Search
Search Results
-
The Rethinking the public in Higher Education: Communitarian Engagement vs. Service-Based dependency
79-108Views:196There has been structural change in higher education due to the impact of institutions built or maintained in private public partnership. The aim of the paper is to give a deep insight into how these institutions could accomodate or shape the public higher education sector’s discouses, spaces, procedures. The research used mixed method to approach this complex question from a multidisciplinary perspective (sociology, education). Within this framework two residential halls were chosen and 17 interviews were carreid out with all relevant figure of the management. Due to the analytical tools of Maxqda 12 the qualitative results will be presented giving an insight into the differing discourses and practices of the public vs. private-public management. Based on the analysis of the managerial interviews it is safe to state that the public management struggles to balance a communitarian, democratic discourse and objectives with the requirements of efficiency and accountability. The presence of private-public management unintendedly shapes its public counterpart. The institutional analysis revealed that due to the swiftly changing institutional and policy environment residential halls are forced to be efficient leading to difficulties in managerial legitimacy and questions concepts such as community, conformity, commitment and action. Under the circumstances of increasingly growing institutional service-based dependency and control, academic consumers, institutions and students alike, paradoxically avoid integrating into macro groups. As a consequence, the institution encourage and educate student into a particular type of citizenship based on communication and consumerism rather than consensus.
-
The impact of low social status on educational opportunities
104-119Views:15The aim of the study is to show the impact of low social status and sociocultural disadvantages on children’s educational opportunities. Particular emphasis is placed on disadvantaged small settlements, which often have less favorable indicators, which is also reflected in educational institutions: the proportion of disadvantaged students is high, and their development is often ineffective with traditional pedagogical methods. The study is based on a systematic literature review, which includes international Q1 and Q2 journals as well as domestic studies. The results highlight that the education system has a dual function: it can both mitigate and reproduce social inequalities. Socio-cultural disadvantages consist of complex factors – low parental education, existential insecurity, unstable family structure, minority status, segregation – all of which reinforce each other’s effects at the systemic level. Language use plays a key role, as the use of a limited language code is a disadvantage in school participation and performance. The socio-economic status of the family, early childhood development opportunities, and cooperation between school and family are determining factors in educational success, so improving equal opportunities for disadvantaged students requires a long-term, systemic approach in which schools, families, and communities all play a key role.
-
Rural Small Schools’ Social Functions and Structural Dilemmas in Disadvantaged Areas
28-53Views:14This study examines the situation of small rural schools in disadvantaged areas, structured around five main research questions: (1) how small schools can be defined conceptually and what their key characteristics are, (2) what structural and operational challenges they face, (3) how they are related to educational inequalities, (4) what community roles and functions they fulfil, and (5) what social policy directions and preservation arguments can be identified. The analysis was based on a systematic literature review carried outin 2025. From 2847 initial records, 127 relevant publications (89 international and 38 Hungarian) were included and analysed through thematic synthesis, covering both national and international databases. The findings indicate that small rural schools are not merely educational institutions but also key nodes of social capital, cultural identity, and economic viability in rural societies. At the same time, in disadvantaged regions, compositional effects and segregation processes amplify the reproduction of disadvantage, leading to the “equity trap” dilemma, access alone does not guarantee genuine equality of opportunity. The study concludes that the survival of small rural schools requires targeted social policy interventions that balance the need for access with the assurance of educational quality.
-
Village community and the school: Community-building and community-preserving function of rural small schools
54-75Views:12This study examines the community-building and community-preserving functions of rural small schools through an analysis of international and Hungarian literature. Although definitions of “small school” vary across countries, these institutions share the characteristic of operating in small settlements and fulfilling not only educational but also important social and cultural roles. Rural schools function as multidimensional community spaces that support everyday interactions, strengthen social capital – trust, cooperation, and social networks – and contribute to the maintenance of local identity. International research shows that school closures often lead to weakened social cohesion, increased outmigration, and economic decline. Hungarian studies similarly highlight that rural schools are key institutions of local communities, and their disappearance may result in the long-term erosion of social and cultural structures. The study argues that sustaining small rural schools is not merely an educational policy concern but a crucial aspect of functioning of local communities and local resilience.
-
Training and employment: Information and knowledge flows between training institutions and employers
31-48Views:142For a region's economy to develop, it is essential to develop integrated forms of operation that manage the available resources efficiently. This is particularly true in a border micro-region with a predominantly small population, where for decades farming has been essentially based on agricultural subsistence and employment opportunities have been limited. Matching the employment and training structure, balancing supply and demand in the training and employment system can also be beneficial for the economic and social development of a disadvantaged micro-region. The development of border micro-regions was seriously handicapped before the change of regime. Small and medium-sized settlements on both sides of the border were depopulated and their inhabitants were ageing. Over the past few years, regional development has been based on local needs and existing resources, resulting in the creation of nearly 2 500 small and medium-sized enterprises in 21 municipalities in the Érmellék sub-region, where the research is located. However, the economic and employment functions of the organisations created can only be developed if the specialist needs of the businesses are met in the right quantity and quality structure.
-
The role of sports programmes in the lives of juvenile offenders serving their sentences in correctional institutions, with particular reference to their impact, pedagogical and psychoeducational approaches
1-20Views:12Sport plays a crucial role in the lives of juveniles serving their sentences in correctional institutions, and in addition to its many direct positive effects, it is also associated with successful reintegration after release. Sport programmes can help young people to develop, but the situation is more nuanced because they can also create specific, challenging situations. It is also important to address the pedagogical, psychoeducational and corrective approaches in this field, because these different approaches bring with them a different focus. In order to gain a thorough understanding of the topic, the academic literature on the theoretical background to the study of the participation of juveniles serving their sentences in correctional facilities in sports programmes (focusing primarily on international studies) was explored, mainly looking at the psychological, educational and criminological dimensions of the topic. The main value of the study, besides the literature on the subject, is to show the relationship between the participation of young offenders in sport programmes and its direct and long-term indirect effects. Sport programmes provide an opportunity to support the socialisation of the young people concerned, in addition to developing their skills and abilities. However, participation in sport does not necessarily bring long-term, positive results, so it is essential to be aware of the planning process, and to focus not only on the results of the programme, but also on the process of implementation. Investigating the participation of juvenile offenders in sport programmes is a key issue and it is in the common interest of all to address them, as it can contribute to the juvenile’s desistance and desistance from delinquent behaviour by adulthood.
-
Environmentalism of university students in relation to their materialism, life satisfaction, views on politics and pandemic
70-97Views:295Recently, an increasing focus has been made on studying environmental problems and the
related social phenomena. Understanding the environmentalism and its influencing factors
in the case of higher education students can greatly help the preparation and identification
of sustainability policies and educational practices in higher education institutions. In this study, we investigated environmental attitudes and pro-environmental behavior of
students at 17 Hungarian universities as a function of a number of hypothesized influencing
factors. These included materialistic values, life satisfaction, political views, and views on the
Covid-19 pandemic. According to our results, these were all related to environmentalism. More
environmentally conscious students were less materialistic, less right-wing in their political
views, more satisfied with their lives, and also differed in their views on pandemic issues. Beside
a weaker impact of environmentalism and political views, life satisfaction was largely influenced
by the relative financial situation perceived by respondents. -
Schools on the Edge – Struggling with Multiple Disadvantages in Numbers
5-27Views:16This introductory study examines the situation of small rural schools in Hungary using statistical data from 1990 to 2022. The paper aimed to identify settlements where primary education has been permanently absent or operates in a limited “small school” format. Findings reveal that school closures and the transformation into small schools are concentrated in peripheral areas burdened by social, economic, and infrastructural disadvantages. Nearly half of Hungarian settlements lack a primary school, while the number of small schools has steadily declined, with significant fluctuations in their status. The study highlights that remote, service-deficient regions fail to attract highly qualified teachers despite salary increases, further deepening educational inequalities. Maintaining small schools is not merely an educational policy issue but a matter of social cohesion, as the disappearance of local institutions perpetuates disadvantages and increases the risk of segregation.
-
Similarities and Differences of Students’ Labour Market Paths Graduated in the Field of Social Science
109-140Views:200We study graduate trainees’ (short) paths of four „social courses” and their transition from higher education to the labour market. We have thought in cases of the chosen social courses, that differences can become perceivable besides similarities. It has also been assumed that sociologists of the four chosen professions can be characterized by a diverse labour market behaviour from the other ones. It can be partially explained by the objectives, the content of their courses and the flexibility of the prospective institutional system. Compared to the above in cases of other social courses a diverse picture has been experienced by us based on the socio-demographic background and experience in labour market, expectations and satisfaction. Social workers and socio-politicians’ socio-demographic indicators are quite similar just like the socio-politicians and sociologists’ indicators are. This may be due to the effect of the level of master/academic education. We analyse the results of Graduate Tracking System (GTS) 2015 data collection in our presentation. The research was carried out by the Educational Office in co-operation with higher education institutions in the form of an online questionnaire. We sorted the respondents of the four chosen courses (828) out of all graduated (20 579).
-
Closed institution inmates’ views about the family
138-153Views:238When researching the reasons for criminal behaviour, literature almost unequivocally emphasises the responsibility and role of the family, where as the number of studies analysing the functioning of families of inmates in closed institutions (reform schools, special children’s homes) is relatively low. The present pilot research (with the purpose of preparing a wider one) tries to fill this gap. Using semi-structured interviews, we attempted to explore the inmates’ family background, what methods were used during their upbringing, what they thought about the family and its role and importance in one’s life. Harassment had occurred in juvenile delinquents’ families in various forms: it had physical and emotional manifestations, and therefore its impact on the affected person’s personality is extremely complex. These young people did not/do not have a safe background, and thus they were more easily influenced to choose the wrong way; they did not have a real childhood, never had the experience of common games or hiking, and never felt an atmosphere of trust, love and security. It was apparent that in these young people’s families very little attention was paid to each family member’s personal sensitivity or opinion, and emotional ties were either missing or were strongly distorted. In such a family environment, the young people were unable to solve the crises of adolescence which are parts of normal development, the family did not ensure support in coping with the tension, and they were left alone with solving their problems. Consequently, it is not surprising that they had great difficulties in telling what the family meant to them and what ideas they had about their future family.
-
Integrating excluded children through experiential games
58-70Views:382The study focuses on children who have been verbally, physically and/or socially bullying by their peers. In the last three decades, the investigation of the phenomenon of school bullying has become an increasingly researched field, one of the main causes of which is the significant increase in the number of child suicides. As a result, the development and application of numerous prevention and intervention programs became a priority, the aim of which is to reduce this deviant phenomenon in educational institutions. The existence of these programs and initiatives helps to create communities in which hurtful behavior occurs in low numbers. In the course of this research, I chose experiential pedagogic games. In the center of the reform pedagogy method I have chosen, the promotion of the creation of social relations and the strengthening of the existing ones becomes the priority. During experiential pedagogic games, children can experience flow, the positive benefits of interdependence, and the new knowledge they get when leaving their comfort zone. The obtained results will be presented and interpreted in the experimental part of the study. As a research tool, I chose sociometry, which demonstrates the relationship network of the given class. During the pre-survey, two children (a girl and a boy) did not have a mutual relationship, and then, through the consciously guided experiential pedagogic game, the result of the post-survey was that these children managed to establish a mutual relationship.
