Session Information
99 ERC SES 08 I, Histories of Education
Paper Session
Contribution
Due to the high number of young vulnerable people in need, residential care still occupies an important place in the Czech social care system, even though it is often criticised by all. The adoption of Act No. 189/2016 Coll. has renewed the discussion on the current form of institutional re-educational care, which has been ongoing in the Czech Republic for several decades. The widest possible range of educational resources is being sought, and forms of appropriate institutional action are constantly being discussed.
The paper presents my dissertation that contributes to the above-mentioned discussion by turning to the past, as it examines older models and looks for the possible application of some of their elements in the contemporary context of re-education practice. The dissertation presents projects from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries that were successful in their time. This historical period was chosen as it was a time of all kinds of experiments. A close examination of the older projects shows that their founders often had to face the same challenges that accompany today's institutional re-educational care of a child. The same issues were present and had to be addressed so studying the operation of historical projects can provide examples of good practice in re-education even for today. The dissertation, in the form of qualitative historical research, follows the development of institutional care for at-risk children. The focus is on a detailed description of eight innovative projects created at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The paper focuses on Junior Republic (USA), Ford Republic (USA), Little Commonwealth (UK), Baumgarten (Austria), Boys Town (USA), House of Orphans (Poland), Gorky Colony (Soviet Union), and Summerhill (Great Britain) – as these models are only briefly described in Czech scholarly literature.
Looking back and describing successful solutions to care issues in the past can contribute to the current discussion on the effective form of institutional care for at-risk youth in the Czech Republic. To achieve its goals the research relies on the combination of a direct method and a multiple case study. For triangulation, various primary data sources are used. Topics that have emerged in the past relate to the present situation via Standards of Quality of Care (2015), with 17 inspection reports from residential institutions caring for at-risk children, and 17 annual educational plans.
When exploring the history of care for vulnerable young people with focus on selected residential care projects from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries I ask these questions:
- On what pedagogical concepts were the projects based?
- What elements of successful re-education emerged in the projects?
- What elements of successful re-education were specific to a particular project? Why?
- What elements of successful re-education can work in contemporary residential care education in our country?
To meet these objectives:
- To describe the history of care for vulnerable young people up to the mid-1920s.
- To describe inspiring projects from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries dealing with the re-education of children and young people.
- To identify common features that made the projects successful.
- To find possible links between inspirational projects from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and current practice in education in residential care
Method
I chose the historical-pedagogical research design because I want to examine the history of institutional re-educational care with a focus on inspiring models created at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and I want to trace possible parallels with current practice in residential care in the Czech Republic. I use the direct method of historical research, supplemented by the multiple case study methodology of qualitative research. In examining the selected projects, I present as detailed a picture as possible, based on information from a variety of sources. The selection criteria to include the projects in the dissertation were: the date of their creation, the fact that they were initiated by an individual, the innovativeness of the project compared to other institutions of the time and the experimentation with elements of self-governance. For a better understanding of the context, the factual data in the research report are also supplemented by the researcher's thoughts and reflections. In the dissertation I show that the issues that preoccupy educators today were at least equally preoccupying more than a hundred years ago. Several recurring themes are explored in more detail. These are: the founder of the project, the sources of inspiration, the aim of education, the means of education, the environment and organisation, the conditions of admission, the form of self-government, the concept of punishment, the use of the media, the school, life after leaving the institution and the obstacles to the operation of the project. I used these themes to identify the concepts on which the projects were based, the elements that made them successful and were common to all the projects and the elements that were specific to a particular project. Due to the Covid 19 situation, I decided to link good practice from the past with the present, using theoretical requirements for current re-education practice. These requirements are represented by the Quality Standards of Childcare in School Facilities for the Performance of Institutional and Protective Education and Preventive Educational Care (Pacnerová et al., 2015). This is a legally binding document issued by Czech Ministry of Education. Another objective link to the present, used in the dissertation, is the publicly accessible inspection reports of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Czech Republic from visits to 17 institutions in 2020.
Expected Outcomes
The key factors for the projects of the past that may still be viable today are the active approach of the facility managers in raising funds, giving more responsibility to the residents (shared responsibility model), more rigorous development of financial literacy, developing the facility culture by spending time together, aftercare support for former residents, and making full use of modern technology. I conclude the dissertation by looking at two models of re-education established at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries that have survived their founders and are still functioning today. They represent two very different approaches to the search for good practice in residential education for young people at risk. Summerhill's way of providing freedom, which can only be controlled by living, is described. But also, the organised and disciplined approach of today's Boys Town, which still builds on the legacy of Flanagan's call to faith, hope, leadership, and love.
References
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