Implementation of Selected Assumptions of Participatory Management in Creating Safety and Security Promotion in the Polish School

Abstract

Safety and security promotion have been implemented in Polish schools for several decades. However, the effectiveness of these measures raises doubts when analyzing the scale of risky behaviors among children, young people and adults. Statistical analyses conducted by the Police suggest that there is still a lot to do with regard to safety assurance. It was actually those data, along with an analysis of the school programmes of education and prevention that became the motivation to embark on extended research concerning these issues. Owing to the studies conducted in 2018 and 2019, it became possible to obtain the answer to the question: To what extent are the selected assumptions of participatory management considered in the school safety and security promotion? Participation in the educational and preventive programmes in schools was virtually unnoticeable. For this reason, it proved necessary to carry out surveys among teachers and school leavers in order to enable a diagnosis to be made concerning the way of understanding the essence of safety assurance, the scope of the actual participation of pupils in the preventive actions and the evaluation of these actions by teachers and school leavers. An analysis of the data obtained made it possible to formulate recommendations to enable a more comprehensive preparation of teachers and teacher candidates for initiating preventive actions. As it turned out, it was particularly important to include the holistic understanding of safety assurance in curricula for teacher candidates. Elimination of risk factors, which teachers focus on, is equally important as strengthening the factors that protect against risks. Of key importance in this respect is the need for understanding the essence of safety in both positive and negative dimensions. Such an approach, taking account of highquality methodology of classes, is necessary in implementing high-quality safety and security promotion in schools.