The authors deal with the research focused on the verification of school drama education in the pre-service education for primary school teachers. The research project period covered the years 1998-2003, as part of the research project of the above organisation with the title “New Opportunities in Teacher, Educator and Pupil Education for the Learning Society of the 21st century” (msm174500001 – with Assistant Professor Hana Lukášová as the Head Project Researcher). The project results can be split into the following areas: a) Verification of the drama education methods in the study subject titled Basics in professional practice b) The development of dialogue skills in drama games (role playing) and improvisations of students studying the drama education subject.

The article deals with a need to introduce complex preparation for solving educational situations at university faculties educating future teachers, social educationalists and educators. It defines the terminology of an educational situation and shows possibilities of how to solve educational situations in theory as well as in practice under university conditions both from the point of view of practical realisation and research into given problems.

In this paper, the author presents his view on research activities involving the problems/issues associated with the development of educational skills related to resolving educational situations. It presents the outcomes of a research study whose main aims were to diagnose knowledge about these problems/issues in educational situations, and to suggest and to design, implement, and verify the suggested methodology in practice.

Popular Legal Culture – a case study of a social innovation project. Theoretical assumption

The article concerns an original project entitled Popular Legal Culture, carried out at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń in the CPAiTT as part of the Innovation Leaders Academy program. The text mainly describes the assumptions of this project in the context of the implementation of the third evaluation criterion (social impact). An important accent of this study is the presentation of a research concept that fits into the action research framework, which allows not only to diagnose and describe reality, but also to design corrective actions, introduce specific solutions and evaluate them. The project is innovative and interventional in nature, and the research itself is based on a participatory model. The text strongly emphasizes the need to conduct scientific research beyond the traditional strategy of basic research. Not instead, but next to it. The study is therefore a record of the research path leading from the development of the concept, to the requirements for academic social influence (criterion III) and to planning and developing social implementation. A series of scientific publications was planned for the Popular Legal Culture project. The following is part of the first stage, during which the theoretical assumptions and background of activities are described.

Aiming at health promotion actions, the authors present their own curriculum, “I take care of my spine,” which refers to the postural defects prevention and is based on the system of particular actions directed at shaping pro–health attitudes and behaviours in early school education pupils. The concept of the research is included in a paradigm for the quality research carried out as action research which assumes quality and efficiency improvement of health education in Polish schools. The value of the programme will be possible to actually assess over a period of several years after introducing it in educational institutions. The project was approved by The Bioethical Commission of the Medical University of Silesia (resolution no. KNW/0022/KB1/162/10).