Publikacja “The New Educational Review” w języku angielskim i udostępnienie wersji cyfrowej w wolnym dostępie to zadania finansowane w ramach umowy 525/P-DUNdem/2018 ze środków Ministra Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego przeznaczonych na działalność upowszechniającą naukę.

PREFACE

The paper focuses on discovering the relationships between pedagogical architecture and classroom didactics. It is looking for an answer to the question what beliefs teacher trainees have about pedagogical spaces, what connections they see between efficient learning and the organisation of pedagogical spaces, and how they would organise space during their own teaching practice. During the study, two methods were used: unstructured reflective diaries (N=29) and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). The key point of fsQCA data analysis was the conversion of qualitative data into fuzzy sets. This process was done in several steps. Results shed light on the functional space model of the school, and highlighted the significance of individual, social, learning, and private spaces. The complex space representation of the students showed the school architecture, the inner world of the institution, forms, colours, and the unity of objects and internal space. All this has an effect on methodological culture as non-classical space organisation facilitates the use of new generation methods.

The topic of formative assessment has rarely been addressed in Polish educational research studies, and the connection between formative assessment and the school climate has, until now, never been examined. The subject of this quantitative study were the formative assessment practices used by elementary school teachers and the school social climate. The participants were students (N=491) and teachers (N=60). Findings indicate that: (1) to a varying degree, teachers use activities that make up formative assessment, (2) schools differ significantly in their formative assessment practices, (3) the social climate at these schools is positive, (4) formative assessment practices are positively correlated with the school climate.

The presented study aimed to investigate students’ competence in English listening skills and vocabulary proficiency at elementary school level focusing on the correlation between students’ listening skills, vocabulary proficiency and out-of-school exposure. A total of 123 students of the 9th grade participated in the study. Standardized listening and vocabulary tests were used to assess the students’ listening and vocabulary skills followed by a questionnaire to find out the correlation between the students’ listening skills, vocabulary proficiency and out-of-school exposure. Results show that out-of-classroom exposure to English in audio and audio-visual forms is positively related with levels of English listening skills and vocabulary proficiency whereas there is no indication that playing video-games in any form in English may be related to levels of English listening skills and vocabulary proficiency.

To restore the quality of education, the 2013 curriculum reform in Indonesia urged teachers to employ pupil-centered, thematic problem-based learning (PBL). This study examined whether the PBL collaborative learning enabled students to learn better and in an equal manner through an array of cross-cutting aspects like race, social class, and gender. The presented study involved two teacher colleges and randomly assigned undergraduate classes that were taught with the use of PBL practices while other comparable classes were taught through traditional lecturing. It was found that the students in the experimental group performed better and more equalized than those in the other group. This is to assist the teacher colleges to teach their student-teachers to design and practice more engaging classes where boys and girls are given equal chances to foster their potentials to the fullest.

It has been long pointed that Indonesian education system embraces active learning to enhance critical thinking. However, active learning techniques are not yet optimally introduced in Indonesian education settings. Studies have shown case studies combined with the concept map method improving students’ critical thinking. However, there is a lack of evidence related to this method in the Indonesian education system. The presented study examined the effect of a case study combined with the concept map on improving critical thinking skills in Indonesian first-year college students. Three groups attended classes with the same class objectives and contents, consisting of eight weekly meetings. The only difference among the groups was the educational strategy; case study combined with concept map (CSCM), case study alone (CS), and traditional lecture style with no specific active learning techniques (Control). Results indicated that the CSCM method is most effective in improving critical thinking skills. Although CSCM was also most effective on improving critical thinking disposition, differences among groups were not statistically significant.

The paper contains advanced statistical analysis, original methods and a significant contribution to the claim that measurement of reflexivity is possible. It is based on original empirical research using a sample of 334 students from different faculties and educational levels. It utilises a qualitative questionnaire containing a 4-level reflexivity scale, designed by Kember et al. (2000), translated into the Polish language and context. The aim of the study was to identify whether students’ reflexivity levels can be associated with the level of their study, taking into account possible masking effects of their age. Differences were tested for faculty and system of training (full time or part-time). Analysis confirms the strongest relation between reflexive thinking, system of tuition and level of studies. There was no connection found between reflexive thinking and the faculty of study or the respondents’ gender.

The study aimed to investigate the effects of Lesson Study on the self-efficacy beliefs of pre-service kindergarten teachers. A quasi-experimental design with two parallel groups was used. The sample consisted of 49 students divided into a control group (27) and an experimental group (22). The pre-service kindergarten teachers in the experimental group followed an adjusted Lesson Study design, while the control group followed the traditional way of pre-service teaching practice. Findings indicate that there was no significant difference in teacher self-efficacy total scores between the groups, but there was a significant difference in the self-reported competence to effectively teach mathematics lessons and ability to get and keep pupils motivated.

This study mainly focused on the relationship between number sense and algebraic thinking. Previous studies have provided evidence that number sense plays an important role in developing algebraic thinking. The role of symbol and pattern sense are yet to discover in relation to number sense and algebraic thinking. The purpose of this study was to identify the mediating effects of symbol sense and pattern sense in year five pupils’ relationship between number sense and algebraic thinking. To do so, two mathematics tests were carried out among 720 year five pupils in the district of Malacca, Malaysia. The collected data were analysed using a partial least squares-structural equation modeling approach. The data collected were analysed using SPSS 22.0 and SmartPLS 3.0. Results demonstrated that symbol sense and pattern sense are good mediators between year five pupils’ number sense and algebraic thinking. This result of the study supports the past studies related to the role of number sense, symbol and pattern sense in developing algebraic thinking. The presented study provides suggestions as intervention to increase students’ making sense ability in numbers, symbols and patterns to develop algebraic thinking.

The article presents research on students’ independent self-learning. The applied method was an analysis of intentionally prepared documents. While conducting the research, an attempt was made to recognise: the manner of the understanding the notion of “learning” by the students; the manner of learning which they apply as well as evaluation of their own effectiveness in this scope. The participants in the research identify learning mainly as mnemonic acquisition of new knowledge in the situations related to the process of studying. In the majority of cases, they work unsystematically, applying ineffective techniques of learning and express negative judgements on their own learning effectiveness.

The main objectives of the long-term research, the partial results of which are presented in this paper, were related, among other things, to identification of the influence of experimental artwork classes on children’s artistic skills. The adopted research method based on analysis and interpretation of artworks regarding their compositional modality turned out to be the factor unmasking the difficulty in assessing children’s artworks. Therefore, the paper presents fragmentary results of complex research and demonstrates the divergence of marks given by a group of competent judges who used a structured tool.

Parentification happens when children take on parental duties, which leads to role reversal between children and their parents. Parentification has multiple causes and can have a short- and long-term negative impact on parentified children. This study examined prevalence and correlates of parentification in Polish adolescents. The study included 557 16-year-old students in four types of Polish high schools. Results indicate that parentification is present to a considerable degree and may negatively affect students’ school functioning and affective well-being.

The article presents the statistical findings of a study that investigated the effects of gender on the ethical decision-making of professionals. Ethical dilemmas were presented to 1,809 teachers, doctors and lawyers in the form of a questionnaire. The individuals were asked to choose a course of action and provide reasons for their choice. What was of particular interest was how the professionals prioritised different moral theories in their decision-making; namely, whether the reasons they gave were deontological, consequential or virtue ethical in nature. The findings are significant for those seeking to revise and improve professional ethical education and practice.

The article presents a meta-analysis of the social context of benefits achieved by people in a new, yet not well-researched activity in electronic sports. The presented historical background of eSport and the dilemmas of the highly polarised scientific community, in which there are as many supporters as opponents of the recognition of eSport as a sport, have become a basis for describing this phenomenon in the context of the theory of use and gratification. Thus, based on the few eSport studies carried out, the human benefits related to cognitive and social development, identity development and participation in entertainment were determined.

Recently, a great deal of attention has been paid globally to education of both children and youth. It has been the result of ever-growing requirements of learners’ knowledge, as well as educational cultivation of young people. Contemporary society has been witnessing undesirable actions of learners against teachers. That is why the paper discusses learners’ interactions with teachers and how they are assessed by teachers. The paper also introduces implications for improving the quality of teachers’ interventions in educational processes.

In the text, types of reforms to formal education are introduced, and against this background, an answer is sought to the question of who they serve, who is interested in this multi-layered effort, who is or can be a beneficiary and who is a loser in this process. The central part of the text is a presentation of types of the reform. Then, the effects of reforming education are indicated. The conclusion underlines the importance of research in the process of reform, in the action, as a professional practice of integrating cognition and change.

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between learner profile and retention of learning in adult education programs in India. To achieve the objective, learner profile was divided into three measuring factors as social, economic and learning factors. A survey method was used to collect the required data. A testing method was executed to examine the retention level of learners. Factors responsible for the retention of learner profile were further analyzed with the use of a statistical technique (ANOVA). Results of the study show that the economic factors of learner profile have an impactful relationship with the retention level but customized contents of relevant study material with sustainable infrastructural facilities of learning centers can maximize the retention level of learners of such programs.

The presented study aimed to develop a cognitive stimulation package for 2–3-year-old children and examine the effectiveness of the product in facilitating children’s cognitive development at home. The study consisted of six phases, namely analysis, design, prototype development, formative evaluation, implementation, and summative evaluation. The analysis phase of this study involved 147 mothers and 3 experts. The participants in the formative evaluation phase consisted of 10 mothers, while the participants in the implementation and summative evaluation stages consisted of 20 mothers. The results of the experts’ and target users’ assessments suggest that the cognitive stimulation package developed in this study is valid and practical. In addition, the stimulation package has also been proven effective in facilitating the cognitive development of 2–3-year-old children at home.

The article explores the key issues and needs of families of participants in anti-terrorist operation (ATO). The article defines and characterizes several types of families of ATO participants, who took part in an interview. Based on in-depth interviews and further analysis, the authors identified four categories of problems of these families, e.g., psychological, financial, legal, and problems with raising children. It was determined that violations of the life of the families whose members were ATO participants were caused not only by family-specific problems but also by several other factors. Based on the identified specific problems, the authors identified the main needs of the families of the members of antiterrorist operations.

The article presents the diagnostic and analytical results of the research on higher school teachers’ competence at Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University (Ukraine). Theoretical and methodological analysis is carried out and the content of three competence profiles of lecturers in higher education is defined: professional and pedagogical, social and personal, academic, reflecting the main areas of the lecturer’s activity. Diagnostic tools of qualitative assessment of teachers’ competence components in each of the profiles are developed. The study allowed for revealing the development of certain lecturer competences according to the identified profiles: innovative, digital, management (professional and pedagogical profile), leadership, civic (social and personal profile), research, international cooperation, and scientific PR (academic profile). The results of the diagnosis are the basis for the development and implementation of a system of measures for increasing the quality and standardization activities of higher education lecturers at the institutional, national and European levels. The article provides appropriate recommendations.

The teacher’s misbehaviour has an adverse influence on students’ motivation and adjustment in school. It even has more permanent effects on students than the teacher’s good behaviour. The objective of this study was to apply Korthagen’s model of levels of change in exploring teachers’ most unacceptable characteristics from the perspective of students (n = 158), teachers (n = 78) and parents (n = 148), and to reveal possible differences depending on primary and secondary school and the length of teachers’ experience. The listed characteristics fit Korthagen’s model mostly in the levels of mission, behaviour and identity. Some differences were found between primary and secondary school, as well as ones related to teachers’ length of experience.

This paper discusses the results of a study of the sense of efficacy in literature teachers working in Poland and Slovakia. The findings presented in this paper show no difference registered in both types of the sense of efficacy when comparing teachers from each of the countries examined. The second result obtained amounted to a statistically significant difference between the general sense of efficacy on the one hand and the didactic sense of efficacy on the other. The mean for the sense of didactic efficacy is higher than for the general sense of efficacy. The results are subsequently referred to A. Bandura’s analyses within the framework of a socio-cognitive theory.

The contribution presents a new education and training programme “Stepping into Life with the Right Values,” aimed to improve integration of mentally disabled pupils into the system of vocational training centres and thus also society. The goal of the presented programme was not only to create suitable conditions for pupils’ harmonious adaptation to the dormitory environment, but also to teach them appropriate orientation in various life situations. Effectiveness of the programme was verified experimentally at selected vocational training centres in Slovakia during the 2015/2016, 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 school years. Our research confirmed that pupils who had gone through the adaptation process using the new programme were statistically significantly better oriented in ordinary life situations at the school dormitory, but also in ordinary life situations outside.

There is a great deal of concern in respect to the increase autism prevalence rates. Teachers are responsible for teaching students in their classrooms. However, research findings suggest that special education teachers are underprepared and express ‘low” to “moderate” levels of knowledge about autism. Analysis of several databases revealed no studies concerning levels of knowledge about autism among pre-service special education teachers. The presented study aimed at investigating pre-service special education teachers’ levels of knowledge about autism. A test was developed for the purpose of this study. Further, a sample of 56 pre-service special education teachers responded to the study test. Participants were enrolled in a training session of 12 hours, 4 times a week. The participants responded to pre- and posttest. Results indicated that the levels of knowledge among the study sample was within the “low” range. However, this shifted toward the “moderate” levels after finishing the training. Additionally, there were no differences between male and female participants and year level in respect to the levels of knowledge about autism either before or after receiving the training. The participants differ in the levels of knowledge on GPA rating in the pretest results, but not the posttest results.

The study presents the content-analysis (n=135) and factor analysis of students’ mental states of expectations (n=123). The understanding of mental states of expectations by education workers allows for the operationalization of the process of solving tasks of students’ academic and professional training.
The purpose is to examine the structure, variables and interdependence of the factors of students’ mental states of expectations.
The research methods are content-analysis, tests with standardized questionnaires, factor analysis. Factor analysis was used to determine the structure of mental states of expectations. The principal factor in this structure is F1“meaning-of-life moderation” (20.70%), which is interrelated with F2 “pragmatic regulation” (=.404; p≤.01) and F3 “subjective regulation” (=.357; p≤.01). The obtained results could be useful for education directors organizing the academic process of students, and also for scientists in the field of psychology of expectations, psychology of constructing the future.

Publikacja “The New Educational Review” w języku angielskim i udostępnienie wersji cyfrowej w wolnym dostępie to zadania finansowane w ramach umowy 525/P-DUNdem/2018 ze środków Ministra Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego przeznaczonych na działalność upowszechniającą naukę.

Publikacja “The New Educational Review” w języku angielskim i udostępnienie wersji cyfrowej w wolnym dostępie to zadania finansowane w ramach umowy 525/P-DUNdem/2018 ze środków Ministra Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego przeznaczonych na działalność upowszechniającą naukę.

Publikacja “The New Educational Review” w języku angielskim i udostępnienie wersji cyfrowej w wolnym dostępie to zadania finansowane w ramach umowy 525/P-DUNdem/2018 ze środków Ministra Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego przeznaczonych na działalność upowszechniającą naukę.

PREFACE

PREFACE

PREFACE

Cognition of the world, construction of knowledge related to our surroundings, and expressing meanings that stem from our life experiences are by no means easy processes. A substantial part of our knowledge remains dormant, but its extraction makes it possible to grasp children’s visions of the world. Even if rarely applied in educational practice, creative activities remain a very effective approach to release children’s conceptualisation of the world. This paper presents research results that demonstrate the efficiency of creative-thinking techniques in extracting children’s visions of the world, as illustrated by the concept of the family. The study, which was conducted as a didactic intervention, was performed in the 2018-2019 school year on a group of younger pupils from a large city. The results reconstructed children’s process of understanding the above-mentioned concept and revealed the possibilities behind creative psychodidactics.

This study introduced an anthropomorphized robot-assisted instructional tool that we developed for English as a foreign language (EFL) learning and assessed the effectiveness of robot-assisted English learning. An experimental design was adopted in this study and a total of 53 Taiwanese students in the third grade of elementary school participated in the experiment, including: one class consisting of 28 students, which was labeled as the experimental group, while another class of 25 students was labeled as the control group. There were two kinds of data collection that were used in this study: two tests (listening-and-acting as well as questioning-and-answering tests) and a questionnaire (learning material motivation scale). On the whole, the experimental group performed better than the control group on the listening-and-acting as well as on the questioning-and-answering tests. Additionally, the experimental group had higher learning material motivation than the control group, inclusive of attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction domains. The overall results suggest a new paradigm about our applications in teaching and learning English for Taiwanese EFL elementary school students.

The current science books for Palestinian elementary schools essentially consist of picture-based activities. Each lesson features images which students are asked to reflect on, and provide oral and written answers to questions linked to each image. This rich curriculum is being delivered in traditional methods, and few teachers have to date ventured into utilizing modern technologies that can be easily accessible. The present research effort measures the affordances of augmented reality in delivering the science curriculum to elementary grades in the West Bank. An interaction analysis study was used, in which activities from the third grade science textbook were demonstrated using AR technologies to identify their role in enhancing learners’ interaction with pictures in the science school books. A sample of 50 third grade female students, from a West Bank basic school for girls, was drawn from the study population (all third grade students in the West Bank). The 50 students were divided evenly into homogeneous control and intervention groups. Seven activities were delivered conventionally for the former and with augmented reality technologies for the latter. The findings suggest that students taught with augmented reality-enhanced procedures were particularly engaged and effectively responsive, both orally and in written tasks.

This research addresses the opinions of parents of homeschooled children on the issue of homeschooling. Through both quantitative and qualitative research - a questionnaire with 78 parents of homeschooled children from Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, their opinions on the selection of a school for their children, problems in compulsory examination, and the selection of teaching methods and forms were found out. On the basis of the research findings, it was possible to state that criteria for school selection was not related to problems in the compulsory examination of the children, and the pedagogical education of the respondents (parents) did not influence the selection of didactic methods or forms.

The objective of the article is to study the peculiarities of students’ perception of teaching style and to determine the correlation between such perception and motivation of students’ learning. The group of respondents included 254 future social and 156 technical specialists (a total of 410 students), methods of research were questioning and testing; Pearson correlation coefficient was used for statistical analysis. Students perceived the democratic teaching style as the most positive, and its use is associated with educational and cognitive motives. Authoritarian and laissez faire styles are seen as undesirable. The first is related to the motives of avoidance, and the second has feedback from professional motives of students. Comparison of the results of the survey of future social and technical specialists allowed us to determine that the latter perceive the authoritarian style more positively than students of social specializations.

The place of school learning resources in supporting effectiveness in basic schools cannot be underestimated. It was against this backdrop that this study was conducted to examine basic schools learning resources and effectiveness in Egbeda Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The population of the study comprised of all the 36 basic schools in Egbeda Local Government. Twelve basic schools were selected using a stratified sampling technique. The same sampling technique was used to select 15 teachers in the each school. Researcher-designed instruments titled “School Learning Resources Questionnaire” (SLRQ) and “Basic School Effectiveness Questionnaire” (BSEQ) were used for data collection in this study. The validity and the reliability of the instruments were ascertained and the co-efficient of reliability was 0.88. Findings showed that there was a significant relationship between basic schools learning resources and effectiveness in Egbeda Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria. (r =.402; p<.05). Based on the findings, it was recommended, among other things, that learning resources (human, material, physical and financial) should be adequately supplied to basic schools for effectiveness to be achieved.

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of peer tutoring on college students’ academic achievement and, as well, their competencies in communication and collaboration. In particular, we investigated whether or not the effect of peer tutoring depends on the role taken in peer tutoring. 373 Korean college students attending peer tutoring participated in this study. A pre-post design employing a self-report questionnaire was used. The results indicated that peer tutoring improved both academic achievement and communicative and collaborative skills. The findings also suggested that the effect of peer-tutoring on academic achievement and responsibility for teamwork was valid only with regard to those in the role of tutees. The implications of this study are discussed.

The article describes the principles of cultural conformity, environmentalism and homeostasis as organizational in relation to the cultural and educational space of the university as a complex social system. On the basis of the analysis of the systemic changes that accompanied the newest stage in the development of universities in Eastern Europe (from the mid 1980s up to now) a periodization of this stage was completed. Each of the stages is characterized by a description of the above-mentioned organizational principles of work, the transformations of key characteristics of social governance and the overall logic of their development. The forecast of transformational changes for the nearest future in the context of social aspects of the development management of universities in Eastern Europe is made.

Young adults use social media to realize both social and educational goals. The aim of the study is to investigate whether there are any differences in the intensity of Facebook use between Generation Y and Generation Z. In addition, the size of friend networks has been analyzed.

This study analysed the theoretical foundations utilised by past empirical research in order to understand the pedagogical strategies used in schools for promoting positive behaviour. The analyses also include how pedagogical theories underpinned past research on positive behaviour enhancement. Samples for this study were academic papers obtained from four main databases: the Australian Education Index, British Education Index, ERIC (Educational Research Information Centre) and Scopus. By using a systematic review technique, a total number of 143 papers were found to be relevant for further analysis. Results revealed that four theoretical models dominate the studies examined, namely Applied Behavioural Analysis, Social Capital theory, Culturally Responsive Classroom Management, and Ecological Systems theory. This study recommends understanding of those theories is important in designing modules for positive behaviour enhancement in schools.

This research aims to identify and rank the problems which international students face during study in Belarus. The main method was descriptive research conceptualized within sojourner theory. Preliminary interviews followed by a survey (N=300) revealed that the sojourners’ problems were in the following order, from major to minor: (a) psychological and health-related challenges, primarily, homesickness and health disorders; (b) academic challenges, such as the new educational system and taking exams; (c) sociocultural challenges, especially communication with native speakers; (d) general living challenges. To prevent and solve these problems, the study provides experimentally based recommendations how to foster a supporting learning environment.

This article refers to entrepreneurship as a key skill. It presents the components of the innovative concept of kindergarten and early school teacher training in this area, which has been carried out since the academic year 2019/2020 at the Institute of Pedagogy of the University of Wrocław. It introduces the reconstruction of the meaning attached to the notion of entrepreneurship in the Finnish approach using the method of semantic field analysis, which has been the basis for the development of these assumptions.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between distributed leadership and job self-efficacy with the mediating role of academic optimism of the teacher. This study is applied and correlation research based on structural equation modeling. 281 teachers of Zahedan city were selected using stratified random sampling. To collect information, three questionnaires were used: distributed leadership (Gholami, Sahranavard, & Azizi, 2014), job self-efficacy (Riggs & Knight, 1994) and teacher’s academic optimism (Beard, Hoy, & Woolfolk, 2010). For data analysis the Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated using SPSS and structural equation modeling was done using Lisrel software. Based on the results the direct effect of distributed leadership on job self-efficacy (β=0.33), the direct effect of distributed leadership on teacher’s academic optimism (β=0.76) and the direct effect of teacher’s academic optimism on job self-efficacy (β=0.42) was found to be significant. The indirect effect of distributed leadership on job self-efficacy was also found to be significant with the mediating role of organizational laziness (β=0.352). Therefore, it can be concluded that through applying a distributed leadership style in schools (with regard to trust-based leadership, a democratic climate, comprehensive support, and teachers’ professional development) the level of teachers’ academic optimism increases. With an increase in teachers’ academic optimism, their job performance can be expected to improve.

Teachers, including physical education (PE) teachers, are at risk of burning out in their work. The consequences of this syndrome have a negative impact on the teacher themselves and on their students. Therefore it is very important to identify factors that may prevent its occurrence. Self-efficacy is considered one such factor. The aim of the study was to determine if self-efficacy specific to PE teachers is related to their burnout. The study was conducted using a survey method, with the use of the Physical Education Teaching Efficacy Scale [PETES] and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. A total of 401 PE teachers were surveyed. PE teachers turned out to be rather moderately burnt out, except for one dimension - a reduced sense of personal accomplishments - which in almost the whole sample reached high values. Regression analyses conducted for all three dimensions of burnout were significant, explaining from 4% up to 10% of the variance. The dimension of accomplishments was positively predicted by two kinds of self-efficacy: applying scientific knowledge in teaching PE, and teaching students with special needs. Emotional exhaustion was significantly and negatively predicted by assessment efficacy, and using technology efficacy, and positively by accommodating skill level differences of efficacy. Finally, depersonalization was negatively predicted by instructional efficacy.

The aim of the paper is the presentation of the complex problem of a lifelong developmental disorder, known as Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD), in the context of inclusive education offered to these students in general, and in teaching of English as a Foreign Language in particular. First, the theories and typical symptoms of autism will be outlined, followed by examining the behaviours that enable teachers to recognise these form of disorders during lessons at school. Next we review some strategies and teaching techniques that may prove efficient and successful in the ELT classroom for both teachers and autistic students. Finally, we concentrate on the analysis of the data collected as a result of a small-scale qualitative study conducted among a group of EL teachers involved in teaching autistic learners. The study was designed with the purpose of interviewing teachers about the efficiency and successfulness of the currently recommended teaching techniques in their classrooms with ASD students.

It is obvious that the educational system shapes the skill of critical thinking, also in the sphere of the assessment of political phenomena. The educational background of a person determines the kind of decisions he or she makes. These decisions refer to political activity both defined as interest in political issues and manifested in the form of active political participation. The aim of this paper is to identify relations between holding a university degree and political subjectivity. The study, conducted with the use of a survey questionnaire, involved students from the University of Zielona Góra and from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń.

The study aimed at discovering whether gender, age, and different cultural background may be associated with procrastination. Therefore, procrastination tendencies by students of Polish nationality residing in Poland with Polish students living in Austria were compared. All participants completed the Pure Procrastination Scale that measured the degree of self-reported procrastination. Results revealed higher procrastination scores by emerging adults living in Poland than Austria. Males from the Polish diaspora reported more procrastination behaviors than females. In contrast, procrastination was higher among Polish female than male citizens. Delaying tasks were higher in older than younger respondents within the Polish sample; for students in the Polish diaspora, procrastination decreased with age.

This paper deals with the burnout syndrome among students in the context of selected demographic characteristics of respondents, frequented level of study, satisfaction with the study, frequented study program, study performance and the vision for their future careers. The study aims to identify the possible predictors of the burnout syndrome among the students and identify the risk groups of students. Altogether 350 students from the Faculty of Education participated in the research, and the SBI (School Burnout Inventory) questionnaire was used to measure the burnout syndrome. The main findings include the rate of school burnout, with almost 18% of students exhibiting a high level. Using the method of classification trees, variables such as age and the overall satisfaction rate with the study were identified as predictors on the “Cynicism” subscale; grade average, age and field of study on the “Inadequacy” subscale, and no predictor was identified on the “Emotional Exhaustion” subscale. These results were complemented by qualitative interviews with the students and a teacher training specialist.

The Green Image has become one of the success indicators for various organizations including educational institutions. The Green Image is believed to improve the overall reputation of an organization and is hoped to have an impact on behavioral intentions of stakeholders. In the context of higher education in Indonesia, the green campus competition has been increasingly popular and something to look forward to. This study investigated the impact of the Green Image on university reputation and student satisfaction through multiple regression analysis. The respondents of this research were 441 students from several major universities in Indonesia selected through convenience sampling. The results of the study show that the Green Image influences university reputation and student satisfaction. University reputation is proven to mediate the effect of the Green Image towards student satisfaction. The results of the study are expected to fill in the gap in the literature of the Green Image in the context of the education sector and to be a reference for universities in pursuing and managing green reputation and enhancing student satisfaction.

The theoretical and methodological framework of the undertaken issue is indicated by basic notional categories - culture, value and valuing orientations. While analyzing the philosophical and educational context, assumptions of social and cultural anthropology were applied (with a special focus on its anthropocentric-cultural current), (phenomenologically orientated) axiology and cognitive psychology (with the use of its cognitive-developmental theories). Assumption was also made concerning the exploration of youth’s image of the axiological world and the valuing orientations manifested by them, that make it possible to learn the way(s) rooted in culture and experience, in which learners understand themselves, Others and the world.

The study aimed to measure and explore the ability of physical education teachers to apply the new developed curricula according to the knowledge economy in Irbid Governorate schools. The sample of the study consisted of (120) male and female teachers from Irbid district, following validation, the teachers were provided with a questionnaire which included two fields; knowledge economy and information technology. The results showed that the ability of physical education teachers in applying the new curricula in the field of the knowledge economy and information technology was high, although the field of information technology ranked first, followed by the field of knowledge economy. Also, there were significant differences according to variable of experience when measuring the ability of physical education teachers in the domain of information technology in favor of the group with 10 years and more experience. However, there were no statistically significant differences in the variable of experience in the domain of knowledge economy. The study suggests reviewing the mechanism of applying the new developed curriculum according to the knowledge economy, and holding training sessions before and after starting to build a new curriculum. Conducting information technology courses in accordance with new curricula are suggested, and also that the Ministry of Education in Jordan must provide the necessary facilities, such as halls and technology devices.

Language heterogeneity in the classroom is quite a common phenomenon. For experts, it is a challenge; for teachers and parents, it is most often a problem. This challenge or problem will be discussed on the basis of the theory of multilingual education and migration pedagogy. The aim of this contribution is to present an app that can be regarded as a universal tool for fostering multilingualism and explaining it from the viewpoint of parents, since they are an important but often ignored aspect of multilingual education. The research analysis will illustrate and interpret the research results of a qualitative study in which parents from different countries participated. It is not country specific, but it highlights the key aspects that can foster multilingual education and that at least partly match with the underlying theory.

Education is a metaprocess focused on causing changes in individual and social resources of experience, knowledge, skills, attitudes, beliefs and aspirations, as well as in the state of health and physical fitness. This system of processes consists of many diverse interrelated interactions, actions, acts, deeds and activities, with many related elements and components, and among them control and evaluation activities. The purpose of the article is to present the results of analyzes and thoughts related to the determination of the role of these activities among other educational acts, related in particular to cooperation and mutual interaction. It goes well beyond the commonly accepted so-called school and colloquial understanding of these terms. They are treated primarily as cognitive and research activities, as well as valuing activities, as subject-making, person-forming and sociogenic tools. The basis of the research was a diachronic-synchronous model of the full, broadly understood act of educational activity. The resulting conclusions indicate their fundamental role in education.

The contribution presents partial results of research aimed to find out students’ evaluation opinions of their own knowledge and experience for development of children’s language and literary literacy in kindergartens and children’s school clubs and to point out differences in self-evaluation, depending on the length and the form of the study. The research sample consisted of 98% of students of the full-time and part-time study programme of Pre-School and Elementary Pedagogy, 228 in total. An 11-item questionnaire of our own design was used in the research. In the items P5 - P11, students expressed their subjective evaluation opinion of their knowledge and experience on a five-point scale. Research results showed that students’ self-evaluation of knowledge and experience in language and literary literacy depends on both the length and the form of their study1.

Misconceptions are widely present among the students of all ages. The aim of this investigation was to determine the presence of misconceptions in understanding physical properties of water and to identify the most common ones. Quantitative analysis of data from the diagnostic conceptual test was performed on a sample of 243 first and third grade students from three elementary schools in Sombor, Serbia. It was shown that the impact of gender and school affiliation were not proven to be statistically significant factors in test achievements, while the children’s age significantly affects test results, as expected. Synthetic and scientifically correct answers were more frequent among the third grade students, while spontaneous answers were more common among the first graders. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of spontaneous answers implies that misconceptions about physical properties of water are almost identical and deep-rooted among students of both ages. Identifying children’s misconceptions provides a basis for development of accurate conceptual understanding.

The purpose of this study was to explore the degree of Confucian awareness among Korean university students, and to develop more effective education measures. Before the experiment, Korean university students preferred a cramming teaching method (CTM) and an audiovisual teaching method (ATM). After observing four education methods such as the CTM, the discussion teaching method (DTM), the mixed teaching method of cramming and discussion (MTM), and the audiovisual teaching method (ATM) over two weeks, however, the study found that freshmen and sophomore students prefer the MTM, while junior and senior students prefer the DTM. This implies that the preferred teaching method for Korean university students is the CTM when the level of Confucian awareness is high, but as the level of awareness is reduced, the method progresses to DTM through MTM. In other words, it could be found that different methods of education need to be employed depending on the degree of identified Confucian-style values of students.

This study aims to explore the role of knowledge of content and students of a prospective mathematics teacher in designing learning that integrates mathematical literacy into mathematics teaching and learning. This research was a case study with a single-case design. A participant selected from 75 prospective mathematics teachers through purposive sampling techniques was assigned to compile two sets of learning tools to teach mathematical literacy through learning the concepts of relationships and functions. The data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews based on her experiences of designing the learning tools. Then, the data were analyzed to reveal the role of Knowledge of Content and Students (KCS) in designing the learning. The results of the analysis show that KCS has a considerable role in the prospective mathematics teacher in designing learning. The researcher found that knowledge of students’ mastery of the prerequisite materials affected the depth of the material; knowledge about students’ misconceptions, errors, or difficulties influence teaching strategy decision and organizing learning material, and knowledge of students’ interests, motivation influences the selection of problem contexts and strategies to encourage students’ active participation in the class.

In our report we briefly describe the existing state and tendencies in teacher training for primary schools. It is important to state that we are implementing a vital reform effort in our educational system. If we really want to emphasize the nature of changes in our school system, we need to be focused mainly on the use of those methods by beginner teachers that are not forming just knowledge, but also leading to creative use of knowledge in learning and life.

The article describes features in the developing of foreign language communicative competence by using interactive teaching methods. The directions of developing the students’ foreign language communicative competence are determined. Experimentation on skills in the development of this competence was carried out on the basis of interaction between participants. A comparative analysis of the results in experimental and control groups is proposed. The scientific novelty of the article is that it describes the effectiveness of the experience of using cooperation technology and the online platform Technology Entertainment Design in the developing of foreign language communicative competence of students.

Video-Based Interaction (VBI) for teachers does not have any meaning without the presence of an instructor and a process of interaction. This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of VBI in Teacher Working Group (TWG) forums to improve teachers’ professionalism in science learning in elementary schools. This study involved 36 teachers in rural and city areas by using a one group pretest - posttest design. N-gain was used to analyze the effectiveness of VBI in TWG forums to improve teachers’ teaching skills. The study showed that VBI significantly increases teacher professionalism to reach professional levels. The results were also consistent with the N-gain category of teacher professionalism in planning, implementation, and relations components.

The purpose of this study is to show the effectiveness of the AA “4C” model in increasing teachers’ abilities. The study is a Single Case Research using the ABABA design. The subject of the study was a natural-science teacher. Results of the observation conducted continuously by three observers show that each of the teacher’s ability items improves from the first condition, to the second condition, and to the third condition. This finding is supported by the results of the Manova technique showing that the AA “4C” model is shown to be effective in improving teachers’ abilities in conducting authentic assessment.

The aim of the present research was to assess the degree of preparation, methods of use, and the ability to create online educational resources by Polish teachers of early school education. The article presents the results of pilot studies carried out under the NP.-2550 grant, as well as the results of proper research conducted in 2017 in a group of 340 teachers. The selection of the research group was random. The collected data showed current trends, and made it possible to address the issue of a virtual consumer and an online creator from the perspective of a teacher.

The aim is to analyze what characterizes the work of special needs teachers and what collaborations they engage in in schools for students with intellectual disability. Special needs teachers with degrees from three different universities in southern Sweden participated in the survey. The results show that a majority of the respondents had long experience before they started the special needs training program and they describe the direct encounters with students in the classroom as an important part of their work. Supervision and subject-development also exist, but not to the same extent as classroom teaching.

International data from TIMSS 2015 show a significant negative correlation between the country mean attitude toward mathematics and the mean achievement in mathematics of fourth grade pupils. The aim of the paper is to decide whether it is a statistical artifact or an indication of a real factor operating at the country level. The multilevel regression analysis of the data attests the latter. The factor is hypothetically identified with country typical pressure for knowledge acquisition. Strong pressure is conducive to high achievement but it puts pupils under stress, which lowers the attitude. The reverse holds for weak pressure. Within country, the variability of pressure for knowledge acquisition is restricted, hence pupils may maintain psychological coherence between achievement and attitude.

The article presents a part of diagnostic and correlative research of quantitative and qualitative character, locating pupils’ information skills in the use of ICT in the context of new technology trends and the accompanying civilizational changes. The considered issues seek answers to the question on the sources of knowledge and skills acquired by pupils in the field of using new technologies. A diagnostic survey (questionnaire and interview) and statistical methods were used. 2,510 pupils were examined and it was established that: 1) numerous pupils’ indications, obtained through an open question, allowed for distinguishing as many as 14 categories of sources of information; 2) The pupils mainly locate the sources of ICT knowledge and skills in informal education (61.9%), by the same token diminishing the weight of organised, formal education and the influence of didactic institutions (38.1%); 3) the calculation of differentiating factors revealed statistically significant differences between the sources of ICT knowledge and skills in relation to gender, stage of learning, and place of learning.

The Indonesian government has decided to apply a scientific approach to all academic subjects. This decision brings serious consideration since it is new especially in language learning. Some researchers claim that the implementation of this new approach is not optimal because language teachers have never been introduced to a scientific approach. Grounded theory research was conducted to solve this situation. A new strategy has been formulated and called a scientific approach-based English learning strategy (SABELS), where students’ curiousity and willingness to communicate in English are the primary aspects teachers should establish before initiating the teaching and learning process. The learning process in this strategy includes: observing, questioning, collecting information, associating, and communicating. While establishing context, enlightening, monitoring, assisting, and evaluating are focused on the teacher’s activities. In conclusion, applying this new strategy will encourage both teacher and students to be more creative and innovative.

The article reveals the importance of the time management problem and substantiates the expediency of its research. It describes peculiarities of time management as a pedagogical technology concentrating on its principles; analysis of technology genesis was carried out in the works by foreign and domestic scientists from different fields of science. Five groups of problems solved with the help of this technology were identified. It was found out that time management within our research meets the requirements of a pedagogical technology effectively facilitating PhD students’ self-management. It was proved that it combines features of professional management technology as well as effective self-management.

In line with the alteration from fossil toward new and renewable energy sources, students’ perception about new and renewable energy become critical and an instrument to measure their perception is needed. This article reports the development process of Students Perception Instrument of New and Renewable Energy (PINRE) through three development phases. After scales, subscales and items were designed, the review by experts and practitioners was done to fulfil and validate the content. A trial process was conducted with 229 students from 8 schools (grades 9 and 12) in three cities involved. Statistical and additional qualitative data suggest that the PINRE is a valid and reliable instrument. Therefore, PINRE provides an alternative of a useful instrument for educators and researchers who will measure students’ perceptions about new and renewable energy.

Reader-response theory is based on the assumption that a literary work takes place in the mutual relationship between the reader and the text. According to this theory, the meaning is constructed through a transaction between the reader and the text within a particular context. Readers assume multiple roles when responding to a variety of forms of literature. The process of developing responses facilitates active and meaningful reading and increases emotional and intellectual participation in the text, which ultimately provides learners with better comprehension and awareness of the text. The potential value of classroom discussions helps learners to express their emotional reactions, to elicit their responses, to nourish their perspectives for furthering depth of their interpretation, to corroborate their opinions and share their responses for building a social relationship. It is crucial that learners are directed to perform more adequately in response to texts and actively engage in dialogues to pose literal and inferential questions, to explore a range of possible meanings and to foster cognitive development and comprehension.

The paper focuses on presenting the research results of a community-based project titled ‘ICT Guides’, in which we investigated the features and functions of intergenerational learning with the use of ICT tools, which open the way for the virtual word. This was accomplished by surveying 267 youth and seniors attending 16 ICT courses in Gothenburg (Sweden), Sheffield (the United Kingdom), Madrid (Spain), and Berlin (Germany), with the use of a questionnaire. Both groups perceive intergenerational learning with the use of ICT as a chance to get to know the other group, despite age and cultural differences. With the use of ICT tools in intergenerational learning, mobile devices make up for a lack of a good command of language when communication problems occur, through application of texts, pictures, movies and music available online. ICT also facilitates mutual understanding and contributes to breaking the polarization that can occur between immigrant youth and unrelated adults, to the mutual benefit of both parties.

The study aims to develop a portfolio assessment to measure the student’s skill of using primary source evidence in historical learning. The portfolio assessment was developed based on Seixas’ concept of historical thinking. The portfolio assessment consists of essay test and interview guide, which has proved to be valid and reliable. The developed portfolio assessment can be used to depict the student’s skills to organize information from historical documents or other written resources, and then reconstruct it as historical narratives. The developed portfolio assessment can be posited as an alternative evaluation mode for history teachers.

The paper reports on an empirical survey aiming to find out what study resources university students use and whether the frequency of the use of specific resources is related to deep and surface approaches to learning. An exploratory survey was carried out using two instruments - the ASSIST questionnaire adapted for Czech students and a newly designed questionnaire The Use of Study Resources. The sample consisted of 2,671 students from six faculties. Results showed that the most frequently used resources were students’ own notes from lectures and seminars, presentations created by teachers and course readers. Statistical analysis proved that there is a relation between the frequency of the use of study resources and the student’s approach to learning.

Integration of educational processes is fundamental to the modern learning paradigm. It is based on the critical approach to vocational training and gives students an opportunity to prepare well for their future professional life. Ability to solve complex problems is key and knowledge integration is central to the successful development of an independent learner. Research shows that the mastery of a specialist is directly dependent on their ability to solve complex problems. This, in turn, is highly reliant on the ability to apply knowledge to solving interdisciplinary problems. The presented article shows that integrated knowledge is both more encompassing and succinct at the same time. It comprises specific educational problems, the solution of which aids the development of professional competence and optimizes the educational process.

This study focuses on the implications of the enactment of the Act on the Promotion of Education of Critical Foreign Languages in Korea. This act is a legal institutionalization of the state’s responsibilities for and roles of teaching less commonly taught foreign languages. Foreign language education policy in the country has focused on English and a few major foreign languages. However, the Korean government came to realize the importance of teaching numerous languages that had been considered minor ones to cope with “glocalization”. With the enactment of this Act, the Korean government officially recognized the importance of education related to various foreign languages within its legal framework for public education. The objective of this study is to review the background and outline of the Act and examine the implementation of the projects associated with it. This paper also discusses the expected effectiveness of the Act for teaching diverse foreign languages and issues in the implementation process.

The presented article reports on an empirical and comparative study that aimed at investigating the overall level of metacognitive awareness of Iranian and Lithuanian university students, as well as its weakest and strongest sub-components and related metacognitive awareness inventory (MAI) items. To obtain a detailed measure of the levels of metacognitive awareness of the two groups, with a total sample size of 755, Schraw and Dennison’s (1994) MAI was used. Data comparisons show that Lithuanian university students have a medium level of metacognitive awareness, while a low level has been detected in Iranian students. Upon examining the subcomponents of the knowledge of cognition component, the mean score obtained for declarative knowledge was found to be highest in both groups. Although in the Iranian group the lowest mean score was related to conditional knowledge, in the Lithuanian group it was procedural knowledge. Considering the regulation of cognition component, the highest mean score was obtained in the planning subcomponent in the Iranian students and in the evaluation subcomponent in the Lithuanian students, while the lowest mean score was obtained in the monitoring subcomponent in the Iranian students and in the debugging subcomponent in the students. The results of this study may contribute to improving the quality of teaching and learning.

The paper presents research findings concerning desired parental activities for peer violence prevention. An instrument was created for the purpose of this research, and study sample comprised 480 participants, including 170 parents, 94 teachers and 206 students. Activities perceived as more important were open communication and greater control of children’s behavior, while parents’ participation in school was assessed as less important. The “School without violence” program was recognized as a significant resource for empowering family activities in peer violence prevention. This implies that it is important to implement family support programs and to develop parents’ skills.

In this study, we analyze the relationship between educational attainment and hourly earnings. With large survey data on young adults, our results suggest that there is a significant relationship between earnings and years of schooling, age, sectors of occupation, job tenure, years of experience and gender. Furthermore, having a high school diploma, two- or four-year college degree, master’s or doctorate degree leads to changes in earnings. However, these changes are negative. These negative results may occur because employers value work experience much more than a diploma.

The main goal of this research is to identify a relationship between intellectual capital and organizational agility through the mediating of organizational learning. The presented study is an applied and correlational research method based on structural equation modeling. 218 teachers of Zahedan high schools were studied by the stratified random sampling method. To collect information, three questionnaires were used: intellectual capital (adapted from Bontis, 1998), organizational agility (Soleimani, 2013) and organizational learning (Chiva, 2007). For data analysis, the Pearson correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling were used by SPSS and Lisrel. Based on results, the amount of the correlation coefficient of intellectual capital with organizational agility (r=0.566, p<0.01), intellectual capital with organizational learning (r=0.378, p<0.01), organizational learning with organizational agility (r=0.424, p<0.01) was significant. The direct effect of intellectual capital on organizational agility (β=0.56, t=6.56), the direct effect of intellectual capital on organizational learning (β=0.39, t=5.12) and the direct effect of organizational learning on organizational agility (β=0.2, t=2.89) were significant. The indirect effect of intellectual capital on organizational agility was also significant with the mediator role of organizational learning (β=0.078). Therefore, intellectual capital can lead to organizational learning and organizational agility.

The purpose of the conducted studies was to elaborate a questionnaire of attitudes towards cheating in school and investigate the relation between determinism and free will and attitudes towards unfairness in school. In order to elaborate on the questionnaire of attitudes towards cheating in school, Study 1 was carried out among 198 adolescents - students of technical schools and high schools. The elaborated tool was characterised by satisfying psychometric properties. Study 2, in which 107 students participated, examined the role of belief in free will and determinism as factors related to attitudes towards cheating in school. The study showed ambivalent results between variables. The only factor that was clearly positively related to negative attitudes towards cheating was scientific determinism.

The presented study aims to describe a service learning model in social studies in order to foster student social care. The research adopted a Research and Development design, with junior high school students in Bandung, Indonesia, as research subjects. Service learning in social studies is a learning framework that is developed by changing students’ learning experience by capitalizing more on the application of knowledge to provide benefits to the environment. Service learning activities were carried out in four types, namely direct service learning, indirect service learning, advocacy service learning, and research service learning. The activities were performed through stages: determining learning objectives, designing-implementing-monitoring service learning activities, presenting service learning activity reports, clarifying and reflecting on social awareness values. After the application of the service learning model in social studies, students showed a very high level of social care.

Nowadays online and mobile technologies have become a part of children’s daily lives, whatever the cultural and geographic context. The wide infrastructure of online digital networks, increasing reliance on mobile and social media and associated with it new technological opportunities and risks are the reason why that children’s rights are not only realized in new ways but also very often infringed. This article presents the analysis of the realization of children’s rights online in Europe and Kenya with references to The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

Teachers and parents are partners; each has an important role in achieving a common goal, which is rearing and educating children. Research has shown that successful teacher-parent cooperation positively contributes to holistic child development, academic success and behaviour, as well as reducing disciplinary problems. For teachers and parents to acquire a better mutual understanding and support is striving towards this common goal, it is important that each knows the other’s views and perspectives. The presented study focused on how teachers and parents perceive cooperation when managing disciplinary problems in the classroom and what they believe are the most successful classroom prevention and intervention strategies. The pooled survey used in this research included 107 class teachers and 291 parents from eleven primary schools in the North-East Region of Slovenia. The research has shown some important differences in the attitudes of teachers and parents, which should be taken into account when improving classroom management.

Most pre-service teachers work individually in preparing their teaching and learning activities and rarely work closely with others. The purpose of this research was to investigate pre-service teacher pedagogical knowledge through lesson study. Data were collected with the use of an interview and observation. Qualitative data were analyzed in four stages: organizing data, exploring and sorting data, descriptive analysis, invention interpretation, and validation. Results indicated that lesson study enhanced pedagogical knowledge of the pre-service teacher in planning, preparation, teaching strategies, problem-solving, classroom management, questioning skills, and assessment. Lesson study enhanced the pre-service teacher’s experience by comprehensively focusing on all facets of school in learning and teaching settings offering learning experiences.

Research problem - Today the quality of vocational education and training (VET) and especially the quality of the didactic process in VET highly depend on the capabilities of VET teachers to structure knowledge and skills they impart when dealing with the increasing volume of vocational and professional knowledge, and also on their capability to integrate the requirements of occupation and needs of students when coping with the challenges posed by fast technological development and changing student identity. The goal of this study is to explore the role and potential of key competences of VET teachers and how their development could equip VET teachers with the above-mentioned capabilities. The research methodology is based on both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The quantitative study was carried out by using a standardised questionnaire. Such a study helps disclose the personality traits of VET teachers, ways of their professional development and specific characteristics of their educational process. The participants in this research were VET teachers from different VET schools in Lithuania. Research data were analysed by using mathematical-statistical methods: descriptive statistics, nonparametric hypothesis testing, and factor analysis. Qualitative research was carried out by interviewing VET teachers from different VET schools and centres in Lithuania. Key competences and their development significantly contribute to the development of professional identity and personality factors of VET teachers. There is a direct and positive interdependency between the development of key competences of VET teachers and the quality of didactics, pedagogy and the expertise of VET teachers in the given occupational field. Key competences help VET teachers to shape and develop their professional identity and to cope with the current methodological and organisational challenges in the fields of curriculum design, organisation of training processes (including application of contemporary educational technologies), and vocational didactics.

The study examines the impact of the Flipped Classroom (FCM) on the development of key competences for the 21st century (KC21) in future teachers. Experimental design with two parallel groups was used. The sample consisted of 122 students of the Faculty of Education, i.e., experimental group-EG (60), and control group-CG (62). The EG attended lectures implementing the FCM, while the CG received traditional instruction. Results show that there is no significant difference in self-assessment of competence development between the EG and CG related to creativity, responsible attitude towards work, health and environment. There is a significant difference in the self-assessment of competences related to socio-emotional skills, problem solving, critical thinking, information and ICT literacy and learning to learn. The conclusion is that the implementation of the FCM can influence the development of the majority of KC21.

Ample research has been done on rumination and mental health. However, minimum effort has been exerted to investigate these variables among parents of differently-abled children. The presented study investigates the relationship between rumination and mental health among parents of differently-abled children. The study also aimed to revisit the psychometric characteristics of the rumination scale. Two hundred parents were selected from different rehabilitation schools of the Kashmir Valley. The mean age and standard deviation of the respondents were 40.04 and 5.31, respectively. Results of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) indicated that model fit for the rumination scale was poor (c2 /df = 2.33; CFI =.65; AGFI;.76; RMSEA;.08; TLI;.61), whereas the model fit of the mental health was excellent. A negative relationship was found between rumination and mental health on the composite score as well as on their dimensions.

The replication study offers research findings from verification of the construct validity of social intelligence by the Slovak MESI scale (Manipulation, Empathy, Social Irritability - MESI, Frankovský, Birknerová, 2014) by means of confirmatory factor analysis, and by convergent/discriminant validity by the trait emotional intelligence questionnaire (Petrides, 2009) in two samples (secondary school students: N = 134, Mage = 17.7 years old /SD = 0.47/, 66% women; university students: N = 138, Mage = 21.52 years old /SD = 1.81/, 77% women). Results of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirm the three-factor solution of the MESI scale (extracted factors of Manipulation, Empathy, Social Irritability) in accordance with the authors’ original solution in both samples. Trait emotional intelligence (EI) and its four factors enter into significant positive relationships with Empathy (convergent validity) and negative relationships with Social Irritability (discriminant validity). The global level of trait EI can be predicted by the factor of Empathy and Social Irritability in both research samples. Our findings confirm substantiation of the MESI scale for assessment of social intelligence, and its possible application in targeted educational interventions in a school environment.