SZABOVÁ – ŠÍROVÁ, Lea. 2015. Social Andragogy. Theoretical, Empirical and Practical Aspects. Bratislava: Comenius University in Bratislava. 222 pp. ISBN 978-80-223-3752-6.
Social andragogy is a relatively young scientific discipline; prior to the publication of this work, the topic was also addressed by C. Határ in the publication Social Andragogy. Chapters from the Theory and Methodology of Social-Educational Care for Adults (2012). As a practitioner, I was pleased with the new monograph, which brought much inspiration for my work, as I describe at the end of the review.
The author's aim in addressing the issues of social andragogy is "to contribute to the systematization of knowledge in this area, to deepen the current understanding of this relatively new andragogical subdiscipline, in accordance with the needs of further development of andragogical science and in the interest of legitimizing social andragogy as a scientific subdiscipline" (p. 12).
The publication is the result of several years of work by the author. The monograph is divided into seven chapters.
In the first, "Subject, Methodological Orientation and Main Concepts of Social Andragogy," she discusses the subject of andragogy, compares definitions from Slovak and foreign authors, points out the social functions of andragogy, presents it as a scientific discipline, a study focus within the field of andragogy, and a practical activity. She describes the relationships between social andragogy, social pedagogy and social work, listing common and distinctive features from various perspectives. She addresses the main concepts of social andragogy, such as adulthood, socialization, resocialization, education, self-education, social learning of adults, as well as social environment, social problem, and social assistance for adults.
In the second chapter, "Target Groups of Social-Educational Work with Adults," she clarifies who the target groups of social-educational work with adults are, what their typological characteristics are, and how social-educational work with adults is specialized.
The third chapter, "Social Competences of Adults as Goals of Social-Educational Intervention," explains the concepts of competence, capability, key qualifications, defines social competence from a social-andragogical perspective, and points out ways in which social competences can be developed.
In the fourth chapter, "Social-Andragogical Intervention," the author presents the stages of social intervention, characterizes selected professional activities of social assistance for adults based on Act No. 448/2008 Coll. on Social Services, methods of social-educational intervention, and methods of educational work with adults in addressing social problems.
In the fifth chapter, "Institutions of Social Assistance for Adults from the Perspective of Social Andragogy," she describes the current state of theoretical elaboration of the institutionalization of social-educational work with adults, the legislative framework for the institutionalization of social assistance for adults, and a typology of institutions providing social assistance for adults.
The sixth chapter, "Social Andragogues and Their Application in the Practice of Solving Social Problems," reflects on the characteristics of the social andragogue profession, focusing on the development and framework of professional competences of social andragogues.
In the seventh and final chapter, "Examples of Educational Practice in Selected Areas of Social Assistance for Adults," the author acquaints us with the resocialization of abstaining addicts, the education of persons serving a prison sentence, and psychiatric rehabilitation.
The author's perspective on the issue is based on a very broad range of professional information. She supports her views with comparisons to other experts (both Slovak and foreign) on the subject. The book has a pleasant format and a witty cover illustration.
The knowledge from this publication helped me in preparing social-educational activities and activities related to the social rehabilitation of social service recipients in a social service facility for adults. The knowledge presented in the book can be an inspiration not only for professionals in pedagogy and andragogy, students of these programs, but also for practitioners working with adults in situations that require social-educational intervention.
Mgr. Miroslava Debnáriková Department of Pedagogy, Faculty of Education, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra