Parents' attitudes to compulsory preschool education in the Czech Republic and Slovakia

Abstract

The issue of compulsory preschool education in the Czech Republic and Slovakia is a topical one as a result of the obligation to educate children prior to the start of basic school (primary education) being introduced over the past five years. The objective of the research whose results are presented in this study is to ascertain what attitude parents in the Czech Republic and Slovakia have in regard to the compulsory education of their children in the year prior to joining basic school. The research was based on two key concepts, specifically the obligation of educating children prior to joining basic school, and attitude as a relatively enduring evaluation of the object to which it relates. We used a scaled questionnaire of our own construction for data collection, administered via a web interface. In applying a Likert scale, a five-point scale was used, with statements separated into five dimensions. After validation, the research tool comprised 36 items. Convenience sampling was used to set up the research sample. Data collection was implemented in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with the sample incorporating 337 respondents, each of whom had to have at least one child of preschool age. In processing the research data, both core statistical characteristics and a non-parametric Friedman Test were made use of. Calculations were made using the STATISTICA and SPSS programs. The surveyed parents assessed compulsory education a year prior to joining basic school as important, they did not see any exceptional change in the life of the family in the implementation of compulsory preschool education, and they appreciated its benefits for the future educational journey of their children. No fundamental differences were recorded between the attitudes of parents in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The research also showed that it would be useful to look at parents who are not in the mainstream and their children who appear disadvantaged upon joining basic school through the approach of their parents for further research on this issue.