Dangers for children as perceived by students in pedagogical training at universities

Abstract

Introduction. In the modern world, dangers for children are expanded. The opposition of the family, society, and the state to threats to children’s safety is a necessary condition for the survival of humanity in a world replete with various risks to life, health, etc. Therefore, identifying students’ ideas about the dangers for children is relevant. Enriching scientific views on the issue will allow taking these ideas into account when developing the content of professional training for students and, ultimately, ensuring children’s safety. The study aims to identify the ideas university students have about the dangers for children and the significance of these dangers. Methodology and methods. 120 students of Yelets State University of Bunin took part in the survey. Closed questionnaires were processed with the help of calculation of percentages between different answers, for which the frequency of occurrence for certain answers was calculated; ranking (distribution of quantitative indicators of dangers types according to the degree of their importance for respondents). Results. The degrees of dangers significance of the were identified: 1st – 23%-40% of answers (fire, the COVID-19 pandemic, attack by a person or group of people, grandparents deliberately diminishing the parents’ status in the eyes of the child, injuries from younger children in the family, bullying by an older child, infection during school meals); 2nd – 22%-32% of answers (food contamination, oncology, terrorist attacks, military operations, drugs and chemicals, injuries in physical education); 3rd – 21%-31% of answers (epidemics, air pollution, heart disease, circulatory diseases, risk of complications of COVID 19, memory processes decline due to using computer/smartphone, lack of control over the child, infections). Coinciding ideas of students under and over 20 were differentiated: complete coincidence – 45%, partial coincidence – 50%, occasional coincidence – 5%. Conclusion. The results will allow improved selection and implementation of professional training for students of pedagogical and psychological-pedagogical education, which will serve in the future to ensure the safety of children