This paper describes the concept of the praxial philosophy of musical education by David J. Elliott. Worldwide applications of this concept are becoming increasingly apparent. It challenges the traditionally understood education through art that draws on aesthetic fundamentals. The author makes an explication of the category of competence in the praxial concept of musical education. She is inspired by the idea of the reconstructive cultural competence of a subject proposed by A. Męczkowska.

Close relationships with all members of the market environment are now widely accepted by academics and practitioners as an excellent way of creating a sustainable, competitive advantage. However, views on exactly which activities constitute the essence of market relationships may differ significantly in various cultural contexts. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of Chinese culture on market relationship creation, focusing on specific guanxi networks with closely related indigenous cultural aspects, such as renqing, lian, mianzi, xinren and xinyong, in order to reveal their implications for the functioning of foreign companies in China. An emic approach was predominantly implemented in this analysis, in addition to a polemic on the commonly used assessment methods of culture impact that is based on Western evaluation and bipolar culture dimensions. The information presented is based on research carried out on thirty-eight cases of Polish companies in China that used a semi-structured interview technique with individual managers directly responsible for operations in this market. It is reinforced with a broad literature overview and many years of the author’s direct observations. In addition, some practical recommendations and further research are suggested.

Literature is a social fact and as such it can be one of the ways to interpret social reality. Therefore, the literature published after the year 2000, with reference to sociological studies on young generation, is found to be an interesting source of knowledge on behavior, attitudes and values presented by young Poles. The article as a contribution to the discussion on the role of literature as “the mirror” of social life is limited to young people as observers (the youngest generation of Polish writers) and as the observed (experiences and problems of young Poles at the beginning of the 21st century). Its introductory part deals with the problem of perception of social life from the angle of literature, and refers to the concept of the considered generation in sociological literature. Its main part presents the sketch for the portrait of fictional young Poles, their lifestyle and values based on the literary fiction. At the same time, this artistic image is compared to the existing sociological data. The use of the latter is subject to the problem key applied in the analysis of the selected novels.

The education system and its role in reproducing gender inequality have been discussed in different European countries for over 40 years. The research-based reports from 16 European countries delivered to European Commission within Exchange of Good Practice on Gender Equality forum created a unique opportunity to learn about the main themes, intensity and stages of development of gender and education discourse across Europe. The analysis of the situation in various countries revealed some differences and similarities in the approach to introducing gender in education between post-communist countries and countries with long-time history of gender equality debate. The areas of difference refer to social perception of gender, discrepancy between official legislation and practice, cooperation with educational authorities, textbooks contents and attitude to sexual education. The major similarities concern teachers’ awareness and attitudes, gender gap between boys and girls in scholastic achievements, segregation in vocational choice and feminization of teaching profession. The country overview allows to locate Poland on the map of this European discourse as well as to show inspiring examples coming from the countries far more developed in introducing gender sensitive mechanisms in educational practice.

The present text is an attempt to show the changes taking place in the sub-discipline of sociology of education. The theoretical frame of the discussion includes concepts of Emile Durkheim, Mary Douglas and Stephen Fuchs who emphasize the importance of social conditions for the process of knowledge institutionalization. Analyses carried out in the article aim also at identification of causes of marginalisation of the discussed sub-discipline within sociology as a whole. One of the reasons seems to be identity incohesion resulting from the fact that sociology of education is a shared field of study of both sociology and pedagogy, to mention the two main study contributors.

The authors present a grounded theory concerning teachers’ expectations of students and employers’ expectations of graduates. The analysis is based on empirical research while the interpretation of the results is based on critical theory. Employers’ expectations turned out to be wide-ranging and impossible for candidates. Teachers’ expectations, however, reproduced that part of employers’ expectations that can be linked to conformity, devotion, and faithfulness. In light of the authors’ interpretation, education fails to perform an emancipatory function, i.e. it fails to equip students with the critical competence necessary for active involvement in civil society. The labor market, on the other hand, is a dominating force that blocks the development of a discursive, open version of society. Graduates find themselves in a double-sided trap sprung on them, firstly, by education and later by employers.

This study explores the perception of professional stress and stress coping strategies in a sample of 80 employees at the college. The data was collected by using an inventory of perceived sources of stress and work stress indicator (coping scale). In addition to developing the concept of professional stress, the study had two objectives: to measure the level of professional stress in different categories of staff at the college and to study and analyze stress in Serbia in relation to individual differences (gender, age, marital status, parenthood, number of children, education, class, and working hours). The highest level of stress experienced was by respondents with three or more children, over 50 years old, have a college degree, and professors. Employees younger than 30 years of age, members of the student parliament, employees with a university degree, and the parents of one child experienced the lowest level of stress. As for the relationship between individual differences and stress levels, the results show that there is a relationship between age, marital status, parenting, and the education of the children and how they are experiencing stress. By contrast, gender, class, and working hours are not associated with it. The research integrates a broader set of variables that are prerequisites to a better understanding of demographic and employment factors that lead to professional stress. This should help better understand the proportion of variance of employee satisfaction, performance, and help better cope with it.

The study examined two types of parenting and their relationships with the parents’ involvement in the education of their children. A s mall-scale study1 of one classroom at a urban public school in the Czech Republic suggests that children from families with different backgrounds and different attained education perceive distinct types of parental upbringing styles in relation to their education achievement: the article discusses helicopter and submarine parenting. The main interest is dedicated to helicopter and submarine parenting in their weak and contradictory forms since the research revealed these two forms to be the most prevalent in the studied classroom. As the research data indicates, these two parental models are associated with specific dimensions of emotional capital. The survey revealed that the children of helicopter parents clearly benefit from parental involvement since their parents effectively transform their emotional capital into cultural capital.

The presented study explores the ways in which two events from the history of Poland – the baptism of Mieszko I and the so-called ‘pagan reaction’ – are shown in history textbooks and curricula. Both of these events are treated here as remembrance sites, creating the historical canon, which constitutes one of the pillars of Poles’ memory of the past. The method of public discourse analysis was applied. The analysis of textbooks and curricula showed that while the christening of Poland is presented as an exceptional remembrance site in its history (one of the major events constituting the historical canon), the so-called pagan reaction is a hardly noticeable event. The attitude to the Slavic past, which is characteristic for the analyzed texts, can be placed within the discourse of depreciation, to which the argumentation, linguistic means, and the symbolism have been subordinated.

The study is prepared at the Department of International Information of Lesya Ukrainka Eastern European National University. The paper describes the healthcare system in Ukraine. The basic legal documents that relate directly to this issue are considered. The main health threats for Ukrainian youth are defined. Some of the social programs and projects related to healthy lifestyle of Ukrainian youth are examined.

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