SLADKAYOVÁ, M. 2019. Občianske vzdelávanie dospelých. Banská Bystrica: Belianum. 98 s. ISBN 978-80-557-1535-3.
Change is part of the existence of human society, and with change comes the necessity to continually learn something new. One area of adult education that reflects ongoing and upcoming changes is civic education. We therefore decided to focus attention on a publication that explores the topic of civic education of adults and helps to establish better terminological and theoretical grounding in the Slovak context. The reviewed book is not only a good starting point for students of andragogy and related fields, and for research scientists in the humanities, but it will also help lecturers and cultural-educational workers themselves.
In the introduction, the author emphasizes that andragogy, as a general theory of adult education, is closely interconnected with social practice, and the two complement each other. Therefore, theory must respond to current societal issues. This is also the case with civic education of adults, which is becoming an increasingly key topic not only from the perspective of active engagement in the life of the local community in which adults live, but also in the context of active aging, which is considered a means of developing older adults and responsible preparation for retirement. Civic education thus helps adult participants take a stance on many new situations associated with globalization, such as migration, war conflicts, terrorism, extremism, radicalism, or the spread of disinformation.
In the first chapter of the publication, the author develops a relatively broad terminological overview of the topic of civic education of adults, offers its various characteristics and systemic grounding, and places it in the context of lifelong learning. An interesting section is also its comparison with interest-based education and the highlighting of its particularities and specifics that distinguish it from interest-based and other types of adult education. Based on the above, it can be summarized that we consider civic education to be a separate type of adult education that develops alongside interest-based education within the subsystem of cultural-educational andragogy.
The second chapter of the scholarly work deals with the goals of civic education, which the author defines also on the basis of recognized international documents, underscoring its importance and demonstrating the need for its implementation across all countries of the world. In a separate subchapter, one can find a list of strategic European and Slovak documents that set the direction of civic education of adults in individual regions.
An important part of the work is the third chapter, which discusses the content of civic education of adults. It is evident that it encompasses many topics, which, according to the author, can be classified into the following categories: 1) civic participation and engagement, 2) human rights, 3) support for democracy, 4) European citizenship and the European Union. She also supplements this with the perspectives of Slovak authors, who understand civic education of adults to also include education for citizenship, education for civic life, community and municipal education, and education in public affairs.
The fourth chapter offers an inseparable part of the subject matter, namely the forms and methods of civic education of adults. The author begins their introduction with models of education in local culture, but continues with modern forms of implementing civic education (mentioning service learning, action civics, education through discussion, John Dewey's concept of school as a community, and Paulo Freire's concept of liberating pedagogy). At the end of the chapter, a few examples of good practice are also mentioned.
The author approached the topic holistically, and therefore in the fifth chapter we find the topic of institutional provision of civic education of adults. Here she describes the implementation of civic education in schools, universities, adult education organizations, as well as in public and church institutions. The chapter is suitably complemented by examples of good practice from abroad and a presentation of the system of institutional provision in Germany, Austria, and Denmark.
The scholarly character of the publication is also confirmed by the final, sixth chapter of the work, which summarizes several research findings on civic education of adults. Here we find information about international research (Civic Education Study, International Civic and Citizenship Education Study, etc.), which interestingly complements the part of the work focused on the current state of civic education of adults in Slovakia and new trends.
The seventh chapter is a glossary of basic terms in civic education, which we appreciate especially from the perspective of beginning research workers and students, for whom the definitions provided here can help them better navigate the subject matter.
From all the above, it is clear that this publication holds a unique place in the current landscape of cultural-educational andragogy, as it offers a comprehensive theoretical framework for one of the types of further adult education. It should be appreciated that alongside theories and definitions, the author did not forget about new trends and supplemented the texts with several examples from practice. The overall structure of the publication is clear and logical; the content focus of the chapters follows on from one another or appropriately complements each other. The book can thus be a benefit for research workers, university educators, or civic education lecturers from the third sector, who can find in it the theoretical grounding for their activities.
The reviewed publication has the potential to be a quality resource for a wide range of readers and can lead many deeper into the system of civic education of adults. I recommend opening it to anyone who comes into contact with the target group of adults in their free time with the intention of educating and instructing them.