AD ALTA
JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
INTERGENERATIONAL LEARNING AS PREVENTION AGAINST AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR
a
PETRA JEDLIČKOVÁ
Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Department of
Pedagogy, Drážovska cesta 4, 949 74 Nitra, Slovakia
email:
a
pjedlickova@ukf.sk
Abstract: The aim of the author´s contribution is to clarify and explain the essence of
the intergenerational learning in the familiar environment. Subsequently, she
emphasizes the importance of developing intergenerational activities in the present
type of a family between grandparents and grandchildren as a significant means and
tool of prevention in relation to the chosen social - pathological phenomenon, namely
to the aggressive behaviour of children and teenagers which is a serious social
problem with an incessantly increasing tendency. The research was carried out as the
part of VEGA project no. 1/0244/15 Detection and resolving cyberbullying.
Keywords: social position, sociometric status, cyber-aggressor, cyber-victim
1 Introduction
If we consider the process of human learning to be never ending,
we can say without any doubts that the family environment
represents such a place where we have learnt a lot, we are still
learning and where we will continue learning as well. Therefore
the educational process in a family has a privileged position
from among the other forms and ways of learning. At the same
time, it is also the basis for learning in other opportunities and
other situations.
2 Intergenerational learning in the family environment
The intergenerational learning in the family is considered to be
lifelong informal education and particular members of the family
community can act as educators as well as educants. This kind of
learning includes in itself all phenomena and processes which
help to the two-way transmission of knowledge, experience and
attitudes in the family. Thus this learning takes place in specific
situations of the family life, in the interactions and joint
activities of all participating generations (children, parents,
grandparents). It takes different forms which are centred mainly
on the common activities in the family providing an opportunity
to learn for all its members. By means of these everyday
activities, such as walks, family trips, common preparation of
meals and eating together, work in the garden, visits of cultural
and sport events, discussions and conversation about different
topics, the children, or more precisely grandchildren acquire
competences for the everyday life and, at the same time, their
scientific and technological skills are supported as well
(Rabušicová, 2011). The learning in the family context, taking
place between different age generations, is not based on the
specific teaching plans or ideas. However, it often happens at
random, unintentionally,
unawarely and it remains non-
thematized. In many cases it relies on the forms of imitation and
knowledge and also experience of members of older generation
who pass them to the children, young and middle generation.
There are applied different forms of learning (sensual-motoric,
verbal-cognitive, social) within the activities of the
intergenerational education. However, by the intergenerational
learning in the context of family environment there clearly
dominates the social learning (therefore it is possible to perceive
this learning as a preventive tool in relation to the social-
pathological phenomena).
There do not exist any complex researches (quantitative or
qualitative) related to the topic of the intergenerational learning
between grandparents and grandchildren and they are totally
absent in our country. Nowadays, grandparents represent an
important pillar and factor in the process of education of
grandchildren and more and more frequently they become its
active participants. Their presence in the family circle is
indispensable and irreplaceable in the area of education and
instruction of the youngest members (Sanz Ponce, Mula
Benavent, & Moril Valle, R., 2011). Observing changes in the
family structure and in the model of the family life prevalent at
this time, it is necessary to remind and emphasize the importance
of the task and function of grandparents which they have in the
learning and primary socialization of the child in the family.
When we also perceive the gradual change of the conception and
current real situation of seniors, we have to take into account
these facts and try to renew the role of the grandparent as a very
useful and beneficial tool contributing to develop the child’s
personality and to educate him/her in the context of
intergenerational relationships (Atanes, 2002).
2.1 Intergenerational education as a preventive tool of
aggressive behaviour
Nowadays, aggressiveness and aggressive behaviour belong to
the most frequent negative social deviations, they represent a
complex and multi-causal phenomenon and they become a
problem in the global measure. We meet with a wide range of
problematic behaviour by children of primary school and, as
many specialists point out, this type of behaviour becomes a
particularly serious problem. Children act aggressively to each
other mutually but, unfortunately, parents, teachers and
educators become its recipients more and more often. We based
this statement on the research which dealt with the social-
pathological issues of children and teenagers in the Slovak
Republic and was carried out at primary and secondary schools
within all Slovakia. The most frequent social-pathological
phenomena, the teachers see by their students, are the following
ones: smoking, truancy, consumption of alcoholic drinks,
bullying, respectively aggressive behaviour and taking of illegal
drugs (Pétiová, 2015; Emmerová, 2011; Böhmová, 2011). At
primary schools there the most frequent deviation is truancy
which is followed by aggressiveness and violence. Therefore the
biggest attention in the area of preventive measures is paid by
the specialists to the prevention of aggressiveness and violence
(64%) (Böhmová, 2011).
In his publication, Višňovský (2011, in: Kraus, 2014) presented
an opinion that the best prevention of the social-deviant
behaviour is a well-functioning family with clearly set norms
and rules of mutual co-existence. A family where the parents
have time to be with their children, representing a model of
acting for them, and where love, understanding, tolerance,
respect and protection are the attributes determining the
everyday family practice and life. The family is thus a significant
preventive and protecting factor against the occurrence of social-
pathological phenomena by children and teenagers but, at the
same time, it is also a dominant risk agent of problematic
behaviour. (Hroncová et al., 2015). There is inevitable an
assumption that the society itself will acknowledge the family as
a basic socializing and educating element and it will create
conditions indispensable for its optimal functioning. However,
there arises a question: Does the current family represent such a
family which would comply with the mentioned criteria?
Due to these above mentioned reasons, we perceive more and
more intensively the importance of the intergenerational
education in the family environment between grandparents and
grandchildren as an effective preventive tool in relation to the
occurrence of aggressive behaviour by children. In the following
part, there we mention some positive aspects of the
intergenerational exchange. Based on the intergenerational
programmes carried out in different countries, it is evident that
one of the positive contributions is undoubtedly the decreasing
of participation of children and teenagers in manifold social-
pathological phenomena:
seniors become a support for younger family members in the
moments of difficulties and problems, subsequently there is
evident their lower participation in aggressive, asocial and
antisocial acts (Sanchéz Martínez, 2010),
younger generation changes its attitudes to older people,
their mutual relationships improve gradually,
increasing of the feeling of the social responsibility,
- 92 -