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JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
learns self-control, while at the same time, adapting to the
narrower and wider social environment. The nature of such a
child's behavior is strongly supported by an adult, a caregiver,
who acts in the way he/she requires from a child. Steady and
repetitive educational behavior becomes part of the logic and
reality of the educated. The pleasant and assuring experience of
repeated educational success has a fostering effect on the child's
self-control. Enhanced child control has a significant share in
adapting to new situations. The pedagogical principle of
educating a child / children by using rules on the basis of
established boundaries, emerges from the idea that every act is
based on intellectual plan and emotional regulation (personally
managed behavior adapted to social and physical conditions).
Education is aimed at purposefully supporting the processes of
self-control of the child / children, as a prerequisite for their
success in the society of children and adults.
It is accepted that the process of educating is based on the
deduction of educational principles. Inferring educational
principles from a child and an adult / a caregiver, is a dynamic
process that presupposes mastery of the educational situation,
from which the educational principles should come. Educational
behavior transforms the educational reality, changes the behavior
of the educated child, and causes such consequences. The
consequences should be analyzed by the caregiver (e.g., to avoid
wasting educational resources, time and effort and to find an
appropriate educational principle) and analyzing the educational
management, which will allow to draw an educational principle
that is more appropriate for that child. The caregiver should not
leave any unforeseen educational situation unnoticed, if he is
convinced that the educational principles should be identified
and adapted to the child being educated. The process of
educating is a process with a long-term perspective, and
educational principles set it up and make it predictable and
planned. The educational process is a deliberate process, which
means that educational action is a conscious action tied to the
goal. However, the caregiver is not confined to a single
educational activity in his or her educational process, but takes
into account those activities whereby the child can be more fully
developed. After considering the selected educational activities,
the caregiver combines them into one educational activity, in
which the child is engaged. An educational activity, with diverse
but mutually overlapping activities, is inspiring not only for one
child, but also for a number of educated children who connect
e.g., by the same interest in activities. This consideration is
supported by the caregiver, by identifying the needs of the child
and assessing the pedagogical suitability of the activities for the
particular child. Within one activity, it is suitable to involve
children who are (from the perspective of the caregiver) close in
terms of needs and opportunities for development. Children up
to the age of three can do different activities themselves, but they
can also do them with the support of a caregiver and another
child / children. Autonomously acting children are children who
firstly receive support, but later give up on support. A child
acting autonomously is a child who enjoys the activities he / she
is doing and who is interested in the activity. The pedagogical
principle of educating children, based on educational principles,
means a managed, coherent, systematic, structured, planned and
especially, valuable process of education.
It is accepted that the process of educating has its (caregiver's
defined and understood) educational purpose. The educational
intention is what is pursued by education and is consistent with
what is to be achieved (goal). The caregiver has a general
conception of the process of educating, which is actually a
conceptual purpose of education. The attitude, along with the
emotional dimension, is the essence of the educational purpose.
The caregiver focuses (the intention) on educating the child by
developing the attitudes, wills, and higher emotions of the child.
The caregiver has a direct and indirect influence on the
development of human characteristics and the specificity of the
child. The fact that the child is influenced in the process of
education, in order to consciously acquire domination over
his/her actions, helps him/her to begin to gradually control
him/herself, in the sense of educational principles (adaptation),
and then begin to master the contents of educational activities (or
even the educational situation), to control him/herself in
following activities and situations. One of the long-term
educational aims is to lead the process of education, so that the
child succeeds in the situations in which it occurs. If a child goes
through the process of gaining dominion over itself in its actions,
it is also a process of becoming independent. When a child is
able to do the activity itself, then the caregiver may consider it a
success. The educational intention is of a long-term nature and
framing the whole educational activity of the caregiver. It is
beneficial for the caregiver to subordinate his / her educational
activity to the intended educational purpose, as it will gradually
direct it to individual steps that will not be random, but will
create a certain sequenced system. Educational goals that are in
line with the intention and vice versa, are related to the
educational goal. Educating is a professional activity - a
thoughtful, targeted, deliberate, systematic, continual action,
taking place in accordance with certain strategies, that excludes
randomness, unpreparedness, diversion from goals, intentions
and inconsistency. The educating process should be planned,
organized and evaluated (under its full control) by the caregiver.
1.2 Education and educational strategies of parents
Family education is a purposeful activity of a parent focused on
the development of a child's personality. It is an interaction of
the parent and the child, and the behavior of both subjects is
influenced by each participant. Family education is as an
interaction, as a two-way issue, of subjects involved in the
implementation of education. Parental behavior is influenced by
the behavior of the child and vice versa (Thomas, Chess, 1984
In: Fontana, 2010, p. 25). Education in the child's life is reflected
in different ways. It creates conditions for its cultural, character,
and emotional development. The child's parents have a prior
position and a vital role in education. Their attitude towards it is
a phenomenon that determines the style of education, choice, as
well as the effectiveness of educational resources (Ziemska,
1980 In: Žuborová, 2010). Two main dimensions of parents'
behavior are described by Maccoby, Martin (1983 In: Fontana,
2010). Dimension 1 - the opposite of care, demanding and
controlling and not demanding and controlling. Dimension 2 -
Responsive and un-responsive to child-oriented care.
Parent-oriented, that means un-responsive care and rejection.
The combination of these dimensions is the result of four distinct
behavior patterns. Authoritative, authoritarian, indulgent and
neglectful style of education. The authoritative style of education
is characteristic of parents justifying their decisions to their
children. They require adequate behavior from their children,
with regard to their age. Children work with their parents, strive
for the best performance, their behavior is self-inflicting, and at
the same time, peer-friendly. The authoritarian style of education
is characterized by obedience and respect of the child towards
the parent's authority. Parents enforce their power without prior
communication. The child tends to isolate and be aggressive
towards peers, and his/her behavior is non-spontaneous. A
responsive and child-oriented style of education, when parents
require little, is an indulgent style of education. The child is
characterized by irresponsible behavior, inability to rely on
him/herself, immaturity, inability to control his/her own
impulses, tendency to aggressiveness, etc. The neglecting
educational style is applied by parents not interested in their
child - in his/her opinions, feelings. They avoid two-way
communication. Children tend to use drugs, are typical for
moodiness, cannot control their feelings and impulses (Fontana,
2010, p. 23-24). We consider education to be demanding,
because good education is associated with the self-educating
parent. In order to achieve a goal in education, it is necessary to
modify the thinking, behavior and lifestyle of the parent
(Rovňaková, 2001 In: Tománek, 2012, p. 100). Education in the
family is only marginally studied by Slovak pedagogy. We agree
with Ondrejkovič and consider it a paradox, because the family
is a prior socializing agent and constitutes the basic cell of the
world we live in (Ondrejkovič, 2008, p. 561). Educating children
should be a prior task for their parents, because they are
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