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Poierty of children andyouth as a contemporay socialproblem

children of wealthy and well-educated parents. Children who represent lower social circles rarely succeed at school, compared with their peers who come from upper social circles. Even at a comparable level of education achieved, wealthy parents’ children graduate with better results and well recognized schools which increase chances on the job market (Baczewski, 2004). Other authors who study the area of poverty stress out the fact that children who are bom among Polish families with Iow incomes have significantly lower chances for further education and life pro-spects. It is poverty regarding villages and little towns first of all which may become a barrier to get an access to education (Zahorska, Putkiewicz, 2001).

The problem of poverty in generation transmission of deprivation has been stud-ied by W. Wawrzywoda-Kruszyńska (2008, 188) who claims that “...in Poland, probability to get a higher education by a son or a daughter of a father with lower level of education is comparably eleven times lower rather than by decendants of a małe with higher education. It is significant in comparison to Germany and Fin-land where the barriers are the lowest and such probability is only lowered twice”.

Numerous views on people’s lives in unsatisfactory and severe conditions con-firm the belief that these are not only economic factors to influence planning a reasonable life perspective but also the societies may shape characteristic behavioral pattems for their children who they will influence, forming a generation culture of poverty.

Studies based on my survey, carried out among a selected group of children and youth who came from poor families, do not show equal behaviours which denotes that they should not be generalized. However, they reflect certain psychological and pedagogical school difficulties which may be referred to as characteristic for a group of students representing poverty area. They comprise the folio wing:

• In most cases students who show a sense of helplessness in problematic sit-uations. In case of difficulties while solving a problematic situation they ex-pect to receive help from the outside, otherwise they may quit the appointed task. They also do not believe in their own abilities and perceive themselves as less valuable and generally worse, compared with their peer. Undoubtedly, such behaviour result; in from the way the children were brought up and