Professional Readiness of Elementary School Teachers in Addressing and Preventing Risk Behavior

Abstract

The paper focuses on the personality of a teacher and his role in the primary prevention of the risk behavior. The article presents the partial results of a questionnaire survey that has been carried out in 2017 with 302 teachers at 12 elementary schools and multi-annual high schools as a partial output of the project RRC/08/2016 Professional readiness of primary school teachers for the risk behavior and its prevention in the Moravian-Silesian Region. The aim of the questionnaire survey was to find out about the relevant facts on the current readiness of elementary school teachers for the risk behavior and its prevention from the point of view of the actual teachers. The questionnaire has been designed by the authors of this paper (consisting of 46 scalable items and 7 open items). Only data from scalable items are included in the paper. The majority of teachers are ready to cooperate with their colleagues and other professionals in the field of solution and prevention of the risk behavior. Most of them find the prevention activities beneficial, they incorporate them into their lessons. When looking for a solution to a given problem as well as when practicing prevention activities, the teachers make use of the discussion with students. Although the obtained results might be region-specific, the authors are of the opinion that these can be regarded as relevant and inspiring for the professional and teaching public.