https://ojs.mruni.eu/ojs/societal-studies/gateway/plugin/WebFeedGatewayPlugin/atomSocietal Studies2022-01-21T11:20:39+00:00Lora Tamošiūnienėsms@mruni.euOpen Journal Systems<p><img src="https://ojs.mruni.eu/ojs/public/site/images/admin/sms_hor_en1.jpg" alt="" /></p> <p><strong>Aim.</strong> Research journal <em>Societal Studies</em> aims to promote a scientific dialogue between scholars worldwide; analyze social problems specific to the national situation and to global environment; promote innovative research areas; develop interdisciplinary research of Social Sciences and the Humanities.</p> <p><strong>Format of publication. </strong>The research articles on theoretical and practical problems relating to various traditional areas of Social Sciences (Law, Economics, Management, Administration, Politology, Sociology, Psychology, Education Science, Social Informatics, etc.) and of the Humanities (Philology; History, Philosophy, Theology and Culture Studies; Art Studies, etc.) as well as to newly-structured broad fields of study (Area Studies: African, American, Asian, Australian and European Studies, Cultural and Media Studies, etc.) and to trans-disciplinary research areas (Migration Studies, Studies into Culture and Technology, etc.).</p> <p><strong>Periodicity.</strong> The research journal <em>Societal Studies is published twice a year; </em>original and previously unpublished scholarly articles, written in Lithuanian, English, German or French or, by a separate permission of the board of editors, an article may be published in a language different from the above.</p> <p><strong>Peer review.</strong> Submitted articles are reviewed by applying the double-blind method (the identities of the author(s) and reviewers are kept unknown). Each article is appointed at least two referees (scientists with a degree in the relevant field).</p> <p><strong>Indexation.</strong> The academic journal <em>Societal Studies</em> is included in the EBSCO Publishing, Inc., C.E.E.O.L., international databases.</p> <p><em>This is an open access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the BOAI definition of open access.</em></p>https://ojs.mruni.eu/ojs/societal-studies/article/view/6826OPEN SOCIETY AND ORGANIC STATE2022-01-21T11:24:24+00:00Povilas Aleksandravičius
In this paper, the concepts of open society and organic state are compared. A genesis of the emergence of the concept of open society is performed, and its foundational meanings, as drawn in the texts of Bergson and Popper, are highlighted. The conceptions of both creators of the concept are characterized by common features – striving to substantiate philosophically international cooperation, peace, democracy, social justice, and the necessity of the constant reform of institutions. However, the nature of this substantiation differs. In Popper’s mind, a rational dialogue is sufficient for this, and it is necessary to discuss the modalities of rationality itself. Contrary to certain opinions that are established in historiography, Bergson does not deny the necessity of rationality in the formation of open society, but seeks its deeper anthropological substantiation in the intuition of duration. In both cases, the conception of open society was created as a reaction to the problems and spirit of the time. Lithuanian thinkers reacted to the same problems and created the theory of organic state. Organic state, both from the perspective of its content and anthropological substantiation, structurally corresponds to the conception of open society of Popper and, especially, to that of Bergson.
2022-01-21T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2022 Societal Studieshttps://ojs.mruni.eu/ojs/societal-studies/article/view/6827THE BEHAVIOR OF LITHUANIAN TRAVELERS IN THE CONTEXT OF COVID-192022-01-21T11:20:37+00:00Rima KarsokienėLeta Dromantienė
The relevance of this study is determined by the fact that the tourism industry is undergoing the most difficult period in its history due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Travel restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the virus have had a devastating effect on the entire tourism industry, both worldwide and in Lithuania. Tourism is a vital part of the infrastructure of the world economy, generating 10% of total GDP according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Hence, this industry was maintaining 1 in 10 of all jobs worldwide before the COVID-19 pandemic. The tourism sector is very dynamic, requiring a rapid response to a changing environment and market. However, tourism is also the sector most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. After the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, tour operators in Lithuania suffered €9.5 million in losses throughout 2020, and their income fell by an average of 58%.<br />The aim of this article is to analyze the motives and choices of travelers’ behavior regarding travel priorities during a pandemic.<br />The research methodology consisted of the analysis of scientific literature alongside documentary and statistical data regarding the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism sector. This was accompanied by quantitative research on travelers’ behavior in Lithuania.<br />The results of this study unequivocally show that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on travelers was over 89%. Due to the changing quarantine conditions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic in various countries, last-minute travel is expected to become popular for reasons of financial security and allowing more predictable travel dates. The travel industry, after having been affected by the global pandemic, encourages hobby, tailor-made trips, or even specific reconstructions of the most popular prepandemic trips that are designed around the individual needs of travelers.<br />Respondents also indicated that the future of safe travel lies in vaccine passports and, although it is not yet known exactly whether vaccination inhibits the spread of the disease, acquired immunity and resistance to the COVID-19 virus provides an opportunity to avoid severe complications or even death. A survey of travelers revealed that 67.1% of respondents would choose a vaccine passport, and the Chi-squared test found that travel planning differed statistically significantly depending on the introduction of vaccination passports. This means that travel planning would be more active if vaccination passports were introduced to allow unrestricted travel without testing and quarantine.
2022-01-21T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2022 Societal Studieshttps://ojs.mruni.eu/ojs/societal-studies/article/view/6828POLARISING FEATURES OF NATIONALISM: THE CASES OF INDEPENDENT LITHUANIA IN THE 1930S, 2008–2009, AND 20152022-01-21T11:20:37+00:00Audronė Janužytė
Based on insights into economic nationalism, this article focuses on the forms of nationalism which were manifested in the relations between Lithuanians and ethnic minorities, groups, immigrants, and refugees in the independent state of Lithuania. The aim of this article is to highlight features of economic nationalism through an analysis of the relations between Lithuanians and ethnic minorities in two cases of independent Lithuania: 1) ethnic discrimination and ethnic conflicts in the 1930–1940 period; and 2) negative and religious xenophobic attitudes towards immigrants and refugees in the periods of the global financial crisis in 2008–2009 and the refugee crisis in Europe in 2015. This analysis enables us to explain the emergence of economic nationalism as well as its general and specific characteristics in Lithuania, i.e., the reasons triggering the outburst of negative, discriminatory, hostile, or religious xenophobic views of people in Lithuania towards ethnic minorities, groups, immigrants, and refugees. These views emerged during political, democratic, and refugee crises in Europe and the global financial crisis, and in some cases even resulted in physical violence against minorities – especially against Jews in the 1930s.
2022-01-21T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2022 Societal Studieshttps://ojs.mruni.eu/ojs/societal-studies/article/view/6829UNITING AND POLARISING FEATURES OF NATIONALISM: THE CASE OF INDEPENDENT LITHUANIA IN 1918 AND IN THE 1990S2022-01-21T11:20:38+00:00Audronė Janužytė
<p>Two critical factors influenced the restoration of Lithuanian independence in 1918 and in the 1990s. The external factor was composed of the international politics of the time and the geopolitical situation of the country. In the clash of the national interests of Russia (the Soviet Union) and Germany over the territory of Lithuania, Lithuanians first restored their statehood in 1918, then lost it under the Soviet and Nazi occupations of the country from 1940 to 1990, and then declared the independence of Lithuania on 11 March 1990, when the Soviet Union began to crumble after the end of the Cold War. The internal factor that united and mobilized the national movement of Lithuanians seeking the creation of an independent state in the 20th century was nationalism. Relying on theoretical insights into nationalism, this article examines two aspects of the discourse of Lithuanian politicians on issues of nationalism: 1) the concept of nationalism and its key features, i.e., highlighting the concepts of nationalism used for the construction of political discourse in an attempt to substantiate the right of the Lithuanian nation to build its independent state; and 2) Lithuanians’ attitude towards ethnic minorities, i.e., revealing their distrust of ethnic minorities when building the nation state in 1918, and certain tensions between Lithuanians and ethnic minorities when restoring the independence of Lithuania in 1990.</p>
2022-01-21T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2022 Societal Studieshttps://ojs.mruni.eu/ojs/societal-studies/article/view/6830THE NEEDS AND POTENTIAL OF NON-FORMAL ADULT EDUCATION: THE CASE OF PANEVĖŽYS CITY2022-01-21T11:20:38+00:00Valdonė IndrašienėVioleta JegelevičienėOdeta MerfeldaitėRomas PrakapasAsta RailienėIrena Žemaitaitytė
Adult education, as a separate element of non-formal education, has been analyzed in the scientific literature for more than a decade. Research on adult education in the context of sustainable development has increased dramatically in recent years, and the number of studies initiated by international organizations associated with comparative investigations into the competences of adults is increasing. The non-formal education of adults is being updated in the context of the knowledge economy. The purpose of nonformal adult education is defined not only as the encouragement of personal improvement processes and integration on the labor market, but also as securing the socialization and social welfare of an ageing individual. A range of scientists have disclosed links between the involvement of adults in non-formal education and the improvement of their quality of life. It has been established that only incidental investigations have actualized the importance of non-formal adult education in the context of continuous education, and that research concerning the needs of seniors is scarce. With consideration of the above, this study formulates the following question: What is the need for non-formal education in a specific municipality in Lithuania? For the purpose of identifying the needs and potential of non-formal adult education in the city of Panevėžys, the methodological approach of quantitative research was chosen. This research was modelled following the case-study strategy, and was performed in September–December of 2019 among 407 adults from Panevėžys in cooperation with the administration of the Panevėžys City Municipality. It was established by this research that the greatest needs expressed by the adults of Panevėžys were for English language, self-knowledge, stress management, and health promotion training, and the most attractive ways of learning for them were practical training and educational trips/travel. The most acceptable form of learning was a 2–3 hour course in the evenings, in winter and autumn. The main desires for participation in non-formal adult education were the ambition for self-improvement, spending leisure time, and satisfying the need for socializing. By participating in training, the research participants observed that they improved their knowledge, expanded their horizons, and spent their leisure time meaningfully. Non-formal education services are available for adults in Panevėžys, and the best satisfaction levels were observed in self-education training that addressed the following needs: self-knowledge, health promotion/healthy lifestyle, conflict management, positive communication, and stress management. Less satisfied were the needs of those attempting to improve their English language skills.
2022-01-21T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2022 Societal Studieshttps://ojs.mruni.eu/ojs/societal-studies/article/view/6831THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY AND SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL LINGUISTICS2022-01-21T11:20:38+00:00Viktorija MažeikienėVilhelmina Vaičiūnienė
<p>Media perform a fundamental role in contemporary society: being intermediaries between users and the real world, they replace physical experience, construct views and knowledge, and shape attitudes, beliefs, and opinions that lead to the specific decisions and actions of individuals and groups. This article gives an overview of developments in the composite concept of media and information literacy and the premises of systemic functional linguistics that are relevant under the conditions of the current infodemic. The authors of this paper propose an approach that combines functional and social-cognitive elements, aiming to explain how we become susceptible to mis- and disinformation and to raise awareness of how certain discursive practices become embedded in societal life. For media and information literacy to be a fully-fledged concept, it is vital to consider the ability to discern subjectivity and emotion in post-truth narratives. The notion of narrative as a cognitive structure is also fundamental because disinformation and misinformation spread as granular digital formations encompassing fragments of information from a multiplicity of fields.</p>
2022-01-21T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2022 Societal Studieshttps://ojs.mruni.eu/ojs/societal-studies/article/view/6832GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES AND MARKETING: THE CASE OF THE LATEST RECRUITMENT COHORT IN COMMUNICATION STUDIES2022-01-21T11:20:38+00:00Gintarė ŽemaitaitienėVirginijus ValentinavičiusAndrius Ivanovas
<p>University faculty members and managers agree that modern generations of students differ in values, beliefs, and dominant traits, while their attitudes and preferences are often conflicting and contradictory. This leaves open the question of whether those generational peculiarities are taken into account by university recruitment officers?<br /> To address this question, a research project was initiated to examine the ways in which students made the decision to enroll in communication study programs at specific university in the 2018 intake. This research aimed to look into the communicational priorities of the newly recruited students as well as into their content preferences.<br /> A questionnaire was designed to systematically assess the students’ motives in seeking specific information, their choice of specific communication channels, and the possible triggers that led to their decisions to enroll in specific communication programs.<br /> To further identify differences, Generation Y students were researched in an additional focus group study on the attitudes of students who started communications studies at the same university in 2016. Both scientifically and practically valuable results showed surprisingly different preferences for visual and textual material. The data gathered also indicates a considerable difference between the attitudes of students, which emerged over the course of just two years.<br /> Apart from its data, the scientific novelty of this research can be seen in the interdisciplinary fusion of different approaches that involve marketing, education science, communication, the management of educational organizations, and generational theory.<br /> Practically, the findings of this research will help university recruitment officers to design new and more efficient marketing strategies that effectively target Generation Z students.</p>
2022-01-21T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2022 Societal Studieshttps://ojs.mruni.eu/ojs/societal-studies/article/view/6833THE EVALUATION OF THE FUND FOR EUROPEAN AID TO THE MOST DEPRIVED IN LITHUANIA BASED ON THE OPINION OF THE SUPPORT PROVIDERS2022-01-21T11:20:39+00:00Daiva SkučienėAgnė Buividavičiūtė
The main aim of the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) is to help people to overcome poverty and social exclusion. One of the program’s evaluation elements is the evaluation of the program providers. Their attitudes and values are important because, as stated by Lion et al. (2006), these specialists can change the original design of the intervention and its final outcome. The FEAD in Lithuania was evaluated using ex-ante approach, and a survey of the providers was implemented. The contribution of this research is a self-constructed understanding of support provision and its development by support providers from different administrative levels. Thus, the aim of this research is to analyze the FEAD results from the perspectives of support providers. For the implementation of this aim, the following objectives were established: firstly, to analyze the academic literature on the program’s evaluation; secondly, to review the results of the FEAD during its operation; and, thirdly, to analyze the evaluation of the FEAD by the support providers.<br />The aim of this research was realized using the meta-analysis of EU and Lithuanian reports, semi-structured interviews with program administrators/coordinators, and a survey of direct support providers involving open-ended questions. This research was implemented in 2019–2020. The results of the research revealed that support providers think that support is targeted, but it is a weak measure in helping people to integrate into the labor market. The specialists suggested expanding the basket of products and their quality, and frequently encountered refusal to accept this support based on the stigmatization of some elements of it.
2022-01-21T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2022 Societal Studieshttps://ojs.mruni.eu/ojs/societal-studies/article/view/6834THE IMPORTANCE OF SELF-ESTEEM IN THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ANGER CONTROL INTERVENTIONS TO REDUCE ANGER CONTROL DIFFICULTIES AMONG ADOLESCENTS AGED 12–172022-01-21T11:20:39+00:00Dovilė ValiūnėAidas Perminas
Adolescent anger is an important issue, given the incidences of school violence (Fives et al., 2011). According to the report of the Health Behavior in School-aged Children study, the number of Lithuanian adolescents participating in one or more physical fights in the past 12 months was above the European average (Currie, 2016). Hence, there is a great need to research the potential of interventions to reduce the anger control problems of students in Lithuania. It is also important to establish the variables that influence the strength of a relationship between intervention and a positive anger control outcome. One of these variables could be self-esteem, as one of the functions of anger is to restore self-esteem when it has been damaged (Lök et al., 2018). Hence, self-esteem could serve as a moderator between anger control interventions and positive anger control outcomes.<br />The goal of this research is to evaluate the importance of self-esteem in the effective- ness of anger control interventions in reducing anger control difficulties among adolescents aged 12–17 years in schools. This study followed a pre-test, post-test design, with three groups. The first intervention was based on cognitive-behavioral theory (CBT). The second intervention was based on mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral theory (MCBT) for anger-management, as developed by Kelly (2007). In total, 599 (256 male and 343 female) adolescents, aged between 12 and 17, from 26 regular schools participated in this research. Schools were selected based on convenience, and in each school one cohort was randomly assigned to the CBT group (N = 205 pupils), the MCBT group (N = 155 pupils), and the control group (N = 239). State-Trait Anger Expression Inven- tory-2 for Child and Adolescent (Brunner and Spielberger, 2009) and Rosenberg’s self- esteem scale were used in this research. Hierarchical linear regression found that MCBT intervention was more effective for girls and CBT intervention was more effective for boys in improving anger control among students with a lower level of self-esteem.
2022-01-21T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2022 Societal Studies