Founded in 1991 and dedicated to analysing theoretical and methodical issues in education and education policy and cultural analysis. Indexed in the Scopus (Q4) database since 2019.
Vilniaus universiteto leidykla / Vilnius University Press
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Cultural Domination and Resentment: Gramsci, Bourdieu and the Democratic Crisis in Contemporary Europe
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">This article examines how the maintenance of cultural hegemony and the symbolic devaluation of the working classes contribute to the democratic crisis in Europe. Drawing on Gramsci and Bourdieu, it argues that symbolic exclusion fuels cultural resentment, weakening trust in institutions and fostering populist discourses. It advocates the revaluation of culture and education as key sites of democratic mediation.
Copyright (c) 2025 Hélder Nuno Ricardo Ferraz https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Copyright (c) 2025 Authors https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Power, Language, and Identity: A Foucauldian Analysis of Post-Colonial Language Education Policy in Indonesia
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">This study challenges the dominant postcolonial discourse on the education of the Indonesian Language and Literature as a neutral vehicle in shaping the national identity and inculcating cultural values by employing Foucaultian genealogical analysis. By questioning the taken-for-granted belief that literature naturally falls under the responsibility of character education’s mandate, the research traces the power/knowledge relations of four historical periods (Dutch colonial period (1900–1942), Japanese occupation (1942–1945), Soekarno period (1945–1966), and the New Order regime (1966–1998). Genealogical analysis of documents shows that the contemporary moral regime positioning teachers as agents to ‘give’ values is a sedimentation of discursive formations. Each historical period left different power/knowledge structures: colonial linguistic subordination embodied in Sasrasoegonda’s grammar arrangement, episteme rupture during the Japanese occupation that elevated the Indonesian language while banning Dutch, systematic structuring of ideologically selected literature in the revolutionary nationalism era, and standardization that exiled politically controversial works in the New Order regime. Three interweaving mechanisms illustrate how power/knowledge formations were articulated: disciplinary normalization through the standard written curricula, ideological interpellation through the selection of canonical texts, and governmentality self-regulation through the production of the moral teacher. This moral regime marginalizes discursive formations that position subjects beyond their social, political, and cultural locations. The research challenges the popular notion of literature as a transparent cultural transmission medium and reveals that the literary discourse not only acts as an ideological state apparatus but also a field of struggle for alternative meaning-making. The current democratic reforms, which use the communicative competence framework to advance the discourse of diversity, can be seen as a new governmental technology to maintain the standardization pressure while seemingly empowering the teachers. For a meaningful educational transformation, the research calls for a realization that teaching language and literature is an inherently political practice that opens a space for pedagogical counter-conduct that can create a real space for criticality and freedom from the state-led moral frameworks.
Copyright (c) 2015 Rony Kurniawan Pratama https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Formative Experiences of Children and Youth in Underground Movement in Lithuanian Catholic Church (1980–1990)
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">This qualitative study examines the experiences of children and youth during Soviet oppression between the years 1980 and 1990. In-depth interviews were conducted with eight participants from Kybartai, Kaunas Petrašiūnai, Vilkaviškis, and Prienai parishes, where the respondents underwent formative experiences during their childhood and adolescence. Additionally, three educators were interviewed to contextualize these experiences. The primary findings reveal that youth development within Catholic parishes was influenced by both religious and national ideals. Youth movement during Soviet times in Lithuania was powerfully influenced by underground church communities, underground literature, and inspiring role models. According to Gailienė and other scholars, experiences encountered during childhood and adolescence – and particularly under adverse conditions – have enduring impacts on identity formation and resilience. The lack of open discussion regarding Soviet-era traumas and the denial of historical injustice(s) have impeded processes of healing and understanding.
Copyright (c) 2025 Aušra Cane (Karaliūtė) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
War and the State in the Value Orientations and Everyday Professional Practices of Russian Teachers
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">This study analyses the impact of the war in Ukraine and related state initiatives aimed at the militarization and unification of Russian education on the daily lives and value systems of teachers. The empirical basis of the research consists of 43 semi-structured interviews with educators from 11 regions of Russia and the so-called “<em style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Luhansk People’s Republic<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">”. The responses of these participants do not support the traditional view of the school as a ‘victim’ or the dominance of ‘silent’ or ‘resisting’ teachers. Based on the data, the study concludes that state initiatives of any kind have a highly indirect effect on the everyday professional practices of Russian schoolteachers. Anti-war and humanistic values are not decisive for their daily work, and the war in Ukraine primarily provokes personal and practical concerns rather than political or emotional protest.
Copyright (c) 2025 Sergei Chernyshov https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Fostering Learner Autonomy Through Student-Led Writing and Speaking Support in Teacher Education
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">Learner autonomy is a fundamental aspect of language acquisition, particularly in higher education contexts, where students must engage in self-directed learning beyond formal instruction. While institutions often provide self-access support systems, their effectiveness depends on not only available resources but also educators’ ability to facilitate autonomous learning. This practice-oriented paper examines student-led writing and speaking support programs as a means to foster learner autonomy and prepare teacher trainees for outside-class learning. By using the student writing and speaking support initiatives at a Hungarian university as an illustrative context, this paper offers a descriptive and reflective analysis to ground the discussion. The practice-based insights highlight the dual role of such initiatives in developing student skills while reinforcing reflective practice and consultation-based pedagogy in higher education. By critically overviewing institutional support mechanisms, this paper provides insights into potential models for integrating self-access learning into university curricula, contributing to both learner autonomy and professional development. The programs are introduced as examples of good practice, with broader implications for how similar initiatives can be adapted in other institutional contexts to promote autonomy, strengthen teacher education, and support lifelong learning.
Copyright (c) 2025 Balázs Fajt | Szabolcs Csorba | Emese Schiller https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Drug Education Curriculum: A Systematic Review of Current Literature
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">This paper presents up-to-date literature on the drug education curriculum from 2015 to December 2024. It identifies the key elements of the drug education curriculum and implementation of this curriculum in the school setting. We have conducted a systematic review to clearly define methodologies, search strategies, criteria employed, and recommendations of the current studies of the drug education curriculum. Essentially, a 350-page review has been summarized in this paper, and 16 articles from this body of literature are high-quality, prestigous article reviews. Several studies related to drug curriculums from various countries have been highlighted in this paper, along with extracts of components of these curriculums, encompassing the objective, content, experience, and evaluation, for the purpose of developing a new form of a drug education curriculum. This paper has also provided a tabular form of critical elements of the drug education curriculum based on the current literature. According to a review of several highly relevant and related papers, it has been concluded that the drug education curriculum in some countries outlines components and implementation methods to create a moderately high level of drug prevention among students in the school setting. However, there is a need for future studies that would be capable to synthesize the current challenges and develop alternative solutions to the drug education curriculum that are more robust and effective.
Copyright (c) 2025 Ciptro Handrianto | Ahmad Jazimin Jusoh | Mansor Abu Talib | Rembulan Catra Banyu Biru | Ridha Husnul Hayati | Fitri Dwi Arini https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Challenges of Teaching Children with ADHD in the School Context
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">Over the past few years, the number of children diagnosed with <em style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;"> (ADHD) has been on a significant increase. Children with ADHD are inattentive, restless, and impulsive. For them, the process of growth and development is much more difficult than for children with typical development. They have difficulties in everyday functioning in the family and school environment. These difficulties are evident in their emotional and social functioning. Due to their inappropriate and strong reactions, hyperactive children are frequently rejected and isolated by peers. In order for children with ADHD to become able to function successfully in everyday activities, they need understanding, support and help from adults, primarily from their parents and teachers. It should also be pointed out that children with ADHD, apart from the previously mentioned difficulties, also have numerous positive traits, strengths, and abilities. The contemporary approach to ADHD suggests neurodiversity as a possible alternative paradigm.
Copyright (c) 2025 Marina Đuranović | Irena Klasnić | Tomislava Vidić https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Opportunities For Developing Preschoolers’ Motor Skills through Play Activities
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">Physical activity begins to develop in an early childhood (from birth to age 8) and is considered an important way of learning about the world, which has a positive effect on a child’s physical, mental, and emotional health and promotes the development of new skills. Appropriate physical activity not only strengthens the overall physical condition, but also contributes to the development of self-regulation skills. Conversely, a lack of physical activity can lead not only to poorer physical health, but also to greater emotional challenges as children are more likely to exhibit behavioral problems, which can develop into more serious disorders over time.<br style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">The article highlights the importance of paying adequate attention to play-based activities in the education process in order to form habits of physical activity and enable children to experience the joy of movement. However, pre-school educational institutions often fail to sufficiently develop the basic movement skills of pre-school-aged children (specifically, gross and fine motor skills, movement control, spatial orientation), while giving priority to the development of language and mathematical skills. Therefore, in addressing these issues, we reveal which play-based activities are most appropriate in terms of strengthening the movement skills of pre-school-aged children and how play-based activities allow them to develop.<br style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">When teachers use play-based activities to promote physical activity, aspects related to the child’s overall development, physical and mental health become apparent. Play-based activities are also associated with purposefully selected playful games, effectively satisfying children’s natural need for movement, which leads to a greater physical activity, increased physical fitness, and intensive development of motor skills. Pre-school teachers, by virtue of being aware of the importance of movement and the positive impact of play-based activities on the physical development of children, try to include active games as often as possible to develop their movement skills, which significantly enhances children’s movement abilities and the skills they lack.
Copyright (c) 2025 Vilija Gerasimovičienė | Justina Sakalauskienė https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Perceived Professional Self-Efficacy of Kindergarten Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">The study examined the perceived professional self-efficacy of kindergarten teachers (N1 = 204) and university students (N2 = 215) studying preschool pedagogy in Slovakia in the context of the influence of independent variables such as age, marital status, religiosity, years of experience, and education level. The kindergarten teacher’s perceived professional self-efficacy was examined by adapting the <em style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Teacher Efficacy Scale<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;"> used in Slovakia. The research findings indicate statistically significant differences between in-service and pre-service teachers and provide reactions to the context of the influence of the independent variables. The respondents’ experience with educational realities emerged as the most significant variable. Experienced teachers and students with at least some experience had higher self-efficacy than the inexperienced ones. However, there is a group of respondents without adequate experience who, on the contrary, overestimate their abilities and thus their self-efficacy probably does not correspond to reality. Religious affiliation also appears to be a potentially significant factor, which played a role especially for pre-service teachers.
Copyright (c) 2025 Vladimír Fedorko | Roman Kroufek | Jozef Liba | Janka Ferencová https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Teachers’ Linguistic Attitudes and Their Approach to Lithuanian Language Education During Lessons in all Subjects
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">Linguistic attitudes of teachers in different subjects are one of the main factors shaping the school’s linguistic environment. This paper analyses teachers’ linguistic attitudes and their attitudes towards pupils’ Lithuanian language education across all subject areas.<br style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">The study shows that teachers’ evaluations of the prestige of the Lithuanian language were contradictory (positive and negative evaluations were almost equally distributed). There is a consistent view that the problem of language prestige is a collective responsibility of all and that correctness is an essential condition for language prestige. Teachers appeared to observe the norms of the common language when giving lessons. They are motivated not only by formal requirements but also by deep inner attitudes: professional responsibility, patriotism, and the attitude that correct language is an essential quality of an educated person. It is recognised that teachers of all subjects have a responsibility to take care of their pupils’ language, not only those of the Lithuanian language.<br style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">Although positive attitudes and a deep value-based approach to language are revealed, and it is argued that the responsibility for developing pupils’ language lies with all teachers, in practice these principles are only partially respected: they often correct pupils’ mistakes in their written language and tend to develop their spoken language, but almost a third of them never take into account mistakes made in their assessments. This means that the school lacks clearly defined criteria for assessing pupils’ linguistic expression in all subjects.<br style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">The study also highlighted another problem: most teachers do not improve their language skills by attending language training courses and seminars, even though they claim to lack some language skills.<br style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">The survey analysis concludes that teachers are aware of the value of the language, but there is a gap between attitudes and actual behaviour – language education is not consistently practised in the classroom. The more experienced and qualified a teacher is, and the more he or she appreciates the importance of correct language, the more involved he or she becomes in language education.
Copyright (c) 2025 Laimutė Bučienė https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Planned Empowerment of Primary School Students to Reflect on Learning in Lithuanian Language and Literature Classes: Teachers’ Experiences
Learning reflection in the classroom is a process through which students think about their learning and articulate – either orally or in writing – what has been successful, and what has not, while noting what they could do differently next time in order to achieve better results. This process is crucial as it enables learners to identify the causes of their learning successes and challenges and, whenever necessary, to adjust their actions accordingly. As a result, it helps reduce impulsivity in learning, since actions are increasingly considered before being taken. Learning reflection not only supports cognitive development but also enhances students’ ability to manage their own learning and promotes greater independence and responsibility. However, fostering learning reflection is not an automatic process. Students’ initial engagement with reflection typically requires guidance and support from teachers, who play a key role in facilitating and planning time for learning reflection during lessons. Despite this issue, research – conducted both in Lithuania and internationally – indicates that, in various subject lessons, including mother tongue, learning reflection is infrequent, episodic, or entirely absent due to a lack of supportive conditions. Teachers may forget to plan for learning reflection, or else they may assume that it happens implicitly, even when it is inconsistent and ineffective. This contradiction – which is manifested between the acknowledged theoretical value of learning reflection and its practical lack of implementation – prompted the current study, which aimed to examine how primary school students in Lithuania engage in learning reflection during Lithuanian language and literature classes, as perceived by primary school teachers. The study addressed the following questions: How often do teachers intentionally plan opportunities for learning reflection? At which stage of the lesson is reflection facilitated, and how do teachers justify it? What types of tasks are used to promote learning reflection, and what sources do teachers draw from? The study employed semi-structured interviews with 14 primary school teachers. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the data. Three main themes emerged in relation to the research questions: 1) the frequency of planned learning reflection in Lithuanian language and literature lessons; 2) the stages of the lesson in which students engage in learning reflection; 3) the types and sources of tasks used to support learning reflection. The findings show that learning reflection has not yet become a consistent and systematically planned part of the learning process. It is most commonly applied only 1–2 times per week, or even less frequently, and usually at the end of a lesson. Several factors hinder the planning of learning reflection: lack of lesson time, strong focus on the subject content, undervaluation of the reflection process, insufficient positive practical experience, and limited understanding of its benefits for students. To ensure that learning reflection becomes an integral part of Lithuanian language and literature lessons in primary education, sustained professional development for teachers is essential.
Lithuanian language and literature classes
planning of students learning reflection
Wordless Book Reading in Primary School Lessons: Striving for Greater Engagement of Students with Diverse Abilities
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">Primary education teachers are constantly seeking new teaching methods and tools that would encourage the engagement of students with diverse abilities in the learning process. One such tool is wordless books. For Lithuanian teachers, wordless books remain a relatively new genre; therefore, this article examines the challenges of using them in primary school language education. A particularly under-researched area is classroom activities based on wordless book reading, where the teacher must simultaneously work with students of varying abilities. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of wordless book reading-based activities in fostering the linguistic activity and engagement of third-grade students. The method chosen for the study was participatory action research. During the study, students’ engagement and linguistic activity in traditional versus wordless book reading activities were observed, analyzed, and compared. Data were collected through the analysis of scientific and pedagogical literature and informal natural indirect observation. All activities were video-recorded, and the recordings were later analyzed to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. The study involved 24 students from one primary school, selected using convenience sampling. Based on scientific literature and students’ prior knowledge of wordless books, the wordless book reading activities were structured in three stages: exposure, exploration, and engagement. All wordless book-based educational activities followed the same model: activation, learning objective, reading of a wordless book, and student reflection. The study revealed that wordless book reading activities encouraged participating students to become more engaged in the lessons. The most significant positive change was observed among students with lower abilities, slower learning pace, or greater shyness. The use of visually presented information proved particularly effective in stimulating these students’ linguistic activity and engagement, as well as their willingness to share thoughts and understanding.
Copyright (c) 2025 Vaiva Schoroškienė | Paulina Morkūnaitė-Gudė https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Representation of Women’s Literature During the Implementation of the 2011–2022 Lithuanian Language and Literature Secondary Education Curriculum
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">The article examines how women’s literature was presented in the Lithuanian language and literature curriculum during the period of 2011–2022 and how it was linked to certain thematic and value-based assumptions. The study was conducted in two stages: first, a qualitative content analysis of textbooks for high school students (Kanišauskaitė et al., 2011–2012; Daujotytė et al., 2009–2012) was conducted with the objective to explore the topics that are related to women’s writing and their alignment with the questions dealt with in the curriculum. The second stage looked at how the depiction of women’s literature in these textbooks influenced the interpretation of such works in students’ essays in the 2020–2024 state exams (a.k.a. matura examination). The findings of the research have revealed that, in their maturity exam essays, students often mirrored stereotypical views found in the textbooks, such as depicting women as mothers, self-sacrificing, and emotional. Furthermore, female authors were significantly underrepresented in both the textbooks and student essays, with the analysis of their works often being one-dimensional and stereotypical.
Lithuanian language and literature curriculum
Copyright (c) 2025 Eglė Tauraitė | Aistė Kučinskienė https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Validation of a Czech Self-Regulated Learning Questionnaire
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">Self-regulated learning (SRL) is a concept of great use for teachers of adult learners as these learners are especially capable of engaging in autonomous behaviour, and their understanding of aspects of SRL allows teachers to identify areas in which to provide support so that to make learning more effective. A validated instrument for a particular population is necessary to obtain reliable data on the basis of which SRL may be explored. In this study, we aimed to modify the Czech DAUS1 self-regulated learning questionnaire, based on the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, the Learning and Strategies Study Inventory, and the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory, for adult learners in informal language education, and to validate the new instrument. First, items addressing aspects unrelated to informal education were modified or eliminated by an expert panel. Subsequently, exploratory factor analysis was conducted on a sample of 403 adult learners, resulting in a three-factor model. The factors included self-efficacy (14 items), metacognition (8 items), and motivation (8 items). The Cronbach’s alpha value of the new instrument was determined as 0.83. The new validated instrument ought to facilitate further investigation of SRL in adult learners in informal education.
Copyright (c) 2025 Jana Rozsypálková | Eva Bumbálková https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Psychometric Properties and Factorial Structure of the Lithuanian Version of the "Student Engagement in School"
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">Students’ engagement in school is an important phenomenon for their learning and overall well-being. The aim of this paper is to present the adaptation and validation of the <em style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Student Engagement in School<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;"> Questionnaire (Lam et al., 2014) to the Lithuanian school context. The psychometric indicators and factorial structure of the questionnaire were assessed in two studies. The first study was carried out in June 2019. 476 students took part in this step. The second study was undertaken in February 2020. The sample was 445 pupils. To examine the reliability of the Lithuanian version of the <em style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Student Engagement in School<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;"> Questionnaire, we calculated the internal consistency coefficients (Cronbach’s α and McDonald’s ω). The results of both studies showed good internal consistency of the questionnaire: the values of Cronbach’s α and McDonald’s ω were greater than 0.70 for all scales. To determine the factor structure of the measurement tool, first, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed. The results of EFA only partially confirmed the authors’ proposed questionnaire structure. After applying the Varimax rotation, a six-factor structure was identified, which differed from the original three-factor model. To test the accuracy of the three-factor model and the higher-order factor model structure, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed. As the original three-factor model was not supported, the CFA results demonstrated that alternative hierarchical structures provided a good fit to the data. A second-order model with six first-order factors (SRMR = 0.056; RMSEA = 0.048; CFI = 0.905) as well as a more theoretically nuanced third-order model (SRMR = 0.056; RMSEA = 0.048; CFI = 0.908) were both found to be suitable. However, it is necessary to verify the stability of the obtained hierarchical model structures by replicating the study.
Copyright (c) 2025 Jūratė Česnavičienė | Agnė Brandušauskienė | Aušra Daugirdienė https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0