Teachers on perceived traits and academic achievements of regular pupils and pupils with special needs in mainstream primary schools

When looking for answers to the question of academic (non)achievement of regular pupils and pupils with special needs, it is necessary to take into account the extraordinary complexity of factors, ranging from psychological across instructional to home environment variables. The academic achievement is not only a reflection of the pupil’s knowledge, but is also influenced by the pupil’s behaviour, the teacher’s expectations and finally the relationship established between the teacher and the pupil. This paper contributes answers to the question which of the traits, perceived by teachers, explain the academic achievements of regular pupils and pupils with special needs. Our analysis shows that perceived traits that explain the academic achievement of regular pupils refer to academic as well as social behaviour, disruptive behaviour and self-regulatory behaviour; therefore, they cover all areas of perceived traits we studied. In pupils with special needs as a whole and in particular groups of pupils with special needs, the factor which presents disruptive social behaviour proved as insignificant, which consequently means that the academic achievement of pupils with special needs depends more on academic and self-regulatory behaviour, task activity and social inclusion.     

Managing the investment in information security technology by use of a quantitative modeling

This paper presents a mathematical model for an optimal security-technology investment evaluation and decision-making processes based on a quantitative analysis of the security risks and a digital-assets assessment in an organization. The model makes use of a quantitative analysis of different security measures that counteract individual risks by identifying the information-system processes in an enterprise and the potential threats. The model comprises the target security levels for all the identified core business processes and the probability of a security accident together with the possible loss the organization may suffer. The model allows in-depth analyses and computations providing quantitative assessments of different options for investments, which translate into recommendations that facilitate the selection of the best solution and the associated decision-making. The model was tested using empirical examples and mathematical simulations with data from a real business environment.     

Analysis of efflorescence on surface of beeswax seals

Thirteen samples of an efflorescence collected from the surface of beeswax seals or from beeswax used for their restoration were analysed in detail. The samples were of different origin, age and storage history. The composition and the incidence of the efflorescence was correlated with a chemical composition of historical and recent beeswax samples. The composition of the crystalline layer was found to be very similar in all the samples. Linear monounsaturated alkenes containing 31 and 33 carbon atoms, more precisely (Z)-hentriacont-10-ene and (Z)-tritriacont-10-ene, were identified as main components. The analyses of beeswax have revealed that all compounds identified in “wax bloom” naturally occur in recent beeswax. However, the historical beeswaxes contained only traces of unsaturated hydrocarbons, if anything. The efflorescence was observed primarily on the surfaces of those samples which contained larger proportion of alkenes. The presented results could be of particular importance not only for better understanding of the described phenomenon, but also for the development of new beeswax-based materials, which would be “bloom resistant” and useful for conservation purposes.     

Policy makers’ rhetoric of educational change: A critical analysis

Reforms in education often fail due to insufficient time to implement them, too few charismatic leaders, the influence of the preceding culture, scarce resources or an incapacity to comprehend the complexity of the education system. Most studies dealing with the cognitive aspects of educational change investigate the meaning of change through the lens of the educators and principals and there is not as much research available on the perception and interpretation of change by policy makers and the language they use to communicate messages about policy that affect sensemaking–sensegiving during the process of learning about the changes. Guided by the premise that the language of a reform movement is shaped by its ideology, this article illustrates how press releases of the Ministry of Education in Canton Sarajevo in Bosnia–Herzegovina reflect an exploitation-oriented dominant reform logic. The results of frequency analysis, hierarchical clustering and multidimensional scaling imply that MoE is driven by a top-down perspective to educational change, with a focus on the procedural, organizational and collaborational aspects of reforms that primarily alter the structure of the education system but not its internal substance. We end this paper by suggesting that educational system as complex adaptive system cannot be controlled, but effectively managed through distribution of control and creation of few attractors, benefiting from self-organization in the technical core and making change in the official top-down rhetoric.     

Energetic demand and physical conditioning of table tennis players. A study review

Table tennis is a racket sport characterised by an intermittent movement profile, including short rallies interspersed with short breaks. In contrast to other racket sports, information is lacking regarding the: (i) physiological responses during table tennis matches and training; and (ii) practical recommendations for enhancing aerobic and anaerobic performance in table tennis by improving cardio-metabolic and neuro-muscular fitness, anthropometry and nutritional strategies. Therefore, this review article attempts to narratively provide an overview of the physiology of table tennis by describing the metabolic mechanisms underlying match play and outlining a framework for practical recommendations for improving cardio-metabolic and neuro-muscular fitness, anthropometry as well as nutritional strategies. A second aim was to stimulate future research on table tennis and to point out study limitations in this context. In general, the most important finding is that the rally duration is short at around 3.5s, with a longer rest time of around 8–20s, resulting in an effort-rest ratio ranging from 0.15 to 0.22 in official matches and energetic demands during match relatively low. Future studies should focus on the relationship between energetic demand and table tennis performance with a view to predicting performance in table tennis using physiological parameters.     

Knowing Who You Are for Not Feeling Lonely? A Longitudinal Study on Identity and Loneliness

In adolescence, both identity concerns and feelings of loneliness are of utmost importance to the experiences of young people. Yet, a theoretically grounded hypothesis that identity and loneliness are developmentally related has never been tested. Thus, the aim of this study was to disentangle the longitudinal associations between identity processes in educational and interpersonal domains and loneliness in adolescence. The sample consisted of 632 Lithuanian adolescents (53.2% girls; M_age = 14.32; SD_age = 1.09) participating in a four-wave study with 6-month intervals between assessments. Cross-lagged analyses revealed reciprocal associations between identity processes and loneliness in the educational domain and unidirectional effects of adolescents' reconsideration of commitment on loneliness in the interpersonal domain.     

The Tyranny of the Empty Frame

This study explores the notion of the “tyranny of the empty frame” within the online departments of the two leading Slovenian newspapers, Delo and Dnevnik, where online journalists—newsworkers with little or no training or experience in photojournalism—are required to provide each news item with at least one photograph. By adopting newsroom observation and in-depth interviews with online journalists working for Delo and Dnevnik, we investigate paradoxes associated with this imperative. Despite often being faced with a desperate search for “any image,” online journalists at both institutions are reluctant to use citizen-produced photographs—their use appears to be an aberration rather than a norm. Instead, they frequently resort to using what they refer to as a “symbolic photograph” to overcome the lack of visual material originating from the reported event. This move from indexical–iconic nexus to metaphoric visual communication signals challenges to the dominant paradigm of press photography. At the same time, we suggest that we should not view the phenomena of citizen photojournalism as a radical break with the past but as the latest development in a series of interrelated processes, intellectual projects of modernity, such as ocularcentrism, journalism, capitalism and the nation state.     

Primary School Children's Understanding of Municipal Waste Processing

The basic features and goals of environmental education incorporated into curricula for primary and lower secondary education in Slovenia are discussed. In this preliminary study we have attempted to establish a hypothesis about Slovene children's understanding of concepts relating to the problem of waste. For this purpose we tested 2nd‐5th grade pupils of elementary schools in the state capital and its surroundings. In the 2nd and 3rd grades children generally define waste, at the concrete level (by enumerating types of waste; they mention paper, glass, food waste. metals and plastics); only later, in the 4th and 5th grades, are the children able to make generalisations by defining waste according to various properties and waste recyclability. The test findings show that waste processing products, e.g. compost and recycled paper, are not well known. The children tested were unable to link these two products with the source of waste generation. In spite of the fact that school children are encouraged to collect paper, the purpose of this activity is not well enough explained; likewise with compost, even though its use is widespread. Instead of having the emphasis only on the emotional component of environmental education, Slovene children should be taught about environmental problems which are part of our everyday life.