Completed projects

Below, we provide a list of major projects completed by Department of Psychology staff members over the last 10 years.  You can find more information about department staff’s involvement in research projects and about grants received on each staff member’s web page in the People section.

 

Project: Burnout Syndrome of Teachers – Institutional, Relational and Intrapsychic Factors (GACR 16-21302S)

Principal investigator: Doc. Irena Smetáčková, Ph.D.; Prof. Stanislav Štech, CSc.

Project duration: 2016–2018

The project researched burnout syndrome in primary school teachers. By conducting a questionnaire survey (n = 2394) and by analysing case studies in 10 primary schools, we established the extent of teacher burnout and its relationship to job satisfaction, social support and stress coping strategies. The research showed that 19% of teachers exhibited signs of developed or developing burnout and 65% of them were under long-term stress. We present all essential findings about burnout on ucitelskevyhoreni.cz and in the book “Teacher Burnout – Why It Arises and How to Prevent It” (Učitelské vyhoření – proč vzniká a jak se proti němu bránit) prepared by a team of authors consisting of I. Smetáčková, S. Štech, I. Viktorová, V. Pavlas Martanová, V. Francová, and A. Páchová (Portál, 2020) .

 

Project: Legitimizing Stereotypes in Czech society – Verification and Integration of Theoretical Concepts (GACR 14-22000S)

Principal investigator: Doc. PhDr. Karel Hnilica, CSc.

Project duration: 2014–2016

The research strived to answer the following question: How do people use stereotypes about certain social categories to legitimize their position in society? The theoretical starting points of the research include the Stereotype Content Model, Protestant ethics and generalized prejudice. The research group consisted of 800 participants. More information about the project and published outputs are available at: https://starfos.tacr.cz/cs/project/GA14-22000S

 

Project: Reading Comprehension – Typical Development and Associated Risks (GACR 13-20678S, P407)

Principal investigator: PaedDr. PhDr. Anna Kucharská, Ph.D.

Project duration: 2013–2015

The study dealt with one of the key reading literacy skills: reading comprehension. Currently, this topic is researched by examining various paradigms. We focused on the precursors of reading comprehension. In accordance with approaches applied in other countries, we looked for them in children’s cognitive and linguistic abilities and skills. The aim of the project was to describe the dynamics and variability of reading comprehension development in children of normal development, considering internal and external factors, all in Czech as a transparent language. The identified reading comprehension standards were applied to reading literacy at-risk groups – children with specific learning disabilities, specific language impairments, Asperger’s syndrome and poor reading ability – with the aim of understanding the specific characteristics of different problems affecting reading comprehension. To meet the research objectives, research test batteries were designed based on the latest methods applied abroad. Several monographs were published as project outputs. You can learn more about the project here: http://www.eldel.cz/?p=porozumeni-ctenemu

 

Project: Constructs and Practices in the Education of the Gifted: Development of Gifted Children in the Czech Educational Context (GACR P407/11/P512)

Principal investigator: Mgr. Jiří Mudrák, Ph.D.

Project duration: 2011–2013

The aim of the project was to examine the ways in which exceptional talent and its causes are construed in the Czech educational context, how these meanings can shape educational practices used in Czech educational institutions and what impact these constructs and practices may have on the development of specific children who exhibit exceptional achievement potential. The project used qualitative psychology methods. Sub-projects highlighted various qualitative research methods, in particular critical text analysis, ethnographic observations in the classroom and interpretative phenomenological analysis of research interviews. The aims were to understand how different social representations of children’s talent and its causes influence teaching and educational practices used with specific children, reflect on their positive and negative developmental consequences and discuss the implications for teaching practice. For more information about the project and its outputs visit: https://starfos.tacr.cz/cs/project/GPP407%2F11%2FP512

 

Project: Children’s Moral Development in Preschool- and School-Age – Paradigmatic Challenges According to J. Piaget and His Successors (GACR P407/10/0807)

Principal investigator: PhDr. Miroslav Klusák, CSc.

Project duration: 2010–2012

The primary goal and output of the project was the book “Children’s Moral Development in Preschool- and School-Age – Paradigmatic Challenges According to J. Piaget and His Successors”, which presents paradigmatic experiments and their variations. It serves as a source of information for those interested in Piaget’s theory in the Czech Republic – psychologists, educators, teachers.The theoretical work of classifying and organizing paradigmatic experimental tasks and their variations accumulated in the research of children’s development in or on the Piagetian tradition addressed the problem of equilibrium among the concepts of all-inclusive stages – operations – horizontal decalage. The project findings were also prepared for future empirical research into children’s morals in play in categories other than the Piagetian paradigmatic marbles. The conclusions of our previous research on school-age children’s games pointed out the need for this research. More information: https://starfos.tacr.cz/cs/project/GAP407%2F10%2F0807

 

Project: The Family-School Relationship: New Forms of Interaction (GACR 406/09/0910)

Principal investigator: PhDr. Ida Viktorová, Ph.D.

Project duration: 2009–2011

The research maps current forms of contact between families and school. A case study conducted in a Czech school described the features of one-on-one meetings in the context of the overall system of interacting with parents: shifts in the content of communication, intentions and expectations, successes and failures. The project captured the consequences in terms of meanings of education in society. More information about the project and published outputs are available here: https://starfos.tacr.cz/cs/project/GA406%2F09%2F0910

 

Project: The Function of Cultural Models in Education (GACR 406/08/0805)

Principal investigator: Mgr. Markéta Levínská, Ph.D.

Project duration: 2008–2010

The project output is a monograph by anthropologists who belong to the Prague Group of School Ethnography, a group promoting a holistic approach to education and focusing on the education of Roma. From the perspective of cognitive anthropology, it addresses the issue of segregation of Roma pupils within the educational system of the majority population. It identifies the crisis of trust and the process of Roma distantiation as the underlying causes. This attitude affects the priorities that Roma emphasize when socializing their children and builds barriers hindering communication between Roma families and school. Publication available here: https://fhs.cuni.cz/FHS-637-version1-funkce_kulturnich_modelu_ve_vz.pdf

 

Project: School Children’s Games (GACR 406/06/1311)

Principal investigator: PhDr. Miroslav Klusák, CSc.

Project duration: 2006–2008

The aim was to prepare a monograph entitled School Children’s Games: a psychological perspective, but on the ethnographic basis of a collection of games. The monograph was created on the basis of seminar papers supervised over the period of 1995–2001; every year, students visited all grades in primary schools and collected information about social (vs. individual) and traditional and passed-on (vs. invented) games, i.e. game folklore (a total of 78 classes, an average of 21 games). The games were described in terms of structural elements: name; players and other participants; physical and temporal setting; equipment; logical vs. empirical course; rules and points of contention; strategy; variants; similar games; idea, wit or appeal of the game. More information about the project and published outputs are available at:https://starfos.tacr.cz/cs/project/GA406%2F06%2F1311

 

Project: The Structure of Motivation: Internal Links and Ways of Influencing It within the Educational Context (Student Motivation Analysis) (GACR 406/06/0438)

Principal investigator: Doc. Iva Stuchlíková, CSc. (University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Education); Doc. Isabella Pavelková, CSc. (Charles University, Faculty of Education)

Project duration: 2006–2008

 

Project: Text Concept Development in Primary School Children (GACR 406/06/1425)

Principal investigator: PhDr. Ida Viktorová, Ph.D.

Project duration: 2006–2007

 

Project: Education and Its Value from the Roma Perspective (Education as Seen by Roma Mothers) (GACR 406/05/P560)

Principal investigator: Mgr. Markéta Levínská, Ph.D.

Project duration: 2005–2007

 

Project: Educational Programme for Teachers – Educational Counsellors (OP Education for Competitiveness CZ.1.07/1.3.48/02.0013)

Principal investigator: PhDr. Lidmila Valentová, CSc.

Project duration: 2013–2014

 

Project: ESF – www.cteme.eu, KA 3 Coordinator for Diagnosis of Reading Skills in Pupils

Principal investigator: Doc. Anna Kucharská, Ph.D.

Project duration: 2012

 

Project: Development of a Norwegian-Czech Project (Concerning the Prevention of Sexual Harassment in the University Environment) B/CZ0046/3/0042

Principal investigator: PhDr. Irena Smetáčková, Ph.D.

Project duration: 2010

 

Project: Enhancing Literacy Development in European Languages (Seventh Framework Programme; PEOPLE-2007-1-1-ITN Marie Curie Action: Networks for Initial Training)

Principal investigator: PaedDr. PhDr. Anna Kucharská, Ph.D.; Mgr. Gabriela Seidlová Málková, Ph.D.

Project duration: 2008–2012

More about the project: www.eldel.cz

 

Project: Anthropology of Childhood and Youth in the Context of Education (Research objective – MSM 114100002)

Principal investigator: Doc. Stanislav Štech, CSc.

Project duration: 1999–2004