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The Effect of Psychological Capital on Academic Success of College Students Mediated Through Student Engagement
64-80Views:713Although psychological capital is theorized to enhance academic success of college students, there is a lack of sufficient empirical evidence supporting this claim. Given this gap, the present study was conducted to explore the role of psychological capital in academic success of college students, mediated through student engagement. Undergraduate and postgraduate diploma students (N=502) were selected using a convenience sampling technique. The participants completed self-reported questionnaires assessing their psychological capital, student engagement, and academic success. To determine the statistical significance of the prediction, hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed. PROCESS macro for SPSS was utilized for analyzing the mediation effect. Results obtained from the regression analyses revealed that psychological capital was positively and significantly related to both engagement and academic success. Notably, the mediation results also demonstrated that student engagement partially mediated the relationship between psychological capital and academic success. The results of the present study might contribute to the existing literature related to the importance of positive psychology in education by providing insight into the complicated relationship between psychological capital, student engagement, and academic success.
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A schema social circle of Indonesian students in higher education
143–158Views:101Social circle is one of the issues that we must address. It emerged as a significant social phenomenon because members joined based on their shared interests, rather than proximity or assigned ranks. It changes based on individual needs and the environment. This research aimed to expand the Indonesian community that studies abroad socially, specifically within their social circle. It is also a goal to explore students' social circle strategies as they learn within Hungary's higher education system. Quantitative pilot research was employed in this study. Convenience sampling was used. A questionnaire was administered to Indonesian students to collect data from 22 per cent (N=47) of Indonesians who studied in Hungary. The Indonesian student was the one who held a Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship. All of them come from different educational backgrounds and programs. The results revealed that most of respondents are members of home country student associations. Among various social background variables, educational attainment emerged as the sole significant determinant of multi-organizational membership. Other result is among the identified clusters, there is one that represents new types of motivations including relationship-building motivations, among Indonesian students. These findings highlight the pivotal role of informal, peer-driven networks in the social integration of Indonesian students, superseding formal university-led initiatives. Universities should implement policies that actively promote student satisfaction by facilitating access to identity-affirming and interest-based student organisations, while ensuring the affordability of participation through low-cost or subsidised social programs to guarantee inclusivity and accessibility for all students.
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“Student success is not an individual achievement” – Motivation and teacher education in the digital age
133–142Views:104The motivation of student teachers is a key issue in contemporary teacher education, typically examined through psychological theories focusing on individual learning processes. This paper does not aim to provide a comprehensive literature review; instead, it offers a conceptual reflection that pays tribute to the work of Gabriella Pusztai, whose research highlights the social embeddedness of student achievement, integration, and persistence. Building on her approach, the study integrates psychological, pedagogical, and sociological perspectives to reinterpret motivation in pedagogical courses. It proposes a three-dimensional framework consisting of integration, relevance, and identity, emphasising that motivation is a context-dependent and dynamically changing phenomenon. The paper also examines how digital learning environments reshape motivational conditions by influencing autonomy, relatedness, engagement, and perceived relevance. The findings suggest that understanding student motivation requires moving beyond individual-level explanations and recognising the decisive role of relational, institutional, and technological contexts.
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Student employment and work values across borders - Comparative study of students from two Carpathian Basin universities
143-153Views:137This study examines the correlations between student employment and work values among full-time students at the University of Szeged (SZTE) in Hungary and Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania (Sapientia, Romania) in Romania. The research aims to explore whether the propensity for employment and attitudes toward work are primarily shaped by individual value orientations or by structural factors, such as family background and the institutional academic milieu. The empirical basis of the study is a database (N=2078) compiled from two questionnaire-based surveys conducted in 2024. The analysis employs descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and a binary logistic regression model. Findings indicate that the proportion of working students is significantly higher at Sapientia (56.5%) than at the University of Szeged (29.0%). Regarding work values, work-life balance and a positive workplace atmosphere are of paramount importance to students. Based on the regression model, the intention to work is positively influenced by higher paternal educational attainment, as well as by 'stability and work-oriented' and 'socially responsible' value orientations; conversely, gender and socio-economic status did not prove to be significant predictors. The study’s primary conclusion is that student employment today is no longer merely a consequence of financial necessity but a complex phenomenon determined by local factors and value systems. Our research highlights that the act of seeking employment is shaped by complex explanatory variables that should not be reduced solely to social background.
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Information and Trust in Parent-Teacher Cooperation – Connections with Educational Inequality
19-28Views:1216There is an ongoing debate on how parents and the cooperation between parents and teachers contribute to educational inequality. In this study, the assumption that information and trust in parent–teacher cooperation mediate the effects of parent socioeconomic status (SES) on student achievement in mathematics and instruction language (German) was examined. The effects of information and trust on achievement were assumed to be mediated by parent self-efficacy expectation in German. The hypotheses were tested using a sample with 1001 students from 4th to 6th grade and their parents in Swiss primary schools using questionnaires and achievement tests at the beginning and the end of a school year. Results from structural equation models with longitudinal data showed that parent trust and parent self-efficacy expectation fully mediated the effect of SES and student achievement in language instruction but not in mathematics. Information did not correlate with SES nor with student achievement, but with trust. Parental trust in the cooperation with teachers affected achievement in both mathematics and German. The model combines the research on parental involvement with the research on educational inequality in school. Teachers need to establish trust in cooperation with low-SES parents to reduce educational inequality in school.
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Different Forms of Civil Activity and Employment in Hungary and Abroad, and the Development of Student Drop-out
41-54Views:632Young people involved in higher education have created a specific culture, to which, in addition to their studies, social and cultural activities associated with university life are also related (Kozma, 2006). Among these activities, student employment and participation in civic organizations should be highlighted. Voluntary and paid work among higher education students is increasing. These activities have several advantages in terms of future benefits; however, the attracting role of the labour market is one possible reason for dropout. In our current research, we emphasize the role of employment and civil activity in the development of student dropout. Masevičiūtė et al. (2018) found that a quarter of students stopped studying for work-related reasons. In addition, a negative perception of the marketability of the course they are on may lead to the interruption of university studies. In our study, we analysed the extent to which students are willing to interrupt their higher education studies in exchange for voluntary work. In our current research, we examined how often and for what reasons students who dropped out did paid work and volunteering during their studies.
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The impact of preparatory classes on future student performance: Competency assessment experiences of Hungarian students in Covasna County
37–47Views:92This study examines the impact of the introduction of the preparatory class (reception class) in Romania as an early educational intervention within the framework of school readiness and educational inequality theories. The analysis focuses on Hungarian-speaking students in Covasna County, specifically on the first cohort of fourth-grade students who had previously attended this educational stage. The research is based on a quantitative, full-sample design, including all 1,054 fourth-grade students enrolled in Hungarian-language education. The dataset combines questionnaire data with results from the 2016–2017 national competence assessments, providing a comprehensive overview of academic performance in reading, mathematics, and natural sciences. The study investigates the relationship between participation in the preparatory year, socio-economic background, and academic achievement. The findings reveal a statistically significant association between parental educational attainment, labour market status and student performance. The results indicate that students from families with higher levels of education and more stable employment are significantly more likely to achieve above-average results. This suggests that while the institutional framework is inclusive, family background remains a decisive factor in how effectively children can capitalize on this preparatory period. Furthermore, participation is clearly associated with higher academic outcomes: students who completed the preparatory year are significantly more likely to achieve better results across all three assessed competence domains compared to those who did not. Overall, the preparatory class contributes to reducing the risk of school failure, supporting a smoother transition from preschool to primary education, and lowering early school leaving risks. It provides an extended preparatory period that helps children adapt more effectively to a performance-oriented learning environment. The study highlights the effectiveness of this universal reform while noting that, despite its mandatory nature, it cannot entirely neutralize the reproduction of social inequalities. In conclusion, the preparatory class represents a significant educational policy reform that improves student outcomes and promotes equity, particularly in minority-language and socio-economically disadvantaged contexts.
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Students with Special Needs and Their Parents – Informal Participation of a Parent in the Education of an Adult Child
44-51Views:315The article presents the issue of participation of adult students’ parents in their academic life. There are many examples in the literature of how important is the support of students’ with disabilities parents at the universites. This determines academic success. Disability (its depth, type, cause, limitations resulting from it) is a determining factor for independence, and consequently for the parent’s participation in the student’s academic life. The parent’s attitude towards their own child’s disability is also related to the parent’s participation in the study. The main questions of presented research is: how do students, parents and university staff see the participation of parents in their adult chilredn higher education? This study was qualitative in nature and the individual in-depth interviews were conducted in the course of the study. Two female students with disabilities and their mothers, as well as a member of staff from the one of Polish university’s disability office, were invited to participate in the study. The results show that students, parents and university’s staff can present different opinions about parental suport. The fact is that parental participation cannot be permanent. Each time this type of support should be considered on an individual basis, with particular regard to the welfare of the the student. The results of the survey are relevant to the university’s process of planning support for students with disabilities so as to work with parents with the students’ consent.
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Dropped-out Students and the Decision to Drop-out in Hungary
31-40Views:1220The interpretation of the phenomenon of student dropout, which represents a waste of a relatively large proportion of human and material capital in the social, individual and institutional domain, is impossible without examining dropout students. In this study, we analysed the DEPART 2018 database, which contains data from 605 Hungarian dropout students. We tried to identify higher education dropout scenarios and pointed out that higher educational dropout is a complex phenomenon. Based on the students' reports on their interpretation and evaluation of their dropouts, four student clusters were created. We compared the groups with their socio-cultural background and their decision to drop out from higher education, and their assessment of that decision. The most important result of the study is that it identifies a new group in addition to the international dropout types, and provides a detailed picture that calls our attention to the diversity of dropout groups, thereby moving beyond the over-generalised image of the dropout student.
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Curricular and Extracurricular Learning among Students with Resilience Potential. Social Inequalities in Higher Education
37-42Views:385Does resilience potential in higher education mature into success or does it remain merely a promise of success due to rising social inequality? We studied curricular and extracurricular learning of students with outstanding academic achievement who entered higher education despite their disadvantage of social background (= students with resilience potential). A student survey database compiled in the research project “Higher Education for Social Cohesion – Cooperative Research and Development in a Cross-border Area” (HERD) (HURO/0901/253/2.2.2.) in 2012 was analyzed. Students of three Eastern Hungarian higher education institutions were surveyed (N = 1205). Students with resilience potential were identified in the intersection of two groups of variables: social background and input academic achievement. We have conducted a cluster analysis, which has resulted in the identification of students with resilience potential and other researched groups: drifters (low social background and low input academic achievement), beneficiaries (high social background and high academic achievement) and indifferent prodigals (high social background and low academic achievement). To sum up our results, the students with resilience potential only use higher education to fulfill curricular requirements, and hit a ceiling, compared to the beneficiaries, when it comes to the student year mining, meaningful extracurricular activities. Thus social inequalities crawl through these invisible channels into higher education and beyond.
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The Importance of Student-Teacher Relationship in Romanian SEN Schools Among Hungarian Minorities
52-59.Views:383The research aims to investigate the status of special schools in Romania, with a focus on student-teacher relationships, attachment-based education, and the Hungarian minority. After a brief historical overview of special schools, the study covers two main directions. We start by outlining how special schools view the value of attachment-based education and sheltered workshop conditions. Then we will use quantitative methods to analyze the research findings of a pilot study with a sample of a total of 60. Our focus will be on children with special educational needs. We will emphasize the impact of segregated education processes and examine current practices and rights. Based on the findings of the study, educators who work in SEN schools have better knowledge of their students’ attachment patterns. These educators are responsible for teaching students with SEN and building safe attachments plays a crucial role in the educational process. Special education setting places great importance on fostering secure attachment in students.
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Criteria determining school choice among the ethnic minority high school students
17-25Views:319In our paper we sought for the answer to the question: based on which motives do students from various types of high schools (in our case, denominational or non- denominational school) make their choice of educational institution? The target group of our research consists of the 9th and 11th grade students of Harghita County’s denominational (Roman Catholic, Reformed, Unitarian) schools and the non-denominational ones added to them. All in all, eight high schools got into our sample. We conducted a survey by questionnaire, the sample including 1,064 people. We analyzed the decision criteria formed based on motives behind the decision (primary and secondary effects) on the one hand, and followed the decision making process on the other. The non-denominational sector is often chosen by the elite- and institution-oriented student group, who has great expectations of the institution, e.g. - top of the line standards of education, outstanding achievement indicators, prestige of the institution, local reputation. According to the clusters created from the motives, the value- and community-oriented student group, as well as the one following the orientation of the peer group, can be found in significantly higher proportion in denominational schools.
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Student Perception of Learning English Online
47-55Views:444The aim of this research was to highlight the impact of online education on teaching and learning English as a foreign language among students aged 12-19, and to research the importance of learner autonomy and motivation in the online teaching – learning process. In order to collect data from the 81 subjects, members of five different classes and age groups, a questionnaire created in Google Forms was used. The questionnaire was designed to provide information about the students’ attitude and motivation for studying English in an online context, autonomy and effort invested in the learning process. Student progress was measured using the end of semester grades of the first semester of the 2019/2020 year compared to those of the first 2020/2021 semester. Results reveal the importance of perceived choice as a factor that supports learner autonomy and learner motivation. The limitations of the study are due to the fact that the students’ level of English and their previous knowledge of the subjects studied online had not been tested beforehand as the current pandemic situation was not foreseeable.
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Migrating From Face-To-Face to Online Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Experiences of Psychology Students at a Private Higher Education Institution in Gauteng
11-21Views:758Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an accelerated migration from face-to-face to online learning. This article aims to explore and describe how psychology students experienced the migration from face-to-face to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. It entailed a qualitative research design with an exploratory and descriptive approach. The participants were 28 purposively sampled psychology students from a Private Higher Education Institution in Gauteng. An online survey method was employed to gather the needed information which was then subjected to a thematic analysis. It emerged that the challenges experienced by students were internet connectivity issues, insufficient computer literacy, reduced class time, anxiety, physical impact, and communication issues. Moreover, some benefits related to flexibility, the convenience of online studies and safety from infection with COVID-19 were identified. It was also noted that having certain attributes such as independence, time management skills, having support and being tech savvy improved the online learning process. Some opportunities for Higher Education Institutions to improve the experiences of students included creativity in module delivery as well as providing guidelines on how to use these online platforms.
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Parental Assistance with Assignments – Types of Parental Involvement in Homework
25-36.Views:716The present study analyses – using qualitative methods – parental involvement in children’s homework, the forms of parental involvement and the types of parents in the studied area, emphasizing the decisive role of parents in the educational life of their children, using the sample of several rural settlements in Szeklerland. By focusing on the rural context, this research contributes to the existing literature by offering a more nuanced understanding of parental involvement, potentially uncovering challenges and strategies that are unique to rural communities. The literature lacks a parent typology based on qualitative research. The most common types of parents are: “aversive”, “ ambitious “, “partner”, “accountable”, “networking”. The benefits of parental support for children’s learning at home have been widely emphasized by experts in recent research. Active parental involvement has a positive impact on student achievement and learning. It also gives parents a better insight into school life and enables them to develop a partnership with the teachers.
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The interaction of meso and macro contexts with students’ careers. Three applied analysis
10-21Views:338This paper presents three applied analysis. Our principal interest is to understand how meso (university level) and macro (national level) contexts interact with micro phenomena such as students’ careers. To achieve this aim, the paper shows a secondary analysis of longitudinal administrative data by means of Sequence Analysis and Event History Models. Furthermore, it shows the results of an additional analysis using a quasi-experimental research on longitudinal data.
The paper examines typical pathways of Italian students, by means of administrative information’s on student enrollment from Sapienza University of Rome. The aim of this paper is triple: 1. describe students’ careers in higher education by building a typology of pathways using Sequence Analysis. 2. Identify how socio-economic and macro level characteristics affect students’ careers by multinomial logistic regression model where clusters are used as dependent variables and focus on the study of the “event” by using Event History analysis. 3. Evaluate the Italian Higher Education reform policies and their main outcomes throughout a quasi-experimental research.
Mainly, the outcomes show the importance of the warming-up period, the individual choice and the exogenous events after enrolment in determining the success/failure of each career. Our outcomes suggest that Italian universities should rethink the mechanisms available to manage failure and guide student choices.
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The role of digital background factors in academic achievement. A comparative study of students from three countries based on the PISA 2022 database
115–128Views:174This study investigates the impact of students’ digital background factors on mathematical achievement using data from the 2022 PISA assessment. The analysis focuses on 15-year-old students from Austria, Estonia, and Hungary with particular attention given to the interplay between home financial conditions, ICT availability and usage, digital attitudes, and mathematics performance. Drawing on student questionnaire responses, we constructed composite indices and factor scores representing digital access, usage frequency, and digital competence at both home and school settings. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and linear regression models were applied to explore the relationships between digital background variables and students' mathematics proficiency scores. The results reveal that home financial status consistently predicts higher achievement across all three countries, whereas the frequency of school-based ICT use shows a negative correlation with performance. Conversely, home-based ICT usage and positive attitudes towards online platforms correlate with higher mathematics outcomes. The Estonian data challenge the initial hypothesis of a country-specific positive effect of ICT usage in schools, suggesting instead that the quality and context of digital integration matter more than frequency. The findings also highlight the importance of learning orientation and student motivation in shaping mathematics performance. Despite some methodological limitations – such as the cross-sectional nature of the data and reliance on self-reported measures – the study offers reliable insights into how digital background factors influence academic outcomes. The results underscore the need for more effective integration of ICT tools in classrooms, informed by students' learning habits and preferences.
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The Relations between Students’ Intercultural Communication Competencies and Employability
72-79.Views:497In today’s globalised world, businesses operate on an international level. Most business and economics graduates will interact with colleagues, clients, and partners from diverse cultural backgrounds. Intercultural competencies are essential for their success and effective collaboration in the labour market. A special questionnaire was compiled to investigate students’ intercultural competencies. Based on the statements and responses of the questionnaire, the examination aimed to establish the principal components of the intercultural communication competencies of the students of a Hungarian university. In the next phase of the research, the principal components served to create student clusters which were analysed from a labour market point of view, focusing on advantages and disadvantages. The crucial question was: which cluster is in demand the most in the labour market? By utilizing a principal component analysis, the dataset was reduced to three key components. Subsequently, to classify the students into groups, a multivariate statistical procedure, i.e., cluster analysis, was used to reveal the structures by clearly considering the similarities of a relatively heterogeneous population and to create a relatively homogeneous subset. The study revealed five distinct student clusters, each with varying advantages and disadvantages for employers. In this context, the Interculturally Active and Open with Good Language Skills cluster proved to be the most competent, with the least ideal collection indisputably being the Interculturally Reluctant in Cooperating cluster. The research underscores the importance of intercultural communication competencies for employees and enriches our understanding of the dynamics between intercultural communication competencies and workforce readiness. Developing these competencies in foreign language classes will significantly facilitate our students’ employment.
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Increasing Motivation among Language Learners through Individualized Assessment
1-13Views:451An extensive body of research has shown that motivation is integral to successful and sustained language learning (Carreira, 2005; Cheng & Dornyei, 2007; Crookes & Schmidt, 1991; Dornyei, 1994; Ehrman, Leaver, & Oxford, 2003; Gardner, 2005; Matsumoto & Obana, 2001; Yang, 2008; Yu & Watkins, 2008). Maintaining student motivation in all aspects of language instruction, particularly assessment, can be challenging for multiple reasons, including learner differences, access to technology, and, most recently, reactions to pandemic learning. Instructors therefore face the challenge of creating assessments that not only evaluate students’ performance but also promote their ability and desire to learn. Based on the results of an action research project, this article highlights the benefits of two types of individualized assessment used to improve students’ motivation while evaluating their performance: work cycle projects and a course portfolio. Using qualitative data collected from student reflective statements, I argue, first, that the ability to choose assessment topics and types motivates students to focus closely on course content and work creatively; these choices ultimately improve their desire to learn course material more than traditional assessment types. Second, encouraging learners to utilize and reflect on their strengths using a portfolio as a form of assessment allows students to understand their strengths and weaknesses and empowers them as learners, thereby improving their motivation.
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The Situation and Chances of Roma students in Secondary and Tertiary Education in Hungary
26-35Views:477Addressing student drop-out or early school leaving has long been a major challenge for education policy makers at both national and international levels. This phenomenon affects all levels of education and has a profound impact on those classes of society that are economically and socio-culturally disadvantaged. This is particularly the case of the largest minority group in Hungary, the Roma, and its roots go back to primary education. Since the 1990s, so from the change of the regime, a positive tendency could have been observed in the completion of primary education, but in secondary school graduation and in obtaining a higher education degree they are still far behind the non-Roma population. In the current study, we identify causes of their learning failures, and we also present a selection of study grants that are available to young Roma students and support them to achieve higher levels of education. We also highlight the difficulties faced by those Roma youth, who have origins in traditional communities but obtain higher educational degrees.
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Department history research and collections in the service of understanding the Debrecen school of educational sciences
20–28Views:97Exploring the history of the Department of Educational Studies in Debrecen, as well as the history of university teacher training and the practice school, began in 2002 under the leadership of László Brezsnyánszky with the collaboration of the “Debrecen School” research group. In our study, we summarize the main results and present the collections under the supervision of the department, as well as the professional forums on departmental history organized by it. According to our findings, the Debrecen School of Educational Sciences – its various organizational units – possessed three functions: 1. It provided for the education of the scientific next generation in its own field of expertise; 2. It conducted training in its own discipline and announced lectures on pedagogical subjects for the interested circle of the student body; 3. It performed the instructional tasks of theoretical pedagogical courses for teacher candidates, and additionally carried out organizational and supervisory work in this field. The state university of Debrecen carried on the traditions of its predecessor, the Reformed College. In departments critical to the shaping of worldviews, such as pedagogy, Reformed faith and ecclesial commitment remained vibrant until 1950. In the years following the foundation (1912), lectures on educational science were held by the professor of the Department of Philosophy (Béla Tankó); later, the now independent Department of Pedagogy sought to strengthen its prestige with a more diverse and colorful range of lecture offerings. In his lectures, Professor Gyula Mitrovics strived to present the fields of science according to the traditional division of pedagogy (theory of education, history of education, didactics), while in his seminars, he covered the significance of the intelligence tests he conducted and of experimental pedagogy. Sándor Karácsony already spoke to his students about the practical questions of school educational work. The era of Béla Jausz and László Kelemen was about stabilization, the strengthening of the position within the Faculty of Arts, and the alignment with the direction and research designated by socialist educational science. During Kelemen’s leadership, the preparation for the independence of units growing out of the individual departmental groups took place.
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Using Technology for Foreign Language Learning: The Teacher’s Role
23-28Views:1239The spread of information technology has changed the role of language teachers considerably. Being a good educator and an expert in their field are not enough anymore, but teachers are expected to be modern, which means, to possess the ability to design interactive classes (often by using digital tools) and use teaching methods that engage students in a creative way. Today it is a general requirement for teachers to know their way around technology and to possess the know-how of implementing it in a way that fosters language learning. To this purpose teachers need to take into account all facets of technology use, including the advantages and disadvantages of technology-mediated tasks, their usefulness for language learning (e.g. if they are related to the topic of the lesson, are challenging enough for students), helpful resources for students, etc. Technology is regarded as a supplementary instrument to traditional teaching methods that can impact students’ motivation to learn in a positive way, provided it is used for activities that are in line with their needs and expectations. Task-based activities are considered to be especially useful in this regard, allowing students to practice their language skills in an authentic context and also develop creative thinking and problem solving abilities. Web 2.0 technologies (e.g. software programs for creating quizzes and polls, language learning websites, chat programs, wikis, etc.) offer a variety of valuable resources both for activities in the classroom and for practice at home.
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The Relations between Student Foreign Language Anxiety and Social Variables
87-100Views:355Due to the labour market expectations, universities are responsible for preparing their students for competitive employment in Hungary or abroad. However, language anxiety is an insurmountable problem for many people, making it difficult to learn foreign languages, even though a confident command of them is a key factor in any job interview and essential in the world of work. This complex is one of the main factors hindering language learning, affecting all people to either a greater or lesser extent. In 2023, the University of Debrecen's researchers studied the impact of language anxiety on foreign language learning, surveying approximately 400 students of the university's commerce, marketing, and business management courses. After having a questionnaire filled in, descriptive statistical and cross-tabulation analyses were conducted, and the focus was on analysing the impact of social variables on language anxiety. Our research shows that women are significantly more anxious than men. Students who work while studying and use their foreign language skills at work experience significantly more anxiety than students who do not use a foreign language. Parents' language skills significantly affect their children's language anxiety. The research topic is relevant, as it highlights the importance of teaching strategies to reduce language anxiety in university foreign language teaching. The present study facilitates the teaching of those students who would not be able to overcome the anxiety barrier.
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Policy Against Drop-out in Italy
1-9Views:751In this essay I set out the current situation of Early School Leaving (ESL) in Italy by considering both data provided by institutional sources (national and international) and a review of the most recent contributions from the educational work that have been done intensively to fight against ESL over the last 20 years. I will argue that the way followed so far will not lead to surprising results, due to deep and structural persisting factors of inequality. After a short overview on the position of Italy in the European rankings, the article recalls the main interventions that took place in the country by different investors (public and non-public), setting up a multiplicity of fragmented macro-politics. Then I will look at the mechanisms of differentiation and unequal distribution of educational opportunities and I will conclude with suggestions on how to make the fight against ESL more efficient and forward-looking.
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The Use of Linguistic Features in Indonesian Students’ Texts at Hungarian Universities
131-141Views:307Students enrolled in a higher level of education may face challenges in producing assignments, including writing an essay. They need to present appropriate linguistic features in the text to demonstrate their writing quality. Comparing linguistic features during university study is one fundamental aspect of administering writing quality and showing student writing development. The topic presented in this study describes an initial statistical analysis and the frequency of linguistic features in the texts produced by Indonesian graduate students enrolled at Hungarian universities. This study proposed two research questions: 1) How frequently do pre-selected linguistic features appear in the texts of Indonesian graduate students? 2) How do these features appear in a paired T-test statistical analysis? Seven MSc and MA graduate students took part in the study to meet the goal. They are students at three different universities in Hungary, which all have a Social Science Faculty. During their second-year studies, fourteen essays with a minimum text length of 2000 words were collected. The findings revealed an increase in conjunctions, adjectives, abstract nouns, concrete nouns, noun phrases, expanded noun phrases, active verbs, verb phrases, and passive forms. Meanwhile, the frequency of linguistic features such as prepositions, definite articles, indefinite articles, noun clauses, adverbial clauses, and adjective clauses decreased. In addition, both the rise of nine linguistic features and the decrease of six features in the second semester are not statistically significant.