Abstract:

Dynamic development of society, changing economic, social and cultural environment impose higher requirements on the field of education and on related demands connected with readiness of teachers to reflect and to react to the changes proactively. The paper concentrates on teachers acting in the sphere of second chance education who participate in educating of adult students without basic education or with basic education (ISCED 2) and who again became involved in the system of formal education. Working with the target group requires teachers to be highly qualified professionals in their field and at the same time the teachers should be capable of perceiving social and cultural differences of students sensitively and they should be empathetic in relation to students’ situation, they should support development of students and respect their needs and interests. In relation to the aforementioned requirements, we were concerned over the extent to which the teachers of second chance education perceive aspects and particularities of the education of adults in the environment of Slovak schools, whether they act based on own experience and dispose the inevitable professional competences or if they feel the need of further education and development in the field of work with adult students. The main objective of the research was to map opinions of teachers regarding those spheres of professional competences which they consider to be significant for the work with adult students within the frame of second chance education and to detect which possibilities of development of these competences there exist within the context of further education both out of the school environment and in the environment of the school. To gain responses to the questions a design of qualitative research was opted for. The main research method was a semi-structured interview with teachers acting in the sphere of second chance education. To provide validity of research results the method of triangulation was applied. The methods were extended by a quantitative and qualitative analysis of legislative materials in the field of education and by the analysis of education programs offered to teachers within the frame of further education. Stemming from research results of other professionals engaged in the sphere and based on own findings we have specified those professional competences of teachers which appear to be important from the point of view of inclusive education of adult students and of their cognitive, social and cultural and personal characteristics and needs.

Keywords:

Professional competences, second chance education, professional development.