Planning Educational Content in School Curriculum Documents: Examples of current practice from pre-schools in the Czech Republic and Slovakia

Th e aim of the research was to analyse the ways in which educational content is planned and taught in selected pre-school educational programmes in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with a focus on the topics, educational objectives, and diff erent approaches to school curriculum design. Methods. Th e fi rst part of the research consisted of a qualitative content analysis of the school educational programmes of 40 pre-schools in the Czech Republic and 40 refl ective reports from the teachers of these pre-schools. Th e research focused on approaches to designing integrated educational blocks in these school educational programmes and on teachers ́ preferences when implementing them in their teaching. Th e second part was undertaken in cooperation with the Faculty of Education of Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia. Research data was obtained by a questionnaire survey among students of distance studies in study programmes preparing preschool teachers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Th e results from the research sample indicated that the chronological approach of integrated educational blocks was the most popular type within pre-schools in both countries. Th e pre-schools designed the educational content according to the season and structured it into weekly themes. Th is approach might not necessarily fulfi l the requirements of the Czech and Slovak national educational programmes in relation to the specifi ed educational content according to the current needs and interests of children. Even though some teachers were often allowed to choose their own topics, the majority of teachers were still required to implement topics specifi ed in the school educational programme. In conclusion, the paper provides a possible outline of the causes of this situation and suggests opportunities for further research.


INTRODUCTION
Czech and Slovak pre-school education developed together for many decades; however, since the early 1990s, they have developed in their own separate ways. During this period, the sharing of experiences and joint research work of academics from Czech and Slovak faculties of education has supported comparative studies in pre-school education and provided solutions to common problems. Th e authors have identifi ed that during their teaching practice it is diffi cult for students to transform the educational content of their School Educational Programme (hereinafter SCHEP) into plans of educational activities at the classroom level. Planning the teaching of the educational content by teachers in training is often not based on the evaluation of children's educational needs and interests, but on fi xed integrated educational blocks (hereinafter IBs) agreed in the SCHEP. IBs are set out in the school curriculum for certain periods of the school year and are specifi ed for all classes of the pre-school. Th e C zech Framework Educational Programme for Pre-School Education (hereinafter FEP PE) and the Slovak State Educational Programme for Pre-Primary Education (hereinafter SEP) support child-centred education, i.e. creating an educational off er and adapting the content to the needs and interests of the children.

IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
Pre-schools are required by FEP PE (2018) to create their own SCHEP, which is mandatory under the Education Act (Act No. 561/2004 Coll.). Th e school principal is responsible for its creation with input from all pedagogical staff (and other employees). FEP PE (2018) defi nes fi ve educational areas, from which IBs are formed at the school level, on the basis of which teachers specify the educational off er at the class level. Th is gives pre-schools the freedom to design IBs in terms of content, scope, quantity, and timing, but they must also be fl exible enough to allow teachers to choose what they will do with children in the classroom and match this to the interests and needs of the children. In this way, the teacher is granted the right to be responsible for the content of pre-school education. It is specifi ed that the SCHEP should not contain too many IBs in order to avoid dilution of the educational content and the SCHEP states the intention and content of IBs, as well as the instructions for their implementation.
FEP PE (2018) does not specify any terms that would indicate when or how IBs should be implemented. Equally, theoretical sources are also silent on this matter (Svobodová, 2010;Šmelová & Prášilová, 2018); they only describe possible options for implementation. Krejčová, Kargerová, and Syslová (2015) worked with the terms linear (chronological) or fl exible in relation to the design of IBs. Other authors accept their terminology (Syslová et al., 2019;Průcha, 2016) to refer to the situation where IBs are implemented in a linear way according to the number of months of the school year (usually, each IB consists of four themes). On the other hand, a fl exible design means that IBs are arranged parallel to each other and teachers use their educational content according to the needs of the children (Krejčová et al., 2015).
Th e research data indicated that these chronological and fl exible approaches do not fully support the range of possibilities for pre-school teachers when designing IBs. As the national curriculum states, "integrated blocks connect their content with each other, complement each other, [and] they can penetrate and pass smoothly into one another" (FEP PE, 2018, p. 30). Th is means that teachers can combine multiple IBs simultaneously when choosing specifi c objectives and contents from more IBs and transform these into the educational content for a specifi c class. For the creation of the SCHEP, pre-school teachers have the use of a manual which provides them with fl exibility for the preparation of the school (class) educational programme of the preschool (Smolíková, 2006).

IN SLOVAKIA
Th e SCHEP is a fundamental document for schools, including pre-schools. It must be drawn up in accordance with the Education Act and with respect to the national educational programmes for each level of the education system (Education Act, 2008). Th e SCHEP enables preschools to use the educational standards from the national educational programme for pre-primary education as the basis for the school curriculum. In this way each pre-school creates its own SCHEP in accordance with its own local conditions and situation and based upon the traditions of pre-schools and matched to knowledge of the children, as well as the home environment they come from. Th ere is no specifi ed educational programme or methodological materials developed for any educational areas.
Th e pre-school can also create its own school curriculum, which should take account of the range of educational standards in accordance with the state educational programme. In the SCHEP the educational content is generally planned in the form of content units, similar to the IB in the Czech Republic. Teachers can adapt the educational content according to the needs and interests of children, as well as other conditions of the pre-school. It is important that the individual topics and sub-topics in the content unit are related to each other. "Th e individual units of content and the context of these and various topics are relatively similar to each other conceptually and have to create space for developing a knowledge system for infants and for establishing, developing, and reinforcing their skills, habits, attitudes. Th ese content units should last for between two weeks and a quarter of the year" (Hajdúková et al., 2009, p. 32). Th e SCHEP is produced for a period of one educational cycle, which is normally three years, and the minimum period is one year. For the purposes of describing the research, we have kept the term 'integrated educational block' (IB), as it also corresponds to the Slovak concept of content units that integrates goals from all educational areas.
Th e aim of the research was to identify the ways in which educational content is planned in selected pre-school educational programmes and what opinions about the approaches to the design of the SCHEP predominate among students who already work as teachers in these pre-schools. Using data from Czech and Slovak students, we compared the current approaches to planning the educational content of SCHEPs in both countries.
Since becoming two independent nations at the beginning of 1993, they have been creating their own methods of improving pre-school education incorporating a child-centred approach. During the last two decades, diff erent approaches to the design of the SCHEP have been a fundamental part of educational reform and so it is important to consider how teachers' methods of planning have evolved during the same period.

METHODS
Th e research was designed as a qualitative-quantitative survey. Th e fi rst part of the research was based upon the qualitative content analysis of school educational programmes and refl ective reports from teachers of 40 pre-schools in the Czech Republic. Th e second part consisted of a questionnaire survey among 121 students of preschool pedagogy in cooperation with the Faculty of Education of Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica (hereinafter FE UMB).
When reviewing the characteristics of IBs, we use the term intention to indicate the educational objectives to prevent confusion between understanding the concept of intent and one of the levels of educational targets. Th e term intention can be understood as the target category, which includes the hierarchy of goals -framework targets, competencies, sub-goals, expected outputs. Th e concept of the topic is well understood by teachers, although the terminology for concepts associated with planning are used inconsistently. A 'thematic unit' is used (Svobodová, 2007;Smolíková, 2005), a 'class block' is used (Smolíková, 2006), a 'thematic part' is used (Syslová et al., 2019), a 'pedagogical project' is used (Burkovičová, 2008), etc. However, we have agreed to use the term 'topic'.

Method of content analysis
In the fi rst part of the research, the intention was to obtain answers to the following research questions: Q1 How are the integrated educational blocks of the SCHEP designed for planning classroom educational activities? Q2 What are the intentions in the integrated educational blocks of the SCHEP? Q3 What topics do the integrated educational blocks in the SCHEP contain? Q4 What are the opinions of pre-school teachers on the design of integrated educational blocks in the SCHEP?
For content analysis of the SCHEP, data was obtained from all second-year distance students of the Master's programme for Pedagogy of Pre-school Age at the Faculty of Education of Charles University in Prague (hereinafter FE UK). Th e students provided the SCHEP from the pre-schools where they worked. Th e content analysis of the SCHEPs was complemented by the content analysis of refl ective reports of the students concerning diff erent ways of designing and implementing IBs in their SCHEPs.
Inductive category creation was applied in the content analysis, which works with both a formative review of the reliability of categories in the middle of the analysis process and a summative review of reliability at the end of analysis. First, the individual parts of both types of document in the data sample were openly coded. Th e codes were created ad hoc, using the MAX-QDA software. Th e individual codes were then grouped into categories, which were then analysed by thematic coding (Flick, 2006(Flick, , in Švaříček & Šeďová, 2014. Th e categorisation of the codes was performed at the level of individual SCHEPs and the corresponding refl ective reports from the teachers. Subsequently, the categories were compared and grouped according to selected criteria corresponding to particular research questions. Th e categories in the analysis included: the explanation of IBs in terms of their implementation period, the design Each student prepared a refl ective report evaluating the SCHEP of the pre-school in which they worked as a teacher. Th e reports ranged from one to three standard pages of continuous text. Th e students evaluated whether the SCHEP agreed with the guidelines for creating a SCHEP formulated in the Manual for Creating the SCHEP (Smolíková, 2006) and discussed how satisfi ed they were with the processing of the SCHEP from the point of view of their own pedagogical experience (conception, design, and implementation of IB, educational topics). and fl exibility of their topics, their target focus, rigidity vs. fl exibility within the IBs in relation to the work of teachers, selfevaluation, and student preferences. An overview of the categories was used in the evaluation of the results. To present the results, we used a graphical representation of the data to ensure the transparency of the evaluation (Miles & Huberman, 1994). Finally, we performed a quantitative evaluation of the data related to the fi rst research question, which we consider a useful complement to the qualitative conclusions (cf. Švaříček & Šeďová, 2014). Th e results of the analysis were communicated to the survey participants and this resulted in the validation of the results with the students and subsequently with colleagues from FE UK.

Questionnaire method
In the second part of the research, the questionnaire survey made it possible to obtain answers to the following research questions: Q5 What approach to designing integrated educational blocks is most common in SCHEPs and which do respondents prefer? Q6 What ways of choosing topics do SCHEPs allow and which are most suitable for planning educational activities in the classroom? Q7 For how long is it appropriate to design plans for educational activities in the classroom? Th e respondents in the research sample all studied in distance programmes preparing pre-school teachers in the Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes in the 2019-2020 academic year at FE UK in Prague, Czech Republic and FE UMB in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia. Th e fi ndings from the data obtained from both partner faculties were then compared.
When planning the survey, it was necessary to understand the school curricula in the two countries, compare the content, and use common terminology, so that the questionnaire could be understood by the Czech and Slovak respondents in the research sample.
Th e respondents also provided information about their current employment in pre-schools. 77% of the Czech respondents had a position as a teacher in a preschool, 8% were currently not working in a pre-school, and 12% held the position of an assistant teacher and 3% were in the position of the head teacher in a preschool. Th e highest percentage of Slovak respondents in the research group was preschool teachers (45%). On the contrary, 37% of the Slovak respondents stated that they did not currently work in any of the above positions in a pre-school. Th e remaining 18% mentioned other positions -assistant teacher in a pre-school (6%), teacher in a primary school (4%), assistant teacher in a primary school (2%), teacher in a primary art school (2%), director of a pre-school (2%), personal assistant (2%). Th e questionnaire consisted of 11 items, of which four contained data on the employment situation of the respondents in the two countries, the school curriculum and their current studies, the length of their teaching practice, and the position in which they work in the pre-school. Th e core of the questionnaire consisted of seven factual items. Th e questions were completed with a choice of answers (including the answer "other", with further specifi cation). Th e respondents were also able to express their opinions in four open questions, related to specifi c diff erences in fl exibility and any specifi c approach to the integrated planning of IBs and work with themes.
Th e questions were created in such a way that they enabled detection of the diff erence between the original form of the SCHEP and what the respondent's opinion was on whether it should be done diff erently. Th e data from the questionnaire was evaluated by statistical analysis of the data (determination of the frequency) and a statistical description was produced.
In the questionnaire survey, we chose basic terminology as we were only interested in the chronological and fl exible type of IBs. Th e reason was clarity for the respondents; use of the term 'chronological' emphasised the time aspect of working with IBs and compliance with their time sequence. We also used the term 'fl exible' because it includes the ability to disregard IBs freely according to the current needs of the teacher.

Results of the content analysis
Research data is important for improving the quality of pre-school education; however, we are aware that it is not possible to generalise the results to the work of pre-schools in the Czech Republic and Slovakia in general. However, the research points to some problems in pedagogical practice which need to be analysed in more detail in future research.

Planning IBs in SCHEPs for classroom educational activities
From the beginning, the diversity of the individual SCHEPs of pre-schools was obvious, so we agreed to assess each SCHEP individually. Th e data analysis has shown that the terms chronological (linear) and fl exible do not cover all the possibilities of how IBs were used within SCHEPs. For this reason, we have proposed three main categories of IB types for the data presentation. In addition to the terms chronological and fl exible, which were used in the questionnaire survey, we identifi ed the term transversal type of IB.
After creating a typology of the SCHEPs that were surveyed using the categories above (Table 4) we wondered how the chronological, fl exible, and transversal types of IBs are represented when considering the diff erent options teachers could use when planning educational activities ( Figure 1).

Intentions in IBs of school educational programmes
After reviewing the selected SCHEPs, we realised that some IBs are not always constructed with educational goals. Some IBs contained a description of the educational content or off er of educational activities instead of defi ning the educational targets (intention) for the given thematic area (Figure 2).
Th e intentions of all the SCHEPs within the research sample were categorised according to whether they relate to the cognitive development, skills, or aff ective domain of children. Th e table below shows the distribution of their frequency.
Th e results showed that the educational intentions relate to facts which are close to the child's life within the natural and human world (Figure 3). In the set of identifi ed intentions (see Figure 2), a cognitive focus predominates (47%), then the aff ective focus (32%), and the smallest number of intentions focused on skills development (21%) ( Table 5).

Topics in IBs of school educational programmes
Th e SCHEPs that were researched showed various topics in IBs (Table 6).
In the content analysis, we focused on the composition and concept of topics. Th e content analysis revealed that the educational topics included in the IBs are based on the traditional perception of the cycle of seasons and traditional holidays. However, because of climate change, some of these topics are losing their meaning, such as "Snow Duvet Time", or they are irrelevant to today's children, such as "Spring has come to the village" in urban kindergartens. Th e SCHEPs that were reviewed usually agreed on the distribution of educational topics listed in the IBs during the school year (in the period of autumn,  winter, and spring). On the other hand, in the summer months the classifi cation varied considerably and attractive topics arising from the interests of today's children (e.g. prehistory, space, continents) or newer topics (e.g. ecology) were included.
A total of nine kindergartens listed in their SCHEPs that they required weekly topics for the whole year -which is in confl ict with the principles of creating educational content in pre-schools (e.g. Smolíková, 2006).

Evaluative opinions of students on the design of IBs in SCHEPs
Th e SCHEPs and written refl ections of the students were paired together so that a pair of documents comes from a student who works in a pre-school.
Th e content analysis of the students' refl ective reports found that they are satisfi ed with the amount of required content within IBs, which inspires them and gives them the freedom to choose a topic (Table 7). Designing broad topics themselves Preparation of the performance for parents has been criticised for its diffi culty, but on the other hand highlighted as the best way to respect the needs and interests of the children in the pre-school. Designing narrow topics was evaluated positively because they are clear and systematic and simplify the planning of teaching and learning on the part of the teacher, but on the other hand it was criticised by some as restrictive. From the refl ective reports of the students, we cite the following opin-ions as examples. "Flexible integrated blocks suit me because I try to plan according to the observed interests and needs of the children in the class." "It suits me to work diff erently every year." "Although we had a chronological arrangement of IBs, we had quite a lot of freedom in what we would do in the given IB and it was just about proving our abilities and skills during observations." In the refl ective reports, the students explained why the chronological arrangement suits them: 5% of the Czech student teachers mentioned in their refl ective reports that they had the opportunity to work according to the chronological and fl exible approach of designing IBs for SCHEPs. On the basis of this experience, they all stated that they were satisfi ed with a fl exible approach because it meets the requirement for planning based on the needs and interests of the child. One student wrote this as follows: "Th e chronological arrangement is probably clearer and easier as preparation and orientation and within the current school and calendar year for children and teachers, but the fl exible concept gives a greater opportunity for freedom and expression to engage children in activities." According to 15% of the Czech student teachers, specifi c topics in IBs are important for the planning of educational activities and in their refl ective reports, they gave reasons for this. In the content analysis process, they were grouped into two categories: • Inspiration -the teacher has a better idea of what could be done with the children, which was commented on as an advantage for less experienced teachers. In this case, the teacher wants to be inspired by individual topics, but demands the freedom to choose her own topic: "We have a suffi cient number of IBs, where each class can choose from several topics. Th e choice of topics is up to the free will of every teacher." • Simplifi cation -the teacher has simplifi ed planning based on a suffi cient off er of specifi c topics. According to one teacher, this gives the opportunity "to make the SCHEP a functional tool even for less experienced teachers". Tables 8 and 9 show the results of the respondents' answers to two questions. Th e fi rst looked at the designing of IBs in school educational programmes in the pre-schools where the student teachers work. Th e second question then examined which type of IB the student teachers prefer.

Approach of IB in SCHEP and preferences of respondents
Th e questionnaire survey of the student teachers' opinions resulted in fi ndings suggesting that they prefer the concept of planning IBs according to their experience. While the Czech respondents mostly worked in pre-schools, where the IBs in the SCHEP were arranged chronologically (51%), among the Slovak respondents, SCHEPs with a fl exible concept of IBs were most popular (32%) ( Table 8). When we compare the experience of how it works in practice in this area, and how it should work in the opinion of the respondents (Tables 8 and 9), we fi nd that the fl exible type of IB is preferred by more than half of the Czech and Slovak respondents. Th e chronological type (Table 9) suits the Czech respondents more (48%) than it does the Slovak respondents (32%).

Ways of choosing topics in SCHEPs and preferences of respondents' opinions with regard to the planning of educational activities in the classroom
Th e results below show the diff erences between the reality of pedagogical practice and the preferences of the Czech and Slovak students.    Th e Slovak respondents (43%) had experience with weekly topics in the preschool curricula. Th ey also agreed with this approach to planning topics (43%); however, 30% of them did not currently work in a pre-school. Th e Czech respondents (32%) who currently worked mainly in pre-schools (93%) had the most experience (32%) with the free choice of topics in accordance with IBs (Table 10). If the Czech respondents could decide how it should be, they would prefer to choose from the recommended topics with the addition of their own (65% ; Table 11). Th e Slovak respondents (34%) are not much diff erent in this area. Th e Czech respondents, unlike the Slovak respondents, only minimally prefer weekly topics (6% ;  Table 11). One respondent explained her choice as follows: "Th e recommended topics come to me as a very helpful element of the school educational programme. It is not necessary to stick to them, and yet the teacher can use them easily if no suitable alternative can be found. Furthermore, she can mark on them what she used in what years, and so she does not repeat the same thing over and over every year. I also see the advantage of auxiliary topics as easier orientation and adaptation for a new teacher, whether a beginner or an experienced one, who comes to a pre-school and does not have to guess from the beginning what topics the pre-school tends to prefer." Th e answers of the Czech respondents also included the belief that instead of the topics mentioned in the SCHEPs, it is more important to state educational goals and their interconnection. "I think that the topic can be arbitrary, according to the children's interest, according to the teacher's taste; most often, when choosing a topic, we are based on natural phenomena, current events, stories, and fairy tales. Personally, I can't imagine that the topics would be strictly given as a requirement (...) What is more important, in my opinion, is the content of the curriculum, and it should fl ow from one to the next. I think that the content of the curriculum in a kindergarten can be incorporated into almost any topic." Th is answer of the respondent is an example of understanding the planning of topics of topics according to the concept of a transversal approach.
However, in other options for working with topics in the SCHEP, more fl exible ways of working with thematic planning occur in practice, allowing teachers to select and add topics, but also freely create a complete thematic orientation of weekly (or longer) plans.
A quarter of the Czech respondents were in favour of complete freedom in the choice of topics and the length of their implementation, which is not an insignifi cant number; moreover, this method clearly supports the planning of teaching and learning based on the assessment of children's learning.

Opinions about the length of time for a topic of planned educational activities for a class
In both groups of respondents, the most popular period for one topic was one week (35% Czech, 43% Slovak, Table 12).
35% of the Czech respondents also commented favourably on extending the topic for various lengths of time when it supported the children's educational needs. On the other hand, only 16% of the Slovak respondents commented favourably on extending topics for longer periods of time. Th e respondents pointed to the fact that planning with weekly topics leads to fragmentation of the educational off er, superfi ciality, and disrespect for children's current interests. "Weekly plans guide us to discuss one topic, but this lacks the connection between other topics that relate to one whole, such as the whole of autumn. Sometimes there is also no time to get everything done properly in one week, and since the next week is already a new topic, there is no room to fi nish the old topic." Th e reason for including topics for the week was the insuffi cient cooperation of teachers in one class or the alternating of their shifts, when the eff ort is probably to ensure that children do not lose any part of the topic during a longer implementation period. "I would like to work on some topics for a longer period of time, because some of them are more extensive and I do not have time; unfortunately, my colleague in the class does not agree with this, so we only have topics for one week, which gives me little time for some topics." "I see a problem in the fact that my colleague and I take turns after a week, and everyone is actually " in charge" on their own. Everyone has a diff erent way of understanding the topic."

DISCUSSION
Planning IBs in SCHEPs as a basis for classroom educational activities (Questions 1,4,and 5) Th e content analysis of the planning of IBs in SCHEPs resulted in their division into three basic types. Th ese types were based upon the usability of topics by teachers for planning classroom educational activities (see Figure 1). We also searched for a suitable terminology for the types we identifi ed. On the basis of the content categories (see Table 4), we proposed the terms chronological, elective, and transversal types of IBs in SCHEPs. It is typical of the chronological type that the IBs are arranged in time according to the seasons and months, for gradual implementation during the school year. We identifi ed and chose the elective type of IB on the basis of the terminology used in our questionnaire survey. It turned out that the term fl exible, which was used in the questionnaire, was ambiguous for the respondents. A certain degree of fl exibility was also found in the chronological type and at the same time is a characteristic feature of the transversal type. For this reason, we propose the term "elective", as it does not have signifi cant overlaps within the defi nition of other characteristics of the curriculum. Although the IBs as a whole are fi xed in the SCHEPs, teachers can choose their order during the school year. With the chronological and elective types of IBs, there are still nuances, given the extent to which the content of these blocks is a requirement for teachers in terms of the topics off ered. In addition, this is also infl uenced by the extent to which teachers can include their own topics and content based on the current situation in the pre-school, the class, and children's interests. Th e transversal type of IB allows teachers to choose intentions, topics, and educational off ers across IBs and to interweave them. Transversal IBs are not usually oriented according to the seasons, but the IBs defi ne individual areas that are not time-limited. With a chronological and elective type of IB, the degree of commitment/freedom ranged from the absolutely essential nature of the topics, the ability to choose from the proposed topics, and the ability to choose from the proposed topics and add personally chosen topics, to freedom in choosing the topic and the length of its implementation in the educational process. In the case of the transversal type, this freedom results from the very essence of the way in which the class educational programme is designed (see Table 7).

Intentions and topics in IBs of SCHEPs (Questions 2, 3, and 6)
Th e results showed that the educational intentions meet the requirements of the SCHEP in relation to the child's life. A cognitive focus predominates, with the fewest intentions being focused on the development of skills. According to the annual report of the Czech School Inspectorate from 2018, teachers in pre-school education focus equally on the development of knowledge (in 86% of cases) and skills (in 94.9% of cases), and less on the development of children's attitudes (in 66.3% of cases). Th is slight contradiction of the stated intentions may be due to the fact that monitoring the development of both skills and knowledge in pre-school children is a matter of course for teachers and is easier to assess. Aff ective goals are developed in the long term, so the degree of fulfi lment is less easy to observe and record.
Th e research found out that there were certain diffi culties when formulating educational targets as a major part of IBs is orientated towards educational targets focusing on cognition and skills. Th ese fi ndings are in agreement with the longterm teaching experience of the authors, as these diffi culties appear very often in less experienced teachers when entering pedagogical practice and concur with the fi ndings of other authors (e.g. Syslová et al., 2019).
A surprising fi nding was the relatively high demand for, and satisfaction with, predefi ned topics. Th e qualitative analysis revealed that the respondents were divided into two basic groups. For one, it was crucial that education responds to the child's needs and interests, suggesting that a transversal or elective type of IB was best. Th e other group emphasised the need for systematic, thoughtful, and consecutive teaching, for which the chronological type seemed more appropriate. However, as one respondent stated, the transversal type of IB does not exclude the ability to follow a sequence of learning objectives, as this can be maintained in any topic. Th e only diff erence is in the high demands on the professional abilities of the teacher, which are higher when working with the elective type of IB than the chronological one. Th e certain "helplessness" of less experienced teachers and their desire for support in the form of topics is understandable, but it could stimulate consideration of how to further improve the training of future teachers with regard to pedagogical planning.

Opinions about the length of time for a topic of planned educational activities for a class (Question 7)
We consider the clear preference for longer-term thematic (or topic) units very positive as this makes it easier to respond to children's educational needs and interests. However, the fact that more than a third of the respondents prefer the division of education into weekly units should not be overlooked. Th is fact may indicate a culture of viewing pre-school education as similar to 'school', with a need to gain as much knowledge as possible, without paying enough attention to the personal experiences of the child. Th e information can thus be conveyed in a transmissive manner and without interrelationship.

CONCLUSION
Th e literature in the fi eld of educational planning discusses two possible approaches to the creation of integrated educational blocks, linear (chronological) and fl exible. However, the research showed that in practice within the SCHEPs for pre-schools there are three main types of planning IBs applied in the SCHEPs that were reviewed. Because of the confusion and misunderstanding of the existing terminology, we therefore propose to refi ne it according to our fi ndings. In addition to the chronological type, we propose to introduce the concept of an elective (giving teachers the possibility of implementing the proposed IBs at a chosen time) and a transversal type (the teacher selects goals and content from several IBs at once and creates a unique integrated educational block for the class).
An important fi nding of our research is the continuing infl uence of approaches to planning remaining from the time of standardised education before the early 1990s and which is refl ected in the practice of fi xed weekly and chronological planning, as well as systematic teaching of individual topics. FEP PE (2018) stipulates that the content of pre-school education should be based on the interests and needs of the children in the class, but our analysis showed that 40% of the school educational programmes in our research included specifi c integrated educational blocks (including topics and their order) as a school requirement for teachers. Among the school educational programmes that were reviewed, an approach prevails that may not be enough to enable the individualisation of pre-school education according to the needs and interests of children, which also coincides with the fi ndings of the Czech School Inspectorate (CSI, 2020).
A comparison of the respondents' opinions showed that both countries face a similar problem. Although the socialcentred 1 approach to planning educational activities persists as a relic of times when there was standardised education, current students are not so infl uenced by such practice today. A child-centred view of education has changed their approach to planning educational activities, and we consider this to be indicative of a gradual and positive change from the established procedures of the past.
Th e discussion focused on the revision of the state curricula of pre-school education in the Czech and Slovak Republics, which could lead to clarifi cation of ways to plan the educational content of school educational programmes and to actually pursue the goals of pre-school education as stated in the Czech FEP PE (2018) and the Slovak Education Act (2008). Both these documents emphasise an individual approach, as well as a personality-oriented model of pre-school education, free of schematism, a standardised approach, and centralisation.