Linguistic pictures of world and its existence

The linguistic image of the world, as a fundamental concept of contemporary cognitive linguistics, has been the subject of numerous material and theoretical studies. This resulted in a multiplicity of its definitions, which the author of this article analyzed in terms of ontological points present in them. From the point of view of kantianism and constructivism, he tries to engage in a debate with supporters of philosophical and semantic realism who perceive the linguistic image of the world as the property of an objectively existing society.

The COVID-19 pandemic is recognized as one of the most dramatic global health, social, and economic crises of the last decades, and maybe the whole century. Therefore, it is obvious that there is a need to examine the constructs of new thinking, new ways of life, and new behavior, which will help people not only to overcome the pandemic but also to build a future after it. The words isolation, quarantine, social distancing, lockdown, masks, antibodies, and zoom meeting quickly became the keywords of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, which is based on an analysis of the scientific literature and interviews, we ask whether new behavioral patterns such as social distancing, mask-wearing, online communication, and others might become the “new normal”. However, what might be perceived as the “new normal” to some, may seem like social absurdity to others. Thus, with an open-minded approach, we analyze the “new normal” as a complex, controversial, and evolving concept.

The COVID-19 pandemic has leftits mark on higher education, including first-year university students. The transition to online education has been particularly challenging for the University of Silesia and, to a far lesser extent, the International University of Applied Sciences. This study examines the academic experiences of first-year students entering university in the academic year 2020/2021. This article presents the results of a comparative study conducted on a sample of N=185 students from the University of Silesia (Poland) and N=120 students from the University of Applied Sciences (Germany) using an online questionnaire. The research showed that German students ranked the investigated issues higher; this does not mean that the University of Silesia provides a lower level of support, but that the information strategy and support elements are different.

Creativity as a perspective of experience. Synergy of experiences in (whole) life creativity

The intention of the author’s study is to show the role of creativity as a perspective of experience in the context of the processes of (whole) life creativity as the need for (self) realization of a human being in development. Creativity and the process of creation – being a coherent unity of thinking, feeling and acting is a kind of full and fulfilled experience. Through the qualitative understanding of human action, man is treated as an entity that creates and transforms the surrounding reality. Each area of activity in which the individual participates is co-created by him. It can be a specific manifestation of synergy (synergy effect), where we obtain multiplied benefits thanks to the skillful combination of the components of the whole. Creativity as a perspective of experience shows the meaning of creative work that gives meaning to life. Creativity (whole) in life was presented as folk art that expresses human psychological needs and as a life story and its expression on the example of the (in) obvious biography of a self-born creator. Creativity (whole) in life, present in folk and self-born creativity confirms its recognition as a personal, social, cognitive and aesthetic value.

Narration in Pedagogy – Meaning, Research, Interpretations

The author addresses the position of narratives in the field of educational studies, the meaning of narratives, methodological conditions for research into narratives as well as the possibilities and limits of interpretation related to narrative research. The author argues for the importance of narratives for educational studies, because as a field of knowledge and academic discipline it relies on access to particular forms of individual experience. Educational studies need access to experience related to the subjectivities of those involved in educational processes – educators and pupils. Narratives as a departure point for learning about and understanding another person, her relations with others, intentions and course of her educational actions – as an educator or a pupil – is an important area for educational studies, which promises to open new perspectives of knowledge.