TABLE OF CONTENTS

SPIS TREŚCI

Nowadays the issue of regional education is a very contemporary and necessary problem, seen as a future factor in cultural heritage, which can be treated as a contribution to preserving the continuity of traditional values. A look at how heritage can be protected using local perspectives in a globalized world through educational activities is also postulated by UNESCO’s global doctrines. In order to include this idea within the school education system, a certain transformation of the pedagogical reality must take place, which is a long-term process. That is why such projects are often carried out through non-formal education. Using the example of the project ‘Journey through Wooden Podlasie’, this study addresses the problem of protecting the cultural landscape and intangible heritage of Podlasie through education from an early age. Analysis of material collected, as well as the author’s own observations from the various projects carried out in the form of regional education, confirm the theory that there is a great need to implement programs of active heritage protection from scratch. Drawing inspiration from the past can be of great practical importance for future generations, and can serve to encourage children to be active participants in their environment.

The article aims to make a critical reflection, theoretical and practical, on the school and its functioning in the context of shaping the desired competences among graduates that distinguish them on the labour market. It is a strong impression that young people in the Polish classroom system still play the role of passive recipients of educational services rather than independent creators. Thus, there is a clear need to create high-quality bridges between the areas of pedagogical support for students in their educational and professional choices and the labour market and employers’ space in Poland. Education “ever anew” is the one that continually changes, adjusts its forms and contents to the changing socio-economic reality, creates a new quality focused on an individual and demanding recipient. The introduction takes the form of a brief reflection on the current dynamics of educational and professional life and the competences that will be needed in the future. The next section presents selected contexts and the diversity of the conditions of educational spaces in Poland. The summary contains inspiration for selected aspects of the future of education, such as the concept of learning in cyber parks and the use of “creative confidence” in learning.

This article aims to describe the cultural model of disability. In contrast to the social model of disability, which is strongly coherent, the cultural model of disability has not yet been specified, despite ongoing discussions on cultural determinants of understanding disability. In the first part of the article, the origins and essence of the cultural model are presented. Next, the four main assumptions underlying the model are characterised: 1) people perceive reality through the prism of their culture and experience acquired with it, 2) disability can have different meanings depending on what kind of discourse constitutes its meaning, 3) disability does not mean a feature of an individual, but a category of human differentiation, which can be embodied and thus materialised, 4) instead of just “looking” at people with disabilities and asking what problems they are struggling with, and what support from the society they need, the current perspective should be broadened and include the entire society and its culture. The final part of the article highlights the most important advantages of the cultural model of disability.

In the ongoing struggle of resocialisation pedagogy for its greater effectiveness, an important place is occupied by research and programmes on the use of various forms of cultural activity (meetings with culture and art) and artistic creation for social rehabilitation purposes. These activities perfectly fit into the interdisciplinary character of rehabilitation itself. In practice, many such projects are currently being implemented in Poland, including correctional facilities, juvenile shelters, and penitentiary units. Moreover, it is noteworthy that Polish rehabilitation can boast significant achievements in this field. The author suggests the existence of the undoubted influence of the background culture and mass culture on the effectiveness of rehabilitation. The tasks undertaken by social rehabilitation pedagogues and people involved in the re-use of different types of cultural engineering should consider the influence and the image of contemporary Western culture affected by the crisis of values. Presented concepts of resocialisation through cultural activity and artistic creation testify to a truly humanistic search for remedial shaping of socially maladjusted people and show an important current in contemporary resocialisation.

There are approximately 38 million HIV-positive patients in the world. The effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy has significantly increased the life expectancy of infected patients. The objective of this study was to observe the relationship between resilience (assessed using the SPP-25 Scale), coping strategies (Mini-COPE Scale) as well as trauma effects (SF-CiOQ Scale) and quality of life (SWLS Scale) in people living with HIV. The study included 78 individuals (26 women and 52 men) aged 18–65 years. Significant relationships between resilience and coping strategies were demonstrated in people living with HIV. Resilience and active coping were conducive to positive trauma effects and satisfaction with life. Non-adaptive coping strategies favored negative trauma effects. The strategy of positive reframing acted as a mediator in the relationship between resilience vs. positive and negative trauma effects in people living with HIV. The scores indicate the need for practitioners to focus on interventions which elevate resilience and active coping to improve mental health in people living with HIV.

The research focused on identifying differences in the sense of self-efficacy and self-regulation of stress among 470 students from Polish and Spanish universities and on determining the differences between students starting and finishing their studies. The following tests were used in the study: General Self-Efficacy Scale, COPE Inventory and Self-Regulatory Formative Questionnaire. Statistical analysis confirmed the correctness of the 6 hypotheses. The obtained results showed that the level of self-efficacy and self-regulation and the choice of coping strategies are related to gender, nationality, age, and multiple attitudes to a stressful situation. Moreover, other confirmed hypotheses show the conclusions that self-efficacy is higher in the group of men than in the group of women. On the other hand, women have higher self-regulatory skills and are more likely than men to choose favourable stress regulation methods. In contrast, the hypotheses about cross-cultural differences show that Spanish students have better self-regulatory skills and choose adaptive coping strategies, while Polish students use non-adaptive strategies.

Circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many challenges for all entities constituting the education system in Poland. The article aims to present the specific character of managing education and the teaching team in this demanding unusual reality. Contemporary principals and managers of various levels of education, often burdened with a multitude and diversity of tasks and requirements imposed on their role and the organisation of work of the managed entity, regardless of the circumstances of management, require and expect adequate support. The article reviews current empirical research on the problem of the functioning of schools in the pandemic, including such aspects as the situation of teachers, principals, students and their parents. The results are set within the practical, day-to-day management of education, focusing on the implementation of statutory tasks and the circumstances of cooperation between the principal and the staff team (e.g., concerning communication, fulfilment of needs, conflict resolution). Reference has also been made to own empirical research dedicated to managerial talent in education and the specific character of conflict management in an educational institution.

The COVID-19 situation has made higher education institutions face the unprecedented challenge of transition into distance learning. As a result, students had to acquire some skills and knowledge remotely, including the experience of learning social research. The article presents the results of research on students’ attitudes and perceptions regarding online teaching, learning, their digital skills, and the presence of subjects connected with social research in their diverse study programmes. The study was conducted to investigate how social research is taught at the university level. Using an online survey distributed in May and June 2021, data were collected from 103 students enrolled in bachelor (BA) and master (MA) studies at Polish higher education institutions. Findings from the study show a broad spectrum of students’ diverse experiences connected with their participation in online education.

The paper focuses on pedagogical theory and practice, which was brought to the fore about a year ago in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors deal particularly with the implementation of electronic media into family-school cooperation. The paper presents mainly the views and theories of authors from abroad, where the issue is more researched than in Slovakia. These are maintained by selected empirical data obtained by the authors during the pedagogical practice by means of the research carried out during the first lockdown in Slovakia (2020). We obtained the results by providing an online questionnaire. The research sample consisted of teachers at the primary level of education and parents of primary school pupils. It can be observed that traditional face-to-face ways of communication are still favoured among parents and teachers and that various barriers determine the so-called e-nvolvement of parents in parent-teacher cooperation. Another dimension of family-school cooperation is represented by an insufficient preparation of both parents and teachers.

The authors aim to draw attention to underestimating and disinterest in conducting a social study on the Roma population in socialism, which was carried out only in the early 1970s. The study on social and pathological phenomena focused on the impacts on the overall societal scale. The researchers did not perform studies in Roma communities and families. The state-controlled blanket assimilation was expected to automatically arouse positive changes in Roma families. Research into social pathology in Roma communities and families was launched only in the second half of the 1990s, mainly after the millennium. The study points to the authors’ archival qualitative research at the turn of 2020 and 2021 in the Slovak National Archives in Bratislava. The second part of the article presents qualitative research on violence against Romani women in connection with the presented effects of not addressing this negative phenomenon. The main goal of the research is to show the extent of interest in the social situation of the Roma during the communist regime and to point out the main problems in the present day.

The article describes quantitative changes in the educational area of the Polish borderland, based on the examples of Nysa, Prudnik, and Głubczyce districts. The demographic data, unfavorable for entire Poland, in the borderland regions are additionally burdened with migration from peripheral communes. It is reflected in the functioning of educational institutions. The analysis of the educational potential of the border areas based on data from the three districts indicates alarming demographic forecasts announcing their depopulation. Breaking that process seems impossible without external support. Thanks to co-financing under efficiently implemented EU projects, and, above all, the work of local leaders, many interesting initiatives were implemented to improve the quality of life in the border areas and their tourist attractiveness, which also gives hope for an economic revival. A positive aspect is that with the decreasing number of students, the number of departments also decreases, which gives hope for a better quality of care, upbringing, and education. However, the data show that reversing the negative trends requires great commitment.

The situation of children from a migration background in Polish dormitories and boarding schools is analysed herein. It is an emerging issue, practically absent in child studies in Poland. The author refers to research that is a part of MiCreate (Migrant Children and Communities in Transforming Europe) and demonstrates that despite the growing presence of migrant children in dormitories, they are invisible within the education system. The legal gaps in regulations applying to these children as residents of dormitories are explored herein, and integrative measures are analysed to find the possible causes of their ineffectiveness. The research was conducted in a dormitory in the city of Kraków. It included interviews with the institution’s staff, participatory observations and autobiographical narrative interviews with students. This article may inspire further large-scale research into the problems of migrant children being present and living in such dormitories.

Purpose: This paper attempts to examine the concept of successful ageing (SA) from the perspectives of older adults. Methods: Data were gathered from 224 persons. The research used a categorized interview and a test as methods of data collection. In order to select the types of subjective definitions of SA, the method of cluster analysis was applied. Results: 5 types of definitions were distinguished: 1) Around 40% of older adults consider the biomedical model to be in line with their idea of good old age, but they also add new components that they consider more important. These are: Living in an environment of loving persons (Type 1 definitions), and Religiousness, Generativity, Relationships with others based on love (Type 4). 2) About 40% of the respondents’ present one-dimensional definitions, with one of the following factors: Family (Type 2), and Religiousness (Type 3). 3) Lack of a precise definition is more often demonstrated in people with low life satisfaction who have been experiencing difficult life situations in recent times. Conclusions: Understanding of SA depends on life satisfaction and the context related to the life situation. Three key words are essential for the definitions: family, activity, religion.

Social exclusion is a multidimensional phenomenon extending beyond poverty, unemployment, access to various goods and services, but also covering the scope of breakdown of social ties and a sense of isolation as well as dependence on others. This phenomenon affects various social groups, but seniors experience the effects of social exclusion in a special way. This article aims to show how the transport-related social exclusion of seniors influences their psychosocial functioning. The problem of transport-related exclusion in Poland currently affects 13.8 million people living in municipalities where there is no organized public transport. The article tries to answer the question about the extent to which the surveyed seniors experience transportation disadvantage and how the limited access to public transport affects their psychosocial functioning. The obtained results quite clearly indicate that the elderly experience many effects of transport-related exclusion, which has an impact on the quality of their life. The communication exclusion limits their access to health care, which results in decreasing their health. Seniors experience exclusion due to difficult access to public transport, goods and services that affect their life quality. Research shows that seniors feel dependent on others. Restricting contacts with family and friends causes them to feel lonely.

The article aims to refer to issues related to the understanding of national identity, assuming that the basic reference point for the theoretical analysis is the model of universally recognised European values. Attempting to concretise the concept of national identity and identify determinants affecting its shaping, reference was made to the problem of identifying Poles with European values. Since the problem of national identity was often the object of interest of researchers, especially during the intensification of integration processes in Europe and the impact of such phenomena as globalisation, migration or development of mass culture with a cosmopolitan character, there were observed increased anxieties of various nations encouraging underlining their own “separateness”, and also greater identification with the national community. The author does not treat this phenomenon as disturbing because, according to the latest trends related to the understanding of European identity, it can crystallise as the sum of the identity of European national countries.

The paper is part of the interdisciplinary considerations on the management of organisations and the participation of women in these processes. The presented approach combines the science of management with the sociology of education. It allows the analysis of macro-social aspects of women’s functioning and micro-social aspects related to the functioning of women at the top of corporate power. The article is based on a management survey published in 2019, which concerns issues of mutual relations between education, socialisation, and the place of women in the social structure or the selection of co-workers. It is qualitative research that does not allow for the generalisation of conclusions to the entire population of Polish managers (or, more precisely, managers working in Poland), but the representativeness of a typological nature has been preserved. It means that the interviewees represented distinguished types of managers, mainly due to the industry and the type of position. The study concerned the highest-ranking company managers, Chief Executive Directors (CEO), and members of the company’s boards with various academic diplomas.

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Relationship – education – understanding: building virtual learning communities not only in the times of pandemic

The aim of the article is to analyze the process of education carried out in the conditions of online teaching. The author pays special attention to organizing the learning community. Learning is understood as the process of creating knowledge, where interaction and cooperation of students play an important role. The narrative is an extension of the thesis that in the case of distance learning there is a need to build a community of learners, where equally high importance is given to both cognitive and emotional effects. An important role of the teacher is to care for the mutual relations of students in virtual educational networks. The learning process carried out in a properly organized virtual network of students’ cooperation leads from mutual communication to understanding the content and creating knowledge, and learning becomes a very active mental process. The article discusses selected concepts of learning based on the cooperation of learners, the characteristics of which are translated into the model of collaborative learning in a virtual space, using the tools of modern digital technologies. The article indicates the importance of social relations in students’ virtual communities and the advantages of students’ educational activities in the digital space.

The image of the modern school in the artistic view of selected fields of art. Selected aspects

The school institution has always been subject to social criticism. The negative image of the school was not always fully justified and true. It happened that the words of criticism contributed to the improvement of school’s image. The school is one of the most important social institutions, it is therefore essential that its assessment be objective and the difficulties encountered / shortcomings have become an impulse for discussion, dialogue, and then for correction and supplementation. This text is an attempt to indicate the role of the art that presents selected areas of the functioning of the school. In the text, I refer to historical examples of art involvement in the educational and upbringing process at school, thus trying to signal that art was already an important element of education in the past. It was creating the image of the school. Today we can notice a similar practice. On the one hand, the presence of art in school creates its image, and on the other hand, art that works outside also creates its image. In the text, I present a number of examples of how school is perceived in an artistic image of fine arts, film and theater.

The figure of a witch as a symbolic harm in the patriarchal world. Anthropological and educational contexts

The aim of the article is to present the image of a woman – marked with the figure of a witch – oriented at changing stereotypical thinking about her. A look from a perspective not contaminated by the common view of the world will indicate its subjectivity, self-realization, and the right to self-determination, which is the basic pedagogical category. The figure of the witch is ambiguous – it reflects the rebelliousness that gives strength to deal with the pressures of society not to succumb to ways of controlling women that have undermined patriarchal standards. At that time she was called a demonic, wicked, magical woman, but on the other hand, a divine, innocent victim, a real healer. For they were „wise herbalists, soothsayers and sexually enlightened beings who had not been crippled by Christian piety and prohibitions” (K.J. Sollée, 2021, p. 89). Thus, they have become an icon of an independent woman, subordinate only to herself, with a strong personality desired in today’s world.

Human rights aspects of transgender people functioning in the contemporary world

The gender that is officially assigned at birth (male or female) is based on physical characteristics. However, it may not be compatible with gender identity – this is the way we feel and think about our gender. A transgender person is someone who has or manifests a different gender identity from the gender identity assigned to him at birth. A transgender person may choose to manifest their gender identity in a variety of ways. To make more permanent physical activity it is essential to use surgery and hormone therapy. This is a time-consuming and costly process that does not always involve complete gender reassignment. Transgender people experience transphobia and discrimination because of their gender identity, which is mistakenly associated with sexual orientation. The misunderstood concept of transgender causes that transgender people encounter intolerance, a lack of empathy, and the non-existence of safe social and legal spaces. This is mainly due to a lack of knowledge on the fundamental issues of transgenderism. Complex judicial procedures for sex reassignment, lack of funding for hormonal treatment and surgical genital correction, and the inability to marry are the cause of depression and a still high percentage of suicide attempts and suicides in this social group. Hence, it is important to draw social attention to the problems faced by transgender people and to disseminate knowledge about transgenderism.

Psychological determinants of homeschooling

The aim of the study was to analyze the psychological determinants of starting homeschooling by parents towards their school-age children. We analyzed the dependence of this decision on personality traits according to the Big Five, anxiety as a trait, hope trait and factors such as political and religious views or parents’ own school experiences. A comparative analysis has been made with parents whose children attend public primary schools. We used Hope for Success Questionnaire (Łaguna, Trzebiński & Zięba, 2005), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Wrześniewski, Sosnowski, Jaworowska & Fecenec, 2011), IPIP-BFM-20 Questionnaire (Topolewska, Skimina, Strus, Cieciuch & Rowiński, 2014), questions about homeschooling and demographics. Stronger hope for success, ability to find solutions, willpower, emotional stability and intellect, lower anxiety and conscientiousness were observed in parents undertaking homeschooling compared to parents of school children. A qualitative analysis was also conducted on the declaration of reasons for undertaking homeschooling. The article ends with recommendations for further empirical research.

Social activity of railway workers’ associations in Poland in interwar period

The aim of the article is to present the activities of railwaymen’s associations and social activity in the period of the Second Polish Republic. Railwaymen belonged to numerous and very diverse social organizations, engaged in charity, cooperative, and sports work as well as local and national initiatives. Railway workers’ associations were one of the forms of supporting the Polish state in solving important social and living problems. Their activity is an excellent example of social commitment – the implementation of educational and cultural, social and living as well as health and recreational goals, not only of the railway community but also other social associations of the interwar period. The article presents the social activity of railwaymen undertaken within the associations, with an indication of their theoretical and legal foundations and practical ways of achieving their goals. The article is based on printed sources, including statutes and reports, normative documents, articles from magazines published in the interwar years referring to the issue under study, and contemporary studies. The presented examples of associations indicate that they played an important role in the socio-political, economic, educational and cultural life of the interwar period. The activities of railwaymen undertaken within the associations initiated many useful actions, which became a creative factor that had a positive impact on the life of this professional group.

Questions about social pedagogy in the light of the Stanisław Kawula (1939–2014) idea

In the sketch, the author undertakes a preliminary analysis of the scientific work of professor Stanisław Kawula. The caesura of death, as well as scientific achievements, place the hero of this sketch among the scientists we call classics of social pedagogy. The professor’s scientific achievements are enormous, so it would be difficult to carry out a full analysis of the works left behind by him. As usual, in such a case, I have limited myself to indicating the main, in my opinion, currents of thoughts, guided by an arbitrary choice.

Dealing with the divorce of parents in the narratives of young adults women and men from divorced families

Parents’ divorce is an extremely difficult event for a child and how they deal with it depends to a large extent on the behavior of parents in a divorce situation. This event forces children to find themselves in a new reality, which they may not understand and do not accept, and which irreversibly marks their lives. The strategies described in this article were drawn from the biographies of young adults from divorced families. Data analysis was performed using grounded theory procedures. The article attempts to describe some methods / strategies that were undertaken by young people in the event of their parents’ divorce. This situation requires dealing with new emotions, requires adaptation to many different changes in life, and even meeting situations related to conflicts and quarrels between parents. Therefore, appropriate support is very important, not only for divorcing parents, but also for children who may be neglected during this period because of problems that their parents are trying to deal with.

The role of father in early education

The present text deals with the role of contemporary father evolves in connection with cultural changes, globalisation, medialization and technological progress. Such a role involves participation and acceptance of the new model of activity. The family life is more threatened with family members lack of integration, conflict spouses, freedom in marriage and weakening emotional bond between family members. The article deals with an analysis of father s roles in early primary scool education. It elaborates consists of two parts-theoretical one and research results. An importatnt element of of the analysis is cooperation between fathers and teachers. Father /family as a smallest social unit and the basic educational environment can help and support children success. Many factors such as age, education, environment influence fathers s activity. The variety of the research conducted among 669 fathers of early school-age children. It was carried out in the years 2018–2020 in 2020 in Poland.

Education and mobility. The role of education in the migration process as exemplified by the study of Poles living in Scotland

The paper is an attempt to answer the question about relation between education and mobility in condition of changing society. For this purpose was used survey research conducted amid post-accession migrants form Poland actually living in Scotland. The research was conducted in two stages, and participated in this 627 respondents living in varied part of Scotland. The first step was to conduct face-to-face interviews (258 respondents), while in the second stage was used CAWI method (Computer Assisted Web Interviews) (369 respondents). Collected empirical data has permitted to establish relation between degree level of education and migration motive of respondents. We can assume that factor explaining of that relation is cultural capital of man, which is collected during education process, in an institutionalized and embodied form. A ready-to-mobility attitude is a resource transmitted in socialization process. The longer individual attends to institutionalized form of education, the more often they manifested migration motivation focused on post-material values – willingness to meet a new challenge in live or assembling a new live experience connected to personal development.

Liberal or illiberal? Perception of Israeli democracy in the European Union

Liberal democracy perspective dominates the perception of actors and partners in the foreign relations of European Union. This stems from the declared fundamental values of the Union: respect for human dignity and human rights, freedom, democracy, equality and the rule of law. This also influences the judgment of Israel, who connected to the EU with cooperation but also criticised for its attitude towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Liberal democracies not only allow their citizens to exercise their right to vote but also guarantee a degree of protection from the state to all political life participants, maintain plurality, respect religious, ethnic and other minorities. Israel presents itself as a liberal democracy, therefore it seems important to verify if this view is shared by the European Union. The Union, member states and politicians in their documents or during the debates judge such aspects of Israeli politics as the occupation of West Bank, Golan Heights and East Jerusalem, settlements in the occupied territories, policies towards minorities, non-government organizations, oftentimes taking a critical stance towards Israeli actions. This may indicate that, despite Israel being a close political and economical partner, it still does not comply with the fundamental values and leaves something to be desired.

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Tinkering (with) bricolage. Reconstruction of selected philosophical and methodological assumptions of Joe L. Kincheloe’s concept

The bricolage as philosophical inquiry is a critical-constructivist research perspective proposed by Joe L. Kincheloe. It’s practical implementation assumes the use of various philosophical tools to help clarify the process of inquiry and provide insight into the assumptions on which it conceptually rests (Kincheloe, 2008). The considerations undertaken in this article are aimed at the characteristic of the philosophical and methodological assumptions that co-create it. Their reflective reception determines the possibility of a reliable use of the bricolage in the practice of academic research. The undertaken reconstruction was directed by the following research question: What epistemological – ontological – methodological preconditions make up the practice of research using the bricolage, in line with Kincheloe’s concept? Its material basis was the collection of books and articles listed in the bibliography. A detailed, though certainly not exhaustive answer to the research problem posed is presented in three thematically separated parts of the article. In chapters one and two, I describe the epistemology and ontology of complexity. In chapter three, I draw attention to an active view of research methodology. The contents presented in the article, although thematically arranged, intertwine, leading to the representation of selected aspects of the bricolage.

Online interviews in qualitative research of the pandemic period: inclusive potential, risk of exclusion, and quality of collected data

The paper is devoted to online interviews that gained significant popularity during the pandemic. The text has two main goals. The first was to reflect on the possible mechanisms of exclusion and inclusion of various categories of research participants. The second objective was to analyze the impact of the communication channels used with the respondents on the quality of the collected qualitative data. The study exhibits that online research is gradually becoming more inclusive, and the argument of digital exclusion is becoming increasingly outdated. The respondents’ education may still exclude, especially among lower than secondary education respondents. At the same time, the formula of online interviews offers a significant proinclusive potential, which was reflected in the participation in the study of a number of informants who could be permanently unavailable under traditional research. Research also shows that online interviews are generally effective. However, the application of diversified communication channels results in systematic and measurable differences in the collected data. Considering various aspects, Zoom offered data of better quality than Skype. On the other hand, mobile applications (and phone calls) do not constitute a natural alternative, and it is difficult to recommend them.

From qualitative to quantitative approach. The researchers’ way in designing mixed research

The article describes the process of designing a mixed strategy – from the qualitative approach to the quantitative approach. Important in this approach is the idea of integrating both research strategies, which is supposed to foster more effective cognition of the studied phenomenon. The authors describe the stages of the conducted qualitative research (theoretical assumptions, methods of collecting and analyzing empirical data) and the planned stages of quantitative research aimed at constructing a psychometric tool based on the cognitive effects of qualitative research. The article presents the results of qualitative research (the first stage of the mixed strategy) – the Model of Life Re-Decisions (four stages of self-relation) and Biographical Orders. The model depicts breakthrough life changes in the context of self-realization, from the perspective of broad humanistic psychology. The authors’ intention is to draw attention to the value of teamwork and to inspire readers to break through research patterns (searching for new research solutions).

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.

Application of Howard Gruber’s Theory „ESA” in the qualitative research on creative didactic work realized by academic teachers-innovators

The main aim of the article is to present the genesis and main assumptions of the theory The Evolving Systems Approach to Creative Work by Howard E. Gruber as well as an account of qualitative research into the experiences of academic teachers in the creative didactic work. In these studies the ESA theory was used both for the preparation of the research concept and for the analysis and interpretation of the obtained research results. 13 academic teachers participated in the research, introducing to the education of students for at least 5 years: pioneering adaptations, creative modifications, their own original didactic solutions including: concepts, strategies, methods, techniques and tools, workshops, students’ assessment systems. In the research there were applied the multiple, descriptive case studies, there were carry out semi-structured interviews and analysis of documents (publications, pictures). In the research was carried out a vertical analysis which resulted in the creation of an individual model of creative work for each research participant as well as a horizontal-cross-sectional analysis for all cases. On the grounds of many regularities found in studied cases the author of article presents proposition of systemic model of creative didactic work concerning examined innovators.

“I would like to be a teacher because...” A process of a choice of profession in the context of autobiography of students of pre-school and early-school pedagogy

The paper presents results of quality research aimed to study autobiographical experience of future teachers of pre-school and early school education concerned with their choice of profession. The research was conducted in 2019/2020 among 164 female students of the second year of pre-school and early school pedagogy at Faculty of Education of University of Białystok. In the first part of article various elements of the research are presented including the object of analysis, characterisation of the environment of investigations and an investigative test. A large part of the article is devoted to the presentation of the research results relating to the motives for choosing the occupation of teacher. Based on casual autobiographical statements of the students the circumstances, events and life experiences were presented that played crucial factors in the process of their job choice. Analysing their narrative prominent figures were identified that played an important part in decision making involved in selecting job of pre-school and early school teacher. The last part of the article includes the research conclusions. Furthermore, implications for theory, practice and research on professional development of teachers are also discussed.

A family with a skipped generation: the lived experiences of grandparents raising grandchildren

Aim: In the last decade, many countries around the world have seen an increase in the number of skip-generation families in which grandparents take over the responsibility of raising grandchildren. The phenomenon described is also becoming more common in Poland. This article presents selected results of a study aimed at better understanding the experiences of grandparents raising grandchildren in skipped generation families. Methods: Participants were purposively selected from grandparents raising grandchildren living in skipped generation families in the Podlaskie Province. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with 20 participants. The use of a biographical perspective in the research provided detailed narratives of the life experiences of older grandparents in skip generation families. Results and conclusions: The grandparents’ stories show the duality of experience consisting simultaneously of stress/satisfaction, sadness/joy, being seen/not seen. Addressing the issues faced by grandparents living in households with the skipped generation is important as it can reduce stress levels. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a model of support for grandparents raising grandchildren in skipped generation households which could be relevant for adapting to a new life situation and increasing psychological well-being.

Tackling biography. Building religious identity amidst the discontinuity of intergenerational transmission

The article explores the issues of searching for identity in the third post-war Polish Jew generation. Its purpose is to try to reconstruct the experience of becoming a religious Jew and choosing the Jewish path during adolescence faced with missing or incomplete transmission of intergenerational cultural heritage. The two biographies were investigated in terms of the educational paths of their narrators, primarily informal education, independent gaining of cultural (religious) knowledge, as well as the opportunities and limitations of formal Jewish education in Poland. The research was based on the biographical method, unstructured/in-depth interviews. The article consists of four main parts: 1. the application of the biographical method to own research; 2. the social context of the biography of the “unexpected generation”; 3. two biographical exemplifications; 4. the portrayal of the narrators’ struggles in building their own path in religious education. The exemplifications provided by the two biographies help identify the process of “becoming a religious Jew” in the “found generation”, illustrate individual biographical events and common biographical sequences. Furthermore, the article pinpoints the so-called biographical anchors, including prominent figures, religious authorities, minority organisations, and accessibility of religious education in Polish conditions – factors that contribute to the rise of the “cultural self”.

Tunnel to the Third Power – art-based research in the practice of higher education

The article presents the artistic-educational-research project Tunnel to the Third Power, implemented by two communities related to artistic and educational spaces: a group of students of Artistic Education at the Faculty of Education, University of Warsaw, who are prepared to work as art educators, and the second group: the students of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. The methodological basis of the implemented activities was art-based research. The theoretical basis of the project was the art-as-pedagogy of Clair Bishop and the widely commented educational turn in contemporary art. The artistic basis was the project of the artist Piotr Grabowski Tunnel. The importance of mankind for the future. The article discusses the assumptions of the project, its implementation and research conclusions. The student project was also shown as an example of using art-based research in the practice of higher education.

The take & make method in performative education. Case study

The article is a report on the research carried out in a group of pedagogy students on the use of the take&make performative method in the subject of comparative pedagogy. The aim of the research was to learn about the experiences of pedagogy students regarding the implementation of an optional performative task within the subject of comparative pedagogy. During the research the case study method was used. The technique used in the study was the technique of analyzing documents, in this case entries on a didactic forum on an e-learning platform – their content and available information on entries, such as the date of entry and the average grade of the student entering the registration. The main strategy for data analysis was qualitative analysis and the complementary strategy was quantitative analysis. The qualitative analysis covers the nature of the responses to correctly completed tasks – the type of action undertaken by the students and its creative or imitative nature, as well as the strategies undertaken by students who failed the task. The quantitative analysis covered the number of submitted works, the number of passed works (performative solutions) and failed works (non-performative solutions), their correlation with the average grade for compulsory tasks and the time of submitting the work. The article points to the need to use performative methods in education that mobilize students to act, not only to plan their own actions.

A Memory of Prof. Jolanta Brach-Czaina. Walking in the Garden

Report on the 9th Transdisciplinary Symposium of Qualitative Research, Białystok, June 7–9, 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SPIS TREŚCI

The article represents a part of a master thesis research project carried out at Klaipeda university. Concepts of biological, emotional, and procedural parenting obligations were utilised to analyse the issues of social work support for adoptive families. Procedural and emotional components were found to raise the biggest challenges. Although fostering and adoption mean raising a child deprived of parental care and usually needing additional help, social work support is mostly oriented towards fostering families. Therefore, social work support for adoptive parents while rather intensive in preparing the necessary documentation, initial training and matching of a family and a child, basically stops after the child arrives in a family. After that support remains purely voluntary and occasional. Research results show that the adoption process needs to be improved by revising training programmes, enhancing inter-institutional communication, and enriching the information provided for adoptive parents. The current procedures are seen as inefficient by social workers and adoptive parents.

The modern world is currently facing new social threats, which pose a challenge to the existing aid systems. Circumstances like intensive migration processes or the uncertain situation resulting from ongoing military conflicts cause increased cultural differences, which intensify the marginalisation and social exclusion of minority groups. The Acting in Context by Training the Trainers in Social Empowerment (ACTTE) project was prepared to respond to emerging needs. The project was implemented in a consortium of 4 universities and 4 NGOs from Poland, France, Spain, Italy, and Belgium. The main goals of the project were: (1) development of tools for intervention work (toolbox) based on the Empowerment concept (emphasising increased control over one’s own life, self-confidence, and one’s abilities, and social integration among recipients of aid activities) for employees of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working with marginalised and socially excluded people as well as academic teachers educating future educators and social workers, (2) developing competencies/skills in DPA (Developing the Power to Act) – an approach using the concept of Empowerment in people participating in training (both NGO employees and academic teachers). The article focuses on the project’s implementation process.

Introduction: This paper focuses on providing social care to a close relative. It is crucial in social services. Design: qualitative methodology – method of semi-structured interviews. Methods: respondents were selected to satisfy specific criteria. Particularly, these criteria were the care of a close relative who was assigned level III or IV care benefits. Another criterion according to which we selected respondents was that the carer belonged to the age group in which a person is still usually economically active. The research sample consisted of 6 respondents. Results: Based on the data analysis, we created categories to present the content of semi-structured interviews. Needs focusing on the body carried over into maintenance of one’s own physical and mental health are: the need for safety, the need for acceptance, the need for acknowledgement and respect, and the need for self-fulfilment and perspective. Conclusions: It is important to identify the care of a close relative, the specifics and needs, in the interests of configuring effective management of medical, psychological and social care, and creation of a system of social protection.

This article focuses the reader’s attention on understanding trust as a research category in the context of the functioning of modern families. This issue is sufficiently represented in research work, especially overall trust as the context of the functioning of modern man in the interpersonal space. However, there is no reference to family ties and their strength, which are shaped by the trust. This article is the result of part of a large research project carried out in 2020 on Polish families. The questionnaire’s questions for the analysis concerned intimate issues such as betrayal or faithfulness. The respondents were also asked about other family members having access to their personal belongings, including mutual assistance or small loans. The article draws the reader’s attention to the issues of interpersonal relations and the importance of the family in the respondents’ minds. The research contains interesting information on the preferences of the research category in shaping family relationships, the strength of family ties and the social roles performed based on these. The data show a change in the functioning of the modern family, especially in the context of its functions and family members’ roles.

The study aimed to determine the personality indicators of the avoidant coping strategy in adolescent youth in situations of social conflict. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (adapted by I. Dzwonkowska, K. Lachowicz-Tabaczek, and M. Łaguna), the Stress Assessment Questionnaire (Kwestionariusz Oceny Stresu, KOS) designed by D. Włodarczyk and K. Wrześniewski, and Questionnaire for Coping Strategies in Adolescents in Situations of Social Conflict (Kwestionariusz do badania strategii radzenia sobie młodzieży w sytuacji konfliktu społecznego) created by Borecka-Biernat (2012). The empirical research was conducted in middle schools on 893 adolescents (468 girls and 425 boys) aged 13 to 15. An analysis of the research results indicates that a young person’s low assessment of own abilities and the assessment of a situation of conflict as a threat or harm/loss co-occur with the avoidant coping strategy in situations of social conflict.

This text is an attempt to reconstruct how emigrants from Poland adapted to the living conditions in Scottish society after Poland acceded to the European Union. Using the functional perspective, four potential forms of migrant adaptation were defined according to their relations with the social system of the host country. Assimilation, integration, marginalisation, and isolation were distinguished as four essential types occurring with different intensities and frequencies. The adaptation of migrants to new living conditions was analysed using these forms concerning the following three critical dimensions of human existence: the material, the cultural, and the social. It makes it possible to show the diversity of the adaptation strategies according to gender and the problem of working in jobs below one’s skill level. On the other hand, the analysis of the cultural and social dimensions made it possible to identify issues related to the accumulation of family social capital and difficulties in transferring cultural capital between the two countries. The survey also showed that Polish migrants have a high integration potential. However, situations where unfavourable or negative experiences of migrants intensify, may constitute a fundamental basis for developing an adaptation strategy that will result in the marginalisation of this group.

Euroregions, their influence on the development of the Polish and Czech border The Polish-Czech borderland is a system of characteristic social realities and a place where two different cultures meet. The emergence of Euroregions creates opportunities for faster development of border areas and their integration. Cross-border cooperation is located in various frames of the borderland life that affect the everyday life of residents, i.e., in the spheres of the economy (cooperation between entrepreneurs), communication (expansion of the infrastructure and infostructural network), culture, sport and tourism, ecology, education and science (research, joint implementation of EU programmes), combating all crime, and warning and assistance in states of disasters and crises (e.g., in case of a flood, fire, epidemic threats). The research presented in the publication shows that there is still a need for a lasting good functioning of the Euroregions existing on the border of Poland and the Czech Republic. Keywords: Euroregion, borderland, cross-border cooperation, attitude, lifestyle

The present exploratory study investigated adolescent experiences (N = 84) at a multilingual London college to provide evidence of the psychological factors underlying language-driven effort. It was assessed in a group of students with either English as First Language (EFL) or English as an Additional Language (EAL) status, speaking English to varying degrees, concerning their personal characteristics and environment. The impact of language status and category on such an effort was explored in volunteers of all year groups, using a new theory- and practice-based Language-driven Effort Questionnaire. Differences in language-driven effort among groups with diverse language statuses occurred. EAL students put in more effort, perceiving their environment as motivating and supportive, which was reciprocal, regardless of proficiency. Also, the language category was important for early EAL learners who struggled and were sometimes lonely. The results showed that the sources of language-driven efforts in multilingual settings are both personal and environmental. The need to analyse the individual situation and use flexible methods in the classroom were signalled for the benefit of all pupils who differ in language attributes.

The existence of language varieties has a considerable impact on communication. They influence the interaction between language users from various centres due to the number of linguistic differences observed on the level of phonetics, spelling, grammar, lexis, and pragmatics. On the one hand, pluricentric languages connect people from various centres by using the “same” language, and on the other hand, they separate them by developing national norms. This article aims to demonstrate the importance of teaching language varieties in foreign language classes because the knowledge of national norms of pluricentric languages is essential in communication with people from various centres. Both English and German are pluricentric languages. Advanced language users should be aware of the differences between language varieties and be able to use the appropriate variety according to the communicative situation. The research undertaken in this article is meant to verify the undergraduate students’ knowledge of English and German varieties, emphasising terminology used in everyday life and their abilities to communicate in languages other than English or German.

Remote teaching became one of the key topics in educational research due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our article looks at the other side of the story, i.e., in-person education during the pandemic. This aspect of teaching excellence has been overlooked because it seemed to be thoroughly studied. However, COVID-19 has profoundly changed in-person teaching. In our study, we focus on the Polish medical and technical universities as the studies they offer include solid practical components (labs or clinical classes). Our article examines how in-person classes were administered and organised during three consecutive semesters, starting in the Spring of 2020, when teaching at Polish HEIs was mostly conducted remotely. We build our analysis on internal legal acts issued by rectors and interviews with university staff who oversaw the teaching process. The legal documents describe the procedures related to in-person teaching or frontline teaching in person. The interviews complement this image by providing the rationale behind the regulations, their reception by the students and the faculty, or the backstage of in-person teaching. The LogFrame was applied to provide a conceptual framework to understand how universities could continue providing their services.

One of the innovative perspectives to increase student involvement is gamification. The article aims to analyse selected motivational mechanisms in the context of gamification tools. The pragmatic nature of students (obtaining a better final grade, improving the organisation of the learning process) is compared with players’ experiences and the offered gamification models. While students’ goals relate mainly to effectiveness (study certificates, practical skills and knowledge with minimum effort), games are process-oriented (fun, engagement). The paper states that the differences may be apparent and proposes motivational tools that can make learners’ experience resemble players’ one. Particular attention is paid to the art of failure, autonomy, community and mandatory fun, which are discussed from the perspective of the theory of self-determination (competence, autonomy, relatedness) and cognitive dissonance (effort justification, insufficient punishment, counter-attitudinal advocacy paradigm). The article advocates voluntary participation or at least the choice of different educational paths and tools. Secondly, the paper encourages implementing features enabling students stress-free freedom to experiment and experience failure.

The article focuses on the musical interactions of parents with children based on elements of E.E. Gordon’s music learning theory which intensify their musical development in different periods of their life. The individual case method and the interview technique were used in the research. The description of the results was generalised and synthesised by analysing interviews with nine family members. The research showed that almost all parents included intentional and varied activities to support their children’s musical development in the prenatal period. They also undertook them at later stages of their lives. These activities often focused on presenting diverse music in terms of style, dynamics, pace, tonality and meter, moving to it, singing for a child and with a child, and performing tonal and rhythmic patterns. It resulted in a wide variety of musical behaviours in the children, conditioned by their age and stage of musical development. It proves that early musical support is an important foundation for the proper course of this process and further musical education.

The article presents the issue of patriotic discourse in school textbooks for teaching Polish for grades 4–8 of primary schools. At the same time, this issue is placed in the aspect of recent changes in education made and announced by the minister of science and education. The analysis of the textbooks carried out using the KAD method shows that, although we constantly deal with a romantic vision of patriotism due to the canon of reading, it is sometimes broken through reflection on historical events and the past. The martyrdom tendency, formed in the period of Romanticism, is still the dominant one, the presence of which is part of the paradigm of the long duration of Romanticism. The article also addresses what patriotic education at school should be today. Not only today, but for a long time now, we have been dealing with a tendency to produce and reproduce a conservative discourse and be closed within a martyrological narrative. This way of understanding patriotism today may lead young people to consider any form of patriotism as anachronistic and inadequate to our times.