Edukologijos ir socialinio darbo institutas / Institute of Educational Sciences and Social Work

Liepos pirmą sekmadienį Lietuvoje minima Globėjų diena. Tai – proga giliau pažvelgti į vaikų globos temą. Šia tema svarbu kalbėti ne vieną dieną per metus. Šioje „Mokslo minklių“ tinklalaidėje MRU Edukologijos krypties socialinių mokslų daktarė Dovilė Lisauskienė dalinasi apie vaikus, kurių gyvenimo pradžia buvo sudėtingesnė nei daugelio: vaikus, netekusius tėvų globos. Apie juos visuomenėje vis dar sklando daug įsivaizdavimų. Dažnai girdime: „jie turi elgesio problemų“, „jiems trūksta socialinių įgūdžių“. Tačiau ką iš tikrųjų matome ir ko nepastebime? Apie tai, kas lieka už elgesio etikečių: nutrūkusius ryšius, antrines traumas, globėjų patiriamą emocinį krūvį. Ir apie tai, kas dažnai nustebina – vaikų gebėjimą neprarasti vilties. Kviečiame klausytis ir tęsti diskusijas šia tema.

This presentation examines a central paradox of contemporary Europe: societies are becoming increasingly educated, yet simultaneously more democratically fragile, socially fragmented, and vulnerable to information disorder and declining institutional trust. Drawing on evidence from OECD PIAAC, PISA, Eurobarometer, and the Democracy Index, the presentation argues that high levels of formal educational attainment do not automatically guarantee democratic resilience. The presentation proposes a broader understanding of resilience that extends beyond institutional stability, economic security, or crisis management. Democratic resilience is conceptualised as the societal capacity to critically evaluate information, navigate complexity and uncertainty, sustain trust and cooperation, and continuously learn and adapt. Particular attention is given to cognitive and competence-based resilience and to the role of education systems in shaping these capacities. The presentation critically reflects on contemporary assessment and certification systems, which increasingly prioritise measurable and standardised outcomes, while many competencies essential for democratic resilience — including critical judgement, epistemic responsibility, democratic dialogue, and resistance to manipulation — remain difficult to standardise and assess. It is argued that education policy must move beyond narrow achievement-oriented paradigms toward a broader focus on societal capability, lifelong learning, and democratic resilience.

Abstract: Objectives and Purpose. This study investigates how geopolitical crises—particularly the war in Ukraine—have affected students' sense of safety in schools in Lithuania and Poland. It highlights the implications of refugee integration, societal tensions, and emotional well-being in educational settings during times of regional instability. Research Questions. The research seeks to answer the following questions: 1. How has the geopolitical context influenced the educational environment in Lithuanian and Polish schools? 2. What are the key factors shaping refugee students’ sense of safety? 3. What systemic responses have proven effective or insufficient in ensuring safe and inclusive schools? Theoretical Framework. The analysis is based on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and the concept of psychological safety. These frameworks support a multi-level understanding of student well-being, integrating micro-level (classroom), meso-level (school-family), and macro-level (socio-political) influences. Methods and Approach. A qualitative comparative approach was applied, using content and discourse analysis of national and international media reports, institutional documents, and policy records from 2022 to 2024. The study focused on media portrayals and school narratives about refugee student experiences, integration efforts, and challenges. Data Sources. Data included journalistic articles from Lithuania and Poland, government statistics, Ministry of Education reports, and NGO assessments related to school integration, bullying, psychological services, and education policy shifts during the crisis. Findings. Key findings reveal that language barriers, cultural differences, and trauma-related behavior have complicated refugee students’ integration and heightened their vulnerability to bullying and social isolation. Teachers reported feeling unsupported and underprepared, while schools lacked clear guidance and adequate resources. Instances of violence and discrimination, driven by societal polarization and wartime narratives, further undermined emotional safety. Nonetheless, some schools showed resilience by employing inclusive practices such as trauma-informed pedagogy, peer support programs, and targeted psychological assistance. Educational Importance. This research underscores the essential role of schools in responding to crisis-driven displacement. It contributes to the broader understanding of how educational systems can (or fail to) ensure equity and well-being under geopolitical pressure. The study calls for more systemic investment in teacher training, intercultural competence, and psychosocial services to support both refugee and local students in volatile contexts. Connection to Conference Theme. The paper directly aligns with the ICSEI 2026 theme “Crossing Boundaries in Education”, particularly the sub-theme “Mental Health and Well-being in Education”. It contributes to the Crisis Response in Education Network by offering comparative, evidence-based insights on how schools in different national systems respond to global emergencies while striving to remain inclusive, sustainable, and safe for all learners.

Objectives, purpose, problem of practice, or policy focus. This study examines how students’ subjective sense of safety at school relates to their emotional well-being, social relationships, academic behavior, and socio-economic background. The objective is to identify key factors that contribute to students’ feelings of safety and to highlight their implications for educational quality, equity, and policy. Research question(s) or focus of inquiry. (1) In what ways do safe and unsafe students differ across academic, emotional, social, environmental, and structural dimensions? (2) What systemic factors shape students’ perceptions of safety at school?. Perspective(s) or theoretical framework, or context. The study is grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, psychological safety theory, and social capital theory. Together, these frameworks support a holistic analysis of students’ sense of safety, emphasizing the influence of individual, relational, institutional, and structural factors. Methods, techniques, modes or approach to inquiry. The study uses data from all participating countries of the OECD PISA 2022 survey. Students were grouped into “safe” and “unsafe” clusters using K-means clustering based on their responses to safety-related items. Independent samples t-tests were conducted to compare these groups across multiple indicators. Data Sources/evidence. Data were derived from PISA 2022 student questionnaires, including measures of academic behavior (e.g., grade repetition, truancy), emotional well-being (e.g., stress resistance, bullying), social connections (e.g., teacher support, family support), perceptions of school climate, and socio-economic-cultural status. Results, findings, learning. Students who feel safe at school are less likely to skip classes, demonstrate higher emotional resilience, experience less bullying, report stronger teacher relationships, and tend to come from higher socio-economic backgrounds. The most pronounced differences were found in emotional and social domains. However, there were no meaningful differences in long-term academic expectations, such as career aspirations. Educational importance of this research or inquiry for theory, practice, and/or policy. The findings underscore that school safety is a multidimensional construct with significant consequences for students' day-to-day engagement and emotional health. Ensuring school safety requires more than physical measures; it involves nurturing positive relationships, supporting emotional well-being, and addressing structural inequalities through inclusive policies. Connection to the conference theme. By providing robust empirical evidence on the links between perceived safety and educational equity, this study contributes directly to the ICSEI 2026 theme of building fair and supportive education systems. It calls for systemic, evidence-informed strategies to create safe, inclusive, and equitable learning environments for all students.

The report is based on an integrated approach, in which the resilience of social organizations is conceptualized as an organization's dynamic ability to adapt to change, learn, maintain operational stability and create long-term value. Modern organizations operate in an environment of constant uncertainty and social transformations, in which employee well-being, engagement and motivation become essential prerequisites for sustainable performance, especially in the social services sector, which is characterized by high emotional load and the risk of professional burnout. The goal is to reveal how strategic human resource management, leadership, employee engagement and performance optimization contribute to the formation of organizational resilience and ensuring sustainable performance. The study was conducted in September 2025, using the expert assessment method. The results of the study revealed that the resilience of social service organizations is formed as a complex system of interacting strategic factors, in which human resources become the central connecting link between the organization's strategy, operational efficiency and long-term sustainability. The developed model for building resilience in social service organizations is based on a systemic and integrated approach, in which organizational resilience is conceptualized as a constantly changing organizational characteristic, formed through a set of interacting strategic, managerial, and human factors.

Skaitmeninių mokymo(si) priemonių plėtra šiuolaikiniame ugdyme aktualizuoja mul-timodalaus ugdymo koncepciją, grindžiamą prielaida, kad ugdymo turinys ir mokymosi patirtis gali būti kuriami derinant skirtingus informacijos pateikimo būdus (tekstą, vaizdą, garsą, judesį, interaktyvią sąveiką). Straipsnyje aprašomas tyrimas, kurio objektas – multi-modalaus ugdymo elementų raiška platformos „Smagu skaityti“ turinyje, o tikslas – atskleis-ti, kaip multimodalaus ugdymo koncepcija tame turinyje reiškiasi. Šiame instrumentiniame vieno atvejo tyrime derinama kiekybinė ir kokybinė turinio analizė. Kaip analizės vienetai pasirinkti platformoje pateikti turinio elementai – suskaitmenintos knygos ir su jų turiniu su-sietos edukacinės interaktyvios veiklos bei užduotys. Straipsnyje pristatoma tik dalis platesnio tyrimo rezultatų, orientuotų į multimodalaus ugdymo elementų raiškos analizę. Rezultatų analizė atskleidė, kad multimodalumas platformoje „Smagu skaityti“ reiškiasi per skirtingos paskirties užduotis ir nevienodo lygmens interaktyvumą. Nustatyta, kad faktinio pobūdžio užduotyse multimodalumas daugiausia pasitelkiamas knygos tekstui papildyti, atskiroms jo mintims iliustruoti, kad vaikas būtų įtraukiamas į aktyvų skaitymo procesą, padedantį jam suprasti pateikiamą turinį. Procedūrinio pobūdžio užduotyse skirtingi modalumai jungiami veiklai organizuoti – vaikas kviečiamas veikti pagal pateiktą instrukciją. Konceptualiose už-duotyse multimodalumas reiškiasi labiausiai. Atlikdamas tokio tipo užduotis vaikas ne tik stebi ar klausosi, bet ir atpažįsta, susieja, pasirenka, skaičiuoja arba praktiškai taiko pateikia-mą informaciją. Tyrimas taip pat atskleidė, kad platforma sudaro prielaidas turinio prieina-mumui ir daliniam personalizavimui, tačiau didesnio interaktyvumo, adaptyvumo ir indivi-dualizuoto grįžtamojo ryšio galimybės joje dar nėra pakankamai išplėtotos. Gauti rezultatai leidžia teigti, kad multimodalumas šioje platformoje veikia kaip reikšmingas ugdymo turinio organizavimo principas, padedantis stiprinti teksto supratimą, įtraukti į aktyvų skaitymą, lavinti vaiko pažintinius gebėjimus.

Organisational instability and technology inconsistency make professional learning a significant yet often neglected challenge. Studies on digital transformation have uncovered a consistent decoupling between technologies and learning capacity (Vial, 2019). In addition, transformational learning theory has not fully grasped the contexts in which the disorienting dilemma is a perpetual rather than a one-off experience (Taylor & Cranton, 2012; Illeris, 2018). Objective. Research aims to develop, validate, and psychometrically operationalise an original conceptual framework, the RAPS model (RAPS) – Resilient Agency through Psychological Safety. The model demonstrates how adult professionals maintain ongoing learning in an AI-saturated organisational space with structural ambiguity. The study seeks to establish the model’s cross-country measurement validity in the Baltic and Nordic Fintech context.

Recent geopolitical developments, particularly the war in Ukraine, have significantly affected educational systems across Europe. Schools increasingly face the challenge of ensuring a safe learning environment while integrating students displaced by conflict. This study examines how geopolitical tensions influence perceptions of safety and inclusion in schools in Lithuania and Poland, two countries that have received a large number of Ukrainian refugee students since 2022. The research is based on qualitative analysis of media discourse and education policy documents published between 2022 and 2024. The study explores how public narratives, institutional responses, and policy measures frame issues of student security, integration, and school climate during a period of crisis. A comparative perspective highlights similarities and differences in national approaches to addressing these challenges. The findings contribute to understanding how education systems respond to geopolitical instability and identify factors that may strengthen inclusive and secure school environments in times of uncertainty.

School-based social capital includes a social network of teachers, counselors, and other staff who have the competence and desire to share institutional resources and opportunities. According to Stanton-Salazar (1997) and Stanton-Salazar and Dornbusch (1995), potential school-based social capital is actualized: (a) when the school network includes students’ supportive ties with school staff members, and (b) when staff members’ shared resources and expectations lead to students’ advancement in the educational system. School-based social capital can be actualized through mentoring and individualized student–staff relationships within schools (Noeth & Wimberly, 2002; O’Connor, 2000). These relationships have proved pivotal in helping students from disadvantaged homes, communities, and even schools get the necessary resources and social supports to make the transition to college (Farmer-Hinton, 2008). Social capital is relational. Resourceful and reciprocal teacher–student relationships can translate into a whole spectrum of institutional support. Social capital then becomes a deliberate choice of individuals, such as teachers, to take actions on behalf of themselves or their community. This study explores how individual school staff members have served as advocates for students’ aspirations in the context of collaboration in the Erasmus+ project titled “Shaping the network competences of young girls from minor towns and restructured areas as future business leaders operating in a 4.0 economy” [ID KA220-YOU-CF9C51BF]. A total of 15 teachers/educators from Poland, Romania, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic participated in the training. The international Teachers’ Training held in Cluj-Napoca from 20 to 24 October 2025 represented a key activity under Work Package 2 of the Girls4Economy project – Train-the-trainers meeting. The main aims of the training were to: 1) introduce the project framework, methodology, and the Teachers’ Toolkit; 2) strengthen teachers’ digital and network competences in line with DigComp and DigCompEdu frameworks; 3) prepare educators for the pilot implementation phase in their home countries; 4) provide hands-on experience through simulations, group work, and reflective activities. The study discusses teachers' feedback on satisfaction, relevance, implementation readiness, and usefulness of the training. The evaluation presented here is based on an online questionnaire including Likert-scale items and open questions. The data revealed that the Teachers’ Training in Cluj-Napoca provided a strong foundation for the pilot mplementation phase. Participants left the training motivated, informed, and equipped to promote digital and network competencies among their students. Capturing how the school engages and implements an Erasmus+ programme and utilises its social capital may lead to more effective programmes within schools. It is important that schools are involved in Erasmus programmes because schools can activate their social capital through the networks. The school benefits by achieving higher social capital and more connectedness if they do implement the programme in this fashion. By being involved in Erasmus+ programmes, schools and teachers can activate their social capital through the networks that they expand. Erasmus+ experience leads to significant challenges as well as reasons for pride. It creates potential to support youth as leaders in social capital building and addressing community resilience.