Tackling knowledge ‘like a business’? Rethinking the modernisation of higher education in Poland

The year 1989 marked the official end of communist rule in Poland and the replacement of ‘Gosplan’ by new instruments for liberal-democratic governance. In terms of the economy this heralded a departure from Gosplan’s five-year planning cycles, performance targets and the ‘propaganda of success’. Paradoxically, however, 27 years later, the marketisation of higher education in Poland has been accompanied by a continuation of Gosplan thinking. This is manifested in a neoliberal vision of the modern, ‘corporate’ university as a largely utilitarian enterprise, but subject to a style of performance management strongly resonant of the Soviet era. This article analyses the thinking, ideas and ideologies that have shaped contemporary higher education in Poland. It is contended that the rise of the ‘corporate university’ signals the twilight of the Humboldtian tradition and raises questions about what the corporate ideal of ‘excellence’ may mean for the future of the university.     

The Role Of Non-public Schools In Modern Education Systems: A Polish Perspective

THE ROLE OF NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN MODERN EDUCATION SYSTEMS: A POLISH PERSPECTIVE – Non-public education can be viewed as one way of decentralizing the provision of education. The present study explores the ways in which non-public education is understood along with the scope of that education in countries belonging to the OECD. It focuses for the most part on the situation in Poland. The role of non-public kindergartens and schools in national education systems is assessed with reference to both the percentage of students in non-public educational institutions and the share of funding for education that comes from public and private sources. This assessment provides a context for discussing the issue of the independent status of non-public education in the education market, as well as the type of obligations borne by the state. The study also includes a brief history of Polish non-public education during the transitional period of the 1990s.     

Oculomotor dynamics in skilled soccer players: The effects of sport expertise and strenuous physical effort

The ability to quickly locate objects within the visual field has a significant influence on athletic performance. Saccades are conjugate eye movements responsible for the rapid shift that brings a new part of the visual field into foveal vision. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sport expertise and intense physical effort on saccade dynamics during a free-viewing visual search task in skilled soccer players. Two groups of male subjects participated in this study: 18 soccer players and 18 non-athletes as the control group. Two sessions of visual search tasks without a sport-specific design were employed. Eye movements during the visual search tasks were recorded binocularly. Between pre- and post-test sessions, athletes performed a maximal incremental treadmill test. Cardiorespiratory parameters were measured continuously. Capillary lactate samples were collected. Pre-test findings indicated that athletes, in comparison to non-athletes, achieve higher values of the following characteristics of saccades (1) average acceleration, (2) acceleration peak, (3) deceleration peak, and (4) average velocity. An increase in post-test saccade duration and a decrease in post-test saccade velocity was observed in athletes due to the strenuous physical effort in relation to the pre-test state. Athletes may transfer high saccadic function efficiency to non-specific visual stimuli. The findings partially confirm that physical exertion can reduce oculomotor efficiency in athletes.     

Philosophy of education in post-Soviet societies of Eastern Europe: Poland,Lithuania and Slovenia

This article explores the role of philosophy of education in three post-Soviet societies of Eastern Europe: Poland, Lithuania and Slovenia. The characteristic themes and approaches of philosophical reflection about education in these societies are explored with reference to three periods: the pre-Soviet, Soviet and post-Soviet periods.