Railienė, Asta

The article assesses the legal possibilities of protecting teachers from violence in Lithuanian educational institutions. It analyses how the legal framework ensures the right of teachers to protection from violence at work and to assistance. It is concluded that the concept of violence against teachers is not clearly defined in legislation, the legal framework does not sufficiently protect teachers from violence and is more oriented towards the protection of pupils.

Introduction: Although teacher victimization has been associated with reduced well-being, little is known about how teachers’ perceptions of their relationships within the school environment is linked to this association. This study examined whether perceived relationship quality moderates the link between different forms of victimization and teachers’ life satisfaction. Methods: A structural equation model was tested using data from a Lithuanian teacher sample (n = 1,146), incorporating three latent constructs: victimization (indicated by physical, social, verbal, cyber, and sexual victimization, as well as victimization involving property damage and violence perpetrated by school staff and parents), relationship perception (measured by perceived relationships with students, colleagues, school administration, and local educational authorities), and life satisfaction (assessed via the satisfaction with life scale). Results: The model demonstrated good fit [χ2(39) = 310.00, CFI = 0.941, TLI = 0.916, SRMR = 0.047, RMSEA = 0.078 (0.070, 0.086)]. Victimization was negatively related to both relationship perception (β = −0.35) and life satisfaction (β = −0.25), while relationship perception positively related to life satisfaction (β = 0.44, all p < 0.001). Moderation analyses revealed significant interaction effects: cyber, property, and physical victimization were more strongly associated with reduced life satisfaction among teachers who reported high perceived relationship quality with students or educational authorities. Contrary to buffering expectations, perceived relationships appeared to intensify the negative effects of victimization on life satisfaction. Discussion: These findings suggest that victimization may be especially damaging for teachers who typically view their school relationships as supportive, pointing to a potential breach in relational expectations. This highlights the importance of contextual factors in teacher well-being.

The purpose of this study was to explore the links between the perceived importance of critical thinking skills, self-reported critical thinking skills, and work engagement. The study applied a cross-sectional design, and the sample consisted of 2012 employees; the mean age was 41.93 (SD=11.42). To analyse the links between the constructs, three instruments were used: The Work Engagement Scale (UWES), The Perceived Importance of the Critical Thinking Skills Scale (PICTS), and The self-reported Critical Thinking Skills Scale (CTS). For the statistical analyses, SPSS v.26.0, AMOS v.26.0, JASP v.18, and JAMOVI v.2.2.1 software was applied. Confirmatory factor analyses showed the acceptable model fit and validity of the scales in the Lithuanian population. The structural equation modelling results revealed the complex model of the links between the perceived importance of critical thinking skills, the self-reported critical thinking skills, and the elements of work engagement, namely, vigour, dedication, and absorption. The findings revealed that both self-reported critical thinking and the perceived importance of critical thinking skills positively contributed to work engagement, thus indicating the need to foster critical thinking in organizations so that to ensure their flourishing and efficacy.

Švietimui tenka itin reikšmingas vaidmuo kuriant solidarią visuomenę, kuri nuolat mokosi ir sugeba prisitaikyti prie kintančių aplinkybių, sprendžia sudėtingas problemas. Nors edukologijos moksle švietimo sąvoką mokslininkai apibrėžia kaip žmogaus ir visuomenės tobulėjimo galių plėtrą mokslo žinių ir ugdomosios patirties pagrindu (Bitinas, 2011), ši sąvoka savo turiniu aprėpia tam tikrus aspektus, susijusius su auklėjimu, mokymu, mokymusi, lavinimu ir t. t. Detalizuojant kertinės sąvokos komponentus galima atkreipti dėmesį į konkrečias ugdymo socialines prielaidas: ugdymo lygybę, socialinį teisingumą, švietimo prieinamumą, ugdymo kokybę ir pan. (Biesta, 2010; Bitinas, 2013), be kurių švietime sunku tikėtis sėkmės. Neretai šie klausimai susiejami su švietimo pagalbos esme ir prasme (Armstrong & Ainscow, 2018; Niemi & Laaksonen, 2020). Šiuolaikinio pasaulio transformacijos ir jas lydinčios socialinės problemos tiesiogiai veikia švietimą kaip sistemą, taip pat asmenis, kurie mokosi, pedagogus, kitus švietimo sistemos dalyvius.

The chapter analyses the role of social pedagogues in Lithuania in the context of contemporary teacher competence frameworks and growing socio-educational challenges in schools. The aim is to examine how practice-based social pedagogy studies and the competences of social pedagogues (professional, cognitive, collaborative and emotional-motivational) are operationalised in everyday school practice when responding to complex cases of chronic absenteeism. The following problem questions are addressed: (1) how are the holistic educational competences of social pedagogues implemented in practice when providing socio-educational support to pupils at risk of exclusion? (2) what forms of intra-institutional and inter-institutional cooperation are activated in complex pupil cases? (3) what factors facilitate or hinder effective support and pupils’ re-engagement in education? The empirical part presents two case studies from a gymnasium in a large Lithuanian city (school year 2023/2024), focusing on ninth-grade students with long-term absenteeism and diverse psycho-social difficulties. The analysis shows that social pedagogues play a central coordinating role in assessing pupils’ needs, drawing up individual support plans, mobilising teachers, specialists, parents and municipal services, and ensuring a continuum of support from school-level child welfare commissions to city-level structures. The results reveal both the potential and limitations of the current support system: in one case, despite extensive multi-agency intervention, the pupil remains disengaged from schooling, while in the other, strengthened cooperation and clear structure lead to a marked improvement in attendance. The findings highlight the need for early intervention, sustained inter-institutional collaboration and flexible support formats, including alternative educational pathways.

The links between different forms of teacher victimization and teachers’ life satisfaction are still under-researched. To highlight teacher victimization by various parties within the school environment and its associations with teachers’ life satisfaction, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Multidimensional Teacher Victimization Scale, and some additional measures were applied. The findings based on a Lithuanian sample (n = 1146) revealed that a significant portion of teachers have experienced victimization in various forms: 38.5% of teachers have been bullied by school staff, 33.9% have faced verbal victimization from students’ parents, and victimization by students affected 65.8% of teachers, with verbal and social victimization being the most common. An SEM analysis (χ2 = 355.787; Df = 33; CFI = 0.928; TLI = 0.902; NFI = 0.922; RMSEA = 0.092 [0.084–0.101]; SRMR = 0.0432) revealed that bullying by staff is not only detrimental in its own right but also relates positively to other forms of victimization, including verbal victimization by parents and multidimensional victimization by students, as teacher victimization by students and their parents mediated the relationship between teacher victimization by school staff and teacher life satisfaction. The findings suggest a complex problem within the school environment where different forms of victimization are interconnected and call for urgent attention and action from educational policymakers and school administrators to address and mitigate teacher victimization.

One of the most important aims of education is to help individuals and societies to respond to the major challenges of our time and to make the most of the opportunities that appear in from of us. Higher education, and university studies in particular, is based on the aim of embedding research results as effectively as possible into the study process and, through it, into the life of society for the benefit of social well-being and the quality of people’s lives. The quality of higher education, and hence of studies, is assessed according to various criteria. One of the most important of these is the evaluation of the students themselves. This paper presents the results of a quantitative study on the satisfaction of final year students of Lithuanian higher education institutions. This aspect of study quality is revealed by examining: 1) the key factors of study choice - the need for the study programme in the labour market, career goals, clear career opportunities and trends in the programme’s relationship with personal needs; 2) the determinants of satisfaction with studies - personal growth, improved employability and career prospects; 3) the students’ opinion on the quality of the study programme delivery - good technical and material support, university teachers’ and other additional assistance. However, the study also revealed that students are not satisfied with the adaptation of the premises for students with disabilities and the living conditions in the halls of residence. The study also revealed that feedback on the quality of studies is not constant, encouraged or always taken into account.

Ši vadovėlio dalis yra skirta aptarti karjeros paslaugų sampratos interpretacijų įvairovę mokslinėje literatūroje ir nacionaliniuose švietimo dokumentuose, taip pat pateikti karjeros paslaugų modeliavimo ypatumus švietimo įstaigoje. Pokyčiai visuomenėje ir darbo rinkoje yra itin reikšmingi karjeros paslaugų kaitai (Watts ir Sultana, 2004; CEDEFOP, 2020; European Training Foundation, 2020). Tyrimai atskleidžia, kad karjeros paslaugos gali reikšmingai prisidėti ne tik prie atskirų asmenų, bet ir prie viešosios politikos tikslų švietimo, užimtumo ir socialinės įtraukties srityse įgyvendinimo (CEDEFOP, 2020; OECD, 2020a). XXI amžiuje augantys vaikai asmeninės karjeros sprendimus priima aplinkoje, kuriai būdingi nuolatiniai pokyčiai, galimybės ir netikrumas. Kyla iššūkis padėti vaikams pasiruošti sklandžiai pereiti iš vienos mokymosi aplinkos į kitą, taip pat iš mokymosi aplinkos į darbo rinkos aplinką (OECD, 2019). Jaunam žmogui vis sunkiau priimti karjeros sprendimus tiek mokymosi, tiek darbo situacijose, o jaunuolių karjeros siekiai nesisieja su prognozuojama darbo rinkos paklausa (Musset ir Kurekova, 2018; Chambers ir kt., 2018; OECD, 2019). 30 proc. paauglių visame pasaulyje domisi vos dešimčia profesijų, o daug jaunų žmonių siekia dirbti darbus, kuriems gresia automatizacija (OECD, 2020a). Šiame kontekste itin svarbus kryptingas, nuoseklus, socialine partneryste grįstas ugdymo, informavimo ir konsultavimo karjerai paslaugų teikimo procesas (Dumitru ir Voinea, 2015; Graham, 2015). Kokybiškai teikiamos karjeros paslaugos turi įtakos mokinių akademinių pasiekimų augimui (Kautz ir kt., 2014; European Training Foundation, 2020; Goodman ir kt., 2015), taip pat pozityvesniam požiūriui į mokymosi mokykloje naudą (Mann ir kt., 2020). Kokybiškų karjeros paslaugų prieinamumas kiekvienam mokiniui yra socialinis, kultūrinis, švietimo ir ekonominis siekinys (Archer ir Dewitt, 2017; Cahill ir Furey, 2017), todėl švietimo įstaigose būtina sukurti sistemą, kurioje visi mokiniai galėtų pasinaudoti karjeros paslaugomis, jų įvairove.

This manuscript deals with the problematic question of how students’ critical reflection is manifested when reflecting on their experiences of learning critical thinking in higher education. Critical reflection is understood as the fusion of personal experience with new knowledge and study content, leading to a new understanding and a new sense of the meaning of oneself, one’s learning, studies, and phenomena in the wider environment. A qualitative research method was chosen to reveal the extent of critical reflection. Sixteen students participated in the research: aged 19–49 at the time of the research, from six higher education institutions, representing eight fields of study. A semi-structured interview was chosen for the research and the qualitative content analysis method for the research data analysis, allowing for valid conclusions upon an objective and systematic review of the transcribed interview text. The findings show that in reflections on the critical thinking teaching and learning experiences, students emphasize the process of interaction with others and interaction with themselves, focusing not on the external object but rather on the subject—the thinking person—and their relation to their own thinking. In reflection on teaching and learning, students emphasize applying theoretical knowledge in practice, modelled by the teacher.