Abstract:

A study for the purposes of the present publication was conducted in Educational-Pedagogical Institutions and Family Foster Homes in the selected districts of the Lublin Voivodeship located in the Eastern part of Poland. Their execution was planned in the framework of the project "Education, levelling developmental and educational deficiencies of children under the care of family-run children’s houses as well as the educational care centre (on the example of the selected poviats of Lubelskie voivodeships)" implemented by the Department of Pedagogy of State School of Higher Education in Biała Podlaska.

The researches were of qualitative-quantitative nature. Initially, survey tests were performed on a relatively small research sample among 25 charges of care-education facilities from the Biała Podlaska poviat and 16 charges from the Krasnystaw poviat, within the age range of 11 to 20 year of age and 10 charges of family-run children homes from the Biała Podlaska poviat in the same age group. The facilities of family-run type do not function within the town of Krasnystaw. The applied technique was a survey with both closed-ended questions and open-ended ones.

Furthermore, 20 interviews were carried out with the selected educators from the care-education facilities as well as 6 persons running the family children homes. Both men and women were among the research participants.

In addition, under the study of individual cases qualitative interviews, partly structured with the heads of nursing-educational facilities, were carried out.

On the other hand, they constituted a supplementation and completion of the missing information, allowing also for the explanation of doubts in the analysed issues.

The aim of the research was to compare the implementation of educational needs in educational care centres situated in different environments. The focus of the research encompassed the following ones: level of education which is being currently implemented, future educational and professional plans, access to additional, developing and compensating activities. Among the indicators affecting the actions of examined pupils, the following were listed: environmental factors, i.e.: the location of the facility or the family foster home; personal factors: age and gender, institutional factors: the type of facility in which the examined person resides.

The analysis of the results made it possible to state that educational care centres located in both the urban and rural environment provide access to scientific aids. The urban environment creates better opportunities for the development of interests and passions. The facilities located in an urban environment have far more opportunities to send their children to activities both in and outside the school. In spite of the possibility to participating in various activities, less than 40% of the pupils of foster care facilities use such possibility. The kind of institution determines the level of educational aspirations and the choice of future profession. That is why in a family-run children’s houses people finish studies more often while in educational care centers people decide on vocational schools. A sex affects the educational aspirations as girls are more willing to continue education. The age of a child relates to having or not having future career plans. Teenagers aged under 14 very rarely determine their plans.

Keywords:

Educational chances, foster care, educational care centre, Lublin province.