Management of the Department of Social Pedagogy:

Head of the Department: Prof. dr. Edina Vejo

Secretary of the Department: senior assistant. M.Sc. Azemina Durmic

Contact address:

Department of Social Pedagogy, IPF University in Zenica

Prof. Juraj Neidhart 15

72000 Zenica

Phone/fax: 00 387 32 402-919

From ac. 2005/06. year exists Department of Social Pedagogy as a kind of contribution to the foundation of the criterion of contemporary legitimacy of science as the art of intervening in practice.

The construction of such a study department intensifies the integration of the corpus of program content, so far rarely combined in our circumstances and extremely present in the modern world, whose reference sciences are theology, but also pedagogy, psychology, pedagogy, penology.

The study department of social pedagogy is a clear confirmation of the thesis about the criterion of contemporary legitimacy of science as the art of intervention in practice.

The construction of such a study department intensifies the integration of the corpus of program content, so far rarely combined in our circumstances and extremely present in the modern world, whose reference sciences are theology, but also pedagogy, psychology, pedagogy, penology.

The inter-subject correlation is noticeable at the level of creating the subject-plan and program structure, and it is also projected at the level of the concrete implementation of teaching, the creation of textbooks, and theoretical-scientific reflection in general.

The process of creating the subject-plan structure of the Study and designing the program content is based on insights about the nature of social pedagogy studies in Croatia, Austria, which is closest to us, and on significant experiences gained during consultation with a wide circle of experts: university professors, pedagogues in schools, social workers, psychologists. engaged in centers for prevention, treatment and resocialization support. The core of these experiences is abstracted through the thesis about the necessity of integral, social pedagogue-compatible competence of sophisticated professional knowledge and a stable value concept.

At the Department of Social Pedagogy, there is a very intense intention to promote the scientific-research basis of treating social-pedagogical phenomena. With this aim, three scientific and professional conferences with international participation "System for preventing social exclusion of young people", three round tables and one international congress of students of Social Pedagogy in Bosnia and Herzegovina were organized.

Conceptual focus of the first conference: Growing up problems, brought to almost epidemiological frequency, are manifested through an unacquired sense of the meaning of life, signs of depression, PTSD, violence, addiction diseases, criminogenic behavior (continuum of intensity of social exclusion from symptoms to syndromes to disorders) are apparently individual problems and strongly warn about the social background. The modern scientific approach to this area is not blind to the social dimension of the problem and focuses on the role of the environmental context in the construction of the prevention system and the creation of resocialization methods.

The tasks of the Conference were:

• to strengthen the social and scientific tendency to move from the curative discourse, identifying and reacting to problems to the preventive discourse, which was directed towards the strength in the individual and his environment,
• to set a binding systemic construction of continuous development of the idea of prevention of social exclusion of young people in our everyday reality,
• develop social-pedagogical sensitivity towards the area of shaping social relations, for example, mark the most significant problems and start the research process of creating studies, as recommendations for improving social relations (social-health, educational aspect...)

 The conceptual focus of the second conference was founded by the following elements:

• Shaping the talk about the prevention of social exclusion of young people into the desired construction of the system (defining levels, goals and responsibilities at all levels of functioning). Hence, the name of last year's Conference has been retained, because we believe that the contours of the system have not yet been conceived in the treatment of the conference's research problem in Bosnian society.
• Following the logic of understanding the spectrum of prevention, in the area of primary prevention we can talk about universal, selective and indicated prevention. While last year's conference project was situated in the area of universal prevention, this year's project is dominated by the intention to contribute to the illumination of the area of selective prevention.
• Papers for the Collection were collected with a double effort - to provide contemporary, internationally referenced, scientifically relevant insights into the knowledge and practice of preventing behavioral disorders, but also to testify to the culturally distinctive sensitivity to the problem, characteristic of our culture.
• The conference project was guided by an effort to establish harmony between theory and practice. With that intention, the application dimension, the benefits of the Conference, was defined. In this spirit, the 'round table', conceived as an incentive for the interactive dimension of the Conference, was gathered around its working title 'Contribution to the process of professionalization of the call of the social pedagogue in Bosnia and Herzegovina'.

The third conference represents a component in the continuum of the professional-research approach that is aimed at understanding and setting strategies for the prevention of behavioral disorders and risky behaviors of children and young people from universal prevention (1st conference, April 2006, aimed at the entire population, with the aim of empowering the individual and the community), via selective prevention (2nd conference, November, 2008, aimed at individuals and groups with higher than average risks of developing behavioral disorders), to indicated prevention (3rd conference, April, 2010, which is aimed at risky individuals, groups, with at least a minimal sign of some form of behavioral disorder registered).

The conference goals were:

• developing the capacity of social-pedagogical knowledge in the function of its participation in the field of prevention of behavioral disorders and risky behaviors, as well as knowledge from prevention science in general;
• affirmation of the program as a model of coping, action and evaluation of prevention activities;
• community empowerment in the art of organizing prevention.

The first international congress of students of Social Pedagogy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose organizers were the Association of Social Pedagogues, the Department of Social Pedagogy and the Student Center of the University of Zenica, professionally and researchly asked:

• trends in the development of social pedagogy in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the surrounding area;
• study departments, student practice and research projects developed within the framework of Social Pedagogy studies in the countries of the region and beyond, in the context of strengthening the competencies of social pedagogues;
• the Bologna process: advantages and disadvantages of ideas and implementation;
• experiences of related professional associations.

SCIENTIFIC ACTION PROJECTS IN THE COMMUNITY

Among the action programs in the community, we single out: the extended professional procedure program (implemented in Zenica elementary schools), the scientific-action project "Quality Parenting Program" implemented in Zenica kindergartens.

Program of extended professional procedure

The program of extended professional procedure is a model of socio-pedagogical prevention work with children of elementary school age who manifest risky behaviors. It is aimed at early identification of risky behavior and early intervention in each individual case, thus preventing the intensification of risky behavior. In professional literature, we find examples of 'framework program', while each individual program, developed in a specific school, follows the logic of an 'executive program' appropriate to the distinctive identity of the specific school.

The program of extended professional procedure belongs to the indicated preventive action, so it represents educational support for children and young people who exhibit risky behaviors. What do we mean by the syntagmatic construct 'risky behaviour'?

In the area of defining risky behaviors, there are strong, almost paradigmatic turns, partly conditioned by the contemporary, postmodern sensibility in general, including in science. Previously, there was a dominant tendency to classify emotional and behavioral disorders, situate them typologically, and react to the type of disorder. The postmodern tendency is to react to personal difficulties (shifting the center of gravity from the medical to the socio-pedagogical model). Postmodern principles of understanding risky behaviors such as diversity, specificity and irregularity are followed by two classifications: DMS-IV and Achenbach's classification (Elklind, 1998). Sensitivity to abnormality in the understanding of risky behaviors manifests itself, for example. in Slovenia, where there are serious demands for complex research into the incidence and causes of behavior and personality disorders, because new manifestations of the disorder have appeared (Krajnčan, Šlofek, 2000).

The following activities were realized within the program: education of the students implementing the Program; conducting research on risky behaviors in experimental and control schools, implementation and constant evaluation of the Program, final evaluation, processing and interpretation of the results, and writing the final research report.

"The program quality of parenthood"

The scientific-action project of creation, realization and evaluation of the "Quality Parenting Program" for parents whose children stay in the Preschool Education Zenica is situated in the area of universal prevention, specifically, investment in the quality of life developed through the education of parents. The project's intention is to support the family to perform its function with quality and substance.

The theoretical conceptualization of the project is derived from Bronfenbrenner's ecological assumptions, according to which the social context of an individual's interactions and experiences determines the degree to which a personality can develop its capacities.

The basic form of working with families in this project was parent meetings that developed their goals:

• Education - imparting knowledge to parents in the field of child rearing. Content and topics are selected that the leaders in the group have estimated are most needed by parents.
• Exchange of experiences – parents mutually comment and evaluate their own experiences in finding and applying various ways of solving certain problems.
• Support of group members - providing mutual support and insight that parents and educators are not the only ones who face problems.
• Reflection and evaluation - by presenting their own problems and ways of solving them and analyzing their actions, parents learn self-perception. They are encouraged to look for new ways to solve problems and change ineffective behaviors.
• The ultimate outcome of the quality parenting program is based on the research finding that family problems are most often reflected in their destructive force precisely on the child. It is difficult for children to develop behavioral disorders, violent behavior, as a consequence of an inappropriate family formative environment.

 At the Department of Social Pedagogy, the study lasts four academic years, i.e. eight semesters. Study is regular and part-time.

The study during the school year lasts thirty weeks, and begins on the first Monday of the month of October. Exams will be organized in three exam periods: January-February, June-July and September, and continuous monitoring of students' progress will be applied in accordance with the ECTS system.

After completing the undergraduate studies, the graduate obtains a diploma in which it will be stated that he has obtained an academic title and a professional title GRADUATE SOCIAL EDUCATOR.

The occupation of social pedagogue is included in the Standard Classification of Occupations in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina under serial number 235107.

Teaching (lectures and exercises) at the undergraduate study at the Department of Social Pedagogy is conducted by professional teachers and associates with appropriate qualifications for teaching and associate positions.

The teaching team for the first cycle (undergraduate study) ac. 2023/2024. you can download HERE.

Social pedagogues have chosen to work with individuals, groups and communities at risk or with already manifested difficulties and problems of social integration. By monitoring and studying changes in the field of behavioral disorders in children, young people and adults, as well as preventing and/or sanctioning these behaviors over the past decades, social pedagogy has moved from a reactive profession and science whose goal was to deal with symptoms of personal and social dysfunction to a proactive profession and science with the aim of encouraging and empowering individuals and society as a whole to function on the principles of satisfying needs and protecting rights.

A social pedagogue is an expert who has the competence to create a system of individually or group-oriented professional procedures, measures and means, i.e. an interdisciplinary, differentiated approach towards individuals, groups, institutions and the community, based on scientific and professional principles and knowledge of social, humanistic and biomedical sciences, which includes (tasks of a social pedagogue):

(a) socio-pedagogical diagnostics - i.e. determination of socio-pedagogical properties and potential of individuals and psychosocial characteristics of groups and organizations for the purpose of explaining and predicting their behavior, finding causes of inefficiency or disorders and planning and implementing socio-pedagogical treatments,

(b) socio-pedagogical treatments and counseling work - that is, procedures intended to protect, maintain and improve the mental health of individuals and groups, and improve the quality of life and work, optimal use of individual potential and improvement of group and organizational effectiveness,

(c) educational activities - which include the training of individuals and groups in mastering general and specific socio-pedagogical knowledge and skills with the aim of acquiring socio-pedagogical education, improving individual effectiveness and effectiveness in working with people,

(d) socio-pedagogical expert research - socio-pedagogical and psychosocial processes and the condition of individuals and groups with the aim of deepening knowledge about the legality of socio-pedagogical activities and the assessment of social needs and the consequences of economic or social initiatives,

(e) socio-pedagogical evaluation – all socio-pedagogical and other procedures and treatments concerning an individual, group or organization and which may have socio-pedagogical consequences.

Competences are acquired upon completion of studies:

• familiarity (developmental characteristics of the individual, individual differences important for learning, learning environment and social interactions, disorders in the behavior of the individual, bio-psycho-social structure of the individual as a basis for the development of behavioral disorders, knowledge of offenses, delinquents, victims of delinquent behavior, criminality as social phenomena, as well as society's reactions to crime);
• understanding (behavioral disorders, processes of stigmatization, marginalization, personal and social violence);
• evaluations (quality of the individual and the social environment, the needs of the individual and the social community).
• professional program activity in the area of prevention, testing and resocialization of risky behaviors and behavioral disorders, with increased sensitivity for children and young people;
• of use in the world of developed and evaluated model of preventive action, primarily aimed at school: Knowledge and drug information model, Affective education model, Social influence model, Life skills Model of drug information, Alternative to drugs.

Department of Social Pedagogy from ac. 2012/2013 works according to the reformed curriculum that you can download HERE.

You can download the old syllabus HERE.

 You can see the innovative curriculum of undergraduate studies at the Department HERE.