Self-reflection teaching diary

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Tatiana Žiaková - Dušan Šlosár

The last decade marks not only the average life expectancy increase in healthy population, but also life expectancy increase in group of people with intellectual disorders/disabilities. Due to their diagnosis that defines and classifies them into specific categories, people with intellectual disability are finding themselves in a constant confrontation with obstacles negatively affecting the saturation of their existential needs. It creates mostly educational, social, cultural, psycho-social and economical disadvantage in the context of their lives. Consequently, their active potential is weakened, making it unable for them to influence public affairs in society from a position of an adult or elderly citizen. Building up on this condition, the focus of this monograph is on understanding and explanation of prevailing concept of social inclusion and related concepts of social exclusion. These concepts influence the way we tend to define and think about the character of society, as such.

Simultaneously, we are examining that the quality of coexistence between dominant population and people with intellectual disabilities is dependent on the development of attitudes and opinions of major population towards this specific minority. These attitudes reflect the extent of social tolerance and at the same time serve as a quantification of moral values and equity in the society, whether it concerns any type of small everyday help or professional and institutionalised long-term support.

This monograph focuses on presenting professional care for people with mental disability in form of social services as a dominant type of support in our local environment. We show that the quality of social services inevitably depends on degree of professional competences social workers possess. The significance of professional competences social workers are capable of using is reflected in the degree of the competence and adequacy of their performance. The primary aim, in relation to which professional competences should be accustomed, is to enhance meaningfulness and dignity in life of mentally disabled receivers of the social services.

Competences of social workers are a dynamic phenomenon that modifies along the development of society and also with the frequently altering needs of people with intellectual disability as receivers of the social service. For this reason we designed the presented research to reflect our goal to reappraise the scope of professional competences and define the required professional functions of social workers working with people with intellectual disability.

This monograph is dedicated not only to professionals working with this group of people but also aims at answering basic questions to practical issues that families with a intellectualy disabled member are coming into contact with.

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René Šebeňa

The main goal of this textbook is to introduce selected experimental methods that have been developed to study various psychological processes.

Traditional textbooks on cognitive psychology usually offer a comprehensive system of theoretical knowledge and descriptions of experiments. However, we believe that for a deeper understanding, students need to have their own experience.

This textbook provides instructions on how to demonstrate, visually verify, and thereby better understand selected theories and phenomena through practical exercises. Such direct experience can help in the realization of their own projects.

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Oľga Orosová - Beáta Gajdošová (eds.)

This publication considers social, economic, political, and psychological indicators of emigration behavior and emigration intentions as appropriate predictors of future behavior.

Theories of motivation and theories of behavioral intentions and their effectiveness are popular in migration research. On the other hand, the Health Belief Model and its adaptation in the research of emigration intentions bring a relatively new and perspective view on this topic.

According to the results presented in this publication, the factors that attract students to emigration (pull factors) are language skills and career opportunities abroad, the desire for change and new experiences, perceived feasibility of emigration, and self-efficacy.

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Renáta Orosová (výkonný redaktor)

Vedecko-odborný časopis Edukácia je zameraný na problematiku vzdelávania a výchovy v oblasti základného, stredného a vysokého školstva. Zreteľ kladie na súčasný stav a perspektívy edukačnej praxe, aktuálne aspekty pregraduálnej prípravy učiteľov, sociálnej pedagogiky, špeciálnej pedagogiky, ako aj pedagogické a psychologické aspekty výchovy v základných výchovných inštitúciách z pohľadu širokej pedagogickej verejnosti. Je určený vedeckým pracovníkom, mladým vysokoškolským učiteľom, doktorandom, ako aj odborným a pedagogickým pracovníkom, s cieľom prezentovať trendy v edukácii a vyvolať diskusiu k aktuálnym otázkam prezentovaných oblastí výchovy a vzdelávania.

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Iveta Bónová

The foundations of the presented work were developed alongside the emerging research on child language in Slovakia. An enthusiastic team of individuals from several scientific fields—psychology (Marína Mikulajová), speech therapy (Svetlana Kapalková), and linguistics (Daniela Slančová, Jana Kesselová, Zuzana Ondráčková, Stanislava Zajacová, Iveta Bónová)—met regularly, discussed, and sought ways to mobilize efforts to achieve their set goals: conducting research on the language of intact (healthily developing) children based on actual longitudinal observation.

I am very pleased and grateful to have been part of the team at the beginning of systematic research in the field of child language acquisition in Slovakia. As a member of this team and a co-researcher on several projects in this area, I had the opportunity to participate in research on child language, which is no longer "on the fringes" of scientific interest. It has become a serious, exact study supported by quantitative and qualitative data, conducted systematically "at an excellent scientific level" (Průcha, 2011, p. 14).

The research itself was naturally preceded by data collection. The technologies of the late 20th century enabled the replacement of the outdated diary recording method with what is now the most commonly applied approach to material collection—audio-visual recordings. The synthesis of analyzed data collected over time, its explanation, generalization, and integration into a broader interdisciplinary research context is all the more interesting and beneficial as it contributes to speech therapy practice. Thanks to the results of the latest research, intervention possibilities in speech therapy are expanding, and methods for (early) diagnosis and stimulation are being developed and refined.

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Helena Kuncová – Pavol Hric (eds.)

Zborník “Stretnutie mladých historikov XIV“ s témou Myslenie a spoločnosť v priebehu dejín prináša súbor vedeckých príspevkov, ktoré sa venujú vzťahu medzi myslením a spoločenskými zmenami v historickom vývoji. Doktorandi a doktorandky z rôznych univerzít a inštitúcií analyzujú, ako politické, ekonomické a sociálne premeny ovplyvňovali myslenie rôznych sociálnych skupín a naopak, ako tieto zmeny v myslení formovali dejinné procesy. Každý príspevok bol podrobený odbornému hodnoteniu dvoch garantov, ktorých pripomienky sú reflektované v predkladanej verzii zborníku. Témy príspevkov sú rozdelené do jednotlivých blokov, v ktorých boli prezentované na konferencii 15. a 16. októbra 2024 na Katedre histórie, FF UPJŠ v Košiciach. Zborník obsahuje príspevky nasledujúcich prezentujúcich: Mgr. Michal Pajer, Mgr. Helena Kuncová, Mgr. Barbora Mlyneková, PhDr. Patrik Beňuš, Mgr. Mária Rímešová, Mgr. Pavol Hric, Mgr. Monika Tresová, Mgr. Miriama Balvirčáková, Mgr. Monika Soukupová, PhDr. Ivan Chylák, Mgr. Dorota Tóthová, Mgr. Dominik Šípoš, Mgr. Martin Pastor a Mgr. Jaroslav Valent.

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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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Magdaléna Hovanová (ed.)

The collection of works originated from the event of the eighteenth annual nationwide Student Scientific and Professional Activity (ŠVOČ) in the field of social work, which took place on May 12, 2022. It was organizationally overseen by the Department of Social Work of the Faculty of Arts at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice.

Every year, this event provides an opportunity for selected top students—future professionals in social work—to meet, as well as a chance to present the level of their knowledge and their ability to apply theoretical insights and acquired skills to future social work practice.

The contributions in this collection address topics such as the risks of modern technologies in the context of social work, social support and risk factors within families in the context of adolescent radicalization processes, the issue of cyberbullying in elementary schools, Ukrainian student migration in Slovakia, factors influencing job satisfaction among social workers, and the social support of families as clients of social work during the current pandemic situation.

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Renáta Orosová (výkonný redaktor)

Stránka časopisu >>>

Vedecký recenzovaný časopis Edukácia je zameraný na problematiku vzdelávania a výchovy v oblasti základného, stredného a vysokého školstva. Zreteľ kladie na súčasný stav a perspektívy edukačnej praxe, aktuálne aspekty pregraduálnej prípravy učiteľov, sociálnej pedagogiky, špeciálnej pedagogiky, ako aj pedagogické a psychologické aspekty výchovy v základných výchovných inštitúciách z pohľadu širokej pedagogickej verejnosti. Je určený vedeckým pracovníkom, mladým vysokoškolským učiteľom, doktorandom, ako aj odborným a pedagogickým pracovníkom s cieľom prezentovať trendy v edukácii a vyvolať diskusiu k aktuálnym otázkam prezentovaných oblastí výchovy a vzdelávania.

Ciele vedeckého časopisu Edukácia:

• prezentovať súčasné postavenie a funkciu pedagóga v edukačnej praxi a jeho perspektívy,
• prezentovať aktuálne otázky vzdelávania a výchovy z pohľadu učiteľov, sociálnych pedagógov, špeciálnych pedagógov a psychológov,
• prezentovať inovácie v edukačnej praxi; analyzovať stav a problémy prepájania teórie a praxe výchovy a vzdelávania vo vzťahu k moderným
  vyučovacím koncepciám,
• prezentovať aktuálne trendy v pregraduálnej príprave pedagógov,
• prezentovať výsledky empirických výskumov z oblasti pedagogiky, sociálnej pedagogiky, špeciálnej pedagogiky a psychológie v prostredí
     rodiny, školy a mimoškolských výchovných inštitúcií.

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Jozef Bavoľár - Ján Ferjenčík - Pavol Kačmár

Učebnica pokročilých štatistických metód v behaviorálnych s sociálnych vedách je určená študentom týchto vied, ako aj tým, ktorí sa vo svojej výskumnej praxi stretávajú s riešením stredne náročných výskumných otázok, pre zvládnutie ktorých nie je postačujúca znalosť základných štatistických metód. Učebnica na nich stavia, jej jadro však tvoria štatistické metódy, ktoré sa sústredia najmä na zachytenie multivariačných vzťahov. V úvodnej kapitole sú uvedené základné princípy testovania nulových hypotéz ako základ uvádzaných metód, pričom sú zohľadňované najnovšie trendy zamerané na otvorenosť a replikovateľnosť výskumov. Každá z nasledujúcich kapitol je venovaná vybranej metóde, prípadne skupine metód. V úvodných kapitolách sú to lineárna a logistická regresia, na ktoré nadväzuje sledovanie mediačných a moderačných efektov. Druhý veľký celok tvoria metódy skupinového porovnávania, kde sú vysvetlené rôzne alternatívy analýzy rozptylu (jednovchodná, viacvchodná, pre nezávislé výbery, opakovaná, zmiešaná), ich neparametrické alternatívy, multivariačná analýza rozptylu a analýza kovariancie. V záverečných kapitolách sú najprv prezentované dve metódy zachytávajúce podobnosti či vzťahy medzi objektmi (zhluková analýza, faktorová analýza), následne sú uvádzané princípy modelovania štrukturálnymi rovnicami. V každej kapitole je po vysvetlení účelu metódy a jej základných princípov demonštrované jej použitie na konkrétnom príklade, ponúkané sú aj návody pre výpočet v troch štatistických programoch – SPSS, Jamovi a JASP. Snahou autorov je poskytnúť učebnicu, kde záujemcovia aj bez hlbšieho matematického základu budú schopní porozumieť prezentovaným štatistickým postupom, zvoliť si pre nich ten najvhodnejší, a následne ho aj použiť na svojich dátach.

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Milan Olejník

The history of ancient Greece and Rome represents the culmination of achievements made by ancient civilizations in political, economic, and social spheres, as well as in understanding humanity and the world, and in art. The Greeks were the first in human history to establish a system where a certain part of society—full-fledged citizens—had the opportunity to freely participate in political decisions. They could vote, be elected to offices within the political system, and discuss issues affecting community life.

A high level of education and the pursuit of rational explanations for natural phenomena enabled the Greeks to reach a level of knowledge that European nations only achieved in the modern era. Greek accomplishments in sculpture, architecture, and literature remain an inspiration to this day.

Despite a gap of more than two millennia, their thinking and actions are relatable; their victories and defeats resonate with us, offering lessons even today.

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Július Rozenfeld - Slávka Tomaščíková

The academic textbook entitled “Developing Academic English in Speaking and Writing” responds to the need identified by the authors in their own teaching practice to integrate the enhancement of the academic skills of speaking and writing into a single coherent approach. Using complex methodologies of academic speaking and academic writing, the authors offer practical guidelines on how to broaden students’ knowledge of the discourse of Academic English and how to improve their academic competencies and productive language skills in speaking and writing in English.

The textbook is designed for university students of English philology, students of literary and cultural studies focusing on Anglophone areas, students of English translation and interpretation study programmes, but also for students who study in English and who are expected to engage in scientific inquiry, document their research in Bachelor and Master theses or in doctoral dissertations written in English, and to present their work to their academic community.

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Pavol Kačmár - Margita Mesárošová - Ladislav Lovaš (eds.)

This publication introduces a selected body of papers presented at scientific conference School psychology: History and perspectives that took place on October 17 and 18 in Košice.

The conference commemorated two important jubilees. The first was the birth anniversary of prof. Ján Hvozdík (100 years), the second jubilee was related to the opening of the study of psychology at the University of Pavol Jozef Šafárik (50 years).

The contributions have undergone peer review.

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Soňa Lovašová

In front of you is a textbook whose main aim is to introduce readers to the issues of methods, methodology, techniques, and research methodology in social work. The book is divided into four main sections, each arranged with a specific purpose. This arrangement is primarily based on the logical progression of the textbook’s content. The first part consists of chapters dealing with professional terminology, the development of social work methodology, and the classification of methods.

The second part focuses on research methods in social work, where the author devotes space to the methodology of social work research. The goal of these chapters is not to provide the reader with a comprehensive methodological minimum, but rather to orient them in the basic types of research and to demonstrate, step by step, how to create a research project. The third part presents an overview of the various forms of social work: social work with individuals, families, groups, communities, and society. Each of these chapters begins with a brief historical introduction to the topic. The final section of the textbook consists of chapters on working with aggression in social work practice and its various forms.

We believe that this textbook will be helpful to students in their studies and that its structure will appeal to readers.

Soňa Lovašová

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Štefan Jusko

The goal of the monograph is to highlight the significant problem of interpreting the Socratic question, as its approach represents a method of interpreting the history of philosophy, specifically in our case, the interpretation of Socrates and Plato. The Socratic question can be grasped in diametrically different ways, as shown by Patočka and Nietzsche, among others. The former aligns with Socrates and innovatively updates his question for the present. The latter is ambivalent towards Socrates but ultimately labels him a decadent.

In the first part of the monograph, Patočka's characterization of human existence is presented, which he formulates as unified and morally firm. Patočka interprets the Socratic question as care for the soul, for its well-being, without deriving the concept of good from something positively defined but from the whole world, which can only be defined negatively due to its constant openness. This sphere of negativity is for Patočka something immensely positive because transcendence lifts humans from relative goods to the overall meaning, making them morally capable in the true sense. The good, i.e., the requirement for a surge, for a turn of humans from the world of things to the whole world, is for him a program that Socrates first formulated through his knowing ignorance.

The second part of the work is dedicated to Nietzsche's concept based on the non-unified nature of human existence, which is not derived from the whole world or overall meaning but from situational meaning. Nietzsche strives to prove that in every situation, human existence is exposed to two opposing perspectives, between which it is impossible to decide which is correct. He concludes that both perspectives are equally valid and mutually conditioned, meaning that the opposite of good, what threatens meaning, is a beneficial condition for situational meaning. He labels this level as immoral, as a sphere where human existence creates meaning outside the thinking of good and evil in opposition.

The conclusion of the work is open because, as it turns out, we do not have a common denominator that could decide on the correctness of one or the other concept. Precisely in this lies the fact that the Socratic question remains a serious philosophical problem even today.

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Ivica Hajdučeková

The collection of studies included in the monographic publication Spirituality in the (Re)interpretation of Works of Slovak Literature was created and matured gradually, over the course of more than ten years (2003–2015).

Some of the studies were part of the defended dissertation Compositional and Semantic Specifics of Slovak Interwar Prose (Prešov 2005), others originated within scientific research (grant) projects, but all were refined against the background of specifying selected methodological approaches. The studies were gradually published in academic journals and scientific anthologies both in Slovakia and abroad (precise details are provided in the footnotes as well as in the editorial note).

In the monograph, they are arranged according to the period of their creation, not publication, in order to preserve the genesis of the author’s scientific research profile. Their arrangement also secondarily respects the analytical-interpretative intersections into the poetics of specific texts. This is why the works on Slovak interwar literature are presented first, followed by those focused on the works of Slovak realists.

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