference of educational methods has found that managers and employees prefer professional lectures, self‑education and Internet resources.

Comparison of Financial Literacy Concept in Projected Curricula of Selected Countries

Due to the turbulent economic development in recent years and the rising number of financial issues individuals need to deal with, financial literacy is becoming a widely recognized concept, which, among others, spreads into the field of primary and secondary education. However, in each country, the different political, social, or cultural environment influences the final form of concept implementation. Therefore, the presented study focuses on the analysis and comparison of project curricula, which are crucial documents for financial education at the primary levels. A categorical system was presented as the main research tool, with the purpose to examine documents from the countries of the USA (Utah), Canada (Ontario), the Czech Republic and Australia. The results suggested the relative disunity of the financial literacy concept within the Ontario curriculum, as no comprehensive content block is devoted to it during the study. The concept is presented only as one of the cross-curricular topics, often lacking any continuity. Within the Utah curriculum, the individual actions should be cognitively more demanding so that the students are properly stimulated to be active and solve the given task. The Czech curriculum then suffers from a lack of guidance in the curriculum concerning financial literacy. The cause might be in the lower scope of the document.

Výchova a udržateľný rozvoj

ŠEBEN ZAŤKOVÁ, T., MRAVCOVÁ, A., BARANOVIČ, Š. 2020. Výchova a udržateľný rozvoj. Kraków: Spolok Slovákov v Poľsku, 174 s. ISBN 978- 83-8111-188-1.

Univerzitní vzdělávání v minulosti, současnosti a budoucnosti

MUŽÍK, J., LÖWENHÖFFEROVÁ, R. A P. KRPÁLEK. 2020. Univerzitní vzdělávání v minulosti, současnosti a budoucnosti. Praha: Professional Publishing, s. 128. ISBN 978-80-88260-45-5.

Transformative Leadership and Teachers Loneliness in the Educational Environment

The transformation of education is taking place all over the world, with priority given to the "level" of school management in terms of improving the quality and results of education. Despite this enormous interest, the literature currently does not offer a sufficient theoretical understanding of leadership concepts, especially in the school environment neither in Slovakia. In this paper, we try to characterize one of the most current styles of transformative leadership. This concept is currently the most discussed in professional circles, as the dominant influence of the transformative leader is based on building a relationship between the leader and his followers. And it is thebuilding of a relationship that can be the prevention of employee loneliness manifested in their performance. It is a specific negative emotion that has received little theoretical or empirical attention. The research was carried out in 2020. The research group consisted of 181 teachers of traditional primary schools in central Slovakia. Transformative leadership was measured through the Leadership Behavior Inventory (LPI) and loneliness using the Scale of Loneliness Inventory (LAWS). The SPSS program was used to process the research data. The study is correlated. Our findings clearly show the positive impact of transformative leadership on reducing the loneliness of employees in the school environment, which implies the need to develop the competencies of a transformative leader in teachers and managers in education.

Adult Education in the EU and the Main Challenges in Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic

The importance of adult education in today’s world is constantly growing. The need for adult education in the EU intensifies with demographic and climate changes, automation, new technologies as well as digital transformation. Adult education provides an opportunity for individuals to adapt to changes in the labour market and society, especially for the low-skilled and older workers. Although people understand the importance of adult education, progress in achieving participation rates in adult education towards the EU target is insufficient. The current situation associated with COVID-19 has further highlighted the importance of non-formal adult education, especially for the most vulnerable groups of people to whom it has created or deepened barriers to education. It emphasized, even more, the problem of limited digital skills and equipment, reinforced the need for the importance of the right skills from a work and social perspective and the need to build resilience. It has set out new challenges aimed at strengthening the adult education strategy at the EU level, at promoting civic, financial, environmental and health literacy, as well as structural support to countries where such support is absent, and at ensuring stable and adequate funding with specific support for vulnerable groups of the adult population. The study aims to present a current view on adult education in EU conditions and to point out the main challenges that adult education has to face in the context of lifelong learning regarding the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Digital Nomadism as a Key Perspective of Changes in the Labour Market

The possibility of faster and more available travel makes the term “citizen of the world” more real than ever and reflects the globalizing digital reality. Digital nomadism understood as a new dimension of remote work has certainly acquired a new meaning at the turn of 2020 and 2021. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 significantly accelerated the digitization of work and education areas, which had a valid impact on our socio-economic functioning. Interpersonal relations have changed, the digital educational and professional reality has given a new shape to human expectations; space and time take on a new meaning, our everyday life is situated in an increasing technological dimension. Digital nomadism growing in the culture of innovation as a phenomenon that automatically responds to current changes in social, educational and professional life is assessed nowadays positively as well as critically. However, regardless of the assessment of this phenomenon, it seems to be setting the direction of a new lifestyle. Showing the phenomenon of digital nomadism as a key perspective of changes in the labour market is the goal and the key issue presented in this article. Analysis of changes in the sphere of work is the starting point for presenting the digital nomadism phenomenon. The topics of educational and professional aspirations of young people, issues of matching and professional suitability as well as models of contemporary careers are also taken up. The summary includes educational trends that are worth developing in the future, also as part of lifelong learning. The article presents a theoretical type of study. The aims and methodology of the cited research results are indicated in the parentheses.

Survey of In-Service Teacher Education in Slovakia Focused on Inclusive Education and Work with Pupils with Special Educational Needs

Nowadays, teachers encounter many students in schools that show different deviations from the norm; therefore, they need to know how to choose the right approach for the students. Teachers should be equipped with the pedagogical knowledge and skills that would enable them to adopt the most suitable method for each pupil. The survey aims to map the current offer of continuing professional development programmes in Slovakia and the Czech Republic for the teachers of lower secondary schools focused on inclusive education and work with students with special educational needs. Through a study of the relevant available documents, we found out that in the Slovak Republic, there are 14 certified educational programmes for lower secondary school teachers dealing with this issue, of which 10 are innovative, 3 updating and 1 of specialization nature. All programmes are part of formal education. In the Czech Republic, we have identified six educational programmes that address this issue.

Editorial

Vážení čtenáři, milé kolegyně a kolegové, přátelé celoživotního vzdělávání,právě si prohlížíte třetí číslo časopisu Lifelong Learning – Celoživotní vzdělávání, které formálně patří ještě do roku 2021. Před rokem jsem na tomto místě psal, že na rok 2020 budeme jistě ještě dlouho vzpomínat. Zároveň jsem doufal a přál nám všem, aby se rok 2021 nenesl v podobném koronavirovém duchu. Bohužel, s výjimkou několika letních měsíců se v podstatě nic nezměnilo a již dva roky žijeme v tomto podivném období, kdy nás pandemie pronásleduje na každém kroku v pracovním i osobním životě. Celá tato dlouhodobě trvající podivná doba a situace má zjevný a nepříznivý vliv na míru publikační aktivity velké části členů naší komunity. Nejen náš časopis, ale i ostatní podobná odborná periodika se delší dobu potýkají s nedostatkem příspěvků, a hlavně – kvalitních příspěvků. Samozřejmě že za to nemůže jen pandemie koronaviru, ale mimo jiné i pandemie jiného druhu – scientometrie a obecný tlak na publikování v časopisech, které jsou indexovány v těch „správných“ citačních a referenčních databázích, případně další faktory, o nichž by se dalo dlouze diskutovat. To nás vedlo k tomu, že jsme se rozhodli od roku 2022 vydávat náš časopis pouze dvakrát za rok, čili toto je historicky poslední číslo 3. Jaký obsah v něm na vás čeká?První empirická studie z pera Aleny Bendové a Marie Horáčkové nás svým obsahem zavádí k tématu pedagogických praxí, jejichž realizace byla, je a zřejmě ještě chvíli bude pro mnoho pracovišť realizujících učitelské studijní programy (včetně toho našeho) tzv. zajímavou zkušeností. To je můj oblíbený eufemismus pro situace, které jsou složité, záludné, těžko řešitelné bez určitých nežádoucích vedlejších efektů a v neposlední řadě působí i malé nebo velké škody na duševním zdraví. Cílem příspěvku výše uvedených autorek bylo prezentovat reflexi průběhu pedagogické praxe realizované na jaře 2020 za nám známých ztížených podmínek studenty programu učitelství praktického vyučování a odborného výcviku. Podkladem pro zpracování této studie pro ně nebyly jen rozhovory se studenty, ale také studentské deníky pedagogické praxe. Výsledky jejich kvalitativního výzkumu jsou nejen zajímavé, ale jsou zároveň i svědectvím o tom, co jsme v uvedené době prožívali.V druhé, empirické studii, která je pro tento časopis velmi relevantní, nám kolegyně Gabriela Ježková Petrů představuje výsledky svého výzkumu zaměřeného na další vzdělávání pracovníků v oblasti sociální práce, které považuje za jednu z budoucích výzev. Cílem jejího výzkumu, v jehož rámci využila zejména kvantitativního přístupu, bylo zjistit, které metody vzdělávání jsou v předmětné oblasti nejvíce preferovány na jedné straně řadovými sociálními pracovníky a na druhé straně pracovníky v manažerských pozicích. Dospěla k zajímavým výsledkům a její příspěvek určitě doporučuji k přečtení.Třetí studie, kterou Vám předkládáme v tomto čísle se z obecného hlediska zabývá finanční gramotností je zaměřena na komparaci a analýzu kurikula primárního vzdělávání ve vybraných zemích. Její autor Karel Ševčík v ní naznačuje, že příklady dobré praxe ze zahraničí mohou být pro naše prostředí mnohdy v tomto směru inspirativní.Vážené kolegyně a kolegové, přeji vám nejen příjemné chvíle ve společnosti našeho odborného časopisu, ale hlavně hodně sil, pedagogického optimismu, tvůrčích úspěchů, štěstí a ze všeho nejvíce zdraví v novém roce 2022. Petr Adamec předseda redakční rady