Jatautaitė, Dileta

The dichotomy or synergy, when law enforcement, which has the main function to stand for the rule of law, and also for human rights may be discussed from several perspectives, such as the role of emotional intelligence or effective performance. When it is doubtful that a direct and one-sided answer will be formulated, it is, however, important to ask the questions in a democratic country. Human history, at least the one recorded in writing or preserved in technological artefacts such as cities, irrigation, and similar, spans approximately 10 thousand years or so (at least until new findings are uncovered), but the history of democracy is rather short. Apart from the rather limited and short-lived form of democracy in Antiquity (Ancient Greece), the more recent democratic thought and its manifestations do not extend beyond 300 years. The urgency of discussions about what it means to live in a democracy is rooted in the fact that democracy remains rather fragile and limited globally: the Democracy Index does not increase; rather, it declines. Not even half of the world’s population lives in a democracy: specifically, 45%. Then 39% live under authoritarian rule, and 15% in “hybrid regimes” that combine electoral democracy with authoritarian tendencies. Thus, anyone who lives among those 45% has both expectations and a certain responsibility to live up to and respect the privileges we enjoy. Thus, it is imperative to discuss how our state and its institutions, specifically, the police force, function. The aimofthis paper is to discuss whether there are preconditions for promoting a paradigm of thinking, where requirements and expectations for police officers are in synergy with the support they need in their demanding work.The empirical data were collected during the 1st quarter of 2026, under the framework of the POL-COM (KA220-VET -Cooperation partnerships in vocational education and training project: A developmental and educational platform and gamified tools for training police officers and similar professionals, with respect to communications) project.

This paper is dedicated to exploring the context of some of the research questions that are at the heart of the research project („Policijos veiksmų modeliavimas siekiant padidinti bendruomenės saugumą krizinėse situacijose“/ “Modeling the Police activity for the enhanced security of communities during crises/adverse situations” (No. S-LU-26-3) 2026-2027, which is financed by the Lithuanian Research Council). While the issues of what is the difference between security and safety have been explored in-depth by one of the authors of this paper1and2; another theme of utmost importance is contextualization of police (law enforcement in general, please, note, law enforcement and police will be used in an intermingled manner further on, as synonyms, though, surely, there is a difference between the terms). At the same time, the fabric of contemporary society is being analyzed. However, in this paper the main focus is on the relative, perceived, and also reported preparedness of police to react to adverse/crises, which -the authors of these lines will bethe first to admit -were not the direct focus. In contrast, the second publication was developed in 2021. That is, when the full-fledged war in Ukraine was still in the feared, but not yet manifested, future. We, researchers, have to come to terms, that sometimes our predictions, the feeling of unease that we try to communicate to the wider society, are unpopular at the time of communication, and may be even both not helpful and depressing, when the predictions come to be true; and yet, even if a small proportion of compatriots are made aware of the trends and either re-configure their professional lives, and/or contribute to the best of their abilities to building up wider resilience, the likelihood of a lesser degree of losses increases. This is especially true for professionals, particularly those who work directly in critical institutions, such as medical care providers and other critical services providers, such as law enforcement.

This study investigates the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and foreign language learning outcomes among first-year students from Vilnius University Business School (VU BS) and Mykolas Romeris University (MRU). A total of 205 students with B2 English proficiency participated: 137 VU BS students (business/academic English) and 68 MRU students (criminal justice/language). Using a structured questionnaire with five Likert-scale items, the study assessed multiple EI dimensions, including emotional recognition and management, collaboration, stress management, and intercultural communication, alongside measures of language learning performance. Results indicate significant differences between the two student groups: VU BS students excel in social-emotional and intercultural EI dimensions, enhancing their capacity for negotiation, networking, and international communication, whereas MRU students demonstrate stronger self-control, emotional regulation, and conflict-resolution abilities, which are critical for law enforcement, security, and sustainable public safety practices. Statistical analysis confirmed moderate effect sizes (Cohen’s d = 0.3–0.5) for key EI differences. The study further emphasizes that integrating EI development into foreign language education through interactive, experiential, and gamified approaches can simultaneously enhance academic performance, professional readiness, and intercultural competence. These findings underscore the strategic value of embedding EI-focused training in higher education curricula, providing evidence-based guidance for educators, curriculum designers, and policymakers to foster graduates who are both academically proficient and emotionally adept, capable of contributing effectively to diverse professional and societal contexts.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into business education and organizational practice, creating new opportunities for productivity improvement, decision support, process automation, and value creation. However, the availability of AI technologies does not automatically result in effective adoption or the realization of organizational value. Differences in users’ knowledge, trust, perceived usefulness, ethical awareness, and organizational readiness may influence how AI is perceived and used in different contexts. This study examines attitudes toward AI adoption in business by investigating the relationships among perceived usefulness, AI literacy, trust in AI, ethical concerns, and behavioral intention, while also exploring differences between anticipated AI use among students and experienced AI use among business practitioners. A convergent mixed-methods research design was employed. The quantitative component was based on a structured survey of 140 business students at Vilnius University Business School. Data were collected through Google Forms using a five-point Likert scale and analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability and validity assessment, and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The qualitative component consisted of semi-structured interviews with seven business practitioners who had experience using AI-based technologies in organizational settings. The interviews explored AI use in decision-making, organizational readiness, trust, risk perception, accountability, and changes in work processes. Quantitative and qualitative findings were subsequently integrated through methodological triangulation. The quantitative results indicate that perceived usefulness has a significant positive relationship with behavioral intention to use AI (β = 0.42), while trust in AI also positively influences behavioral intention (β = 0.29). Ethical concerns demonstrate a significant negative relationship with behavioral intention (β = –0.21). AI literacy is positively associated with trust in AI (β = 0.38), while perceived usefulness also contributes positively to trust formation (β = 0.35). The structural model explains 63% of the variance in behavioral intention (R² = 0.63). The qualitative findings complement these results by demonstrating that practitioners assess AI adoption not only in terms of potential benefits but also through organizational readiness, accountability, task characteristics, trust, and implementation constraints. The findings indicate that AI adoption should be understood as a multidimensional socio-technical process in which technological usefulness interacts with human capabilities, trust, ethical considerations, and organizational conditions. The study contributes to the AI adoption literature by connecting individual attitudes with contextual and organizational dimensions of AI use and by comparing anticipated and experienced perspectives on AI adoption.

While the pandemic served as a disrupter for all aspects of life, including educational practices, however, the pandemic also served as an impetus for accelerated learning. Higher education and vocational education teachers have learned to use various information and communications technology (ICT) tools. At least some of the teachers before the pandemic had been reluctant to use due to traditional settings in education or just sincerely had not believed these tools to be useful. This reluctance, maybe sometimes fear, and quite often - a genuine belief in the merit of personal interaction in class - was more prominent for teachers in social sciences or humanities. Nevertheless, due to the pandemic, the practices for teaching and also fostering learning were promptly disrupted and then - changed. On the one hand, the educational landscape in higher education has changed dramatically in recent years. On the other hand, it may be argued that the pendulum has already swung much too far towards ICT domination in the study process for almost all the subjects taught. Even if there is no doubt that these, ICT tools are useful and efficient for acquiring knowledge-orientated and facts-based competencies (which has been evidenced by many studies), it is worthwhile to examine whether the same also applies to the acquisition of other competencies. Namely, for acquiring competencies associated with communication, including emotional intelligence. It is worth noting that law enforcement officers in their professional activities are constantly exposed to stressful, high-pressure situations. However, the field lacks robust attention, and research regarding the place, role, and format of emotional intelligence techniques in their pre-service and in-service training to help them to get equipped to deal with those high-pressure situations. During the implementation of the KA220-VET - Cooperation partnerships in vocational education and training project: A developmental and educational platform and gamified tools for training police officers and similar professionals, with respect to communications, it was identified that the professional field of law enforcement is not yet examined significantly from that perspective (1st phase, 1st quarter of 2024). Then the empirical study (2nd phase, 2nd quarter of 2024; based on experts’/educators’ perspectives) showed that there was a great demand for such techniques. The 3rd phase (4th quarter of 2024) is dedicated to examining the perspective of students/future law enforcement officers (the study is outlined in greater detail in the paper further on).

According to democratic ideas, a contemporary, mature, well-functioning, sophisticated, and democratic society honours both law and order and human rights, and, surely, their implementation in the everyday experiences of its citizens. The members of the public of such a society expect all societal institutions to perform their assigned tasks in a professional, reliable, and transparent way, including safeguarding human rights. This paper aims to present some of the regulations and the realities of contemporary police officers’ work, as well as the dominant concepts of Emotional Intelligence (EI) with an emphasis on contextualizing these theoretical concepts within the framework of specific empirical data. The paper is based on two research questions: RQ1: What are the aspects of the law enforcement officer’s professional activities and recent theoretical considerations regarding communication and EI? RQ2: What are the perspectives of the Lithuanian educators of the future (or current) police officers regarding the communication of law enforcement officers today? The empirical data was collected during the 1 quarter of 2024, under the framework of the POL-COM (KA220-VET - Cooperation partnerships in vocational education and training project: A developmental and educational platform and gamified tools for training police officers and similar professionals, with respect to communications) project, where Lithuanian educators of the future (or current) police officers were invited to share their perspective on contemporary challenges, problem issues regarding communication competencies of law enforcement officers. Methods of critical analyses of references, such as studies, legal documents, theoretical considerations, and argumentation, an empirical study involving respondents – Lithuanian educators of the future (or current) police officers - were used for the development of this paper. Part of the data from this same stage of the multi-stage study, concerning the perspectives of law enforcement officers, was presented in previous publications and also in the pending publication.

Contemporary higher education teacher faces the challenges in their professional activities, which are both similar and a bit different than the challenges previous generations of teachers faced. This paper is dedicated to analysis of the situation and subjective interpretation of the situation by teachers in higher education. The paper aims at analyzing contemporary university teacher’s challenges, including perspective on the AI in studies. The analysis is organized on the basis of three RQs. The methods of critical analysis of sources, analysis of personal experiences and a study based on qualitative methodology approach were employed for the development of this paper. The results of the theoretical analysis show that the challenges that contemporary HE teachers face are not unique, rather the degree of their manifestation is greater; in some cases the degree is more pronounced (e.g., IT (including AI) in studies) than in the other (e.g., marketization). The results of empiric study enabled conclusion that in some cases the theoretical considerations were empirically validated (teachers note challenge and opportunities prompted by technologies; pressure to publish), in some cases the challenges were not validated (marketization; multicultural setting as a challenge). Also empirical study enabled adding other challenges that a contemporary teacher faces on a regular basis: a challenge to deal with excessive, constant changes in legal stipulations and bureaucracy and a challenge to motivate students and help them grow.

In the wake of the global pandemic that disrupted all aspects of life—including edu- cation—significant changes have reshaped teaching and learning practices. The crisis acted as a catalyst for rapid digital adaptation among instructors, administrators, and learners; consequently, many adopted Information and communication technologies (ICT) tools out of necessity, even those who were previously hesitant due to tradi- tional pedagogical norms or skepticism about technology’s value. This shift was espe- cially notable in higher and vocational education, and it has led to changes that now appear largely irreversible. ICT tools have proven effective for knowledge- and fact-based learning; however, a critical challenge has emerged: the increasing reliance on digital technologies risks limiting the development of interpersonal and emotional intelligence (EI) competencies. These soft skills are indispensable in law enforcement, where professionals must navigate high-pressure and emotionally charged contexts, yet they remain underrepre- sented in existing curricula. The aim of this study is to examine how gamified ICT tools can be integrated into vocational education and training (VET) to enhance the emotional intelligence and communication skills of law enforcement students. To achieve this aim, the research pursued the following objectives: (1) to analyse theoretical foundations of EI and its relevance to law enforcement; (2) to explore gamification as a pedagogical strategy for EI development; (3) to assess VET students’ perceptions and experiences with gamified ICT environments; and (4) to provide recommendations for incorporating gamification into training curricula. The KA220-VET Pol-Com project was launched to address this gap by designing a digital platform with gamified tools aimed at fostering EI and communication compe- tencies. The project unfolded in several phases: identification of EI as an underexplored domain (Q1 2024), trainer feedback confirming its importance (Q2 2024), and student feedback from higher education (Q4 2024) and VET cohorts (Q1–Q2 2025). This paper presents the findings from VET students, offering insights into how ICT-based gami- fied tools can support the development of emotional and social skills in law enforce- ment education.