The research problem of the study is undergraduate training and preparedness of social sciences teachers with a focus on philosophy. The main research objective is to analyze how future and beginning teachers of philosophy evaluate the benefits, content and sufficiency of their undergraduate training in the field of philosophy (as a partial social science discipline) in relation to their pedagogical practice. The paper is a partial output of the author's dissertation, where other objectives are to define key terms with regard to recently published professional theoretical and empirical studies from the Czech Republic and abroad. Furthermore, the aim is to map the form and content of undergraduate training at two types of faculties – education and philosophy, and to identify the variables that have an impact on the evaluation of the preparation. Additionally, undergraduate training is analysed from the point of view of developing desirable specific competencies. Last but not least, we synthesize recommendations to improve the training.

According to the OECD definition (2024), a teacher is a person whose profession involves imparting knowledge, skills and attitudes (i.e. competencies) to students that are specified in a formal curriculum. In the Czech environment, the teaching profession is defined legislatively by Act No. 563/2004 Coll., on Pedagogical staff. Unlike abroad, in the Czech Republic, the teaching profession cannot be considered a full profession because it still does not exhibit certain characteristics of a profession (e.g. the existence of a professional chamber, high social prestige and economic status, ...) (Gore & Morrison, 2001; Guerriero & Deligiannidi, 2017). Spilková et al. even describe Czech education policy as de-professionalising and de-qualifying, despite the fact that trends of increasing professionalisation of teaching can be observed worldwide (Spilková, 2016, 2023; Spilková & Štech, 2023).

Undergraduate training is understood as the first stage of the development of a teacher's professional career (Průcha, 2002) and is viewed as a process of developing professional competencies, which is in line with the document Competence Framework for Graduate Teachers(MŠMT, 2023). In the Czech Republic, future teachers are mainly prepared at pedagogical or philosophical faculties, and their (teachers of 2nd level of elementary school and grammar school) takes the form of a three-year Bachelor's degree and a two-year follow-up Master's degree. The goal of undergraduate training is to equip the graduate with pedagogical and professional knowledge and skills (European Commission, 2020), but going through a formal education process does not make a graduate a great teacher.

In this paper, we see student preparedness as a subjective perception or feeling. According to the authors Janišová & Strouhal (2023), being prepared for the teaching profession means being prepared for the change and variability that accompany teachers on a daily basis and can be viewed from different perspectives.

The research focuses both on students and their preparedness, but also on beginning philosophy teachers and their teaching. These are qualified teachers with a social sciences approbation with less than 3 years of experience teaching philosophy as a part of the school subject Basics of Social Sciences at grammar schools (Zhong, 2017; Chudý & Neumeister, 2014). Subject didactics of philosophy is only slowly developing in the Czech environment and foreign inspirations are very valuable (e.g. the competence-based approach by Tozzi or Tiedemann). Philosophy teaching in the Czech Republic takes place mostly in one year of studies at grammar schools and this issue is not a well-explored field in the world or in the Czech Republic, therefore we consider this study to be beneficial for both subject didactics of philosophy and subject didactics of social sciences, which is also not firmly anchored.

The research answers the main research question: How do beginning philosophy teachers and future philosophy teachers evaluate the benefits, content, and sufficiency of undergraduate philosophy preparation in relation to practice through a mixed research strategy. The methods of data collection are in-depth semi-structured interview and questionnaire survey. Both methods are used in accordance with generally accepted principles (Švaříček & Šeďová, 2014; Chráska, 2016). The data obtained from the interviews are analysed using grounded theory procedures (in line with Strauss & Corbin, 1998). Open and closed data are collected simultaneously and compared continuously. Finally, the data will be subjected to correlation. The following two research hypotheses are set: H1: The measure of subjectively perceived preparedness is at least a level higher for beginning philosophy teachers than this measure is for students. H2: There is a statistically significant relation between the subjectively perceived level of career preparedness in the context of subject didactics (practical preparedness and philosophical competencies) of philosophy and the type of faculty preparing teachers. Before the actual implementation of the interviews and distribution of the questionnaires, another method was used: content analysis of the teaching study programmes of social sciences in the Czech Republic. Subsequently, the syllabi of philosophy courses were analysed in order to analyse the content of theoretical undergraduate training in philosophy. For the research, the research sample consists of students of social sciences and beginning teachers of philosophy. Data from students are collected through a questionnaire survey, and interviews are conducted with teachers. The questionnaire focuses on students' subjectively perceived preparedness (in both theoretical and practical terms), while the interview focuses more on the form of philosophy teaching and the benefits of undergraduate preparation in philosophy. Both instruments (questionnaire, interview) are of their own construction, but nevertheless build on existing instruments investigating the development of competencies or levels of preparedness. The interview is divided into the following areas: Identification and introductory questions; Undergraduate preparation with regard to philosophy; The discipline of philosophy and the teacher's expertise; Planning, leading and reflecting on teaching philosophy; Feedback and assessment in teaching philosophy; and Self-concept, professional development and collaboration. Research is based on the collection, processing and interpretation of rather subjective opinions and representation of respondents' attitudes, therefore the ethical dimension is an obvious and essential part of the work. Respondents sign an informed consent to voluntarily participate in the research, its nature, objectives and possible consequences of their participation.

In terms of theoretical aspects and benefits for pedagogy, we expect the concept of professional preparedness to be established on the basis of current professional terminology and the results of empirical investigations. Furthermore, it is a review and analysis of the latest knowledge about the form and state of undergraduate preparation of future teachers, which will be led by a content analysis of currently valid accredited study programmes offering social science studies with an exclusive focus on the field of philosophy, and subsequently also individual philosophically oriented subjects. This step also provides a summary of programmes in the Czech Republic that could be useful for applicants of this type of study. As far as the application aspect is concerned, we see a huge potential of research in the possibility to reformulate, and thus improve, the undergraduate preparation at faculties that are focused on the preparation of future social sciences teachers, based on research findings, within the framework of the accreditation procedure. Another benefit is the enrichment of not only the subject didactics, but especially the subject didactics of philosophy itself, which is still looking for its anchoring and systematic development in the Czech environment (Šebešová, 2017; 2023). Last but not least, the conclusions of the thesis may inspire teachers in practice and facilitate their action in teaching philosophy. The research on this issue has not yet been supported by a sufficiently documented theoretical framework in the Czech Republic, mainly due to the unanchoredness of the discipline and subject didactics itself.

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