Students as political actors? Similarities and differences across six European nations

Drawing on data from students, higher education staff and policymakers from six European countries, this article argues that it remains a relatively common assumption that students should be politically engaged. However, while students articulated a strong interest in a wide range of political issues, those working in higher education and influencing higher education policy tended to believe that students were considerably less politically active than their predecessors. Moreover, while staff and policy influencers typically conceived of political engagement in terms of collective action, articulated through common reference to the absence of a ‘student movement’ or unified student voice, students’ narratives tended not to valorise ‘student movements’ in the same way and many categorised as ‘political’ action they had taken alone and/or with a small number of other students. Alongside these broad commonalities across Europe, the article also evidences some key differences between nation-states, institutions and disciplines. In this way, it contributes to the comparative literature on young people’s political engagement specifically, as well as wider debates about the ways in which higher education students are understood.     

Authors from the periphery countries choose open access more often

This article analyses attitudes of academic authors toward open access (OA) and the frequency of choosing OA publication venues. The research looks particularly at differences between authors based in countries with a gross domestic product per capita less or greater than US$18,000 (called periphery and core countries, respectively). The data were obtained with an online survey sent to 107,296 scholars listed on the mailing lists belonging to De Gruyter Open from December 2015 to January 2016. A total of 1,012 responses were received. Authors from the periphery countries publish their articles in gold OA more often and they also pay OA publication fees equally often as those based in the core countries. The reasons for that are complex, involving both their preference to publish in OA and the composition of the publishing market in the periphery.     

Active recovery of the finger flexors enhances intermittent handgrip performance in rock climbers

This study aimed to (1) evaluate the effect of hand shaking during recovery phases of intermittent testing on the time–force characteristics of performance and muscle oxygenation, and (2) assess inter-individual variability in the time to achieve the target force during intermittent testing in rock climbers. Twenty-two participants undertook three finger flexor endurance tests at 60% of their maximal voluntary contraction until failure. Performances of a sustained contraction and two intermittent contractions, each with different recovery strategies, were analysed by time–force parameters and near-infrared spectroscopy. Recovery with shaking of the forearm beside the body led to a significantly greater intermittent test time (↑ 22%, P?P?P?相似文献   

Professional development of kindergarten teachers in Croatia – a personal choice or an obligation

The quality of educational processes with children of preschool age and long-term educational outcomes are largely related to the work quality of teachers. Lifelong learning and professional development, as predictors of quality, need to be regarded as an ongoing task for kindergarten teachers. Findings of an empirical study of Croatian kindergarten teachers’ views (N = 388) on professional development point to a link between teachers’ intrinsic motivation and their professional development. Motivation explains 46.87% of the variance Personal commitment to professional development. A slight positive correlation was found between the level of formal education and the frequency of professional development (r = .216, p < .01). Although the level of education of kindergarten teachers is not a good independent predictor, it affects readiness to self-fund professional development (p < .01). As for the significance of conferences as a form of professional development, participants of the study identified them as an effective opportunity (M = 4.68, SD = .52), promoting both quality practices (M = 4.69, SD = .54) and exchange of experiences (M = 4.68, SD = .56). The length of participants’ professional work experience affects their assessment of the significance of practitioners’ networking as a way of improving the quality of everyday practices (F = 1.43, p < .05).     

Fluid reasoning,working memory and planning ability in assessment of risk for mathematical difficulties

ABSTRACT

The demands on mathematical problem-solving have increased in almost all school systems internationally and may constitute a barrier for children with special educational needs (SEN). This study explored the role of fluid reasoning (FR), working memory (WM) and complex executive function of planning (EF) in children (N = 62) referred for assessment of SEN, and specifically of risk for mathematical difficulties (MD). Performances on FR, WM and complex EF of planning were used to predict risk for MD. Results showed that planning ability predicted children at risk for MD, beyond FR or WM ability, when comparing with children not at risk for MD. It was concluded that assessing the complex EF of planning in addition to FR and WM ability is crucial in identifying children at risk for MD. The importance of understanding how planning ability affects children’s mathematical problem-solving is discussed, in relation to assessment and teaching practices.     

Gap year students in Lithuania: the value orientations of children from wealthy social groups

The paper seeks to understand the trajectories of students who defer entry to university. The study was conducted in Lithuania, a former Soviet Union republic. The phenomenon of a ‘gap year’ is usually associated with young people, who decide not to enter higher education schools immediately after receiving secondary education, instead they choose to spend a year volunteering, working or engaging in other activities. This article analyses the choice of taking a gap year from the perspective of rational choice theory, complemented by human development theory, which was developed by R. Inglehart and his colleagues. The latter theory allows discovering relation between the spreading of the gap year phenomenon in developed European countries and the emergence as well as development of post-materialist values from the macro-level perspective. The theoretical analysis is based on semi-structured interview data collected in Lithuania.     

The role of personality in motivational regulation and academic procrastination

This study explores the role of the motivational self-regulation in academic procrastination under the personality framework. Therefore, the aims of the study were to investigate: (a) the role of personality dimensions in the self-regulation of motivation; (b) the role of self-regulation of motivation in procrastination; and (c) the mediating role of the self-regulation of motivation. The participants were 274 university students (M?=?21 years). The Big Five traits explained from 6% to 17% variance of the individual motivational regulation strategies (MRSs). Both personality (conscientiousness) and the MRS (environmental control) were significant predictors of academic procrastination. Conscientiousness, agreeableness, and intellect showed an indirect effect on reducing academic procrastination, mediated through the strategy of environmental control, thus additionally suggesting the important role of this motivational strategy. Since this strategy can be taught, these findings have a strong practical value.     

Research of technical knowledge and creativity development of children in pre-primary education through interactive whiteboard

The introduced study represents methodology and results of research focused on utilization of interactive whiteboard as didactic technology mediating information through multimedia worksheets applied in education process in pre-primary education. Its aim was to determine whether it can significantly increase the level of children’s acquired knowledge in the field of technical skills education and whether it can positively influence the development of children’s creative skills as a sign of their motivation. We observe that this issue in the way it is theoretically and practically established in this study can contribute by proposing education standards and set of multimedia worksheets in the technical field in Slovak pre-primary education.     

Work-related burnout syndrome in special education teachers working with children with developmental disorders – possible correlations with some socio-demographic aspects and assertiveness

ABSTRACT

The aim of this research was to examine the levels of burnout syndrome dimensions in special education teachers and correlations with some socio-demographic characteristics, job characteristics, and levels of assertiveness. The research included 225 special education teachers from Serbia (82% were women, 18% were men, with the average age of 42.51 ± 9.23 years). Research instruments included Maslach Burnout Inventory, Rathus Assertiveness Schedule, and a socio-demographic questionnaire. There were differences in all burnout dimensions in relation to types of students’ special needs. Higher levels of burnout symptoms were observed in teachers working with children with motor skill disorders. The assertiveness scores had a significant negative correlation with emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation, and a positive correlation with a lack of accomplishment. The results obtained may help in the planning of the adequate preventative measures for improving the mental health of those professionals.