Jana Straková
Biographic Data
| ID | 5741101 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Jana Straková |
| GIVEN NAMES | Jana |
| FAMILY NAME | Straková |
| SIGNATURE | STRAKOVÁ J |
| AFFILIATIONS | Charles University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-1057-8864 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 27 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 17 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2003 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Breakfast clubs in the Czech Republic
This study examines the implementation of breakfast clubs across all the Czech schools that opted for this intervention under an EU-funded programme aimed at supporting socio-economically disadvantaged students. Schools were given the flexibility to tailor the programme to local needs. Using a combination of inductive and deductive content analysis of school reports, we found a shift in focus from nutrition to broader educational, socialisation, …
What Do They Really Want? Limitations of Research Investigating Parents' Demands for Quality Compulsory Education
The study analyses the challenges in identifying parents' preferences regarding quality compulsory education for their children.The first part presents findings from two quantitative surveys conducted on representative samples (N = 961, 1,739) of parents of preschool and school-aged children.Based on an analysis of data obtained from 26 in-depth interviews with middle-class parents, the study then illustrates four key factors that need to be cons…
Why do teachers leave schools? Evidence from lower secondary schools in the Czech Republic
Purpose This study aims to supplement the international knowledge on factors determining retention in the teaching profession with findings from the Czech Republic. The study aims to answer the question of what factors on the part of schools and teachers are related to teachers’ decision to leave the teaching profession, either temporarily or permanently. It also examines the differences between teachers at the beginning and end of their professi…
The Effect of Different Secondary School Tracks on Cognitive and Non-cognitive Learning Outcomes - the Application of the Propensity Score Matching Method to Longitudinal Data
Available statistics and research show that there are large differences in the content and conditions of education and the socio-economic composition of students between the tracks offered in the Czech secondary school system (the vocational track, technical track, and academic track).The graduates of these different tracks show large differences in educational outcomes, including noncognitive outcomes such as motivation to study, self-concept, a…
Implicit Sense of Academic Futility
Vocational and professional training tracks can be a good option for many adolescents, many of whom enter these programs with a sometimes hidden burden of negative experiences and attitudes to school. This paper explores the sense of academic futility in future VET students at the end of lower secondary education. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 25 Czech students in which they described their experiences from lower secondary school, we fou…
The relationship between academic futility and the achievement of upper secondary students. Evidence from the Czech Republic
Research shows that the concept of academic futility is promising for studying the mechanisms that cause differences in educational outcomes in general and vocational programmes. The aim of this paper is to test the hypothesis that in the Czech Republic, a country with one the largest VET sectors in Europe, the worse achievement of students in vocational programmes can also be explained by academic futility, and to explore the relationship betwee…
Mandatory Home Education During the Covid-19 Lockdown in the Czech Republic
Schools have been closed in many countries due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, but education continues online. Little is known about how parents cope with educating their children in this unprecedented situation. Here, we present the results of a rapid survey examining the experience of Czech parents of children in Grades 1-9 (Age ~ 6-15; N = 9,810) with respect to home education home during the COVID-19 lockdown. This survey was distributed w…
Testing the Concept of academic futility in Czech secondary education
International research shows that the concept of academic futility is a promising one for studying the mechanisms that cause differences in educational outcomes in general and vocational secondary school programmes. Given that there are large differences between general and vocational programmes in the Czech education system, in terms of the content of education, the conditions of education, student composition, and learning outcomes, it is impor…
The Impact of Teacher Attitudes on Student Achievement
Educational effectiveness research has demonstrated the importance of teacher beliefs and attitudes for student learning. Beliefs strongly determine teachers' thoughts and actions and they ultimately influence student achievement, even though they may do so indirectly. In order to change people's practices and behaviours, it is necessary to first change their beliefs. Studies of beliefs and attitudes draw on a variety of concepts. This study expl…
Factors affecting the transition of fifth graders to the academic track in the Czech Republic
The Czech education system is characterised by early tracking and high educational inequalities. The most controversial element of the system is the academic track, which is attended by students after the completion of primary school. The paper focuses on fifth graders’ application process and their success in entrance examinations. The process is examined by binary logistic regression and descriptive analyses of the data collected in the Trends …
Structural embeddedness of students’ professional expectations
We compare the role of gender, socioeconomic background and measured ability on students’ secondary school placement and professional expectations in Taiwan and the Czech Republic, two countries that have experienced substantial reforms in their educational systems in the context of political change and economic development. Using data from the international PISA 2006 survey of 15-year-olds, our analysis reveals that Czech academic upper-secondar…
Primary School Choice in the Czech Republic and Related Factors
The influence of family background on educational attainment in the Czech Republic is strong compared to other countries internationally and there is great variation in the composition and academic performance of students between schools. Research to date has focused primarily on this issue in reference to multi-year gymnasia. This article concentrates on variation at the primary-school level, on which there are only limited empirical data availa…
The Value-Added of Studying at Multi-year Gymnasia in the Light of Available Data Sources
The results of students at different basic and secondary schools vary largely in the Czech Republic compared to other countries, and there is a strong connection between the results of students and family background. The Czech education system is also highly stratified, and student tracking begins at a young age. In this respect the most controversial element in the system are the multi-year gymnasia, the existence of which is nonetheless strongl…
The Impact of the Structure of the Education System on the Development of Educational Inequalities in the Czech Republic
The aim of this paper is to explore the impact of the structure of the Czech education system on the development of the relationship between a student's achievement and his/her family background. It compares the strength of the relationship between student achievement and a student's family background in various stages of his/her education career (grades 4, 8 and 10) in the Czech Republic and in systems without early tracking that also exhibit hi…
Gender Differences in the Czech Republic from the Perspective of International Large-Scale Surveys
In the last ten years, the Czech Republic participated in numerous international comparative studies measuring knowledge and skills of school children in various subject areas. The studies have brought a lot of notable information on gender differences in student outcomes. Unfortunately, these findings met very limited attention of the Czech society and educational policymakers. The aim of this article is to summarize key findings about gender di…
The role of the family and the school in the reproduction of educational inequalities in the post‐Communist Czech Republic
Among the more relevant questions in educational research is how the governments and policy‐makers in transition countries address the high educational inequality inherited from the past and what policies they develop in order to reduce the strong effects of the background family and the type of school on students' achievements, their aspirations and their chances of succeeding in the most important educational transitions. This paper addresses o…
The Role of the Family and the School in the Reproduction of Educational Inequalities. A Sociological Look at the Role of Multi-year Gymnasia in the Context of the Results of the Pisa 2000 Study
International studies indicate that one of the biggest problems that educational policy in the majority of post-communities countries must confront is the very strong influence that social background has on the study results of students, their educational aspirations, and consequently even their chances of continuing in studies upon completion of secondary school. This paper addresses the causes behind the high degree of social selectivity in Cze…
The Impact of the Structure of the Education System on the Development of Educational Inequalities in the Czech Republic
The aim of this paper is to explore the impact of the structure of the Czech education system on the development of the relationship between a student's achievement and his/her family background. It compares the strength of the relationship between student achievement and a student's family background in various stages of his/her education career (grades 4, 8 and 10) in the Czech Republic and in systems without early tracking that also exhibit hi…
Primary School Choice in the Czech Republic and Related Factors
The influence of family background on educational attainment in the Czech Republic is strong compared to other countries internationally and there is great variation in the composition and academic performance of students between schools. Research to date has focused primarily on this issue in reference to multi-year gymnasia. This article concentrates on variation at the primary-school level, on which there are only limited empirical data availa…
The role of the family and the school in the reproduction of educational inequalities in the post‐Communist Czech Republic
Among the more relevant questions in educational research is how the governments and policy‐makers in transition countries address the high educational inequality inherited from the past and what policies they develop in order to reduce the strong effects of the background family and the type of school on students' achievements, their aspirations and their chances of succeeding in the most important educational transitions. This paper addresses o…
The relationship between academic futility and the achievement of upper secondary students. Evidence from the Czech Republic
Research shows that the concept of academic futility is promising for studying the mechanisms that cause differences in educational outcomes in general and vocational programmes. The aim of this paper is to test the hypothesis that in the Czech Republic, a country with one the largest VET sectors in Europe, the worse achievement of students in vocational programmes can also be explained by academic futility, and to explore the relationship betwee…
Factors affecting the transition of fifth graders to the academic track in the Czech Republic
The Czech education system is characterised by early tracking and high educational inequalities. The most controversial element of the system is the academic track, which is attended by students after the completion of primary school. The paper focuses on fifth graders’ application process and their success in entrance examinations. The process is examined by binary logistic regression and descriptive analyses of the data collected in the Trends …
Structural embeddedness of students’ professional expectations
We compare the role of gender, socioeconomic background and measured ability on students’ secondary school placement and professional expectations in Taiwan and the Czech Republic, two countries that have experienced substantial reforms in their educational systems in the context of political change and economic development. Using data from the international PISA 2006 survey of 15-year-olds, our analysis reveals that Czech academic upper-secondar…
The Value-Added of Studying at Multi-year Gymnasia in the Light of Available Data Sources
The results of students at different basic and secondary schools vary largely in the Czech Republic compared to other countries, and there is a strong connection between the results of students and family background. The Czech education system is also highly stratified, and student tracking begins at a young age. In this respect the most controversial element in the system are the multi-year gymnasia, the existence of which is nonetheless strongl…
The Role of the Family and the School in the Reproduction of Educational Inequalities. A Sociological Look at the Role of Multi-year Gymnasia in the Context of the Results of the Pisa 2000 Study
International studies indicate that one of the biggest problems that educational policy in the majority of post-communities countries must confront is the very strong influence that social background has on the study results of students, their educational aspirations, and consequently even their chances of continuing in studies upon completion of secondary school. This paper addresses the causes behind the high degree of social selectivity in Cze…
The Effect of Different Secondary School Tracks on Cognitive and Non-cognitive Learning Outcomes - the Application of the Propensity Score Matching Method to Longitudinal Data
Available statistics and research show that there are large differences in the content and conditions of education and the socio-economic composition of students between the tracks offered in the Czech secondary school system (the vocational track, technical track, and academic track).The graduates of these different tracks show large differences in educational outcomes, including noncognitive outcomes such as motivation to study, self-concept, a…
Testing the Concept of academic futility in Czech secondary education
International research shows that the concept of academic futility is a promising one for studying the mechanisms that cause differences in educational outcomes in general and vocational secondary school programmes. Given that there are large differences between general and vocational programmes in the Czech education system, in terms of the content of education, the conditions of education, student composition, and learning outcomes, it is impor…
Gender Differences in the Czech Republic from the Perspective of International Large-Scale Surveys
In the last ten years, the Czech Republic participated in numerous international comparative studies measuring knowledge and skills of school children in various subject areas. The studies have brought a lot of notable information on gender differences in student outcomes. Unfortunately, these findings met very limited attention of the Czech society and educational policymakers. The aim of this article is to summarize key findings about gender di…
The Role of the Family and the School in the Reproduction of Educational Inequalities. A Sociological Look at the Role of Multi-year Gymnasia in the Context of the Results of the Pisa 2000 Study
International studies indicate that one of the biggest problems that educational policy in the majority of post-communities countries must confront is the very strong influence that social background has on the study results of students, their educational aspirations, and consequently even their chances of continuing in studies upon completion of secondary school. This paper addresses the causes behind the high degree of social selectivity in Cze…
The role of the family and the school in the reproduction of educational inequalities in the post‐Communist Czech Republic
Among the more relevant questions in educational research is how the governments and policy‐makers in transition countries address the high educational inequality inherited from the past and what policies they develop in order to reduce the strong effects of the background family and the type of school on students' achievements, their aspirations and their chances of succeeding in the most important educational transitions. This paper addresses o…
Gender Differences in the Czech Republic from the Perspective of International Large-Scale Surveys
In the last ten years, the Czech Republic participated in numerous international comparative studies measuring knowledge and skills of school children in various subject areas. The studies have brought a lot of notable information on gender differences in student outcomes. Unfortunately, these findings met very limited attention of the Czech society and educational policymakers. The aim of this article is to summarize key findings about gender di…
The Impact of the Structure of the Education System on the Development of Educational Inequalities in the Czech Republic
The aim of this paper is to explore the impact of the structure of the Czech education system on the development of the relationship between a student's achievement and his/her family background. It compares the strength of the relationship between student achievement and a student's family background in various stages of his/her education career (grades 4, 8 and 10) in the Czech Republic and in systems without early tracking that also exhibit hi…
The Value-Added of Studying at Multi-year Gymnasia in the Light of Available Data Sources
The results of students at different basic and secondary schools vary largely in the Czech Republic compared to other countries, and there is a strong connection between the results of students and family background. The Czech education system is also highly stratified, and student tracking begins at a young age. In this respect the most controversial element in the system are the multi-year gymnasia, the existence of which is nonetheless strongl…
Primary School Choice in the Czech Republic and Related Factors
The influence of family background on educational attainment in the Czech Republic is strong compared to other countries internationally and there is great variation in the composition and academic performance of students between schools. Research to date has focused primarily on this issue in reference to multi-year gymnasia. This article concentrates on variation at the primary-school level, on which there are only limited empirical data availa…
Factors affecting the transition of fifth graders to the academic track in the Czech Republic
The Czech education system is characterised by early tracking and high educational inequalities. The most controversial element of the system is the academic track, which is attended by students after the completion of primary school. The paper focuses on fifth graders’ application process and their success in entrance examinations. The process is examined by binary logistic regression and descriptive analyses of the data collected in the Trends …
Structural embeddedness of students’ professional expectations
We compare the role of gender, socioeconomic background and measured ability on students’ secondary school placement and professional expectations in Taiwan and the Czech Republic, two countries that have experienced substantial reforms in their educational systems in the context of political change and economic development. Using data from the international PISA 2006 survey of 15-year-olds, our analysis reveals that Czech academic upper-secondar…
The Impact of Teacher Attitudes on Student Achievement
Educational effectiveness research has demonstrated the importance of teacher beliefs and attitudes for student learning. Beliefs strongly determine teachers' thoughts and actions and they ultimately influence student achievement, even though they may do so indirectly. In order to change people's practices and behaviours, it is necessary to first change their beliefs. Studies of beliefs and attitudes draw on a variety of concepts. This study expl…
Mandatory Home Education During the Covid-19 Lockdown in the Czech Republic
Schools have been closed in many countries due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, but education continues online. Little is known about how parents cope with educating their children in this unprecedented situation. Here, we present the results of a rapid survey examining the experience of Czech parents of children in Grades 1-9 (Age ~ 6-15; N = 9,810) with respect to home education home during the COVID-19 lockdown. This survey was distributed w…
Testing the Concept of academic futility in Czech secondary education
International research shows that the concept of academic futility is a promising one for studying the mechanisms that cause differences in educational outcomes in general and vocational secondary school programmes. Given that there are large differences between general and vocational programmes in the Czech education system, in terms of the content of education, the conditions of education, student composition, and learning outcomes, it is impor…
The relationship between academic futility and the achievement of upper secondary students. Evidence from the Czech Republic
Research shows that the concept of academic futility is promising for studying the mechanisms that cause differences in educational outcomes in general and vocational programmes. The aim of this paper is to test the hypothesis that in the Czech Republic, a country with one the largest VET sectors in Europe, the worse achievement of students in vocational programmes can also be explained by academic futility, and to explore the relationship betwee…
Implicit Sense of Academic Futility
Vocational and professional training tracks can be a good option for many adolescents, many of whom enter these programs with a sometimes hidden burden of negative experiences and attitudes to school. This paper explores the sense of academic futility in future VET students at the end of lower secondary education. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 25 Czech students in which they described their experiences from lower secondary school, we fou…
The Effect of Different Secondary School Tracks on Cognitive and Non-cognitive Learning Outcomes - the Application of the Propensity Score Matching Method to Longitudinal Data
Available statistics and research show that there are large differences in the content and conditions of education and the socio-economic composition of students between the tracks offered in the Czech secondary school system (the vocational track, technical track, and academic track).The graduates of these different tracks show large differences in educational outcomes, including noncognitive outcomes such as motivation to study, self-concept, a…
Why do teachers leave schools? Evidence from lower secondary schools in the Czech Republic
Purpose This study aims to supplement the international knowledge on factors determining retention in the teaching profession with findings from the Czech Republic. The study aims to answer the question of what factors on the part of schools and teachers are related to teachers’ decision to leave the teaching profession, either temporarily or permanently. It also examines the differences between teachers at the beginning and end of their professi…
Breakfast clubs in the Czech Republic
This study examines the implementation of breakfast clubs across all the Czech schools that opted for this intervention under an EU-funded programme aimed at supporting socio-economically disadvantaged students. Schools were given the flexibility to tailor the programme to local needs. Using a combination of inductive and deductive content analysis of school reports, we found a shift in focus from nutrition to broader educational, socialisation, …
What Do They Really Want? Limitations of Research Investigating Parents' Demands for Quality Compulsory Education
The study analyses the challenges in identifying parents' preferences regarding quality compulsory education for their children.The first part presents findings from two quantitative surveys conducted on representative samples (N = 961, 1,739) of parents of preschool and school-aged children.Based on an analysis of data obtained from 26 in-depth interviews with middle-class parents, the study then illustrates four key factors that need to be cons…
Psychology (15 works) · Czech (13 works) · Global Educational Reforms and Inequalities (12 works) · Mathematics education (10 works) · Pedagogy (9 works) · Political science (9 works) · School Choice and Performance (8 works) · Diverse Education Studies and Reforms (7 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Mathematics (5 works)