Sustainable Social Pedagogy in the V4

Project V4 brings together universities from Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia with the shared ambition of enhancing the quality and social relevance of bachelor′s programmes in Social Pedagogy. The project is based on close cooperation between academics and students who, through a comparative curriculum review, expert interviews, and a student survey, jointly co-create improvements aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 5 – Gender Equality, SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities, and SDG 13 – Climate Action. Key outputs of the project include a comparative report, open-access toolkits, and an international conference in Ostrava aimed at disseminating results and strengthening cross-border collaboration.

The main goal of the project is to provide a solid foundation for innovating and enhancing bachelor′s programmes in Social Pedagogy across the V4, drawing on curriculum comparison and the insights of students and academics, so that programmes systematically embed SDG 5, SDG 10, and SDG 13, and reinforce their academic and societal relevance.

In Phase 1, the consortium identifies similarities and differences across four V4 programmes through content analysis of curricular documents and thematic analysis of interviews with programme academics, with particular attention to programme aims, graduate profiles, the core curriculum, and the integration of the selected SDGs.

Phase 2 follows with a survey of at least 300 students across partner programmes to assess how strongly they perceive SDG-related topics in teaching, their willingness to assume professional responsibility towards society and the environment, and their self-assessed readiness to act in line with sustainability principles; the results are statistically analysed to complement Phase 1 findings and guide the design of toolkits and curriculum innovation.

In Phase 3, the project ensures academic visibility and national uptake by publishing one consortium peer-reviewed article and four programme-specific articles, developing practice-ready toolkits grounded in the project outputs and national good practices, and sharing these at an international workshop within the V4 conference framework; it culminates in an international conference in Ostrava to disseminate key outputs, discuss adoption plans, and build cross-border networks.

Updated: 15. 01. 2026