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Spirituality and Concept of ’Child’ in Kokas Pedagogy for Children with Special Educational Needs
11-16Views:570Klára Kokas was a music teacher and music psychologist (1929-2010). Her method is based on music, motion and manual arts, therefore it can be defined as a form of reform pedagogy, otherwise it is called complex art pedagogy. The main elements and characteristics of Klára Kokas’s pedagogy were revolutionary new ideas in the fields of personality development, and music education – compared to the practices of reform pedagogy trends in the 20th century Europe and the United States (Pukánszky-Németh, 1996). The main elements of this concept are music, dance improvisation, motion, imaginative stories, visual arts, painting and drawing. However, its most important component is the very specific and intimate relation, which connected her to children. This distinctive feature of the Kokas-method is hard to teach. Klára Kokas approached to people with problems, suffering and disabilities, especially to marginalized and disadvantaged children with utmost empathy. She struggled to develop the social-cognition skills and affectionate behavior of the handicapped children through her own invented musical method.Her writings reflected her relationship with God, namely the presence of Him which can be felt behind the scenes. His name was mostly unspoken, yet when she named Him, it was to reveal that God was always in her mind, like in her words and musical activities too.The goal of this paper is to search and frame that text corpus, which can outline the spirituality of Klára Kokas with the aim of drawing up her relationship with God and children – according to her publications, writings, essays, books, short-film compilations, movie archives and interviews (Kokas, 1992; 1999; 2002; 2007; 2012; 2013). The contours of her spirituality from her teachings, manuscripts and publications couldn’t be attributed to any religious denomination. Also, to be presented are her notions about youth and teenage spirit and a unique relation with the world, her own students, the talents, the music and the holiness: the spirituality of Klára Kokas. The importance of beliefs and moral convictions in the art of education will be outlined.A single paragraph of about 150-200 words maximum. For research articles, abstracts should give a complete overview of the work. We encourage authors to use the following style of abstracts: background, methods, results and conclusion. The abstract should give an objective representation of the article.
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Resource or risk? The role of higher education parental involvement in students’ future-aware work ethic
99-110Views:8One of the key determinants of higher education students’ academic progress is future-oriented work ethic, which can be reflected in persistence in pursuing long-term goals, goal-directed effort, and disciplined work practices. The aim of this study is to examine how different patterns of parental involvement in higher education are associated with students’ future-aware work ethic and how these forms of involvement function as either resources or risk factors in its development. The analysis is based on a secondary examination of data from the 2023–2024 survey of the MTA–DE Public Education Development Research Program (N = 1,336), conducted among higher education students in Hungary and Hungarian minority regions of the Carpathian Basin. To identify patterns of parental involvement, cluster analysis was applied, followed by an examination of the relationship between the identified clusters and the studied attitude using analysis of variance and two-step linear regression models. The findings indicate that parental involvement does not exert a uniform effect on students’ future-oriented work ethic. Students with highly involved parental backgrounds are characterized by significantly higher levels of future-oriented work ethic, and this association remains robust even after controlling for socio-demographic background variables. In contrast, ambivalent parental involvement shows a consistently negative relationship with the examined attitude. The effect of low parental involvement weakens when background factors are taken into account, suggesting a mediating role of social background. Overall, the results highlight that the quality and patterns of parental involvement play a decisive role in shaping this form of work ethic: supportive and consistent parental engagement can be interpreted as a resource, whereas ambivalent involvement constitutes a risk factor.
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Gender Differences Among Teacher Education Students in Light of a Pilot Study
80-93.Views:258This paper aims to present the measurement tool designed to examine gender differences among teacher education students and the results obtained during the research. The theoretical section of the paper describes teachers’ and parents’ influence on children’s gender role attitudes, gender socialization and career orientation. To prepare the questionnaire, we analyzed the Hungarian and international literature and built on the results of our previous qualitative research. We grouped our questions into three dimensions: (1) gender socialization in the family, (2) parental involvement, (3) gender socialization at school and career orientation. According to our results, gender-neutral toys were more often chosen by male students’ parents, and mothers were more involved in their children’s school activities than fathers, setting higher expectations as well. Teachers and parents, especially mothers, played an important role in students’ career choice. In addition, students perceived that teachers handled them differently depending on their gender in terms of the evaluation of their academic progress and behavior as well as the frequency of compliments and punishment.
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Innovation in Social Science
88-90Views:220Bibliography of the reviewed book: Márkus, E., Boros, J., & Kozma, T. (2022). Sustainability of innovation. Debrecen University Press
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Types of Fathers’ Home-based and School-based Involvement in a Hungarian Interview Study
95-103Views:313This study explores the ways that Hungarian fathers are involved, at home and at school, in their children’s
development and achievement. It also identifies the types of fathers that emerge based on this involvement.
According to the literature, paternal involvement at home and at school contributes to academic achievement,
similar to the involvement of mothers, but to a lesser extent and in different ways. The theoretical framework of
the research relies on the types of parental involvement as defined by Epstein. The research was qualitative,
based on 14 semi-structured interviews and the classification of fathers, resulting in three groups of similar size.
The first group comprised fathers who contributed to their child’s achievement at home, often by helping with
school-related activities, while not participating in school events. The second group included fathers who were
involved at home and at school alike. Finally, the third group consisted of four divorced fathers, three of whom
were involved both at home and at school, due to their particular situation. Overall, fathers’ school-based
involvement can be increased by the supportive attitude of wives, fathers’ greater confidence in themselves and
their abilities, and by informal events organized by schools (cooking or sports days), in which fathers are more
likely to participate. -
The Concept and Practice of Family Life Education
55-61Views:462This theorethical article outlines the development of family life education in Hungary. In the early 20th century, as a result of civic initiatives, this specific educational area as an independent professional and scientific field was organized in the United States and Western Europe. In Hungary, however, much like other Central and Eastern European states, institutional education became available much later. A government decree issued in the early seventies draws attention to the fact that "the biological, health, ethical, moral knowledge necessary for harmonious, desirable human relations is not sufficiently widespread among the general public, especially among young people, to create a well-balanced family life and to achieve a broad range of modern family planning. Therefore, measures should be taken to prepare for family life in all forms of public education and in the dissemination of information to the general public” (Mihalec et al 2011, 90) Komlósi points out, however, that despite the first governmental initiative on family life education, for decades there has been no significant change in practice. (Komlósi 1995) ” In Hungarian secondary education, the pedagogical knowledge that can be chosen as subject matter for graduation examinations in pedagogical vocational secondary schools includes a growing proportion of topics related to education for family life.
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Big Brother Mentoring in the Let's Teach for Hungary Program
114-141Views:462The number of mentoring programs within the framework of schools is increasing both internationally and domestically (Raufelder & Ittel, 2012; Fejes et. al., 2009). Besides traditional mentoring, the role of peer mentoring (Miller, 2002) has also come to the fore in recent years. In our study, we focus on cross-age peer mentoring (Miller, 2002; Sipe, 2005), where older youth mentor younger youth. One example of this in Hungary is the Let's Teach for Hungary (LTHMP) mentoring program, where undergraduate students mentor primary school students. In our research, we studied mentors at the University of Debrecen who had completed at least two semester-long cycles in the program. We were curious about how the COVID-19 pandemic period affected mentoring, so we examined the transition of a mentoring program based on a personal meeting to online mentoring, and its pivotal points, advantages, and disadvantages. As a method, we used qualitative interview analysis, during which we worked with semi-structured interviews, recorded in the spring of 2020 and 2021 – during the global pandemic situation – with a total of 50 mentors. The content analysis of the interview texts was performed based on the codes formulated based on the theory, and the emic codes emerged in the interviews (Creswell, 2012). Our results show that mentors can be grouped into different types based on their attitudes towards online mentoring. Overall, the digital transition has been a big challenge. The biggest problem was the lack of equipment. The issue of age has been also an important factor in terms of the sense of digital comfort. We noticed the phenomenon of Big Brother Mentoring and the importance of chameleon mentors. Our research, which can fill a gap, highlights both the challenges and benefits of online mentoring. In addition, we can also contribute to the effective and successful operation of the Let's Teach for Hungary Mentoring Program.
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Non-completed Studies: What Factors Affect Academic Success or Failure?
79-89Views:452The ratio of early school leavers is 12.5 in Hungary, which means 22nd place within the EU28. Early school leaving is an important issue in all European countries, because those who finished their studies after primary education are more likely unemployed and it causes problems for both them and the society. Higher educational drop-out also an important issue, although for other reasons than early school leaving. It is even more difficult to find precise data on this: we don’t know what proportion of the students is affected by this in Hungary. In this study I analyze the database of the Hungarian Youth Research 2016. This survey was conducted on a representative sample of 15-29 year olds, questioning 8,000 people, therefore, early school leavers and higher educational drop-outs should be found among the interviewees. The results show that early school leavers have significantly worse status both financial and cultural. Some of those who had finished only primary school think that they have successfully completed their studies. They answered that despite 18.3 percent of them have started a vocational training, which didn’t finish. Despite the expectations, not much is known about the higher educational drop-outs. 4.5 percent of the interviewees did not answer the question of whether they had completed their studies: they are probably the drop-outs, but we can just assume that. The results show that they have better cultural status than the others.
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Pathway to academic well-being: The role of institutional social capital in the well-being of academics in five Central and Eastern European countries
85-98Views:6This study examined the relationship between institutional social capital and the emotional well-being of academics in Central and Eastern European higher education systems. Building on Pusztai’s conceptual framework, this study distinguishes between intragenerational social capital, referring to collegial cooperation and communicative exchange, and intergenerational social capital, referring to informal interaction with students beyond formal teaching. The analysis draws on survey data collected in 2023 from academics in five countries (Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Serbia, and Ukraine) (N ≈ 800). Institutional social capital is operationalised through indicators capturing the frequency and diversity of interactions, while emotional well-being is measured using Warr’s Affective Well-being Scale. The results show that intragenerational social capital is a significant positive predictor of well-being, whereas intergenerational social capital has no independent effect. The findings suggest that collegial relational embeddedness constitutes a relevant, albeit limited, resource for emotional well-being in academic work.
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Elementary Schools of Art in Hungary are the Key to Increasing One's Chances, Disadvantage Compensation and Multilateral Self-Development
131-133Views:234Bibliography of the reviewed book: Szűcs, T. (2019). Az alapfokú művészeti iskola, egy esélynövelő iskolatípus. Debrecen: Debreceni Egyetemi Kiadó. 190., 978-963-318-768-5.
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Language, school and society: The status of German in Hungarian public education
159–163Views:21Bibliography of the reviewed book: Sebestyén, K. (2023). Kik és miért tanulnak németet az érettségit adó képzésekben? [Who and why do the study German in the programs with secondary school leaving exam?]. Debrecen University Press.
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The International Comparison of the Educational Systems of Iran, Myanmar and Ethiopia
84-94Views:450Education systems usually fall into two main types: the Continental and Atlantic systems of education. Countries
belonging to the third world often follow after the characteristics of the continental system, however, the
specificities of the country may overwrite some characteristics of the original concept. This article aims to
introduce some specific aspects of the educational systems of Iran, Ethiopia and Myanmar through the
comparison of these systems. According to the data analysis, centralisation is relevant, but decentralisation
tends to be strengthened in each country. Concerning their structure, similarities in the division of levels were
identified, along with differences in duration and focus. Unsurprisingly, the curriculums are different in each
country; however, the basic subjects are almost the same. Finally, the grading systems use similar categories,
although the underlying points providing the basis for the grades significantly differ. Comparing them can
contribute to their evaluation and further development. -
Metamorphoses Creative-Developmental Fairy Tale Therapy Against the Dangers of the Internet. A Series of Activities for Young Undergraduate Students
83-100Views:506This paper is about the practical application of Metamorphoses creative-developmental fairy tale therapy, which is presented based on a three-session Metamorphoses creative-developmental fairy tale therapy session. The sessions were conducted between April and May 2021, among students (n=24) of the University of Debrecen, who were previously not familiar with fairy tale therapy, nor with the works of Ildikó Boldizsár. Through the media environment of the session, we also reflected together on the effects of internet consumption and the dangers of the internet. The study highlights the students' attitudes towards this method and their participation and activity in the online space. The experiences gained during the 3 sessions and the feedback of the students appear as a guideline to conclude the study. The practical application of the Metamorphoses creative-developmental fairy tale therapy will show whether this methodology has a role to play in higher education.
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For the Sake of the Cause – Persistence of Romanian Higher Education Students in Finishing their Studies
22-30Views:384As a consequence of the expansion in higher education, the number of students has increased and the academic population has diversified but at the same time the university dropout has become a general problem since the last century (Trow, 2005; Kozma, 2010; Barro & Jong, 2013; Stanciu, 2014; Berei, 2018). In this paper, I proposed to analyze the persistence of students from 5 universities from Romania. We examine at institutional and individual level the perspective of their willingness to finish their studies. In partnership with the Center for Higher Education Research and Development - Hungary, named CHERD – H, from the University of Debrecen, was collected dates among students in 2012 (N=1323) and in 2014 - 2015 (N=323). Through a quantitative analysis, on a longitudinal perspective, I used SPSS statistical program to analyze data. The question of the research was: is there any difference between students` intentions to graduate on private and state institutions? Who is intending to finish and who is preparing to abandon his study? I concluded that students with unfavorable family background have nearly two times lower chance to enroll at state university and in private institutions students intention to enter into possesion of diploma was significant lower. With logistic regression I found also, that low financial status or low schooling of parents is not a significant obstacle on student academic path if they make every effort to participate in educational programs, submit assignments on time and are able to prepare for exams.
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Primary School Extracurricular Music Activities in Covasna and Harghita Counties
36-46Views:649Arts education, including music teaching (Dohány, 2010) in elementary schools is getting less and less importance in our present day education system, accordingly we find quite relevant to investigate the situation of music teaching in Romania among the Hungarian minority educationís elementary classes. This present study would like to map the extracurricular fields of music teaching in Covasna and Harghita counties in Hungarian classes through a questionnaire research made among teachers. Our objective is to investigate extracurricular musical education in elementary classes, where we would like to find out what kind of musical activities exist in this area and how intensively do pupils take part in these activities. The self-made questionnaire was sent out online in Covasna and Harghita counties, based on the teachers ‘database at the end of January in 2020. 78 elementary school teachers took part in this research. All the collected data was processed with the help of a statistical data analysing software, examining the descriptive statistical indicators. The analysis shows that few elementary class students take part in extracurricular activities.
Romanian music pedagogy research do not extend to Hungarian minority classes, thus we see it important to investigate the extracurricular activities in counties where Hungarian minorities live. -
Values as a connecting bridge between religiosity and volunteering
154-161Views:6Numerous studies examine behaviours associated with religiosity, including volunteering, which shows a positive correlation especially with collective religious practice. This effect may also derive from character development and value transfer associated with religiosity, based on certain studies. However, factors originating from religious community may be the primary drivers of this positive association. In our paper, we examine Schwartz's four higher-order value dimensions as mediators between religiosity and volunteering. Using the European Social Survey 2023/24 database (N=42,489), we applied a mediation analysis in which individual-level effects of religiosity can be identified through indirect, value-mediated pathways, while effects originating from religious community can be identified through direct effects. Our results support the mediating role of values between religiosity and volunteering. However, the value-shaping effects of religiosity overall reduce the likelihood of volunteering, as religiosity primarily promotes conservation values, which in turn decrease the probability of volunteering. In contrast, our mediation model revealed a direct positive association between religiosity and volunteering. Based on our findings, religiosity contributes to higher volunteering behaviour primarily through the reinforcement of mutually supportive networks and prosocial norms, as well as through the provision of formal frameworks for volunteering in religious communities. Our future plans include incorporating more control variables into the model, which may nuance our results to date.
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International Perspectives on Inclusive Education In the Light of Educational Justice
81-84Views:284Bibliography of the reviewed book: Norwich, B., Seitz, S., Mackenzie, A., Magnússon, G., & Barow, T. (2024). International perspectives on inclusive education: In the light of educational justice. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 39(2), 327–336. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2023.2299148
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The Evolving Concept of (Language) Assessment Literacy. Implications for Teacher Education
120-130Views:829Language teachers’ assessment knowledge and skills have received considerable attention from language assessment researchers over the past few decades (Davison & Leung, 2009; Hill & McNamara, 2012; Rea-Dickins, 2001; Taylor, 2013). This seems to be linked to the increased professionalism expected of them in classroom-based assessments. However, teachers seem to face a number of challenges, including how large-scale standardized language exams influence their classroom assessment practices. Teachers’ assessment literacy, therefore, needs to be examined in order to explain their assessment decisions. In this paper, we review the concept of (language) assessment literacy, how it has evolved and how it is conceptualized currently. Recent interpretations seem to reflect a multidimensional, dynamic and situated view of (language) assessment literacy. Implications for teacher education are also highlighted by presenting research findings from studies that explored teachers’ and teacher candidates’ assessment literacy in various educational contexts. As a result, we can identify some common patterns in classroom assessment practices as well as context-specific training needs. Finally, we make a recommendation for tackling some of the challenges language teachers are facing in relation to classroom-based assessment in the Hungarian context.
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Present to Anyone on Any Devices? The Conflict Between Telework and Family Life for Teachers and Researchers of Helping Professions
35-41Views:280The study examined the digital work experiences of academics in human services professions (teachers, doctors, health workers, and clergy). Answers to the following question were sought after: What are the patterns related to digital work? How does work-life or family conflict (WLC) affect teleworking? It was hypothesized that digital work generates WLC. Quantitative international data were collected by the Research and Development Centre for Higher Education (CHERD–H) at the University of Debrecen in 2023, across five countries (Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, and Ukraine). A subsample of 315 academics involved in caring professions was collected and principal component analysis, ANOVA, and correlation tests were performed using the SPSS statistical program. The subsample included 114 male and 193 female teachers, 33 of whom were Romanian. Perceptions of advantages and disadvantages dominated the digital work patterns. In addition, a "digital super-power" component was identified. The ANOVA test showed that Romanian academics had a significantly higher average in perceiving disadvantages compared to others. Academics working minimal hours were considerably more open to seeing the benefits of digital technology than those with longer working hours. According to the correlation test results, there was a negative relationship between the level of WLC and the perception of technology benefits: those who detected digital advantages had lower WLC values, while those who recognized disadvantages had higher WLC values.
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Students in Hungarian Higher Education and Their Perception of Dificulties During Their Studies
101-113Views:448Our research aims to examine the recruitment of students who experience difficulties with learning during their higher education studies and the motives behind their career choices, as well as the correlation of these factors with student persistence. The topicality of the problem stems from the diversity of students as a result of the expansion of higher education, as well as the increasing proportion of reading comprehension and other learning difficulties that can hinder individuals' progress in the labour market. Previous research has linked problems in learning in higher education to underdeveloped skills. However, we hypothesize that the occurrence of difficulties during students' studies and careers is determined by career choices, which are influenced by social background. While in higher education the social status differences of the family background already seem to disappear, the origin also affects the higher education career. To test the viability of this assumption, statistical methods were used to analyze the CHERD-Hungary database PERSIST -2019. In the case of difficulties and low persistence, we found a relationship with the career choice patterns of the students studied, especially with family factors influencing career choice and students' interest in their current education. One of our most important findings is that students who experience difficulties during learning can be divided into two groups. One group is characterized by low social status indicators, participating in low prestige and high risk fields of education, and there are specific cultural disadvantages in the background of their difficulties. The other group includes students who come from a higher-status family and concentrate on higher-risk but more prestigious courses, characterized by above-average selectivity and a higher risk of dropping out.
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Social innovation in a Romani community. The case of the Gandhi Secondary School in Hungary
63-70Views:4T
The Story. Following the post-communist transition of 1989–90, a Romani secondary school—the first of its kind in Europe—was established in Pécs, Hungary. This initiative began as a grassroots civic movement and operated under non-governmental management from 1994 to 2011. In 2011, the Hungarian state took over oversight, and the institution was restructured as a non-profit organisation. This study presents and analyses the Gandhi Secondary School as a notable example of social innovation. Research Questions. a) What prompted the surge of civic initiatives within the Romani community of Southern Transdanubia after the political transition? b) How can we explain the trajectory of the Gandhi Secondary School, which experienced initial success, followed by decline, and eventually stabilisation? Methodology. It utilises the framework of educational anthropology. The methodology includes secondary analysis of existing research, participant observation, narrative analysis, and social listening. Results. a) The uniqueness of the Gandhi Secondary School stems from its origin as a social innovation directly emerging from the local and regional Romani community. b) Although its lifecycle aligns with theoretical models of social innovation, its specific 'destiny' is closely linked to the socio-political context of the post-communist transition. Thus, this lifecycle serves as both a model and a unique historical case. c) The history of this innovation illustrates that in the Hungarian context, social innovations can only be sustained through strong partnerships with central/ local government.
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New Possibilities in Cultural Consumption. The Effect of the Global Pandemic on Listening to Music
1-15Views:1064In this study, we address the impact of COVID-19 on classical music concerts. New forms of cultural consumption and their convenience have raised the question as to whether concert halls will still be needed in the future, and whether the audience will take on the extra time and effort to be present in person at a musical artistic event. In an analysis of international surveys, we formed an accurate picture of music listening habits in the period before and during the pandemic. We also administered a survey, completed by 134 music teachers. Although the findings cannot be generalised to society as a whole, the respondents in the sample are well acquainted with the artistic setting and possess sufficient prior experience, so their opinion is relevant to the topic. Despite the convenience of the online space and the rich selection of art available, the interviewed music teachers will still prefer live music events, which offer them a more profound experience.
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Inquiry into the Correlations between Sports Activity and Value Preference among Students in the Northern Great Plain Region as Regards the Role of Everyday Physical Education
53-65Views:276The vision of society can be influenced by the values young people hold regarding their way of life and physical well-being. Today, we are experiencing a crisis of these value preferences (Perényi, 2010). The aim of our study is to examine the effect of transferred sports values on the lifestyles of physically active and inactive students in light of the role of everyday physical education. In our research, 1521 students of the University of Debrecen and Nyíregyháza filled out the online questionnaire. Two-variable analyses and a multivariate principal component analysis were used, and the data were processed using SPSS. Regarding the relationship between sports activity and value orientation, the students included in the sample mostly focused on the “open” or post-material value dimension representing individual autonomy. This is in agreement with previous research data (Kovács, 2013; Perényi, 2010). Since this is a complex mechanism of action, we are unable to show causal relationships in our analysis. However, with regard to our research sample, it can be said that in the period since the introduction of everyday physical education, it has not yet had a demonstrable role in the physical activity and value system of students. Thus, promotion of an active lifestyle will, in the future, be critical in the lives of everyone. It will also prove essential in shaping the physical condition and mental well-being of the future’s society, not to mention it will help save the national economy. The first step in this process is the actual participating in physical education.
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Horizontal Segregation as a Consequence of Hidden Curriculum in Primary School
112-119Views:422Much of the special literature deals with examining textbooks, and during their analyses the underrepresentation of women in the world of teaching aids always comes out. The National Curricula (1995, 2003, 2007, 2012, and the new draft of the NC) serve as the basis for writing textbooks, thus it would be worth starting the examination of horizontal segregation according to gender here. In the current study, the goal is to identify and to map theoretical dimensions. This research introduces female education and stereotypes of women in Hungary, their theoretical background as regards horizontal segregation according to gender, and also introduces „hidden curriculum”. Horizontal segregation according to gender in higher education is easily seen, the goal of this study, however, is to examine its presence in primary school education through the teaching of three subjects: music, history, and physics. This dissertation is the first step in the research which furthers the mapping of the theoretical background.