Dudaitė, Jolita

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.

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.

Students’ sense of safety at school is an important dimension of school climate and student well-being; however, the factors shaping perceived safety remain insufficiently understood. This study examined the extent to which social, emotional, and contextual factors predict students’ sense of safety at school using data from the OECD PISA 2022 assessment in Lithuania (N = 7257). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the relationships between students’ sense of safety and school belonging, teacher–student relationships, bullying, school safety risks, stress resistance, life satisfaction, socio-economic status, and gender. The findings suggest that students’ sense of belonging was the strongest predictor of perceived safety. Positive teacher–student relationships, higher life satisfaction, and greater stress resistance were also positively associated with students’ sense of safety, whereas bullying and school safety risks were negatively associated with perceived safety. Socio-economic status and gender demonstrated comparatively weaker effects. Overall, the findings suggest that students’ sense of safety is shaped primarily by relational and psychosocial experiences rather than by background characteristics or the mere absence of risk. The study provides preliminary evidence supporting the importance of fostering inclusive and supportive school environments to strengthen students’ perceived safety.

Although school safety is widely addressed in international education reports, it isoften framed primarily through visible indicators such as bullying, violence, and schoolclimate. Less attention has been paid to how psychological unsafety emerges acrossboth student and teacher experiences, particularly through relational, emotional, andorganisational pressures such as exclusion, excessive workload, stress, and limited pro-fessional recognition. To address this gap, this study explores the multifaceted phe-nomenon of the sense of (un)safety of students and teachers in schools through ascoping review of English-language peer-reviewed studies drawing on internationallarge-scale assessment data from PISA, TALIS and HBSC. Following the PRISMA 2020guidelines, systematic searches in Scopus and Web of Science identified 48 relevantstudies published from 2018 onward. The data were thematically analysed followingthe Braun and Clarke framework to identify the main factors influencing perceivedsafety in school environments. The findings reveal two primary domains: bullying andviolence and the broader dimension of the school microclimate. Students’ sense ofunsafety is associated with peer aggression, social isolation, and competitive schoolenvironments, while teachers’ experiences of feeling unsafe are due to excessive work-load, emotional stress, and limited professional recognition. A supportive, collabora-tive, and participatory school climate consistently correlates with higher well-beingand academic outcomes. The review emphasizes the need for evidence-based sys-temic measures that integrate emotional education, professional development, andpolicy-level interventions. Strengthening emotional safety and fostering inclusive andrespectful school cultures are critical to improving both learning and teaching quality.

This study explores the profiles of students who feel safe versus unsafe at school, examining how social, emotional, and academic factors are associated with students’ perceptions of safety. Drawing on data from the OECD PISA 2022 international assessment of 613,744 fifteen-year-old students across 80 countries, the analysis employs K-means clustering to identify groups of students based on their responses to four safety-related items. Students were classified into “safe” and “unsafe” clusters and compared across multiple domains, including academic behaviors, emotional well-being, social relationships, perceptions of the school environment, and socio-economic background. Findings reveal that students who feel safe at school are more likely to engage academically, report higher life satisfaction, experience stronger teacher-student and peer relationships, and come from more advantaged socio-economic backgrounds. In contrast, unsafe students tend to show academic disengagement, emotional distress, weaker social connections, and are more likely to experience bullying and attend schools perceived as less supportive or secure. These results underscore the relevance of school safety as a multidimensional phenomenon associated with relational, emotional, and equity-related aspects of students’ school experiences. The study contributes to a more holistic understanding of school safety as a multidimensional construct closely linked to students’ educational experience and well-being.

Laidoje MRU Edukologijos ir socialinio darbo instituto mokslininkės prof. dr. Vida Gudžinskienė ir doc. dr. Jolita Dudaitė kalbės apie vaikų socialinių įgūdžių bei geros savijautos sąsajas su akademiniais rodikliais. Ar skiriasi, kiek saugūs mokykloje jaučiasi berniukai ir mergaitės, vadinamieji „moksliukai" bei vaikai iš pažeidžiamos aplinkos, augantys be tėvų? Kokie tie skirtumai ir su kuo jie susiję? Kur galėtų krypti su vaikais dirbančiųjų dėmesys, kad būtų užtikrinta gera vaikų savijauta? Kaip svarbu telkti socialinių pedagogų ir socialinių darbuotojų pastangas ugdant globojamų vaikų socialinius įgūdžius?

The research examines how geopolitical events, particularly the war in Ukraine, have affected students' sense of security in Lithuania and Poland and what impact this has on the quality of education. Armed conflicts, migration crises, and economic instability create a complex context of challenges related to emotional well-being and social integration, directly influencing the school microclimate and teachers' working conditions. Findings indicate that language barriers, cultural differences, and social tensions hinder refugee students' integration, leading to discrimination and bullying. This negatively affects their emotional well-being, motivation, and academic performance. Teachers face psychological pressure due to expectations of fostering inclusion without sufficient support. A content analysis of public discourse was conducted by reviewing media articles and institutional reports to examine public opinion on geopolitical events and their impact on schools. The analysis of official statistics allowed for an assessment of the dynamics of refugee pupils' enrolment, achievement and other indicators of social integration. The study highlights the urgent need for education policymakers to support teachers in managing emotional stress and fostering inclusive school communities. Strengthening educational resilience in response to geopolitical challenges is crucial for ensuring student well-being and learning outcomes.

While the primary focus is often on students' safety, this article examines teachers' perceived safety and its impact on the broader educational process, including pedagogy, student learning outcomes, and school climate. The key issue explored is the extent to which teachers' emotional safety and psychological well-being influence educational quality, professional motivation, and teacher-student relationships. This study employs a secondary analysis of international research data alongside a systematic review of the academic literature. For the literature review, articles were sourced from leading academic databases such as Scopus and Web of Science. The secondary data analysis draws on findings from an international study (OECD TALIS), which, in this context, examines aspects related to teacher safety in the classroom, the prevalence and severity of bullying and violence, stress and workload, and the availability of support mechanisms. The review of academic literature considers theoretical perspectives on factors influencing teachers' safety, complemented by empirical research that substantiates their impact on the educational process. Studies suggest that emotional support for teachers not only enhances students' safety but also contributes to higher-quality teaching. Furthermore, strong teacher-student relationships are recognised as a crucial factor in preventing emotional exhaustion, mitigating burnout, and ensuring high educational standards. Teachers' perceived safety and self-efficacy have also been found to be closely linked to instructional quality and student engagement in the classroom. The findings indicate that teachers' perceived safety is a fundamental determinant of educational quality. To enhance educational standards, it is imperative to foster a safe and supportive environment not only for students but also for teachers. Implementing such an approach may mitigate burnout and emotional exhaustion while simultaneously fostering motivation, professional competence, and improved student outcomes.