Convergent and Divergent Aspects of Social Work and Social Pedagogy

Abstract

The study in hand aims to identify convergent and divergent aspects of social work and social pedagogy through the means of content analysis and comparison. The research sample consists of scientific and specialised texts written in Slovak, Czech, German, and English with emphasis on defining both disciplines and prioritizing the Slovak and Czech language area. The study identifies convergent and divergent aspects of social work and social pedagogy as two unique disciplines and professions. The authors incline towards the view that social pedagogy is more theoretical and general, while social work is a practical and applied science. However, intensive mutual cooperation is equally important for both disciplines aiming primarily at preventing socially pathological phenomena in society and thus leading to a healthy physical, psychological and social development of the individual.

Keywords

• divergence
• convergence
• social functioning
• social pedagogy
• social work