Gerulaitis, Šarūnas

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.

A sense of security at school is a fundamental factor influencing students’ emotional well-being, academic performance, and teachers’ professional satisfaction. This study examines the issue of (in)security in schools using findings from major international comparative assessments, including the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), and the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. This research is based on secondary data analysis from these international studies, focusing on European countries. A quantitative research design was employed, incorporating statistical data analysis to identify key factors contributing to feelings of insecurity among students and teachers. The study explores how various socio-economic, cultural, and institutional variables correlate with perceptions of (in)security. Correlational analysis was conducted to examine the relationships between insecurity and factors such as school climate, peer and teacher relationships, perceptions of justice, and exposure to violence or discrimination. The findings indicate that, for students, major sources of insecurity include bullying, physical and psychological violence, social exclusion, and an unsupportive school environment. These challenges are often exacerbated by socio-economic disparities, family background, school location, and prevailing societal norms. For teachers, insecurity typically stems from student or parent aggression, unclear school safety policies, excessive workload, and limited administrative support. Persistent insecurity is closely linked to heightened stress levels, burnout, and an increased likelihood of teachers leaving the profession. Nonetheless, many educational systems are actively addressing this issue. Countries are implementing various strategies to enhance school safety, such as strengthening social and emotional learning (SEL), improving teachers’ psychological preparedness, and developing effective support systems. By systematically analysing international datasets, this study provides evidence-based recommendations on how school security can be improved through both preventive measures and the promotion of an inclusive, respectful school culture that engages all stakeholders—students, teachers, parents, and policymakers.

Intercultural education in the aspects of inclusion and education of students with special educational needs is one of the biggest challenges of the education system. The increasing diversity observed in today's society, including ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and so on, encourages reflection and analysis of new experiences in the organization of education and training in schools. The mentioned challenges are particularly evident in the context of current geopolitical events. In scientific literature, it is possible to find many different research studies that would analyze individual aspects of intercultural or inclusive education. Research conducted in individual countries, presenting existing or developing practices in specific countries, draws attention to the need to take a closer look at the issue of intercultural education in the context of inclusion, not only in the context of cultural diversity, but also in the context of special education. This issue is particularly relevant in the context of Lithuania at the moment for several reasons: from 2022, after Russia attacked Ukraine, 26,679 children joined Lithuanian educational institutions; from 2024 September 1, the strategic provisions of the Law on Education will officially come into force in Lithuania and a wide-ranging inclusive education will be implemented. Taking into account the above-mentioned circumstances, the scientific problem is examined - what are the possibilities of inclusion of intercultural education, from the point of view of the education of students with special educational needs? In order to present a specific educational institution operating in Lithuania, which educates children of different nationalities (citizens of Lithuania, war refugees from Ukraine, and political refugees from Belarus), the possibilities of intercultural education, inclusiveness, the experience of special needs students from the point of view of students, a qualitative study was conducted based on methodological provisions being applied to the case study strategy. Empirical data was collected using the semi-structured interview method, and the analysis of empirical data was carried out in accordance with the methodological provisions of the analysis. The analysis of the empirical research data showed that in the intercultural environment, the cultural, religious, social, economic and political environment are the dynamic "differences", and the common basis is the internal readiness and openness to solve these differences through dialogue. The focus here is not on agreement or "finding the truth", but on understanding different points of view, active and respectful listening, and commitment to human rights and social action. The research data revealed an important circumstance - intercultural education should be based on the principle of inclusive education, i.e. to aim for all students to be able to learn together with their peers. In the implementation of inclusive education, the general national and school culture is extremely important. An inclusive school culture includes building a community where every member of the community feels accepted and important, students help each other, an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual respect prevails, there exists school-parent partnership, school and educational administrators collaborate, and the local community is involved in school life, and fostering the values of inclusive education.