The current EU migration and asylum policy crisis has been perceived to constitute one of the most serious challenges for European security. The attitude of fear and reluctance towards admission of cultural others (including: refugees, asylum seekers and the immigrants) has been particularly visible in the V4 countries. The aim of this paper is therefore to examine the grounds of such a position with reference to general European tendencies as well as specific features of attitudes of Poland and Slovakia as the representatives of V4 countries in the light of their particular economic and social situation. Due to volume limitations the author will focus mainly on the two presented States. The decision regarding choice of Poland arises from the fact that as the only V4 State it has voted in favour of the mandatory quota of relocation of 120.000 refugees. Instead Slovakia constitutes the most vivid example pro-European parties changing rhetoric for more national which is quite transparent for the V4 countries. The whole analysis has been conducted in the specific context of relocation of the symbolic division of Europe an replacement of ideological Iron Curtain with cultural Velvet Curtain which leads to the phenomenon of culturalisation. 

The attitude of parents influences formation of children’s attitude to life. It is even more noticeable when speaking about media. The proposed contribution shows partial results of research carried out as a part of VEGA project No. 1/0913/15: Media literacy of young school-age children in the context of family and school cooperation. The character of the empirical research was diagnostic and quantitative-qualitative. The aim of the research was to examine media education performed in formal and non-formal ways among young schoolaged children in Slovakia. 28 schools from all over Slovakia were examined in the presented research. The contribution focuses mainly on findings from questionnaires given to parents and other focus groups, i.e. pupils.

Niniejszy tekst dotyczy genezy słowackiej świadomości narodowej, która narodziła się w XIX wieku w warunkach nasilającej się polityki madziaryzacji ze strony władz węgierskich. Miała ona miejsce najpierw w ramach monarchii austriackiej, a po ugodzie dworu austriackiego w Wiedniu z elitami węgierskimi i powstaniu Austro-Węgier nasiliła się w ramach Królestwa Węgierskiego. W odpowiedzi na politykę madziaryzacji narody niemadziarskie, w tym Słowacy – a ściślej ich niewielkie elity polityczne i kulturalne – podjęły próbę przeciwstawienia się polityce władz węgierskich. W tekście autor ukazał proces kształtowania się słowackiej świadomości narodowej, rolę Ľudovita Štúra, Jána Kollara i kolejnych działaczy, politycznych, ludzi kultury w tym procesie do 1918 r. Omówił też współpracę Słowaków z innymi narodami niewęgierskimi, mieszkającymi w Królestwie Węgierskim w walce o swoje prawa, przeciwko nacjonalistycznej polityce władz węgierskich, w tym okoliczności związania się Słowaków z Czechami w okresie poprzedzającym wybuch pierwszej wojny światowej i w latach jej trwania – zwłaszcza na przełomie 1917 i 1918 r., co ostatecznie doprowadziło do proklamowania w Pradze 28 października 1918 r. Republiki Czechosłowackiej jako jednego z nowych państw Europy Środkowej, powstałego na gruzach Austro-Węgier.

Prenatal exposure of a child to alcohol may cause Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FAS/FASD). As a result, the affected child may exhibit lower intellect, neurosensory disorders, hyperactivity, executive functions disorder, abstract thinking and behaviour disorders combined with growth disorders and facial dysmorphia. In addition, undiagnosed and untreated children may suffer from serious secondary and tertiary disabilities. The aim of this paper is to provide a research overview of practical information about FAS/FASD syndrome, a presentation of the 4-Digit Diagnostic Code method and a sample of the research results by the first Centre of Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention of FAS in Slovakia.

Slovakia, Austria and the allies during the years of World War II

The position of Slovakia during the Second World War, unlike its neighbour’s, was significantly different. Whereas Austria lost its independence and became a part of the German Reich, for the first time in its history Slovakia gained its autonomy on 14 March 1939.

W artykule zaprezentowano analizy uzyskanych wyników badań przeprowadzonych wśród marginalizowanych Romów słowackich przy użyciu systemu wartości ludzkich Shaloma H. Schwartza (1992). Rezultaty tych badań mogą być przydatne w wielu aspektach życia publicznego, w formułowaniu metodologii systemu szkolnego i w formułowaniu wytycznych dotyczących Romów, w opiece zdrowotnej i usługach medycznych, we wzmacnianiu prewencji problemów dla szczególnych terenów segregowanych. Rozpatrując różne typy społeczności romskich, wyniki badań w obrębie systemu wartości Romów i jego potencjalne zróżnicowanie mogą stanowić empirycznie weryfikowalne kryterium homogeniczności etnicznej i kulturowej badanej etniczności na Słowacji. Mogą one także przyczynić się do rozwiania stereotypów i uprzedzeń większości wobec ludności romskiej.

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.

Czechs and Slovaks on the road to an independent state (1914–1918)

The following article describes the struggle of Czechs and Slovaks for independent Czechoslovakia during World War I and explains why Austria-Hungary could not survive.

Češi a Slováci na cestě do samostatného státu (1914–1918)

Bojná-Valy, an Early Medieval Hillfort in Slovakia. New interpretations

The Early Medieval hillfort Bojná-Valy in Slovakia is among the best known structures of this type in Europe. Until recently, it was attributed central functions but a new hypothesis suggests that it served as a kind of barracks.

Considering the current conditions in environmental education and training in Europe and the world, it is essential to put emphasis on the increase of the environmental literacy of pupils in the educational environment. The paper presents findings of the conducted research focused on the regional identity in relation to environmental literacy of pupils. The empirical research was of a quantitative-qualitative character. The subject of the research was the level of environmental literacy of pupils of primary education and selected aspects in its development in educational process. The research was conducted in 630 schools from all over Slovakia. In the paper we focus mainly on the findings obtained from questionnaires completed by primary education pupils and from interviews carried out by teachers. The research findings highlight the need of pupils for direct contact with nature with regard to the improvement of their level of environmental literacy.

Within the context of lifelong learning, it is necessary for teachers to improve their competencies, including the competencies in the use of digital media. The paper presents partial results of research carried out within the VEGA 1/0913/15 project on Media Literacy of Young School-Age Children in the Context of Family and School Cooperation, while it also analyses the need to develop digital literacy, which is part of the VEGA 1/0748/20 project on Diagnosing Digital Literacy of Primary School Teachers in the Context of Undergraduate Training and Educational Reality. The empirical research had a diagnostic as well as quantitative and qualitative character. The subject of the research was media education of younger school-age pupils implemented in both formal and informal ways in Slovakia. The research involved 28 schools from all over Slovakia. The paper focuses mainly on the findings obtained from the questionnaires filled out by primary school teachers, interviews conducted with school management and content analysis of school educational programs. It focuses primarily on the interest of teachers in further training in media education.

This paper presents the results of our research related to the motivation of the adults when learning. Our analysis is focused on the comparison of the motivational features of adults learning process in four Eastern and Central European countries (Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine). The research is based on a qualitative survey. We used questionnaire of our design to learn about their motivation to participate in trainings, their interest and the possible hindrances. The subjects of the study are adult learners from the mentioned countries (N=556) who were in contact with the research partner institutions. Our results show that the majority of the respondents looked for pragmatic opportunities in learning useful for work and life, but also wanted to develop their interests and expand their knowledge. No country-specific characteristics were found, and potential differences were only observable in some cases.

In the paper we focused on the personality of the teacher and his/her motivation for professional performance depending on the length of teaching practice. The aim of the research was to find out the profile of the motivational structure of performance in the professional context of primary education teachers and to determine the specifics of individual dimensions related to the motivation for performance. The results showed that the motivational structure of performance is very similar for primary education teachers in the Slovakia and the Czech Republic. For teachers in the Czech Republic, the profile of the motivational structure of their performance does not change with the length of teaching practice. On the other hand, in Slovakia, motivational performance structures change in context depending on the length of teaching practice.

The state of research into the history of hermitages in medieval Slovakia

In this historiographical paper, we map the latest state of research into Christian hermitages in medieval Slovakia. We focus on literature on the subject of hermits, the Order of Carthusians and the Pauline Fathers, published after 1989.

Mendicant orders in the academic discourse on medieval Slovakia after 1989

The changes in Slovakia that followed the Velvet Revolution of November 1989 created a new exploratory atmosphere in historical science, including the history of medieval monasticism.

The increased time spent using the Internet and smartphones is prevalent primarily among adolescents. This group is currently of particular interest to media educators and psychologists studying the impact of ICTs on quality of life. An example of the negative changes associated with the intensive computerisation of various spaces is the uncontrolled and inadequate use of the Internet, referred to as problematic Internet use (PUI). This text contributes to the discussion on the extent of PUI among adolescents (12–16 years) in the Czech Republic (N=1555), Poland (N=501), and Slovakia (N=478). Based on the collected data, it was found that: 1) Polish and Czech adolescents are similar in terms of the intensity of PUI symptoms (adolescents from Slovakia are characterised by lower levels of PUI); 2) The vast majority of young people do not exceed PUI thresholds that could be considered alarming; 3) Lack of sleep or neglecting meals in favour of Internet use are the least frequent factors in the study group; 4) Most often adolescents declare that they are bored when they do not have access to the Internet; 5) Adolescents are a nonhomogeneous group in terms of the intensity of occurrence of PUI traits, but only 0.3% of adolescents in the Czech Republic and 0.4% in Poland had all 6 PUI factors present in maximum intensity.

When analyzing the main problems in the bilateral Slovak-Hungarian relations in 1993–2002 it can be concluded that there were many barriers to an agreement in that period of time. Centuries-long Slovak dependence on Hungary increased the nationalistic tendencies among politicians and the Slovak society. Other factors that affected the mutual antipathy were provisions of the Treaty of Trianon, Benes Decrees, situation of Hungarian minority in Slovakia, the dispute over the dam on the Danube and the position of nationalist groups. The worst situation was during the rule of Vladimír Mečiar (1993–1998). This government’s actions met with a response from the Hungarian government, the European Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe. The consequence of this policy was the fact that Slovakia was not invited to the summit in Luxembourg (1997) to start negotiations with the EU. Similar situation happened in the context of the entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO): while the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary were invited to become member in Madrid in 1997, Slovakia remained as an outsider. Mečiar’s regime was also a period of crisis within the Visegrad Group which could have claimed to solve many bilateral issues. It would seem that after the elections in 1998 and the regime change in Slovakia it could come to the normalization of mutual relations. An important prerequisite for doing so was a coalition government, which included the Slovak Hungarians or with the establishment of a mixed commission to solve the most urgent problems. Both countries were forced to work together to achieve the priority in foreign policy, which was to enter the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. For this purpose, the cooperation within the Visegrad Group was renewed. The question is whether it was this factor that caused the normalization of relations? It seems not. Both countries achieved their primary goal, and this cooperation was necessary. It does not change the fact that also during the Dzurinda government, there have been many frictions no longer directly associated with the activities of the government in Bratislava, but rather with the burden of the past. Another aspect was Viktor Orban’s former government in Hungary and the position of the extreme nationalist political parties.

Religiousness and the sense of identity of students from the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia

The subject matter explored in the article include the issues related to religiousness of university students. This category comprises their denominational structure, their attitude to religion, their self-evaluation of the essence of religion in life, the frequency of participation in religious practices. These categories are shown in relation to their sense of identity. The research with the use of the survey method was conducted among students from the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia who live in culturally diverse territories. The research results show the ongoing changes in Polish and Slovak societies. Young people take advantage of the possibility of making choices and their choices concern not only education and professional paths, but also the beliefs, behaviour and activities in the religious sphere. The surveyed students’ freedom of choice is manifested, among others, in their sense of a multidimensional identity and in the consciousness of belonging to the Church. Among the surveyed university youth – in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia – one can observe the individualization of religiousness in the form of the departure from religious affiliation, as well as in “belonging without faith”.

My case study examines an issue of Slovak occupation of the northern parts of Spisz and Orava regions in years 1939–1945 in the narration of the „Nový svet” – weekly newspaper. Slovak Army`s participation in invasion of Poland in September 1939 was an important topic for press all over that new country. Media platforms were informing their readers about military successes and diplomatic arrangements. In the article I analyse the process of creating propaganda narrative about attack, annexation and then administration over the conquered lands. The weekly was richly illustrated, so I write about role of the text as well as the picture. It should be remembered that many Slovaks were still illiterate at that time. The article considers if the narration has changed over the years.

The level of preparation of teachers before they enter the profession is an important factor affecting the level of culture of future generations and, consequently, the society as a whole. This preparation requires not only the proper implementation of the curriculum, but also the acquisition of self-efficacy skills. So far, the self-efficacy of pre-service teachers has been studied with respect to different variables. However, there is a lack of satisfactory comparative research among students from Poland and Slovakia, the countries of slightly different approach to preparation of pre-service teachers. To fill this gap, a comparative study of 355 Polish and 198 Slovakian university students was conducted using Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk Hoy Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale. The purpose of the research was to determine which variables, including the country (Poland, Slovakia), course, form, year of study and participation in the field experience correlate significantly with the sense of efficacy of pre-service teachers. The obtained results indicate a satisfactory consistency between the Polish and the Slovakian version of the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale. The research revealed a significantly higher self-evaluation among Polish university students and students of early childhood education. Part-time students with field experience evaluated themselves higher than full time students. The results emphasize that it is important to place high demands on future teachers and create appropriate conditions to improve their teaching and self-evaluative abilities.