Family-like education model is in guidelines of Vzgojni program in Priloga k vzgojnemu programu for residential care institutions presented as an education with pedagogues of different genders with the purpose of ensuring the ‘natural’ family life and opportunities for the ‘natural identification’.
At the beginning, I start with the critical analysis of before-mentioned assumptions. Critical analysis are based on the theory of social construction of gender. I continue with the analysis of knowledge production in the context of disciplines, relevant to social pedagogy, that is psychoanalysis, social psychology (and its concept of gender roles) and Parsons’ theory of functionalist division of roles.
In the second part I analyze the potential coherence between the discourses of family-like education model on one hand and the needed competences of professional workers, active in residential care institutions on the second. I also analyze the potential legitimacy of family-like education model in terms of potential gender-specific needs of children and youth in residential care institutions.
At the end I analyze the problematic nature of before-mentioned discourses for social pedagogy, which is primarily working with vulnerable individuals and marginalized social groups. In social-pedagogic work the conservatism, traditionalism, noted also in Vzgojni program and Priloga k vzgojnemu programu is seen as limiting factor in realization of otherwise great social-pedagogic potential for transforming and exceeding of existing social inequalities.
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