Search Results (43)

The study analyzes the impact of intercultural friendship on cultural intelligence (CQ), which is defined as an individual’s ability to operate effectively in a new intercultural environment. Two hypotheses were tested using an online questionnaire completed in the autumn of 2022 by 358 university students from a private university in Prague, Czech Republic. The participants represented 26 countries, with the majority being Czech nationals. The hypotheses were as follows: (1) overall cultural intelligence, and (2) all its components (metacognitive, cognitive, motivational, and behavioral) would be higher or lower depending on whether individuals had close social ties, operationalized by the binary variable “intercultural friendship”. The first hypothesis was confirmed. However, the second hypothesis was only supported for the motivational and cognitive facets of CQ. Our results indicate that CQ is fundamentally a relational construct, developing primarily through contact with members of other cultures. Contextual factors, such as language skills, travel to foreign countries, residence abroad, and the frequency of intercultural contacts, create situational prerequisites for establishing closer intercultural relationships. However, they do not contribute directly to the development of intercultural skills but rather do so indirectly through these relationships. Full article

In parallel with their counterparts in neighboring countries, specifically Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland, Hungarian university students also exhibit a high level of involvement in internet activities, particularly within the realm of online social networking. Our quantitative data analysis, in line with our primary hypothesis, reveals a substantial proportion of university students displaying additional awareness also of academic online platforms (hereinafter: AOPs) specifically. These platforms, as per our typology, encompass the following categories: (1) academic online social networking sites; (2) databases lacking social features; and (3) author profiles linked to publishers. Notably, student awareness is most prominently affiliated with academic social networking sites offering comprehensive access to full-paper views. The data gathered in the framework of qualitative research was based on a contingent of 100 university respondents’ (mostly female residents of the capital Budapest) answers to seven demographic and thematic questions The corresponding findings further indicate that, with the exception of a notable segment actively engaging with these AOPs, the majority of students exhibit sporadic usage patterns concentrated during specific seasonal peaks. At the same time, author profiles linked to publishers currently remain beyond the immediate reach of the broader student population. Full article

Mathematical culture is an essential part of general culture, and mathematical proof is the essence of mathematical culture, which plays an essential role in education for sustainable development. The presented research focuses on the following issue: Can the use of visual tools contribute to a better understanding of mathematical proofs presented within the framework of courses in graph theory? The research focuses on Czech university students of computer science. The presented results were achieved in a pedagogical experiment based on a pre-test, treatment and post-test design carried out during three academic years before the COVID pandemic period. In the pre-test and post-test phases, students were tested to determine their level of mathematical logic knowledge. Visual applications were used in teaching in the treatment phase. The research results clearly showed that the use of visual tools supporting formal explanation of mathematical proofs results in better understanding of the abstraction of the presented process and thus contributes significantly to sustainability in mathematical education. Thanks to the use of the mentioned visual tools during the COVID pandemic period, when schools had to switch to on-line education, the students’ results were comparable to those from face-to-face classes. Full article

Every nation has its unique intangible culture that is passed down from generation to generation thanks to what is still alive. Czechia has a rich intangible cultural heritage, e.g., Mardi Gras, Verbuňk dance, blueprints, Christmas-themed beaded decorations, puppetry, etc., which are all on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists. However, it also has other traditions, ceremonies, legends, folk tales, and weather lore related to weather forecasting in relation to agriculture. The most popular weather lore is related to the feasts of saints, as the feast’s dates have remained unchanged for a very long time in the calendar. The aim of this study is to bring Czech weather lore, which, even today, in the age of numerical models, has a certain meaning, closer to readers. Some weather lore has been forgotten over time, but most of it still remains in Czech folk traditions, which continue to be spread orally or in written form. We wondered whether young people knew weather lore as part of their cultural heritage. The results of a survey based on a sample of 220 respondents, including students at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen and future teachers at primary schools, led to the conclusion that weather lore is well-known among the young Czech generation as well. Full article

The use of electronic media has increased dramatically in the past decade due to the general increase in digitization of global societies. This trend has been recently enhanced by the COVID-19 occurrence and following forced implementation of various forms of eLearning into university curricula, including all forms of second language (L2) acquisition. The present study focuses on the evaluation of perceived advantages and disadvantages of online L2 acquisition via electronic media by university students of the Czech Republic (n = 114) and Poland (n = 121). The research methodology was an online questionnaire asking the users of digital media for L2 acquisition about their perceived advantages and disadvantages regarding the use of print and digital media and their potential impact on their L2 acquisition. To understand their evaluation is crucial as it could lead to increased motivation or demotivation to learn a foreign language. The results clearly show that the students realize the drawbacks of digital media and this could lead to their dissatisfaction and frustration when they have to use these media excessively. The implications of the findings could be helpful and necessary for various course designers, curricula makers, and course tutors as they are responsible for the smooth implementation of various digital tools into the educational process. Full article

This paper introduces the KABADA (Knowledge Alliance of Business Idea Assessment: Digital Approach) tool, together with the opinions of young people about entrepreneurship, their skills, and their experience with this tool. The focus is on non-business students who study natural sciences, engineering, and other areas at the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology at Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic. The KABADA tool has been developed and tested by a team of international experts. It can be used by a wide audience, including forester management specialists. This structured, web-based platform is based on theoretical research, relevant statistics, and artificial intelligence insights. It guides entrepreneurs through business idea assessment including challenges and opportunities. The research included survey answers from 60 university students before and after using the KABADA tool. The results show that students are interested in entrepreneurship but do not have the knowledge or experience, or support from the curriculum. The majority of the students had no or very low experience with entrepreneurship, no entrepreneurship training, and had not studied entrepreneurship. After using the tool, students declared that they had a higher knowledge of entrepreneurship and the number of students who intended to become an entrepreneur increased. The tool is available online, free of charge. Full article

If an individual who lives abroad feels satisfied, they are able to develop their ability to function in the new culture. The satisfaction with life abroad depends on cultural intelligence (CQ): people with higher CQ easily adapt to a new culture. Our article seeks to understand the relationship between CQ and satisfaction with life abroad using two new variables—culture shock and cultural identity. The direct and indirect relationships between all variables have been investigated using a sample of 194 predominantly international students studying at Czech universities and the PLS SEM statistical technique. The results have shown that CQ is a positive predictor of dependent variable satisfaction with life abroad. When two mediators—cultural identity and culture shock—were added, we found out that the CQ is a positive predictor of the former and a negative predictor of the latter. The analysis of multiple mediations has further confirmed the indirect influence of culture shock (but not cultural identity) on the direct relationship between cultural intelligence and satisfaction with life. Full article

Nuclear anxiety, which refers to the fear of nuclear war and its consequences, is expected to increase amid the Russian–Ukrainian War of 2022 (RUW-22). This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of nuclear anxiety and its associated variables among university students in the Czech Republic during the first weeks of RUW-22. A cross-sectional survey-based study was carried out from March–April 2022, utilizing a digital self-administered questionnaire (SAQ) to collect data from the target population. The SAQ consisted of multiple-choice items inquiring about demographic characteristics; generalized anxiety symptoms using generalized anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7); depressive symptoms using patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9); and attitudes towards civilian uses of nuclear power, and nuclear war-related anxiety. Of the 591 participating students, 67.7% were females, 68.2% were Czech nationals, and 61.8% followed the RUW-22 news at least once daily. The mean GAD-7 score of our participants was 7.86 ± 5.32 (0–21); and their mean PHQ-9 score was 8.66 ± 6.29 (0–27). Regarding the civilian uses of nuclear power, most participants agreed that nuclear power was safe (64.5%), denied being afraid that civilian use of nuclear power might deteriorate their health (79.7%), and thought that public acceptance was important for building new nuclear power plants (56.9%). About 42.1% and 45.5% of the participants reported feeling depressed at the possibility of nuclear war and agreed that the chances that there would be a nuclear war in their lifetime were very high, respectively. When asked about their preparedness measures during the previous four weeks, less than one quarter (23.9%) reported looking for recommendations for protection against nuclear accidents, and less than one-fifth (19.3%) were looking for the nearest bomb shelter. The depression about nuclear war possibility was positively and relatively strongly correlated with the level of “feeling concerned about the RUW-22” (rs = 0.401), and it was moderately correlated with GAD-7 (rs = 0.377) and PHQ-9 (rs = 0.274) scores and weakly correlated with RUW-2-related news-following frequency (rs = 0.196). Within the limitations of the present study, nuclear anxiety was common among Czech university students. Its associated factors may include but are not limited to the female gender; common psychological disorders such as generalized anxiety and depression; RUW-22-related news following-frequency; and the level of “feeling concerned”. Full article

The paper describes the construction of the neutron imaging facility at the very low-power research reactor VR-1. The training reactor VR-1 is operated by the Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic. It is mainly used for the education of students in the field of nuclear engineering as well as for the training of professionals. Neutron imaging is the new field of VR-1 reactor utilisation currently under development. Extremely low reactor power at the level of 100 W brought many challenges that were necessary to overcome to build and commission a sustainable neutron radiography facility. The paper describes the reactor’s neutron flux verification and the basic concept and design of the neutron imaging instrumentation. The first experimental results were mainly dedicated to testing the detection system for different radial beam port configurations, different L/D ratios, and different exposure times. Preliminary results of neutron radiography and tomography measurements at VR-1 clearly showed the potential of using neutron imaging in low-power reactors such as the VR-1 reactor. Full article

This paper presents the results of empirical research focused on the quality of teaching and learning methods, from the perspective of master’s students at one of the Czech universities. The research focused on learning outcomes, teaching forms and methods, and the use of ICT technologies following a quantitative survey in this area, which showed the need to examine the topic in depth and in a broader context. Data for the qualitative research were collected through in-depth interviews; the primary research method was focus groups. The data were processed and analysed by coding techniques. The results showed that students prefer teaching and learning outcomes associated with the use in future practice. The teaching forms depend on the teacher’s style rather than on the declared description in the curriculum. Contrary to most practices, students prefer teaching methods that lead to active learning. The advantages are identified in the frame of involvement of ICT in teaching, which makes sense and positively impacts students’ learning; however, the effect depends on how the teaching forms are used. Full article

The restrictions on medical students’ clinical education during the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their professional readiness and often lengthened their training. These negative impacts are often considered a necessary price as clinical education is hypothesized to be associated with a high risk of pandemic spread. This work assesses this hypothesis based on COVID-19 epidemiological data among Czech dentistry students and their comparison to data of the Czech general population of similar age. We addressed two of the five Czech medical faculties (Charles University, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove and in Pilsen) providing dentistry study program with a survey. A total of 240 students participated, representing a 66.9% response rate. Over 75% of respondents participated in clinical education during the pandemic. The school environment was identified as a place of infection by only 9.8% of respondents who were aware of where they were infected. Overall, 100% of students used FFP2 respirators, and 75.3% used face shields or protective glasses while working with patients. By the end of May 2022, COVID-19 full vaccination and 1st booster rates among students were 93.8% and 54.6%, respectively, which is significantly higher (p < 0.0001, OR 7.3, 95% CI 4.4–12; p < 0.0001, OR 3.7, 95% CI 2.9–4.8, respectively) compared to their peers from the general population (67.1% and 24.4%, respectively). A total of 75.4% of respondents supported mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for healthcare professionals. To the same date, PCR and/or antigen test verified COVID-19 prevalence among students was 37.1%, while among peers from the general population, it was 45.1% (p = 0.015, OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0–1.5). The combination of extensive protective measures and high vaccination against COVID-19 led to significantly lower COVID-19 prevalence among the students compared to their general population counterparts. Full article

University students in the Czech Republic suffer from a low level of mental well-being. Research in other university student populations suggests that academic motivation, self-compassion, and self-criticism are strongly related to mental well-being. Students who are motivated to study, are kind toward themselves, and are less judgmental of themselves tend to have a high level of mental well-being. These relationships had not been evaluated in Czech students. Accordingly, this cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the relationships between mental well-being, academic motivation (intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and amotivation), self-compassion (self-reassurance) and self-criticism (self-inadequacy and self-hate). Of 130 students approached, a convenience sampling of 119 psychology students at a university in the Czech Republic completed a survey regarding these constructs. Correlation, regression, and path analyses were conducted. Mental well-being was positively associated with intrinsic motivation and self-compassion, and negatively associated with amotivation and self-criticism. Self-compassion was identified as the strongest predictor of mental well-being. Lastly, intrinsic motivation mediated the pathway from self-compassion to mental well-being, but not the one from self-inadequacy to mental well-being, and the one from self-hate to mental well-being. Our findings can help educators to identify effective means to protect students’ mental well-being. Cultivating students’ self-compassion may be helpful to protect their mental well-being. University staff and educators in the Czech Republic need to consider ways to embed self-compassion training into their students’ programmes or university life. Full article

Our paper focuses on the issues of social health and psychological safety of university students involved in digital sustainable education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, modern education is becoming inclusive due to the advancements in information and communication technologies (ICT), and it is important not only to stress the relevance of sustainable development and the use of digital technologies, but also their impact on students at schools and universities worldwide. Digital literacy is a newly emerging feature that results from the attitude of team members in the field of digital technologies. This paper explores the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on students’ learning and well-being and outlines the potential considerations for educational systems as they support students through the recovery period and beyond. Our study is based on the results of our own survey that was administered using a snowball and convenient sample of 1524 respondents (aged 19–26 years; 56.2% females and 43.8% males) from the Czech Republic (N = 804) and Russia (N = 720). We employed the ANOVA and Dirichlet Process mixtures of Generalized Linear Models (DP-GLM) in order to explain the causes of stress and anxiety after grouping variables represented by gender and the study specializations. Our results demonstrate that more than 87% of the students in the sample expressed a medium to high vulnerability to stress, while 58% of the respondents were affected by severe anxiety during their online education engagement. The most important factors that emerged as significant were the fear of getting infected and social distancing, while the best strategy to cope with the stress was self-control. These results allow us to provide practical recommendations for effectively coping with and controlling stress and anxiety among students in the post-pandemic era. In addition, our findings might contribute considerably to the study of the overall long-term effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the university students, in general, and the use of digital technologies in higher education, as well as on the public health. Full article

Internships have an irreplaceable place in professional education. Theoretical and practical education is being more interconnected and strengthened with emphasis placed on high-quality preparation of graduates for internships. From a scientific point of view, there are contradictions between companies’ attitudes towards the employability of future graduates. Therefore, the main aim of the article is to investigate the interest of Czech companies in providing internships to university students studying economic programs as well as the companies’ willingness to employ these students after graduation. The primary data were obtained from 83 valid questionnaires answered by companies experienced in providing internships to these students. The Mann–Whitney U test was used to determine the differences in the attitudes of companies towards the provision of internships in terms of size and duration of the company’s existence on the market. Correlation relationships between variables were determined using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. It was found that large firms will take on students after graduation for a certain period of time, and this is contrary to small businesses. Students must possess work and soft skills when entering internships. In the given context, there was no connection found between the evaluation of the student’s work performance and the required competencies by the company. Therefore, students can also be assigned to internships in order to meet the setting of the study program or the needs of employers. Moreover, internships need constant care, especially in the area of relationships between a university and an application sphere. Full article

Values find their full completion only in the competent behaviour of university members. The values of a university are directly linked with the competences of university teachers and, together with the principles of sustainability, are the crucial pillars of a ‘sustainability triangle’ of higher education institutions that is introduced and modelled in this paper, which examines these phenomena and the potential ties existing between them. We experimentally define the 10 principles of sustainability in higher education based on the personal academic experience of the authors as well the most frequently cited opinions in the literature. The paper subsequently presents the results of a sociological survey performed in two European countries and compares the results of Czech university students in the public security sector (n = 396) with those of Slovak university students in the IT sector (n = 246). An almost perfect correlation between student opinions from both sectors was confirmed with the use of Pearson’s product moments and an unpaired two-sample Student’s t-test. The results help to affirm all the postulated principles of sustainability and to approve the accuracy of the model presented, i.e., a Triangle of/for Sustainable Higher Education Institutions. The results obtained as well as our arguments simultaneously call on the governing bodies of ministries and universities to focus efforts on the harmonisation of personal and institutional values, opinions, principles, aspirations, and various motivations of all members of the university, i.e., students, teachers, and advisers. Full article