NOVÁ EURÓPA: Návrat do budúcnosti

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Oľga Orosová - Marcela Štefaňáková - Mária Bačíková - Beáta Gajdošová - Anna Janovská

The research monograph is focused on studying the effectiveness of the Unplugged prevention program conducted at primary schools across Slovakia.

Using two large datasets with repeated measures, the monograph contributes to research knowledge about substance use prevention. The authors studied protective and risk factors, developmental trends of smoking and alcohol consumption as well as the effectiveness of the Unplugged prevention program – its effect on psychological and behavioural indicators of health-related behaviour.

Considering the complexity of the analyses on two datasets with 5 waves of data, each chapter is presented as a separate research study. The findings serve as a basis for recommendations for parents and teachers and also for school management at primary schools that support effective school policy aimed at the prevention and promotion of the health in schoolchildren.

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Kristína Bosáková

Attempting to confront Gadamer's teachings not only with the giants of Greek philosophy but also with Hegel and Heidegger is no easy task. However, Gadamer's entire historical-philosophical work is most prominently associated with these ancient thinkers and the two geniuses of German philosophical thought. Therefore, there is no avoiding it. Without this confrontation, all my efforts would be, in a certain sense, futile. Whether and how I succeed is another question. Every reader will surely form their own judgment.

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Eva Žiaková

Proceedings from the Scientific Conference with International Participation held on November 27, 2015 in Košice

Stress is becoming a part of everyday life in developed societies, which negatively affects both the physical and mental state of individuals. The proceedings from the scientific conference with international participation, titled "Forms of Internal and External Factors in Coping with Stress from the Perspective of Theory and Practice in Social Work," are therefore dedicated to the issue of coping with stress from an interdisciplinary perspective.

It addresses the full spectrum of coping issues, ranging from the most internal, specifically defined factors of the C-system of coping in oncology patients, coping with burnout in helping professions, sociological contexts of oncological diseases, through the level of social support that provides individuals with space for managing stress, to the possibilities of coping with stressful situations in various areas of life.

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Mária Bačíková - Anna Janovská - Oľga Orosová

The textbook is primarily intended for students of teaching academic subjects, but it will enrich anyone who needs to familiarize themselves with research methodology focusing on psychological and educational sciences. In the textbook, students become acquainted with the basic principles of conducting research, the process of research implementation, and the basic methods of quantitative or qualitative approaches.

The examples used in the textbook are mostly focused on research conducted in a school environment. By acquiring the basic knowledge presented in the textbook, the reader will be able to conduct simple research in school conditions. At the same time, understanding the principles of research methodology helps with the critical evaluation of information from various sources.

The second, expanded edition has been extended by three chapters, focusing on conducting research directly during the teaching process in the form of teacher action research, on the possibilities of evaluating preventive programs, and the final chapter deals with the possibilities of publishing research.

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Ľubov Vladyková

The present monograph titled Evolutionary Ethics: Selected Issues and Challenges discusses a range of problems, theoretical concepts, and beliefs from the perspective of evolutionary ethics. The term evolution has become one of the central terms in contemporary science and philosophy.

In social sciences in general, and in socio-biology and evolutionary psychology in particular, evolution has had great impact on our understanding of the genesis of culture. Evolutionary theories play a similar role within the theory of consciousness and of the mind (evolutionary epistemology). The interrelation between our evolutionary past and our sense of good and evil is also a subject of heightened interest in ethics; it has in fact become one of its challenges. The concept of evolution challenges the way we create thought patterns through which we understand, or hope to understand, ourselves and the world around us.

This monograph represents a general summary of selected issues in evolutionary ethics, touching upon various aspects of current research into evolutionary ethics and the related domains of evolution, science, ethics, and morals. Evolutionary ethics has become a project which presupposes that in order to understand the essence and basis of morals one must turn to the process of evolution of thought, and to the theories put forth by evolutionists, specifically evolutionary biologists.

The structure of this monograph, as well as its potential usefulness for research and education clearly show that the analysis of the problems discussed here has significant implications for domains far removed from the purely theoretical parts of moral philosophy or biology. The advantage of such discourse is that it enables the implementation of evolutionary ethics in social and ethical issues of public interest (for example Sex Literacy, Sex Education), and this should be recognised and welcome.

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Katarína Šiňanská, Lucia Tóthová, Tomáš Šeďo

Každý človek má potreby – od tých najzákladnejších, ako je jedlo a bezpečie, až po potrebu lásky, uznania a sebarealizácie, teda rozvoja svojho potenciálu. Tieto potreby boli zoradené do tzv. Maslowovej pyramídy, kde na seba nadväzujú podľa toho, ako veľmi sú pre náš život nevyhnutné. Ak máme uspokojené základné potreby, začneme túžiť po tých vyšších – napríklad po blízkych vzťahoch, spolupatričnosti, rešpekte a možnosti rozvíjať sa.

Ľudia so zdravotným znevýhodnením majú rovnaké potreby ako ktokoľvek iný. Rozdiel je často len v tom, že ich naplnenie je pre nich náročnejšie – nie preto, že by ich menej chceli, ale preto, že im v tom často bránia vonkajšie prekážky. Chýbajúca podpora, bariéry v prostredí, nedostatok informácií či predsudky spoločnosti spôsobujú, že sa na ich potreby zabúda. Niektoré potreby sa potom stávajú „neviditeľné“ – nie preto, že by neexistovali, ale preto, že ich okolie nevníma.

Sociálne potreby, ako je láska, priateľské vzťahy, pocit spolupatričnosti, možnosť komunikovať a byť súčasťou komunity, sú pre ľudí kľúčové. Ak nie sú naplnené, vznikajú pocity samoty, smútku, bezmocnosti či frustrácie. Z výskumov vieme, že osamelosť alebo pocit odmietnutia môže bolieť rovnako ako fyzická bolesť. O to dôležitejšie je vnímať, že každý z nás túži po tom istom – po prijatí, rešpekte, priateľstve, láske.

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Soňa Gabzdilová

The educational system (schooling) is one of the most effective tools for shaping the young generation in any advanced society. Schools not only create the knowledge base necessary for fulfilling the demands of the economy and the social sphere, but they also shape the national and ideological identity of each member of society. The school plays a decisive role in forming positive values, but it can also become a breeding ground for xenophobia and racist attitudes. The school has an irreplaceable role in creating national consciousness, identification with one's own nation, its history, the heroic deeds of ancestors, and the meaning of its existence.

After the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, there were fundamental geopolitical changes in Central Europe. One of these was the creation of Czechoslovakia, a state founded on radically different principles than pre-war Hungary. The founders of the Czechoslovak Republic (CSR), the personalities who decisively determined the character of the political system in the newly established republic, did not belong to the privileged classes of the previous regime. Unlike Hungary, where political power was controlled almost without exception by the nobility, the elite in Czechoslovakia consisted of men who were radical critics of Austria-Hungary.

A fitting example was the most influential figure of interwar Czechoslovakia, President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. Despite his origins, Masaryk was perceived by both Czechs and Slovaks as the founder of the state, a legendary figure whose political and social influence far exceeded the powers of the presidential office.

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Gabriel Eštok - Mária Hrehová - Renáta Bzdilová (eds.)

Collection of contributions from II. year of the Student Scientific Conference held on May 17, 2013 by the Department of Political Science of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Pavel Jozef Šafárik in Košice

The collection was created on the basis of an event with a thematically defined and political science, perhaps the most frequently discussed issue of democracy. I would add that the event was also attended by doctoral students of other fields of study, who analyzed the topic of democracy from positions other than political science. I very much welcomed the fact that a contribution from the legal issues of the European Union appeared in the proceedings. Enriching the collection is also a contribution from international political issues, which sheds light on democratic rules applied in territory other than European. Other contributions focus on various aspects of the creation of a democratic political environment in Slovakia and the European Union, while several sympathetic attempts at non-traditional perspectives on the development of civil society, public and party politics appear in them.

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Ľubov Vladyková (ed.)

In the present text, opinions on environmental literacy are integrated. The most important discoveries of the 21th century exist not in the realm of science, medicine, or technology, but rather in the dawning awareness of the earth's limits and how those limits will affect human evolution. Humanity has reached a crossroad where various ecological catastrophes meet what some call sustainable development. While a great deal of attention has been given to what governments, corporations, utilities, international agencies, and private citizens can do to help in the transition to sustainability, little thought has been given to what schools, colleges, and universities can do. As the health of our planet continues to deteriorate, it is vital to educate and raise ecoliterate citizens.

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Renáta Orosová - Zuzana Boberová

The university textbook "Pregraduate Teacher Preparation – Organization of Pedagogical Practice at UPJŠ" reflects the changes that have occurred in the pregraduate preparation of students of academic subject teaching in connection with the comprehensive accreditation in 2015. It is intended for students of the second level of university studies in the study programs of Academic Subject Teaching at the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Science at UPJŠ in Košice. The aim of the university textbook is to provide theoretical foundations and methodological guidelines for the organization of all types of pedagogical practice carried out under the conditions of UPJŠ.

Preparation for the teaching profession has both theoretical and practical components. While theoretical academic preparation focuses on acquiring and developing knowledge, skills, and competencies in pedagogy, psychology, and the scientific disciplines of the teaching subjects, practical professional preparation is oriented towards preparing for the actual performance of the profession, i.e., the didactic aspect of the teaching process. A significant part of the practical preparation for the teaching profession is realized within the subject of pedagogical practice, which at UPJŠ takes four forms/levels – Observational pedagogical-psychological practice, Ongoing teaching practice, Continuous teaching practice I, and Continuous teaching practice II.

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Pavol Kačmár

Overview of the Issue and Meta-Analysis of Conducted Research.

The publication focuses on two key constructs – time perspective and goal achievement. After describing both constructs, the authors focused on potential connections that can be found at multiple levels of analysis. For the purpose of empirical verification, they conducted a small-scale meta-analysis synthesizing results across eleven studies. The obtained results highlighted the role of time perspective in selected aspects of goal achievement. The publication is intended to serve as a catalyst for further consideration of the issue, thereby encouraging research aimed at verifying how the acquired knowledge can be expanded to improve the quality of our daily lives in the context of cultivating our approach to time.

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Katarína Hromuľáková (ed.)

Proceedings of the Scientific Conference. Košice, October 16-17, 2019

The proceedings titled "Ako sa píšu dejiny? Metódy – prístupy – pramene" present the contributions from the conference "Meeting of Young Historians IX," annually organized by the Department of History, Faculty of Arts, UPJŠ.

In the individual contributions, which span from the Middle Ages to the most recent history, the authors propose various theoretical and methodological research approaches to history, which currently represent fundamental prerequisites for historical research.

The ambition of the authors, as the next generation of historians, is not only to open up current questions of theoretical reflection in historiography but also to offer concrete examples supported by their own research.

Mgr. Katarína Hromuľáková

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Dušan Šlosár

The monograph "Risk as a Social Category in Adolescence" by Dušan Šlosár was created as part of the VEGA project No. 1-0285/18, which focuses on risky behavior among adolescents as clients of social work due to their loneliness. The monograph explores the issue of risk in a theoretical context and integrates risk as a component of social relationships, contacts, and information exchange. From this theoretical foundation, it defines risk within helping professions. Assessing the level of risk is left to leading managers; however, it currently affects those helping professionals who work with specific client groups, and thus their involvement in assessing the level of risk cannot be overlooked.

The monograph pays special attention to risky behavior among adolescents and discusses the most serious forms of such behavior, ranging from suicidality to crime, substance abuse (both material and non-material), and issues related to sexuality. The conclusion of the monograph consists of three empirical studies that address the topic of risky behavior among adolescents.

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Iveta Bónová - Marián Gladiš (eds.)

The Foundation of the Faculty is a major “thing” created and developed by many personalities. The collected information, opinions, and critical judgements have led me to the conclusion that there exist among us plenty of narratives on the formation of this Faculty.

What is appealing about this fact is that from each party concerned, specifically teachers of Philosophy, Psychology and Education at the UPJŠ Faculty of Science, teachers of Psychology at the UPJŠ Faculty of Public Administration in Košice, teachers of the Department of Foreign Languages at UPJŠ, teachers at Prešov University who were approached with a bid to create the conditions of and opportunities for the development of their study branches at the new UPJŠ Faculty of Arts in Košice, there is a significant clue reflected in the inception of the new Faculty of this University.

It is necessary to say that it is a justifiable reflection, because without this, it would not be possible to develop exploration and offer the students courses in the field of Humanities, in social and behavioural sciences, educational sciences, and in the field of History and Ethnology.

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Mária Fedorčáková - Miriama Filčáková

Current publication is dealing with the history of philosophical education in Košice since the beginning to the foundation of the Faculty of Arts at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice in 2007. Beginnings of philosophical education in Košice are connected to the fundation of the University of Košice in 1657, which was originally founded as Jesuit university with two faculties – Faculty of Theology and Faculy of Arts.

The publication is dealing with the philosophy teaching in the Faculty of Arts and examines the philosophy teachers and students. Another interest is given to decline of philosophy teaching caused by transformation of the University into the Royal Academy and the Academy of Law at the end of the 18 and during 19 century. The second part of the publication is dealing with the history of higher education after the second world war and the foundation of the University of Pavol Jozef Šafárik in Košice.

The authoress focuses on circumstances of the foundation of the Faculty of Arts in Prešov and its history and later development after 1989, which included also division of the university in 1997. The last part of publication presents the history of the university buildings, in which the Faculty of Arts is situated.

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Alexander Onufrák - Ján Ruman - Jana Šutajová - Peter Getlík

The presented textbook aims to introduce students to the issue of political extremism from various perspectives—namely, normative, historical, and discursive-empirical.

It addresses the significance and role of active citizenship, which, as one of several potential solutions, has the capacity to a certain extent to eliminate the rise of manifestations of political extremism in society by deepening democratic principles in practice.

The presented textbook is a direct output of the KEGA grant project "Innovative Model of Education Leading to Active Citizenship as a Prevention of the Rise of Political Extremism among Students" (014UPJŠ-4/2020). The principal investigator of the project is Assoc. Prof. Mgr. Gabriel Eštok, PhD. The project was carried out in the years 2020–2022.

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