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The purpose of this paper is to investigate if foreign-born academics employed in Poland and Slovakia have a sense of being marginalised in the global world of knowledge production, and, if so, what are the basic indicators of this marginalisation. The paper is based on 100 qualitative in-depth interviews conducted in Poland and 40 interviews conducted in Slovakia. All interviewees agreed that Poland and Slovakia were peripheries but they conceptualised their peripheral status in many distinctive ways. The paper discusses six indicators of peripheral status of Eastern Europe academic systems, referred to as 'status periphery', 'career periphery', 'workplace periphery', 'mental periphery', 'language periphery', and 'relational periphery'. The discussion focusses on how these two exemplary post-communist European peripheries differ from other academic peripheries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the end of the Cold War, millions of migrants from Eastern Europe have sought better opportunities in Western European countries, yet few studies have assessed the impact of such moves on these migrants' children. In the aim of isolating a 'treatment effect' of migration on educational outcomes, this study analyzes Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores from 2012, 2015, and 2018 for adolescents born in twelve Eastern European countries and living in eight Western European countries. It employs propensity-score matching within a homeland dissimilation framework, comparing immigrants' outcomes on reading, math, and science assessments to similar stay-at-homes in their countries of origin. In unadjusted comparisons to their counterparts who remained behind, migrant children attain lower scores across all three subjects. Once immigrant children are matched to non-immigrants with similar propensities to migrate, the disparity for math scores disappears, while those for reading and science remain. Disparities are wider for adolescents who come from within the EU, migrate at older ages, or speak a foreign language at home. This paper indicates the need for policymakers and educational administrators to better handle the negative academic effects that migration can have on children from within Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the educational experiences of Eastern European Roma undergraduates and analyses how the mobility process influences their access to university in different countries of the European Union. Drawing on 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews, the paper highlights the ability of students to (re)define their identity and to utilize the language skills acquired practicing mobility across several countries as well as the university degrees obtained, to combat Roma discrimination after finishing their studies. Findings suggest that education may become a tool to overcome the marginality and stigmatization of Roma. The paper concludes with observations about the new ways opened up by undergraduate Roma, which demand the reinterpretation of mobility and identity as a transformative experience and an essential strategy to fight the discrimination against and the exclusion of mobile Roma citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The goal of this paper is to explore the possible influence of certain economic factors over the FDI inflow in South-East European (SEE) countries and Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. We compare the situation in 7 countries from the region of South-East Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia and 7 countries from the region of Central and Eastern Europe: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, and Slovakia. Research method - We apply a holistic approach based on panel data for a twenty-two-year period from 1995 till 2018. The analysis was effectuated through a panel unit-root test. The dependent variable is FDI net inflow (as % of GDP). The study takes into account the following economic variables: annual percentage growth of GDP; labor productivity as GDP per person employed; government consumption as percentage of GDP; inflation rate as annual percentage of GDP deflator; labor force with advanced education (% of the total working-age population with advanced education) and labor taxes and contributions (% of commercial profits). Results - The results indicate that there are differences between the factors that influence the FDI inflow in these two groups of countries. For the South-East European countries government spending, labor force with advanced education, inflation and labor taxes and contributions were the factors that have significant influence over the FDI inflow. For the Central and Eastern European countries all of the included independent variables appear to be significant factors in attracting FDI inflow. Originality / value - In the literature we can rarely find analyses of economic determinants for FDI inflow in the selected groups of countries. Also, the period of twenty-two years from 1995 till 2018 provides novelty of the results and of the conducted analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the history of the periodical as of its 40th anniversary, noting its focus on nationalities in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Topics include the periodical's association with the organization Association for the Study of Nationalities (ASN), the journal's approach to the study of nationalism and ethnicity, and the role of emigres from the Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union in the early history of the journal.

Modern pedagogical theories have begun to spread in special education in Romania, which uses specific methods for the recovery and education of children with disabilities, but has remained deficient in terms of integration of children with disabilities in public schools in Romania, due to the lack of specialists at national level to use specific methodologies in a differentiated manner. A 2007 OECD synthesis report on education policies for at-risk and disabled pupils in South-Eastern Europe identifies factors considered to be "barriers or facilitators to inclusion" and equity in education in all countries covered by the assessment. These include: the economic situation of the country, the legal framework, poor diagnosis, lack of pre-school education for some at-risk groups, lack of quality of education for children with ESC in mainstream schools, lack of statistical data, insufficient teacher training, negative attitudes towards children who do not have disabilities (bullying) which generate marginalisation, inadequate attitudes of their parents and teachers in mainstream schools, prejudice, 'lack of responsibility, oversized classes, very demanding work' for both pupils and teachers, insufficient resources, limited access to other complementary services, difficulty in implementing a multidisciplinary approach, lack of a system for monitoring individual children's progress. Our paper aims to analyse the extent to which our country is able to respond to the major challenge of remedying all these unfavourable aspects, in the shortest time possible, through a holistic approach, integrating the education system, the health system, the social welfare system and all relevant actors, in order to support the inclusive and remedial education of children with special educational needs and their integration into society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Collected Papers of Zagreb Law Faculty / Zbornik Pravnog Fakulteta u Zagrebu is the property of Sveuciliste u Zagrebu, Pravni Fakultet and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Social & Cultural Geography is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper considers the impact of geopolitical factors, and in particular the collapse of Communism and EU accession, on language education policy and practice in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). CEE is understood here as referring to the former soviet-controlled, eastern bloc counties of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. A particular focus is placed in this paper on the teaching of English and Russian as foreign languages in Hungary and the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). The paper begins by reviewing current thinking in the field of language education policy and practice. It then provides an overview of developments in language education policy and practice in CEE more generally before focussing on two case-studies of language education policy and practice in Hungary and the former GDR. Implications both for language education policy and practice in CEE and for the nature of research in this field are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have shown that childhood circumstances can have long term consequences that persist until old age. To better understand the transmission of early life circumstances, this paper analyses the effects of health and financial situation during childhood on quality of life after retirement as well as the mediating role of later life health, educational level, and income in this association. Moreover, this study is the first to compare these pathways across European regions. The analyses are based on data of 13,092 retirees aged ≥ 60 and ≤ 85 years from the fifth wave of the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) with full information on childhood and later life measures of health, educational level, financial situation, and quality of life as well as relevant covariates. Five European regions are studied: Central-Western Europe (Austria, Germany), Central-Eastern Europe (Czech Republic, Estonia, Slovenia), Northern Europe (Denmark, Sweden), Southern Europe (Italy, Spain), and Western Europe (Belgium, France, The Netherlands). Path analysis is used to identify the direct and indirect effects of childhood measures on quality of life. We find retirees’ quality of life to be associated with childhood finances and health in all five European regions. While both the direct and indirect effects of childhood health are rather moderate and homogeneous across regions, especially the direct effects of childhood finances on quality of life after retirement display a distinct North-South gradient being strongest in Southern Europe. Potential explanations for the regional variations are differences in the countries’ welfare systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses a comparison between the basic psychological views on reflection of the most eminent authors of the twentieth century: John Dewey, Donald Schon, Lev Vygotsky, Vladimir Lefebvre and Georgii Shchedrovitsky. The paper is specifically designed to bring together understandings of reflection from two different perspectives. The first perspective is that commonly seen as encompassing the Western English speaking cultures (e.g. United Kingdom, North America, Australia, New Zealand), the second is that of the Russian speaking cultures of Eastern Europe. Through a comparison of these two world views it becomes possible to reconsider not only how the conceptual development of reflection can be better understood, but also the value placed upon it as an integral component of quality practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses data drawn from the European Union Labour Force Survey 2000 Ad Hoc Module on School to Work Transitions to explore the influence of gender and social background (measured in terms of parental education) on young people's educational and early labour market outcomes across 12 European countries. Our results show that social background is strongly related to the level of education achieved while gender is found to have a stronger effect on the field of study selected. Countries vary in the extent to which gender and social background affect young people's outcomes. Gender differentiation in labour market outcomes reflects the nature of the welfare regime, being more pronounced in familial and conservative systems. Social inequality in educational attainment and early labour market outcomes are less marked in Finland and Sweden, reflecting the combination of less differentiated educational systems, mass higher education and social-democratic welfare regimes. In contrast, social inequality is more marked in the Eastern European countries, due partly to their highly differentiated educational systems but more notably to rapid changes taking place in post-communist systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses data from the 1995 and 2000 World Values Survey to examine and compare the relationship between social capital, education and political participation in Western and Eastern Europe. The concept of social capital is measured using indicators of trust and membership in voluntary organizations, while the concept of political participation is put into operation through indicators of political action. The research uncovers clear indicators showing that social capital is a factor in political participation in Eastern Europe and that the existence of general social trust is a characteristic of the most successful transitions. The paper finds evidence to support the theory that a trust-building mechanism based on reciprocity and a "critical mass" is indeed at work in the democratization process and that social capital is an integral part of transition for the Eastern European states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides a foreword to a research paper on the social roles and responsibilities of young people which is mostly generated through education and the religious inclination of the youth being influenced by pluralism, in Central and Eastern Europe.

Educational change and improvement are constant processes. Practically every country in the world today is attempting to improve, reform, transform or change its educational system. The results of these development efforts have generally been disappointing. A general consensus seems to be that the gap between societal expectations and educational achievements is wide and becoming greater. The perceived failures of education are particularly difficult for political and educational leaders to understand given the massive influx of resources invested in educational systems in recent years. This is a result of a linear expectation wherein output is proportional to the input. Non-linear theory, proposed in this paper as a more valid way of conceptualizing educational development efforts, does not assume this proportional relationship. This paper addresses non-linear theory by using it to examine educational development efforts in Western and Eastern European nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unequal turnout, namely that educated citizens are more likely to vote, has been a long-standing pre-occupation of scholars of political participation and has been shown to exist across established democracies in varying degrees. Using pooled cross-sectional individual level data covering the period from 1990 to 2007 across 12 post-communist new democracies, this paper examines the applicability of existing explanations for unequal turnout in the Eastern European context. The paper shows that while voting procedures explain some cross-national variation in unequal turnout, turnout inequality is likewise shaped over time by processes related to the transition from communism, primarily the fading of initial excitement with democratic elections. The mechanism of learning among mature voters rather than generational replacement dominates the latter process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aimof this paper is to assess the role of human capital in attracting fdi in the light of selected empirical studies conducted in Poland and globally. The literature on factors determining fdi location, including those relating to the importance of human capital, is dominated with studies at national or supranational level. Attracting foreign investment has become a key component of national strategies for the cee countries. The paper makes an attempt to assess the relevance of human capital for fdi inflow at regional and local levels in Poland. At the same time, results of analyses were contrasted with quantitative surveys conducted in Central and Eastern Europe. Investing in education and human capital is important for creating good climate for investment. Evidence shows that achieving a certainminimumlevel of education is the precondition for a country to attract andmaintain foreign direct investment andmaximise indirect effects connected with human capital and resulting from the presence of businesses with foreign capital and maximise indirect effects connected with human capital and resulting from the presence of businesses with foreign capital. We should also stress that such aminimum is different for different sectors of the economy. Results of the study conducted in the Lodz Region demonstrated that human capital is an important factor, which attracts fdi to the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EEE WPA-Servier Academy was created in 2012. In 6 years 21 young researchers from the WPA zone 10 participated in EPA and ECNP Congresses and prepared peer-reviews on the most interesting topics for psychiatric journals of Eastern Europe. Seventy articles were written, which appeared as 91 publications in 13 journals from seven countries. As a result the first Congress of the young psychiatrists of Eastern Europe took place in Minsk (Belarus). Suzdal Schools of Young Psychiatrists have existed for more than 40 years. Their main features are distinguished: a high scientific level, diverse and rich programme, internationalization, scope, duration, variety of the methods and forms of material presentation, and a multi-stage scientific competition. The preservation of the traditions of the school and the unusual atmosphere of the School are noted. About 4000 psychiatrists of three generations are graduates of these schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Transformations in Business & Economics is the property of Vilnius University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The geography of education, especially at subnational level, is a huge black box. Little is known about the distribution of educational attainment and inequality across regions in Europe. This paper addresses this gap in the literature by mapping educational attainment and inequality in 102 regions in Western Europe, using data extracted from the European Community Household Panel (ECHP) covering more than 100,000 individuals over the period 1995–2000. The results of this Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) reveal a strong correlation between levels of educational attainment and inequality across regions in Europe. Regions with similar educational conditions tend to cluster, often within national borders. In addition, a North–South and an urban–rural dimension are evident. Northern regions and large European metropoli have not only the most-educated labour force but also the lowest levels of inequality. Educational inequality seems to be, in any case, a fundamentally within-region phenomenon: 90 percent of the educational inequality in Europe occurs among individuals living in the same region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The international non-governmental community has played a major role in developing schools of public health and continues to do so. Nearly a century ago, seminal investments of the Rockefeller Foundation played a pivotal role in developing schools of public health in North America and several abroad. Today, involvement of non-governmental organizations in continuing development of schools of public health is needed, as many countries throughout the world continue to battle the burden of disease with insufficient numbers and quality of trained public health workers. In this paper we discuss in particular the roles of the Open Society Institute working together with the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region to foster the development of schools of public health in formerly socialist countries. We describe the development process in three example countries (Ukraine, Lithuania, and Macedonia), along with the difficulties they have faced. Government support and accreditation processes are needed to sustain the efforts to launch new schools of public health and to ensure their quality. The lessons learned in these initiatives are relevant to future development of public health education to provide the workforce required to address needs of professional public health in the 21st century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers changes in the effects of parental background on educational attainment in five Eastern European nations (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia) over the 1940-1979 period. Data of male respondents (N = 13,997) from Treiman and Szeleny's 'Social Stratification in Eastern European' surveys held in these countries are analysed. The paper shows slight but consistent decreases in the effects of parents' education, status and political party-membership on final educational attainment (measured in years of schooling). On the other hand, it demonstrates stability or increases in the effects of parental background on the continuation probabilities at schooling transitions. Applying a method developed by Mare (ASR 1981), the paper reveals that the slight decreases in the effects of parental background on final educational attainment result from two offsetting influences. Stability or slight increases in the effects of parental background on school continuation probabilities in schooling transitions resulted in the stability of increase in these effects, whereas the substantial educational expansion that occurred in these nations resulted in their decrease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Discrepancies between the outcomes of cancer patients between Western European and Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries have often been observed. Despite the enormous economic and civilizational progress made in these countries after the abolishment of the communist regime, structural problems persist. Summary: The present article reviews the domains of medical oncology education, human resources in oncology, cancer care, and clinical research in CEE in order to comprehensively assess the current situation and needs, describe important initiatives, and also propose ways to improving cancer outcomes in the region. Activities are under way to address these issues in national action plans to divert funding into oncology-related education, research, the purchase of equipment, and the attainment of modern hospital organization and structures. Key Message: Over the past more than 30 years, CEE countries have made enormous economic and societal progress. Nevertheless, challenges especially in the health care sector persist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines Holocaust education in secondary school social science textbooks around the world since 1970, using data coded from 465 textbooks from 69 countries. It finds that books and countries more connected to world society and with an accompanying emphasis on human rights, diversity in society and a depiction of international, rather than national, society are more likely to discuss the Holocaust. Additionally, textbooks from Western countries contain more discussion of the Holocaust, although the rate is increasing in Eastern European and other non-Western countries, suggesting eventual convergence. We also find a shift in the nature of discussion, from a historical event to a violation of human rights or crime against humanity. These findings broadly support the arguments of neo-institutional theories that the social and cultural realms of the contemporary world are increasingly globalized and that notions of human rights are a central feature of world society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from Szelenyi and Treiman's (1993) six-nation survey of Social Stratification in Eastern Europe, we replicate and extend Walder, Li, and Treiman's (2000) paper showing different paths into the Chinese urban elite for professionals and cadres. For each of six formerly communist nations (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Russia, and Slovakia), we find effects quite similar to those shown by Walder, Li, and Treiman for China: education is a more important determinant of recruitment to professional positions than to cadre positions and communist party membership is a more important determinant of recruitment to cadre than to professional positions. Unlike patterns of elite recruitment in China, however, we find virtually no detectable differences in pat terns of elite recruitment over time, contrary to the conventional wisdom of students of Eastern European communism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyse Roma fertility in four neighbouring countries in Central and Eastern Europe with a large Roma minority: in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Serbia. The sources of data are the respective national population censuses from 2011. Fertility is measured at the birth cohort level as the average number of children ever born. We make an international comparison of the fertility of Roma and non-Roma majority population women on the basis of completed education. In the case of Hungary, we also explore how the correlation between fertility and ethnic identity is modifi ed when completed education and ethnic residential segregation are controlled. The fertility of Roma women is far above the majority population average in all birth cohorts and in each country. Educational attainment modifies this relationship. The fertility of highly educated Roma and majority population women is converging. The exposure to majority behaviour also has an effect. The lower the level of ethnic residential segregation, the smaller the difference between the fertility of Roma and majority population women. Completed education and residential segregation may exert different forces at the two ends of the educational hierarchy when their joint effect is explored. At the upper end of the social hierarchy, neither segregation nor ethnicity matters; at the lower end, however, both exposure to ethnic majority behaviour and ethnicity matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increasing educational attainment (EA) could decrease the occurrence of depression. Weinvestigated the relationship between EA and depressive symptoms in older individuals across four European regions. Methods: We studied 108,315 Europeans (54% women, median age 63 years old) from the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe assessing EA (seven educational levels based on International Standard Classification of Education [ISCED] classification) and depressive symptoms (=4 points on EURO-D scale). Logistic regression estimated the association between EA and depressive symptoms, adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related factors, testing for sex/age/region and education interactions. Results: Higher EA was associated with lower odds of depressive symptoms, independent of sociodemographic and health-related factors. A threshold of the lowest odds of depressive symptoms was detected at the first stage of tertiary education (OR 0.60; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.55-0.65; p < 0.001; relative to no education). Central and Eastern Europe showed the strongest association (OR for high vs. low education 0.37; 95% CI 0.33-0.40; p < 0.001) and Scandinavia the weakest (OR for high vs. low education 0.69; 95% CI 0.60-0.80; p < 0.001). The association was strongest among younger individuals. There was a sex and education interaction only within Central and Eastern Europe. Conclusions: Level of EA is reflected in later-life depressive symptoms, suggesting that supporting individuals in achieving EA, and considering those with lower EA at increased risk for depression, could lead to decreased burden of depression across the life course. Further educational support in Central and Eastern Europe may decrease the higher burden of depressive symptoms in women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across the Central Eastern European region, inclusive education has become a policy aim. Europeanization, influence of United Nations agencies, and shifts away from Soviet models of education have led to new policy aspirations for the inclusion of children with special education needs (SEN). At the same time, policies in many countries often lack the infrastructure or internal mechanisms required for successful implementation (such as funding, professional capacity, and public will). In this article, we examine one of these challenges: funding. Through simulations based on data collected by the authors in the Republic of Serbia, we examine approaches for funding children with SEN in inclusive classrooms without losing the supports provided to them in segregated settings. Our findings illustrate the possible approaches to adequate costing of inclusive education policies and potentially serve as a methodological reference beyond specific national contexts. They are, therefore, potentially applicable across Eastern European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the impact of the economic crisis and its aftermath on collective bargaining, by comparing reactions to austerity policies of trade unions in healthcare and education in Romania. We develop an encompassing theoretical framework that links strategies used by trade unions with power resources, costs and union democracy. In a tight labour market generated by the massive emigration of doctors, unions in healthcare have successfully deployed their resources to advance their interests and obtain significant wage increases and better working conditions. We also show that in the aftermath of the crisis, healthcare trade unions have redefined their strategies and adopted a more militant stance based on a combination of local strikes, strike threats and temporary alliances with various stakeholders. By comparison, we find that unions in the education sector have adopted less effective strategies built around negotiations with governments combined with national-level militancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The political upheavals in Eastern Europe and in Southern Africa in the period 1985 to 1995 have had serious implications for education and education systems in the countries involved. Education system experts have in the past used various theoretical tools to examine and explain the complex transformations that took place. Transitiology, social action theory and critical theory are some of these tools. An examination of these theoretical tools shows that they do not quite succeed in embracing and explaining all the factors at play in the transformations under investigation. This article proposes cultural-historical activity theory as a more suitable alternative, and illustrates this thesis with reference to the South African transition (1990 onwards). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a series of four case studies that investigate diversity in Slavic and Eurasian (S&E) studies viewed through the lens of participation in national conferences of the Association of Slavic, East European, & Eurasian Studies (ASEEES). The case studies are based on data extracted from ASEEES convention programs, 1964–2014. Four categories are considered: gender diversity of conference participants, diversity of ASEEES conference locations, diversity of conference sessions by discipline, and diversity of institutions represented at ASEEES conventions. Over the past five decades, gender diversity of ASEEES conference session participants gradually advanced toward parity. Whereas in 1964 nearly 95 percent of the participants were men, in 2014 women comprised a slight majority (50.2%) of conference session participants. In contrast, diversity in the location of ASEEES national conventions has declined in recent years as the Association has evolved. Whereas the disciplines of history, political science, and language, literature, and linguistics continue to represent a combined majority (70%) of ASEEES sessions, in recent years anthropology and sociology have experienced the most growth, while library and information science has remained constant. ASEEES conference session participants come from a wider range of institutions than in the past, and institutions with Title VI National Resource Centers (NRCs) continue to have a strong presence at the ASEEES national conventions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The efforts of the European Union for stabilisation and democratisation in Eastern Europe and the Balkan region covered a range of areas. While the impact of such measures and incentives testify for the progress on the path of regional reconciliation and democratisation, this record remains largely a top-down account, with governments and political leaders acting as principal agents of change and drivers of stability. The long-term efficiency of this type of approach cannot be guaranteed without genuine transformations at all society levels and layers. The role of the European Union's educational exchange schemes, particularly Erasmus, may prove to be an instilling factor for regional reconciliation and a stability generator. The Erasmus scheme has been extremely successful and key to breaking cultural barriers and working across borders and disciplines. This study seeks to understand student experiences of two postgraduate programmes which deal with issues associated with international stability. The study used a case study research methodology and selected the case studies of the 'MITRA' Erasmus Mundus Masters programme on Intercultural Mediation: Identities Mobilities and Conflict and the EM2-STEM (Entrepreneurship and Management Training in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Erasmus Mundus programme. The study specifically investigates the experiences of students in these programmes and their experiences of intercultural interactions. From here an analysis is conducted to explore if European Union-funded study mobilities have shaped or transformed participating students' views of international stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to be at higher risk for negative health outcomes including HIV, STIs, depression, substance use, suicidality, and anxiety. Associative relationships between homonegativity (internal and external) and these outcomes are used to explain the observed disproportionate impact. The current study assessed associations between internalized homonegativity and high-risk behaviours, markers of substance use and symptoms of mental illness as well as openness and level of same sex attraction. A 2013 Internet-based survey was conducted among MSM, collecting data on socio-demographics, sexuality, drug and alcohol use, mental health, suicidality, and internalized homonegativity. The sample (n = 265) had a median age of 31 years, with 85 % employed at least part-time; at least a college-level education in 43 %; and 87 % lived in an urban setting. Sexual orientation was reported as: gay, 72 %; bisexual 23 %; other 5 %. Almost all men (97 %) reported ever having sex with a man, with more than one-third (36 %) having a steady male partner. Statistically significant higher homonegativity scores were detected among men reporting any level of opposite sex attraction compared to men attracted to only men; mostly men ( p = 0.001), men and women equally ( p = 0.002), and mostly women ( p = 0.004), as well as less openness of same sex attraction to family and friends; >50 % family ( p = 0.032), no family knowing ( p = 0.042), and few friends knowing ( p = 0.011). Anxiety risk and increased homonegativity also had a statistically significant increasing relationship. The identified associations between homonegativity and opposite sex attraction among MSM warrants further exploration as well as the relationship with increased anxiety risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2010, the renewed national curriculum was legislated in Estonia. Major changes include a new list of cross-curricular topics, increased importance of integration and specification of the components of the art learning process. In this situation, the question arises – how to fully implement the challenges of the renewed curriculum in primary school visual art classes. One possibility is to use a consistent teaching model. This article gives an overview of such model as applied during an action research project, analysing the participation and involvement of the pupils and their study experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Until recent events intervened, Eastern European Studies found themselves under attack at my home university and other institutions for being, among other things, “non-strategic.” We see the same notion, if not the same terminology, applied increasingly to the humanities and non-quantitative social sciences, which lose ground daily to the so-called STEM disciplines in both educational policy and practice. How do we defend the study of Eastern European literature and culture in the current academic climate? This essay defends the centrality both of literary and Eastern European studies in the twenty-first-century curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although communist ideology claimed to destroy former class stratification based on labour market capitalist relationships,de factoduring socialism one social class hierarchy was substituted for another that was equally unequal. The economic transition during the 1990s increased stratification by wealth, which affected educational inequality. This study examines the relationships among parental education, gender, educational expectations and mathematics achievement of youths in five post-socialist Eastern European countries, comparing them with three Western countries. We employed the 8th-grade data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 1995 and 2007. The findings point to the universal associations between parental education and student outcomes, whereas gender comparisons present interesting East-West differences. The theoretical and policy implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper investigates the development of writing initiatives in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, an area where prior to 1989, writing in universities played a very minor role. Using data gathered from eight institutions that currently have writing programs of some sort, I identify three typical paths writing initiatives have taken. I show how the identity of the stakeholders involved in the introduction of such initiatives has resulted in writing being taught largely in English as a second language, and the teaching of writing in local languages has been widely neglected. Finally, I discuss possible measures to remedy this situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Comparative Education Review is the property of University of Chicago Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

How is the tension between renewed nationalist and European narratives of belonging being unfolded in the curricula, discourse, and practice of civic education in Slovakia and Estonia. As two post-socialist territories that were 'reborn' as independent nation-states in the 1990s, Slovakia and Estonia were confronted with pressure to 'Europeanize'. 'Europeanization' is intended to challenge doctrines of ethno-cultural citizenship, and is expected to play a significant role within civic education. One might expect nationalists in these contexts to reject Europeanization and those with a more tolerant or cosmopolitan bent to embrace it. These different case studies show, however, that educators, curriculum developers, and textbook authors at the national level do not simply dismiss conceptions of Europe. Rather, two trends emerge: First, Europe is redefined geographically, allowing Estonia and Slovakia to assert that they are inherently European (as the borderland and the centre, respectively). Second, the meaning of Europe is contested through counter-narratives about what constitutes Europeanness, and the concept of Europe is sometimes appropriated not to advance civic citizenship, but rather for exclusionary and nationalist ends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The political and social transition in central and eastern Europe has been generally associated with widening educational differences in life expectancy. However, interpretation of these findings is complicated because the size of educational categories within the population has also changed. It is therefore important to disentangle these two phenomena. Setting: The Czech Republic, Estonia, the Russian Federation and, as a western European reference, Finland, in two periods, 1988-89 and 1998-99. Methods: Life tables were calculated in three categories: university; secondary; and less than secondary education. Changes in life expectancy were decomposed into contributions of population composition and within-category mortality. Results: In Finland and the Czech Republic improvements are seen in all educational groups, with only a slight widening of the educational differences. Over 80% of the total life expectancy increase is attributable to improved mortality within educational categories. In Estonia and Russia, less favourable overall trends coincide with a dramatic widening of the educational gap. A decrease in life expectancy in those with low and middle education has been compensated for, to a small degree in Russia but a greater extent in Estonia, by improvements among those with higher education and by the improved population composition. For highly educated Estonians, the gains were seen at all ages, the greatest at age ⩾60 years. In Russia mortality increased in those <60 years although compensated for by improvements at older ages. Conclusions: Russia and Estonia exhibit much less equitable transitions compared with the Czech Republic. Analyses of trends in health inequalities should capture the changing population composition. In Russia and Estonia an improved educational structure prevented an even greater decline in life expectancy. The highly educated Estonians can potentially catalyse a wider health progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quest for legitimacy is particularly acute for organizations that are in the initial stages of their lifecycles. Without recognition and acknowledgment of the ‘right to exist’, new institutions may falter or fail because of lack of acceptance. Surmounting the barriers that block the road to legitimacy can be very difficult, but there are steps that can be taken to overcome such obstacles. This article examines the paths that new institutions of private higher education in Central and Eastern Europe have taken to assume a level of legitimacy that allows for their continued operations and future success. Its focus is to dissect the forces and factors that affect the movement of such new institutions along a described legitimacy continuum. Examination of key legitimacy factors as identified by private sector rectors in both Poland and Hungary reveals that there are country‐specific means that enable new institutions to transit the given legitimacy continuum expeditiously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the demise of communism, numerous programs were begun to improve the educational systems of Eastern European nations. It was evident that the newly independent states had little knowledge of democracy and free market practices and western nations looked for ways to improve the former communist citizens’ knowledge of these concepts. American governmental agencies and private foundations rushed into redress these problems in Eastern European educational systems to preclude the return of communism or other dictatorial regimes and to help the nations find a position among the democracies of the world. A sample of the programs and their outcomes are presented in this symposium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the role of philosophy of education in three post-Soviet societies of Eastern Europe: Poland, Lithuania and Slovenia. The characteristic themes and approaches of philosophical reflection about education in these societies are explored with reference to three periods: the pre-Soviet, Soviet and post-Soviet periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses trends and developments related to human resource development in Eastern Europe, compiled as of October 1991. Economic affairs and state of education in Albania; Evolution and structure of management development and training in Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia; Structure of management development in Hungary and Poland; Development of management courses in Romania; Background on the education system in Yugoslavia.

Examines education and training sector developments in Eastern Europe from a comparative perspective. Extraction of trends explored in earlier articles; Link of current interest in the study of post-compulsory educational and training system reform; German `dual system' as the model; Questions on reform; Development of the androgogical approach by Adult Educators.

This article examines the developments and direction of change of the education systems which have taken place in the Vishehrad countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) during the past decade. Comparisons are made between the four countries focusing on the following areas: school reforms, change of the structure and non-public schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the social and economic factors as the causes of fertility decline in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union II. Firstly, the article examines the inter-relations between fertility and various economic and social characteristics. Secondly, it makes an attempt to reveal the motivations underlying the attitudes responsible for the observed fertility differentials. Thirdly, the differentials are discussed in relation to changes in the structure of these populations during the period under review. Factors such as urbanization and regional divergences, socio-occupational differentials, levels of education and income, employment of women, and housing conditions are given special attention. The broad conclusion is that the fertility differentials usually found in western societies are also relevant to the socialist countries of eastern Europe, and that the dramatic falls in fertility in the 1950s and the 1960s have largely been the outcome of the deep and rapid structural changes, particularly those associated with urbanization, educational attainment and the incidence of female employment.

As a consequence of the political system shift in Eastern Europe in the early 1990s, the new International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) Commission on European Affairs (CEA) had to face the task of ensuring an equally good quality of epilepsy care across the whole region. A high standard of epileptologic education being the most important precondition for that, the decision was taken to make quality-controlled education a first priority. To reach this aim, an“European Epilepsy Academy” (Eurepa)was founded in 1996. Its activities comprise organization of its own educational courses, certification of other educational courses, responsibility for education at European Congresses, training of trainers in epilepsy (now 45 trainers from 27 countries), adoption of a curriculum to become a certified European epileptologist, establishment of a multinational educational network, and a“Website Academy” as a forum for discussion. In the first two years of its activity, the Academy received financial support from the ILAE (money generated by the European Congresses) but has since been self-supporting, with income from membership fees, participation fees at courses, and moderate support from pharmaceutical companies. The interest in the Academy is high, especially in those parts of Europe where epileptology was until recently not well developed. This should encourage other regional ILAE commissions to implement similar strategies, even if different regional structures will require variable regional approaches. Thus, in regions with long distances, it may be useful to include methods of distant learning and other specific features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]