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Personality profiles of early career teachers and their work engagement and burnout
No full textCilj ove doktorske disertacije bio je identificirati profile ličnosti učitelja u ranoj fazi karijere te ispitati razlike u njihovoj radnoj angažiranosti i sagorijevanju. Istraživanje je provedeno u okviru istraživačkog projekta „Uloga ličnosti, motivacije i socio-emocionalnih kompetencija u profesionalnoj dobrobiti učitelja u ranoj fazi karijere“ koji je financirala Hrvatska zaklada za znanost. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 599 predmetnih učitelja s do 5 godina radnog iskustva u nastavi koji su ispunili mrežni upitnik distribuiran putem e-pošte. Pomoću analize latentnih profila identificirani su profili dimenzija i faceta ličnosti učitelja u okviru modela velikih pet (Soto i John, 2017a), a razlike u radnoj angažiranosti i sagorijevanju ispitane su primjenom BCH metode. Identificirana su četiri distinktivna profila dimenzija ličnosti: otporni (59.90 %), izrazito otporni (25.65 %), prosječni (9.52 %) i kontrolirajući (4.93 %). Isti profili identificirani su na temelju faceta ličnosti, ali je njihov redoslijed zastupljenosti bio izmijenjen. Izrazito otporni učitelji iskazali su najvišu radnu angažiranost i najniže sagorijevanje, dok su učitelji prosječnog profila imali najnižu radnu angažiranost i najviše sagorijevanja. Na razini pojedinih aspekata radne angažiranosti i simptoma sagorijevanja dobiveni su diferencirani rezultati koji su omogućili dubinski uvid u dinamiku dimenzija i faceta ličnosti pojedinog profila u odnosu s profesionalnom dobrobiti. Rezultati naglašavaju važnost razvoja diferenciranih strategija podrške učiteljima u ranoj fazi karijere kako bi se povećala njihova dobrobit i zadržavanje u profesiji.Introduction
The global teacher shortage is an increasingly urgent issue, posing a serious threat to the quality of education. This crisis is driven by both the declining attractiveness of the teaching profession and high attrition rates. Croatia is no exception, with subject teachers in STEM fields being particularly affected (Domović & Drvodelić, 2024). The beginning years of teaching are especially critical, as this is when most teachers decide whether to remain in the profession or leave (Fantilli & McDougall, 2009; Van Den Borre et al., 2021). Teachers' occupational well being has been identified as a key factor in their retention in the profession (Madigan & Kim, 2021a). At the same time, the teaching profession is recognized as one of the most stressful occupations, with teachers being at high risk of compromised well-being (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2009). Moreover, teachers' professional well-being is essential not only for their own health but also for the quality of their instruction and their students' academic success (Hakanen et al., 2006; Madigan & Kim, 2021b). While teachers' well-being is influenced by both individual and contextual factors, research has predominantly focused on the latter (Angelini, 2023), leaving personal determinants an area still in need of further exploration.
Although research interest in the role of personality in explaining aspects of teachers' occupational well-being is increasing, recent meta-analyses on the relationship between personality and teacher burnout remain inconclusive (Kim et al., 2019; Roloff et al., 2022; Liu et al., 2022). Furthermore, studies on the relationship between personality and teacher work engagement are still scarce (Perera et al., 2018). Given that current findings cannot yet be generalized, there is a need for further research on personal determinants of teachers' occupational well-being (Kim et al., 2019). Additionally, existing research mostly relies on an outdated conceptualization of burnout (Maslach & Jackson, 1981), making it important to explore the relationship between personality and a more recent burnout model that includes four distinct symptoms (Schaufeli et al., 2020). Similarly, the adaption of work engagement for the teaching profession was developed only a decade ago (Klassen et al., 2013), and further research is needed to clarify its relationship with teachers' personality.
Research on teacher personality often lacks a strong theoretical foundation in personality theories and does not incorporate recent methodological advancements in personality assessment (Gönz, 2017). This study addresses this gap by adopting the Big Five model (Soto & John, 2017a), the Five-Factor Theory of Personality (McCrae & Costa, 1996, 2008), and the Job Demands-Resources Theory (Bakker et al., 2023) as its theoretical foundation. Furthermore, it represents a methodological advancement in studying teachers' personality and occupational well-being by employing a person-centered approach. To date, only one study has explored teacher personality profiles (Perera et al., 2018), and no research has specifically examined personality profiles of early-career teachers. Given the high attrition rates during the early years of teaching, a person-centered approach could offer valuable insights into the role of personality in teachers' occupational well-being. Beyond domain-level personality profiles, facet-level profiles provide a more nuanced understanding of personality structure and differentiation, yet remain scarce in the literature (Kokkinos et al., 2024). Facet-level analysis enables a more precise identification of personality profiles and enhances the accuracy of their interpretation, which are key objectives of the person-centered approach (McCrae & Costa, 2021). Despite its potential, only a few studies have identified personality profiles at the facet level, highlighting the need for replication of such profiles in teacher samples (Ratchford et al., 2022; Kokkinos et al., 2023; Kokkinos et al., 2024).
Study Aim
The aim of this doctoral dissertation was to identify personality profiles of early-career teachers based on Big Five personality domains and facets and to examine whether teachers’ work engagement and burnout differ depending on their personality profiles. The study outlines three research problems. First problem was to identify personality profiles of early-career teachers based on personality domains. Second problem was to identify personality profiles of early career teacher based on personality facets. And finally, the third problem was to examine the differences in work engagement and burnout among teachers across different personality profiles based on personality domains and facets.
Methodology
Procedure
The study was conducted as part of the broader research project "The role of personality, motivation and socio-emotional competences in early-career teachers’ occupational well being" funded by the Croatian Science Foundation. In the study participated early-career subject teachers employed in primary schools in Croatia, by completing an online questionnaire distributed via e-mail. To ensure a representative sample of early-career teachers in Croatia, all public primary schools offering a regular curriculum (a total of 872 schools) were contacted and school principals assisted in the recruitment process of early-career teachers in their schools. Participation was voluntary, data anonymity was ensured, and informed consent was obtained before participation. The study was approved by the Ministry of Science, Education, and Youth, as well as the Ethics Committee of the Institute for Social Research in Zagreb and the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb.
Sample
The study included 599 early-career teachers with up to five years of teaching experience, employed as subject teachers in 281 primary schools across Croatia, representing 32% of all primary schools in the country. On average, participants had 2 years and 7 months of work experience (M = 31.78 months, SD = 17.73). The sample predominantly consisted of female teachers (81%), with an average age of 31 years (M = 30.58, SD = 5.76). The sample was diverse in terms of subjects taught, covering 18 different school subjects.
Instruments
Teacher personality was assessed using the Big Five Inventory-2 (BFI-2; Soto & John, 2017). BFI-2 measures five personality domains and 15 personality facets, and consists of 60 items, with 12 items per personality domain and 4 items per personality facet. Participants rated their agreement with items describing their personality on a Likert scale. Work engagement was measured using the Engaged Teacher Scale (ETS; Klassen et al., 2013), which assesses overall work engagement and its four aspects: emotional engagement, cognitive engagement, social engagement with students, and social engagement with colleagues. The questionnaire consists of 16 items, with four items for each aspect. Participants rated how frequently they experienced or behaved in ways described in the statements on a frequency scale ranging from "never" to "always." Burnout was assessed using the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT-23; Schaufeli et al., 2020), which measures overall burnout and its four primary symptoms: exhaustion, psychological detachment, impaired cognitive functioning, and impaired emotional functioning. The extended version of the questionnaire, consisting of 23 items, was used. Exhaustion was measured with eight items, while each of the other three symptoms was assessed with five items. Participants rated how often they experienced the described feelings at on a frequency scale ranging from "never" to "always."
Statistical analysis
The statistical analyses in this study were conducted in six steps using SPSS and Mplus. In the first step, the structure and mechanism of missing data were examined, and intraclass correlations (ICC1) were calculated. The second step involved analyzing descriptive statistics, assessing measure reliability, testing distribution normality, and calculating Pearson correlations. In the third step, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to test factorial validity of personality, work engagement and burnout measures. The fourth step involved identifying latent personality profiles through latent profile analysis (LPA) at the domain and facet level of personality. Both confirmatory and exploratory approaches were employed, testing models with different variance and covariance constraints. In the fifth step, the structure of the identified profiles was described, and differences in personality domains and facets between profiles were tested using Wald’s test with Bonferroni correction. Additionally, the relationship between personality profiles and teacher gender was examined using multinomial logistic regression. In the final step, differences between profiles in work engagement and burnout were tested implementing the BCH approach. The differences were tested both at overall results and specific aspects of work engagement and burnout. In the model including work engagement, gender was added as a covariate.
Results and discussion
At the personality domain level, four distinct personality profiles were identified: resilients (59.90 %), highly resilients (25.65 %), ordinaries (9.52 %), and overcontrollers (4.93 %). The resilient profile is characterized by high levels of extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness, alongside below-average negative emotionality. The highly resilient profile shares the same shape but exhibits significantly higher extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness, as well as significantly lower negative emotionality. The ordinary profile is characterized by average levels across all traits, while the overcontroller profile features average extraversion but above-average agreeableness, conscientiousness, negative emotionality, and openness. These personality profiles were replicated at the facet level, although their prevalence slightly changed: resilients (45.45 %), highly resilients (33.80 %), overcontrollers (11.18 %), and ordinaries (9.57 %). The facet-level analysis provided deeper insights into personality differences: among extraversion facets, energy was the highest in all profiles, particularly in resilients. Within agreeableness, trust emerged as the lowest-scoring facet, especially among overcontrollers. Additionally, anxiety stood out as an especially pronounced facet of negative emotionality in overcontrollers. Negative emotionality was the most differentiating trait at the domain level, whereas conscientiousness and extraversion were the least differentiating. At the facet level, negative emotionality facets and productivity distinguished profiles the most, while openness facets showed the least differentiation between the four profiles.
Examining differences in work engagement and burnout revealed distinct patterns of occupational well-being across personality profiles. Highly resilient teachers demonstrated the highest overall work engagement, followed by resilients and overcontrollers, while ordinaries reported the lowest engagement. In cognitive engagement, all profiles differed significantly: highly resilients ranked highest, followed by overcontrollers, resilients, and ordinaries. Similarly, highly resilients showed the strongest emotional and social engagement with colleagues and students, followed by resilients and overcontrollers, who did not significantly differ, and with ordinaries reporting the lowest levels.
Highly resilients reported the lowest overall burnout, followed by resilients, while overcontrollers and ordinaries experienced the highest burnout. The same pattern was observed for exhaustion, the primary symptom of burnout. However, overcontrollers and resilients did not differ in cognitive impairment, both experiencing it more frequently than highly resilients but less frequently than ordinaries. Highly resilients exhibited the lowest emotional impairment, whereas the other three profiles did not significantly differ. Psychological distancing varied significantly across all profiles, with highly resilients reporting the lowest levels, followed by resilients, overcontrollers, and ordinaries, who exhibited the highest levels.
Conclusion
This study is the first to identify personality profiles of early-career teachers, including an analysis at the facet level. These findings offer deeper insights into the interplay of personality traits and facets in early-career teachers and their role in teachers' work engagement and burnout. By complementing previous variable-centered research, the results underscore the need for tailored support strategies to promote teachers' occupational well-being and retention
THE IDEOLOGY IN CROATIAN MOVIES OF THE 1970s AND 1980s
No full textNaslovom doktorskog rada, predmet istraživanja (ideologija u hrvatskim dugometražnim igranim filmovima) smješten je u konkretni vremenski interval sedamdesetih i osamdesetih (1970. – 1989.) i prostorno je određen (SR Hrvatska, kao integralni dio tadašnje SFRJ). Također upućuje na postojanje nacionalne (hrvatske) kinematografije. Polazeći od glavne hipoteze da je ideologija prisutna i režimski vrednovana u hrvatskim dugometražnim igranim filmovima 1970-ih i 1980-ih, pri čemu su filmovi 1980-ih politički provokativniji, nastojalo se ostvariti sljedeće ciljeve: (1) prepoznati i oblikovati filmske modele na temelju redateljevog prikaza ideologije (uglavnom pozitivan ili uglavnom negativan); (2) istaknuti posljedice njegove političke pravovjernosti ili provokativnosti (kroz princip nagrađivanja, zabranjivanja ili otežavanja prikaza filma pred publikom); (3) komparativno analizirati političku provokativnost u hrvatskom dugometražnom igranom filmu 1970-ih u odnosu na 1980-e. Pritom se istraživački korpus sveo na 18 filmova, na temelju kojih je, različitim metodama, prepoznato, razvrstano i analizirano 8 filmskih modela, ovisno o načinu na koji redatelj iskazuje svoj stav prema ideologiji. Većina ideoloških modela kritizira vladajući socijalizam, podjednako 1970-ih i 1980-ih, no kako je uglavnom riječ o blagoj kritici, redatelji nisu imali većih problema.According to the title of doctoral thesis, the subject of research (ideology in Croatian movies) is located in the precise time of the 1970s and 1980s (1970 – 1989) and is spatially determined (SR Croatia, as an integral part of the SFRY). It also refers to the existence of national (Croatian) cinematography. Starting from the main hypothesis that ideology is represented and valued by the regime in Croatian movies of the 1970s and 1980s, with the movies of the 1980s being more provocative, the following goals were sought to be achieved: (1) to recognize and create movie’s models based on the director’s representation of ideology (mostly positive or mostly negative); (2) to highlight the consequences of his political orthodoxy or provocativeness (through the principle of rewarding, prohibiting or making it difficult to show the movie to the public); (3) to analyze the political provocativeness in the Croatian movies of the 1970s compared to the 1980s. The research corpus was reduced to 18 movies, which were recognized, analyzed and classified into 8 movie’s models, depending on the way the director expresses his attitude towards the ideology. Most ideological models criticize socialism, both in the 1970s and 1980s. The directors did not have major problems because they were mostly slightly critical of socialism
Automated classification of Croatian folklore genres
No full textDoktorski rad bavi se izradom računalnog modela pomoću kojeg će se na temelju stilskih obilježja klasificirati žanrovi hrvatske usmene književnosti. Model se izradio pomoću istraživačkog korpusa koji se sastoji od brojalica, brzalica, epike, lirike i basni, kao i segmenata općeg suvremenog jezika. Metodama obrade prirodnog jezika ustanovit će se stilska i tekstualna obilježja pojedinih žanrova. Usporedit će se pristup temeljen na stilističkoj teoriji gdje će se kodirati metar, rima, aliteracija i asonanca na temelju slogova i pristup koji će kodirati učestalost pojave glasova i nizova glasova. Produkt ekstrakcije obilježja klasificirat će se pomoću standardnih algoritama za klasifikaciju kao što su naivni Bayes, k-najbližih susjeda, stroj potpornih vektora i drugi kako bi se usporedila njihova uspješnost.Introduction: The introductory chapter of the thesis provides an overview of digital humanities development and current methodology. It describes the place of lexicography and computational stylistics in digital humanities as an introduction into the field and area of research. The second part of the chapter deals with previous research and state of the art in automated poetry classification, starting from George Kingsley Zipf (1968) and his introduction of the statistical methodology into text analysis. It goes on to list related research in computational stylistics, especially author attribution (Rybicki et al., 2016) and the different classification algorithms involved, as well as work on oral literature which relies on digital technologies.
Aim and hypotheses: The aim of this research is to investigate and determine a working model for classification of Croatian folklore genres based on stylistic features. It will find specific and quantifiable stylistic features of folklore genres at the level of the phoneme, syllable and character string. The research is based on two hypotheses: a) it is possible to differentiate between short Croatian oral literature forms and other literary forms based on specific quantifiable stylistic features using automated classification algorithms, and b) the classification model based on character n-grams will be more successful than the model based on stylistic features determined by syllabification. The research has produced an evaluated classification model, and an organized and publicly available corpus of Croatian folklore genres enriched with extracted stylistic features.
Methods: The model is designed using a research corpus made of counting-out rhymes, tongue twisters, epic poetry, proverbs and charms, as well as segments of other folk literature genres. Stylistic and textual features of individual genres are established using natural language processing methods. Two approaches are compared: one based on stylistic theory encodes meter, rhyme, alliteration and assonance and the other encodes the frequency of syllables, phonemes and series of phonemes. The genres are classified using standard classification algorithms such as naive Bayes, k-nearest neighbours, support vector machine and others, which are described in chapter 4. The classification process is binary. The training and test sets include entries of one folklore genre and comparable entries of general language. Practical application of the listed algorithms is also described in this chapter, mainly the use of the Python programming language and the Scikit-learn machine learning toolkit (Pedragosa et al., 2011).
Results: The chapter containing the results provides an overview of general statistical characteristics of the data set before describing the methods of model evaluation using k-fold cross validation, accuracy and the F1 measure. A combination of 18 models (three sets of features were combined with 6 different classification algorithms) were tested for each of the 7 folklore genres, resulting in 126 classification models. The chapter provides the results of model accuracy and F1 measure for each genre. The most successful model is the combination of n gram features and one of the support vector classifier algorithms with accuracy ranging from 68 to 90% across all genres.
Conclusion: The research presented in the thesis resulted in the creation of a model for classification of Croatian folklore genres. The model is based on quantified features of n-grams such as their frequency rations and the support vector machine classification algorithm. The average accuracy of the model across all genres is 80%, which is comparable to similar research (Hartmann et al., 2019) which confirms the first hypothesis which states that short genres of Croatian oral literature can be classified based on specific stylistic features. The second hypothesis is also confirmed as the model based on character n-grams consistently outperformed the model based on syllables and other linguistic features. The results of the research effort include a corpus of Croatian folklore genres with an accompanying dataset of stylistic features, and a syllabification algorithm for Croatian language, both publicly available
Regional differences in expression of molecular markers during formation of the expanded subplate zone in the human fetal cerebral cortex
No full textU doktorskoj disertaciji prikazane su regionalne citoarhitektonske razlike između čeone, tjemene, zatiljne i cingularne moždane kore u fazi ekspanzije i stvaranja subplate zone (od 13. do 15. TNZ). Pomoću imunohistokemijskih metoda na prenatalnom postmortalnom tkivu mozga čovjeka praćena je dinamika ekspresije molekularnih biljega. Rezultati su pokazali kako regionalne razlike između pojedinih izokortikalnih regija fetalne moždane kore čovjeka postaju vidljive rano tijekom prenatalnog razvoja, a postaju najistaknutije upravo tijekom razdoblja formiranja SP-a. Proces stvaranja SP-a iz dubokog dijela KP prikazan je biljegom SP neurona TBR1. Pokazano je i kako je obrazac formiranja SP-a važan kriterij za diferenciranje dorzalne izokortikalne i ventralne mezokortikalne cingularne moždane kore u ranom fetalnom razdoblju. Nadalje, karakteristike rane diferencijacije mezokortikalne cingularne moždane kore su: proširenje MZ, suženje KP i SVZ. Jedna od glavnih karakteristika mezokortikalnog dijela cingularne moždane kore je nepotpuna ekspanzija SP-a, a navedeno je prikazano pomoću biljega projekcijskih neurona. Analiza ranog razvoja cingularne moždane kore važna je radi njezine uloge u stvaranju ranih neuralnih krugova uključenih u ponašanje i emocije. Nadalje,
poznavanje regionalnog razvoja bitno je za razumijevanje arealne diferencijacije i kasnije funkcionalne specifikacije moždane kore što je preduvjet za razumijevanje neurorazvojnih poremećaja.In the doctoral thesis, regional cytoarchitectonic differences between the frontal, parietal, occipital, and cingulate cortex were analyzed in the the subplate formation phase (13 to 15 PCW). Immunohistochemical methods were used on prenatal postmortem human brain tissue to analyze the molecular markers` expression pattern dynamics. The results showed that
regional differences between isocortical regions of the human fetal cortex become visible early during prenatal development, and are most prominent during the SP formation period. The SP formation process is shown with the SP neuron marker TBR1. Additionally, we showed that the SP formation pattern is an important criterion for differentiating the dorsal isocortical and ventral mesocortical cingulate cortex in the early fetal period. Furthermore, the early mesocortical cingulate cortex is characterized by the widening of the MZ and the narrowing of the CP and SVZ. One of the main characteristics of the mesocortical part of the cingulate cortex is an incomplete SP expansion, and this is shown in the results using projection neuron markers. The early cingulate cortex development analysis is important because of its involvement in the formation of early neural circuits involved in behavior and emotions. Furthermore, analysis of regional differences is essential for understanding areal differentiation and later functional specification of the cerebral cortex, which is a prerequisite for understanding diverse neurodevelopmental disorders
Effects of resveratrol nanocrystals on angiogenesis and proliferation of Ehrlich ascites and solid tumour in mice
No full textResveratrol (3,5,4′-trihidroksi-stilben) jest potencijalan protutumorski spoj zbog svoje antioksidativne,
protuupalne, proapoptotičke, antiangiogene i antiproliferativne aktivnosti. Terapijska primjena
resveratrola ograničena je njegovim fizikalno-kemijskim i farmakokinetičkim svojstvima. Temeljem
navedenog, cilj rada bio je primijeniti resveratrol u obliku nanokristala te istražiti njegov učinak na rast
angiogenetski ovisnog, brzo rastućeg Ehrlichovog ascitesnog i solidnog tumora (EAT) te interakciju
nanokristala s biološkim tkivom kroz biokemijske i histološke promjene stanica bubrega, jetre i EAT.
Rezultati pokazuju da primjena otopine resveratrola (RSV) i suspenzije nanokristala resveratrola
(NANO-RSV) dovodi do značajnog smanjenja proliferacije tumorskih stanica u trbušnoj šupljini, te
smanjenja broja krvnih žila u potrbušnici, uz nisku sistemsku toksičnost. Prooksidativni učinak
resveratrola primijenjenog ip vodi kroničnoj upali, polarizaciji makrofaga od M1 prema M2 fenotipu te
skraćenom životnom vijeku nositelja tumora. U histopatološkim ispitivanjima, vidljiva je veća
hepatocelularna nekroza i apoptoza, jetrena fibroza oko središnje vene i degeneracija s manjim masnim
promjenama u miševa nakon obrade s RSV nego u miševa nakon obrade s NANO-RSV. Primjena RSV
i NANO-RSV vodi upali s proksimalnom tubularnom nekrozom i oticanjem bubrežnog glomerula,
zajedno s blagim povećanjem biokemijskih parametara kao pokazatelja narušenog funkcionalnog
kapaciteta bubrega. Intratumoralna primjena otopine resveratrola i nanokristala resveratrola u solidni
EAT pokazala je da dulja nazočnost nanokristala unutar tumorskog tkiva rezultira učinkovitijim
antiangiogenim i imunomodulatornim doza-ovisnim učinkom nanokristala u odnosu na otopinu
resveratrola te značajno većim preživljenjem nositelja tumora. Sažimajući navedeno, te uzimajući u
obzir dobrobit ljudi i ekološku sigurnost, mehanizam toksičnosti resveratrola i njegovih nanokristala
potrebno je detaljnije proučiti u cilju boljeg iskorištavanja pozitivnih učinaka nanokristala resveratrola
te smanjenja potencijalnih nuspojava njihove terapijske primjene.Resveratrol (3,5,4′ -trihydroxystilbene) is a potential antitumor agent due to its proven anti-oxidative,
anti-inflammatory, pro-apoptotic, anti-angiogenic and anti-proliferative properties. Nevertheless, his
therapeutic use is limited by its physico-chemical (poor solubility, photo instability) and
pharmacokinetic (rapid metabolism and elimination, low bioavailability) properties. The aim of this
study was to investigate the potential use of resveratrol (RSV) and its nanocrystals (NANO-RSV) as
antitumor agents in Ehrlich ascites tumour (EAT)-bearing mice in ascites and solid form and the
interaction of nanocrystals with biological tissue through biochemical and histological changes of
kidney, liver and EAT cells. The results show that the administration of resveratrol and its nanocrystals
lead to significant reductions in the proliferation of tumour cells in the abdominal cavity, and a reduction
of the number of blood vessels in the peritoneum, with low systemic toxicity. Due to pro-oxidative
effects of resveratrol after ip administration, chronic inflammation, macrophage polarisation from M1
to M2 phenotype as well as shorter lifespan of resveratrol-treated mice was observed. In
histopathological examinations, greater hepatocellular necrosis and apoptosis, hepatic fibrosis around
the central vein and degeneration with minor fatty change were observed with RSV than with NANORSV.
Inflammation with proximal tubular necrosis and renal glomerulus swelling were also observed,
together with slight elevation of several biochemical parameters in both the RSV and NANO-RSV
groups. Intra-tumoral administration of RSV and NANO-RSV showed that longer presence of
nanocrystals in the tumor tissue improves anti-angiogenic and immunomodulatory dose- depending
effects of resveratrol, including overall survival of the mice. With respect for human health and
environmental safety, the mechanisms of toxicity require further clarification in order to increase the
beneficial effects and reduce the possible risks of therapeutic application of RSV nanocrystals
Analysis of the Impact of the Minimum Wage on Income Inequality and Youth Labour Market Outcomes in EU Countries
No full textU doktorskom radu analizira se utjecaj razine minimalne plaće na dohodovne nejednakosti i ishode tržišta rada za mlade u zemljama članicama Europske unije (EU). U kontekstu tržišta rada za mlade naglasak je na mladim osobama koje su nezaposlene, ne obrazuju se i ne osposobljavaju, odnosno na konceptu tzv. NEET populacije (engl. Not in Employment, Education or Training – NEET). Nedostatak konsenzusa o učincima minimalne plaće na nezaposlenost i zabrinjavajuća činjenica o ekonomskoj neaktivnosti mladih izazivaju veliku pažnju. Slijedom toga, provedena je ekonometrijska analiza na panel podacima za 16 EU zemalja sa zakonski propisanom minimalnom plaćom u razdoblju od 2005. do 2020. godine. Promatrane zemlje podijeljene su na dva uzorka: iznadprosječne i ispodprosječne zemlje u odnosu na prosječnu vrijednost BDP-a po glavi stanovnika EU-a. Fokus je stavljen na istraživanje tri ključna odnosa: (1) između minimalne plaće i dohodovne nejednakosti, (2) između minimalne plaće i NEET populacije te (3) između NEET populacije i participacije radne snage. Korišteni su panel procjenitelji koji dopuštaju heterogenost koeficijenata nagiba i presječnu zavisnost u podacima, CCEMG (engl. Common Correlated Effects Mean Group – CCEMG) i AMG (engl. Augmented Mean Group – AMG). Odabir boljeg procjenitelja napravljen je na temelju RMSE pokazatelja (engl. Root Mean Square Error – RMSE). Rezultati pokazuju da povećanje minimalne plaće ima ograničen i oprečan učinak na dohodovne nejednakosti i NEET populaciju u EU zemljama. Također, rezultati odnosa između NEET populacije i participacije radne snage otkrili su složen i neočekivan ishod. Zaključno, dan je prijedlog konkretnih mjera za kreatore ekonomskih politika na tržištu rada za mlade.The doctoral dissertation analyses the impact of the minimum wage level on income inequality and youth labour market outcomes in the European Union (EU) member states. In the context of the youth labour market, the emphasis is on young people who are unemployed, not in education or training, i.e. on the concept of the so-called NEET population (Not in Employment, Education or Training – NEET). The issue of the economic activity of young people in the labour market and the growing income inequality are very current topics. Despite numerous models and analyses, there is no consensus in the economic literature on the effects of the minimum wage on unemployment. It is a worrying fact that the majority of young people who are not working are not actively looking for a job.
Consequently, an econometric analysis was conducted on panel data for 16 EU countries with a statutory minimum wage in the period from 2005 to 2020. The focus is on investigating three key relationships: (1) between the minimum wage and income inequality, (2) between the minimum wage and the NEET population, and (3) between the NEET population and labour force participation.
The EU countries covered by the analysis were observed in two ways. In hypotheses H1 and H2, countries were divided according to their relative level of economic activity into: (1) countries with GDP per capita above the EU average and (2) countries with GDP per capita below the EU average. On the other hand, in hypothesis H3, all EU countries were observed together. The segregation of countries to test hypotheses H1 and H2 was based on Eurostat data (2024). As the so-called threshold that determines whether a certain country will be considered as an above-average or below-average EU country, the average value of GDP per capita at the EU-27 level in each observed calendar year (2005-2020) was taken and all 16 countries were compared to the average GDP (measured by the purchasing power standard, i.e. PPS). Such consideration resulted in the following division (N1 = 5 countries, N2 = 11 countries):
(1) Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands are marked as above-average EU countries (N1) in all observed years, and
(2) Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain as below-average EU countries (N2) in all observed years.
Panel estimators were used that allow for heterogeneity of slope coefficients and cross-sectional dependence in the data, CCEMG (Common Correlated Effects Mean Group – CCEMG) and AMG (Augmented Mean Group – AMG). A better estimator was selected based on the RMSE indicator (Root Mean Square Error – RMSE). Estimates were first made at the level of the panel of above-average and below-average EU countries measured by GDP per capita. After that, estimates were made at the country level.
The results show that increasing the minimum wage has a limited and contradictory effect on income inequality and the NEET population in EU countries. The lack of significant and consistent relationships between the level of the minimum wage and the socioeconomic variables used (income share of the bottom 40 percent of the population, the rate of NEET-inactive and the rate of NEET-unemployed persons) suggests that the minimum wages themselves are not the main driver of income inequalities, i.e. income redistribution, nor the (non)participation of young people in the labour market in the EU. The results suggest that the minimum wage is not a key factor in the „departure“ of young people from the labour market, or the (re)activation of young people in the labour market. Instead, it is possible that other factors such as education policy, economic growth, different labour market conditions and institutional efficiency play a more important role.
The results of the relationship between the NEET population and labour force participation revealed a complex and unexpected outcome. While it was expected that higher NEET rates would reduce the labour force participation rate, the results showed that in a certain range of EU countries there is a valid relationship in the opposite direction. This implies that in certain contexts higher NEET rates may actually coincide with increased labour force participation, potentially due to the transition from economic inactivity to unemployment, i.e. active job search in the labour market.
An important contribution of the doctoral dissertation is made by constructing and proposing concrete measures for creators of economic policies in the youth labour market, aimed primarily at the NEET population. In doing so, based on the obtained research results and a review of current youth policy measures in the EU, a proposal of measures was drawn up to encourage the achievement of a broader reach of different subgroups of the NEET population. The measures aim to encourage improved transition from school to work, re(activation) of young people in the labour market, and prevent social and economic exclusion
Okvir za višemodalnu podvodnu interakciju čovjeka i robota
No full textThe need for understanding our marine ecosystem increases every year, both for scientific and
economic reasons. This makes marine robotics, among other research disciplines, more and
more popular and interesting. The advancements in underwater robotics have great potential
for facilitating human tasks in unstructured and hazardous underwater environments. By addressing challenges such as limited visibility, underwater communication, navigation, and diver
safety, recent research has enabled effective collaboration between autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and human divers. These efforts have the common goal of improving the safety,
reliability, and efficiency of underwater operations.
This thesis explores sonar technology and its applications, focusing on sonar simulation and
diver detection methods, as well as different underwater human-robot interaction modalities.
The work begins with the theoretical principles of underwater acoustics and sonar operation.
Building on this foundation, the thesis introduces a sonar simulator developed to model underwater acoustic effects and generate realistic synthetic sonar images. The goal of the simulator
as a tool is to accelerate the development of sonar perception methods and provide a platform
for testing in a variety underwater scenarios. Further research integrates machine learning techniques with sonar imagery for real-time diver detection. By leveraging synthetic data generation
and extensive collections of real-world data, the methods aim to enhance diver-robot interaction
and autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) navigation. Finally, the thesis addresses underwater
human-robot interaction, emphasizing gesture-based communication as a promising approach
in diver-robot interaction. The work includes creation of a comprehensive dataset for training
and validating gesture recognition algorithms, advancing intuitive and effective communication
modalities between divers and robots.
This thesis offers a comprehensive overview of sonar technology as an underwater perception method, and connects it with the underwater human-robot interaction concept through
simulation and field experiments. By incorporating simulation tools, advancements in detection
methods, and novel interaction modalities, this research establishes the foundation for future
advancements in sonar-based technologies and diver-robot interaction.Sve veća potreba za razumijevanjem morskih ekosustava, iz znanstvenih i gospodarskih razloga, potiče razvoj i zanimanje za pomorsku robotiku. Napredak u podvodnoj robotici ima velik potencijal za podršku ljudima u zahtjevnim podvodnim okruženjima. Rješavanjem izazova poput loše vidljivosti, komunikacije, navigacije i sigurnosti ronilaca omogućena je suradnja između autonomnih podvodnih vozila (AUV) i ronilaca s ciljem povećanja sigurnosti i učinkovitosti.
Ova disertacija proučava sonarsku tehnologiju kroz simulaciju, detekciju ronilaca i podvodnu interakciju čovjek-robot. Rad počinje teorijskim osnovama podvodne akustike i principa rada sonara. Zatim se predstavlja simulator sonara koji modelira akustične efekte i generira sintetske slike sonara radi bržeg razvoja metoda percepcije i testiranja u raznim scenarijima. Dalje se istražuje primjena strojnog učenja za detekciju ronilaca u stvarnom vremenu koristeći sintetske i stvarne podatke. Ispituje se i komunikacija gestama kao prirodan način interakcije između robota i ronilaca, uz izradu skupa podataka za treniranje algoritama prepoznavanja gesta.
Disertacija povezuje percepciju sonarom s podvodnom interakcijom čovjek-robot kroz simulacije i terenska ispitivanja, postavljajući temelje za daljnji razvoj sonarskih tehnologija i suradnje s roniocima
Predictors of adherence to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy in patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea
No full textCilj istraživanja: Zbog mogućeg međudjelovanja čimbenika koji predisponiraju teškim ishodima bolesti COVID-19 i negativnih zdravstvenih posljedica loše kontrolirane OSA-e, pretpostavljeno je kako je pridržavanje terapije uređajem CPAP od iznimne važnosti u bolesnika s OSA-om tijekom pandemije COVID-19. Stoga je u prvom dijelu disertacije cilj bio istražiti potencijalne promjene u pridržavanju terapije CPAP-om tijekom zatvaranja uslijed pandemije COVID-19 te prediktore istih, u bolesnika s OSA-om teškoga stupnja liječenih uređajem CPAP koji su bili voljni sudjelovati u istraživanju. U drugom dijelu disertacije cilj je bio istražiti ulogu brzine desaturacije izražene indeksom nagiba krivulje zasićenja krvi kisikom kao novog parametra u procjeni pridržavanja terapije CPAP-om, kao i ulogu stupnja težine OSA-e izraženog vrijednošću AHI u navedenoj procjeni. Dodatni cilj bio je istražiti i optimalnu graničnu vrijednost IN-a razlikovanju bolesnika koji se pridržavaju ili ne pridržavaju propisane terapije CPAP-om. Materijali i metode: Prvi dio disertacije, proveden kao presječno istraživanje u Centru za medicinu spavanja Split, uključivao je 101 bolesnika s OSA-om teškoga stupnja (78,2% muškaraca). Pridržavanje terapije uređajem CPAP prije zatvaranja, dob, spol, indeks tjelesne mase, prisutnost komorbiditeta i razina anksioznosti istraženi su kao prediktori pridržavanja terapije CPAP-om tijekom zatvaranja uslijed pandemije COVID-19. Podaci o pridržavanju terapije uređajem CPAP tijekom 6 mjeseci prije zatvaranja i tijekom 40 dana zatvaranja uslijed pandemije COVID-19 (ožujak/travanj 2020. godine) preuzeti su s memorijskih kartica pripadajućih uređaja. Procjena pridržavanja terapije CPAP-om uključivala je postotak noći tijekom kojih je uređaj CPAP korišten ≥4 sata/noć i prosječni broj sati korištenja CPAP-a tijekom noći. Drugi dio disertacije proveden je kao retrospektivno istraživanje koje je uključivalo 70 bolesnika s OSA-om teškoga stupnja liječenih uređajem CPAP. IN je definiran kao prosječni kvocijent razlike između razine zasićenja krvi kisikom prije i poslije opstrukcijske apneje i trajanja opstrukcijske apneje tijekom spavanja, pri čemu su veće vrijednosti IN-a ukazivale na strmiji nagib krivulje zasićenosti arterijske krvi kisikom. Procjena pridržavanja terapije uređajem CPAP odnosila se na početno razdoblje propisane terapije (prvi mjesec i prva tri mjeseca terapije). Zadovoljavajuće pridržavanje terapije CPAP-om u oba istraživanja podrazumijevalo je korištenje CPAP-a ≥4 sata/noć tijekom ≥70% noći određenog razdoblja. Rezultati: Ukupno 81 bolesnik zadovoljio je kriterije dobrog pridržavanja terapije CPAP-om u razdoblju prije zatvaranja. Pridržavanje terapije CPAP-om poboljšalo se tijekom zatvaranja uslijed pandemije COVID-19 u ukupnom uzorku bolesnika s teškom OSA-om, osobito u bolesnika koji su se i prije zatvaranja pridržavali terapije, u žena i bolesnika mlađih od 58 godina. Od 20 bolesnika koji se nisu pridržavali terapije CPAP-om prije zatvaranja, njih 9 zadovoljilo je kriterije pridržavanja terapije tijekom zatvaranja zbog pandemije COVID-19. Nadalje, veće vrijednosti IN-a, odnosno strmiji nagib krivulje zasićenosti arterijske krvi kisikom, uočeni su u bolesnika koji se nisu pridržavali terapije CPAP-om tijekom prvog, kao ni prva tri mjeseca terapije u usporedbi s bolesnicima koji su se pridržavali terapije CPAP-om. Strmiji nagib krivulje zasićenosti arterijske krvi kisikom bio je povezan sa smanjenim postotkom noći tijekom kojih je CPAP korišten ≥4 sata tijekom prva tri mjeseca terapije CPAP-om. Štoviše, zadovoljavajuće pridržavanje terapije CPAP-om bilo je manje vjerojatno u bolesnika s većim indeksom nagiba tijekom početnog razdoblja terapije. Izravni učinci IN-a na pridržavanje terapije CPAP-om utvrđeni su tijekom oba početna terapijska razdoblja, a medijacijska analiza nije otkrila posredničku ulogu vrijednosti AHI u uočenoj povezanosti IN-a i pridržavanja terapije CPAP-om. IN postigao je značajnu AUC vrijednost od 0,650 u predviđanju zadovoljavajućeg pridržavanja CPAP-a s najvišom prediktivnom vrijednošću za graničnu vrijednost od 0,465, dok AHI nije postigao značajnu AUC vrijednost. Nije postojala razlika u vrijednostima AHI-ja između bolesnika s OSA-om koji su se pridržavali terapije CPAP-om tijekom ispitivanih razdoblja i onih koji se nisu pridržavali. Zaključak: Unatoč dokazima da su muški spol i starija dob čimbenici rizika za negativne ishode bolesti COVID-19, bolesnici s OSA-om muškog spola i starije dobi imali su manju vjerojatnost za promjenu u satima korištenja CPAP-a tijekom noći u razdoblju zatvaranja zbog COVID-19. Personalizirani pristup sukladan preciznoj medicini, a usmjeren na poboljšanje pridržavanja terapije CPAP-om, posebice u ranjivih skupina, mogao bi smanjiti zdravstveni teret bolesti COVID-19 u bolesnika s teškom OSA-om. Bolesnici sa strmijim nagibom krivulje zasićenosti arterijske krvi kisikom bili su skloniji nezadovoljavajućem pridržavanju terapije CPAP-om u ovom istraživanju, stoga bi ovaj parametar mogao biti učinkovit alat u procjeni pridržavanja terapije CPAP-om i prepoznavanju bolesnika s teškom OSA-om koji imaju povećani rizik za nezadovoljavajuće pridržavanje terapije, s mogućnošću primjene u kliničkom okruženju.Aim: Given the potential interplay of factors contributing to adverse COVID-19 outcomes and the severe health effects of inadequately managed OSA, CPAP therapy adherence among OSA patients might become essential during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, lockdown-related alterations in CPAP adherence, as well as predictors of aforementioned alterations, were examined in CPAP users willing to take part in the study conducted as the first part of this thesis. The second part of the thesis investigated short-term CPAP adherence in relation to the desaturation severity expressed as the Slope Index (SI) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity expressed as Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI). The cut-off values of SI in distinguishing good and poor CPAP adherers were also investigated. Methods: CPAP adherence before COVID-19 lockdown (pre-lockdown adherence), gender, age, anxiety, and comorbidities were analyzed as predictors of CPAP adherence during the COVID-19 lockdown. A cross-sectional study performed at the Split Sleep Medicine Center involved 101 patients with severe OSA (78.2% male). The adherence evaluation comprised the percentage of nights with CPAP usage for ≥4 hours/night and average CPAP usage hours per night in both the pre-lockdown and lockdown period. Memory cards from CPAP devices were analyzed over six months of the pre-lockdown and a 40-day lockdown period in March/April 2020. In the second part of the thesis, a retrospective study was performed on 70 CPAP-treated patients with severe OSA. SI was calculated as the averaged quotient of blood oxygen desaturation during the event and the duration of the event, with higher SI values indicating a steeper slope of the oxygen desaturation curve. AHI was defined as an average number of apneas and hypopneas per hour of sleep. CPAP adherence was assessed during first month and first three months of therapy. Good CPAP adherence was determined as CPAP usage for ≥4 hours/night on ≥70% of nights in both research studies. Results: A total of 81 patients in the pre-lockdown group met the criteria for good CPAP adherence. Overall, CPAP adherence improved during the COVID-19 lockdown among severe OSA patients in this study, particularly in those with good pre-lockdown adherence, women, and participants younger than 58 years. Out of 20 patients with poor pre-lockdown CPAP adherence, 9 have transitioned to good adherence during lockdown. Furthermore, SI was higher in patients with poor CPAP adherence during the first and first three months of CPAP therapy in comparison to patients with good adherence. Increased SI was associated with decreased percentage of adherent nights during first three months of CPAP therapy. Additionally, patients with a higher SI were recognized as less likely to have good CPAP adherence during investigated therapy periods. Direct effects of SI on CPAP adherence were established during both initial therapy periods, with the mediation analysis revealing no indirect mediating role of AHI on the newly reported association. The SI achieved an AUC value of 0.650 in prediction of good CPAP adherence with the highest predictive value for the cut-off of 0.465, whereas AHI failed to achieve a significant AUC value. Good and poor CPAP adherers did not differ in AHI during considered periods. Conclusion: Regardless of the widespread acknowledgment of advanced age and male gender as risk factors for severe COVID-19 outcomes, a reduced likelihood for CPAP adherence improvements was found in older and male respondents during the lockdown. A personalized approach in line with precision medicine focused on improving CPAP adherence, aimed at men and older respondents as vulnerable groups, might reduce the COVID-19 health burden in severe OSA patients. Patients with a steeper slope of the oxygen desaturation curve were more likely to have poor CPAP adherence following therapy onset in the present study. Thus, the SI could be a successful tool in CPAP adherence prediction and recognizing patients with severe OSA at risk for poor adherence, while encouraging a tailored approach to effective management of CPAP adherence in the clinical setting
Business intelligence as an instrument of strategic management in the management of companies of the defense sector of the Republic of Croatia
No full textPresjekom teorijskih odrednica pruža se sustavan i sveobuhvatan pregled koncepta poslovno obavještajnog djelovanja, određuje se uloga sustava poslovno obavještajnog djelovanja kao strateškog menadžerskog resursa, te analizira međuovisnost navedenih predmeta istraživanja, odnosno, na koji način i u kojoj mjeri sustav poslovno obavještajnog djelovanja utječe na upravljanje u poduzećima hrvatskog obrambenog sektora. Iz navedenog proizlazi glavni cilj istraživanja - utvrditi povezanost, utjecaj i primjenu sustava poslovno obavještajnog djelovanja u strateškom upravljanju poduzećima obrambenog sektora. Empirijski dio odnosi se na kvantitativno istraživanje objekta istraživanja ovog rada, odnosno poduzeća obrambenog sektora Republike Hrvatske.Uz teorijsko i empirijsko znanje koje proizlazi iz istraživanja, ovaj rad ima i aplikativnu vrijednost koja se očituje u primjeni sustava poslovno obavještajnog djelovanja u poduzećima obrambenog sektora.The doctoral dissertation "Business intelligence as an instrument of strategic management in the management of companies in the defense sector of the Republic of Croatia" explores the application and role of business intelligence as a strategic managerial resource with a focus on companies in the Croatian defense sector.
A section of theoretical determinants provides a systematic and comprehensive overview of the concept of business intelligence, determines the role of the business intelligence system as a strategic managerial resource, and analyzes the interdependence of the aforementioned research subjects, i.e., in what way and to what extent the business intelligence system affects management in companies of the Croatian defense sector. The main goal of the research follows from the above - to determine the connection, influence and application of the business intelligence system in the strategic management of companies in the defense sector.
The empirical part refers to the quantitative research of the research object of this work, that is, the companies of the defense sector of the Republic of Croatia. The main challenge of the research turned out to be the definition of the population of the defense sector, and since it does not formally exist in the national classification of economic activities, the importance of constructing a base of companies in the defense sector turned out to be necessary. The constructed base consisted of a population of 163 respondents, according to whom the survey questionnaire was distributed as the main research instrument. On the basis of empirical research, new knowledge is developed about the importance of the application of the business intelligence system in the strategic management of companies, the impact of the business intelligence system on the economic indicators of the company, and the effectiveness of the use of the business intelligence system on the contribution to business.
In addition to the theoretical and empirical knowledge derived from the research, this work also has an applied value, which is manifested in the application of the business intelligence system in companies of the defense sector.
Appropriate statistical models and methods are used to test the set research hypotheses. Multiple spatial linear regression, based on least squares (OLS) estimation, was used to test hypotheses H1, H2 and H3, while multifactor analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test hypothesis H4.
Hypothesis H1 assumes that the application of the business intelligence system is positively related to the realization of the competitive advantage of companies in the defense sector. In order to test this hypothesis, it is necessary to calculate the average value of the particles of the dependent variable of the company's competitiveness. Independent variables are individual particles of the application variable of the business intelligence system. Hypothesis H2 assumes that the application of the business intelligence system is positively related to the achievement of the company's strategic goals. In order to test this hypothesis, it is necessary to calculate the average value of the particles of the dependent variable of the level of achievement of the company's strategic goals. Independent variables are individual particles of the variable Application of the business intelligence system. Hypothesis H3 assumes that the application of the business intelligence system is positively related to the export orientation of the company. In order to test this hypothesis, the export orientation variable is used as a dependent variable. Independent variables are individual particles of the variable Application of the business intelligence system. Hypothesis H4 assumes that there is a statistically significant difference in the level of contribution of the business intelligence system to the success of the company's operations with regard to the size of the company. To test the hypothesis H4, a multifactor analysis of variance is used, whereby the individual particles of the variable "Level of contribution of the business intelligence system to the success of the company's operations" are compared with respect to the size of the company.
The presented results and limitations of the research have their applicability for the scientific as well as the business community
Philosophical and educational foundation of philosophy with children and its application in the classroom
No full textOvo istraživanje bavi se filozofskim (epistemološkim, političkim i etičkim) te odgojno-obrazovnim temeljima filozofije s djecom, s posebnim naglaskom na njezin potencijal u izgradnji pluralnog demokratskog prostora u školi, ali i šire. U teorijskom dijelu istraživanja analiziraju se filozofski i odgojno-obrazovni temelji filozofije s djecom. Njezin utemeljitelj Lipman polazišta ovog pristupa pronalazi u Deweyevoj filozofiji odgoja, osobito u konceptu zajednice istraživača (Lipman, 2003) te u revolucionarnom konceptu zone približnog razvoja sovjetskog psihologa Vigotskog (1996), koji su naglašavali nužnost poučavanja za mišljenje, a ne samo za memoriziranje.
Lipman i njegova suradnica Sharp razvili su teoriju multidimenzionalnog mišljenja – kritičkog, kreativnog i skrbnog – koja kroz svoje ozbiljenje u zajednici filozofskih istraživača (prostoru gdje se prakticira sloboda i uvažava pluralnost) može poslužiti kao temelj demokratskog i emancipatorskog obrazovanja (Lipman, 2003). Za razliku od obrazovanja za demokraciju, koje nameće unaprijed definirane vrijednosti, ovaj pristup omogućuje djeci slobodu i deliberativnu participaciju u demokratskom diskursu (Chomsky, 2013). U tom kontekstu, istraživanje razmatra sličnosti filozofije za djecu s Freireovom pedagogijom oslobođenja koja se ozbiljuje kroz kritički i slobodan dijalog (Freire, 2002). Filozofija s djecom nudi se kao mogući odgovor na krizu neoliberalnog koncepta obrazovanja, koja se ogleda u njegovoj dehumanizaciji i instrumentalizaciji (Liessmann, 2006; Chomsky, 2013; Nussbaum, 2012), kao i kroz perpetuiranje društvenih nepravdi putem obrazovanja (Russell, 2015; Freire, 2002, Giroux, 1983; Apple, 1986). Također se razmatra utjecaj digitalizacije na obrazovanje (Spitzer, 2012; Turkle, 2011) te transhumanističke ideje obrazovanja (Persson i Savulescu, 2012).
Empirijski dio istraživanja, proveden kombinacijom kvalitativnih i kvantitativnih metoda, analizira percepciju učenika i nastavnika o primjeni filozofije za djecu u nastavi filozofije s logikom, biologije, matematike i teorije spoznaje. Generalna hipoteza istraživanja je da pristup filozofije s djecom povećava angažiranost i uključenost učenika u nastavi, da učenici i nastavnici pozitivnije doživljavaju ovaj pristup u odnosu na klasičnu nastavu, te da filozofija za djecu doprinosi stvaranju demokratskog i pluralnog ozračja u učionici. Rezultati istraživanja nedvojbeno potvrđuju ovu hipotezu, odnosno pokazuju povećanu angažiranost učenika te pozitivan stav učenika i nastavnika prema metodama filozofskog dijaloga u odnosu na tradicionalne obrazovne pristupe u svim predmetima. Rezultati istraživanja daju znanstvenu potvrdu za implementaciju filozofije s djecom u predmetne kurikulume. Svojim teorijskim uvidima i empirijskim rezultatima istraživanje predstavlja važan doprinos stručnoj i znanstvenoj zajednici te globalnom razumijevanju odgojno obrazovnih potencijala filozofije s djecom.The theoretical part of this research examines the philosophical (epistemological, political, and ethical), as well as educational foundations of Philosophy with children (PwC),1 exploring its potential in building a pluralistic democratic society. In this context, the emphasis is placed on the importance of Dewey’s philosophy of education, particularly his concept of the community of inquiry, originally introduced by Dewey’s predecessor Peirce (1998). The empirical part of the research aimed to evaluate the effectivness of applying the Philosophy for Children (P4C) method on student engagement and involvement across various subjects, humanities, natural sciences and mathematics. Additionally, it explored how both students and teachers perceive and experience this method in comparison to traditional one.
Dewey (1970) believed that society could not progress toward full civilization, nor could schools fulfill their roles, unless students became active inquirers prepared to engage in a society committed to inquiry and problem-solving. His ideas culminated in Democracy and Education originally published in 1916, which he regarded as his most significant book on education and the closest summary of his “entire philosophical thought”. Lipman (2008), founder of philosophy for children, highlights Dewey’s view that “philosophy is the general theory of education” but criticizes Dewey for not addressing the practical integration of philosophy into education. Instead, Dewey emphasized that the classroom should foster reflective, imaginative, and adaptable thinking modeled on the scientific method. Dewey’s Laboratory School (1897) at the University of Chicago was an early progressive education experiment in which students explored alternatives and considered consequences under teacher guidance. Dewey linked philosophy and education, arguing that great philosophers have always emphasized this connection as both address fundamental human needs. For Dewey, education’s aim was to cultivate reflective thinking inspired by natural curiosity, rather than imposing predetermined knowledge. He argued against essentialist approaches, instead advocating for conditions that foster moral judgment, critical thinking, and democratic participation. Dewey believed teachers should teach children how to think, not what to think, and that education should reflect “modes of associated living” that characterize democracy.
Dewey rejected defining a single ultimate goal of education, arguing that such goals would be “distant and detached from the means needed to achieve them”. He linked education to social reform, stating that the aim of progressive education is to participate in the correction of systems of unjust privilege and disenfranchisement, not to maintain them (Dewey, 1970). However, Bertrand Russell, a contemporary and friend of Dewey, criticized this optimistic view. Russell (2015) argued that education systems, even in democracies, often serve manipulation and indoctrination rather than empowering individuals. According to Russell, schools frequently perpetuate myths of equality while sustaining class inequalities, thus failing to fulfill democratic ideals.
In the United States, Matthew Lipman and his colleagues at the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC) at Montclair State University in New Jersey developed a comprehensive approach and program that sought to actively engage children in philosophical discussions. This innovative educational approach aimed to introduce children, from the age of six, to philosophical problems and a critical way of thinking about topics that were considered crucial for their intellectual development. Its goal is to encourage the intellectual, emotional and moral progress of both individuals and society as a whole. Lipman’s programs include novels such as Harry Stottlemeier’s Discovery (1974), which promote critical, creative, and caring thinking. These programs reflect Dewey’s belief that education should prepare students for active participation in a democratic society.
The Socratic method, a vital part of P4C, has been championed by contemporary philosophers like Martha Nussbaum (2012). Nussbaum regards Dewey as “the most influential and theoretically prominent American practitioner of Socratic education”. She highlights Dewey’s focus on developing empathetic, critical citizens who engage in thoughtful questioning of authority. However, she notes Dewey did not systematically develop methods for conducting Socratic dialogue with children of varying ages. Nussbaum commends Lipman’s work, particularly Harry Stottlemeier’s Discovery, as an example of “non-intrusive and creative Socratic pedagogy” designed for children.
In this regard, it is important to note that Bibby (2017) explores the reception of the Socratic method in early American education (1776–1840), arguing that it was reduced to a mere “technique” for encouraging creativity and self-expression, stripping it of its deeper philosophical roots. Bibby contends that American culture was unprepared for authentic Socratic teaching, which demands rigorous self-examination. Livingstone (2017) critiques those who equate Dewey’s inquiry-based learning with the Socratic method. He argues that Dewey’s relativist approach contrasts with Socratic truth-seeking. Socrates, Livingstone notes, avoided providing definitive answers, encouraging students to seek truth through self-examination. Dewey’s methods, on the other hand, emphasize dialogue leading to socially constructed understandings, which Livingstone warns could result in a “socially constructed utopia” at odds with Socratic skepticism. Rancière (2010) critiques the Socratic method for creating an imbalance of power in dialogues. In The Ignorant Schoolmaster, Rancière argues that the method often undermines equality by positioning the teacher as the authority. Despite such criticisms, Socratic dialogue remains a cornerstone for fostering personal responsibility and critical thinking. Programs like P4C incorporate Socratic elements to teach children how to question their beliefs and develop critical, creative, and empathetic thinking.
Nietzsche’s vision of the teacher as a liberator has echoes in the works of Freire, Apple, and Giroux, though it has received less attention. Ann Sharp (1973) one of the founders of P4C explored Nietzsche’s philosophy of education in her dissertation, emphasizing his vision of education as liberation (Bildung als Befreiung) and its alignment with P4C. Nietzsche (2020a; 2020b) critiqued education systems focused on utility over individuality, envisioning teachers as role models who guide students toward self-discovery. Nietzsche’s ideal educators – like Schopenhauer and Socrates – challenge authority and inspire students to question established norms. For Nietzsche, education’s goal is to cultivate individuality and personal freedom, themes central to his critiques of the German educational system of his time.
Particularly interesting for this research is Oliverio’s (2020) comparason of Rorty’s (1999) emphasis on literature as a means of fostering empathy and Lipman’s promotion of philosophical inquiry as a foundation for democratic education. Oliverio concludes that these approaches are complementary and should be integrated into education systems. He recommends introducing philosophical discussions into curricula, using literary texts to build emotional and critical skills, and prioritizing continuous professional development for teachers.
Lipman’s work drew heavily on Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory, particularly the concept of the zone of proximal development, developed by Soviet psychologist Lev Vygotsky (1996), had a significant impact on his work, particularly on his concept of the community of philosophical inquiry and its specific aspects. What is revolutionary about Vygotsky’s theory is the explicit shift from a biological to a socio-cultural explanation of human development and behavior. Vygotsky (1996) identifies the connection between socio-cultural processes occurring in society and the psychological processes within an individual. Unlike Piaget, who believed learning should occur only after reaching a certain level of maturity, Vygotsky argued that learning, as a social interaction, precedes maturation and propels it forward, enabling faster development with appropriate support from adults. Vygotsky (1996) emphasizes that learning, or teaching, can stimulate development if it occurs within the zone of proximal development. It is precisely the tasks presented to the child, the needs that arise and stimulate them, and the goals they are shown – that the social environment incites and compels the pre-adolescent to take a crucial step in the development of their thinking As Vygotsky argued, and Lipman reflects in his community of philosophical inquiry, participants initially correct one another and subsequently themselves. Some theorists of Philosophy for Children believe that Vygotsky’s teachings can be effectively used to conceptualize facilitation within P4C. Specifically, Kennedy’s (2013) “philosophical moves” and the concept of the community of inquiry can be interpreted through a Vygotskian lens. Using Vygotsky’s terms, the community of philosophical inquiry provides a cultural tool that mediates the social process of initiating and participating in philosophical discussions.
Through Philosophy for Children, students engage with philosophical concepts such as rules, truth, and justice—ideas traditionally reserved for mature philosophical inquiry. Although children often have intuitive opinions on these topics, Lipman emphasized the importance of guiding them to transform these opinions into reasoned, thoughtful judgments. By learning to reason and justify their perspectives, children gain an education that fosters intellectual confidence and pride, equipping them with the essential skill of how to think (Lipman, 2017). Lipman’s Philosophy for Children is profoundly shaped by his personal commitment to transforming education. Reflecting on his own schooling, which he characterized as “boring and lifeless” (Lipman, 2008), he devoted his career to cultivating children’s capacity for inquiry and integrating philosophy into classrooms.
The epistemological foundation of Philosophy with Children is grounded in fallibilism, which emphasizes intellectual humility, openness to new perspectives, and the value of reflection and self-correction within community of philosophical inquiry (Lipman, 2003). Sharp (2009) extended this foundation by integrating Hannah Arendt’s notions of plurality and freedom, which contend that freedom emerges only through the diversity of speech and action (Arendt, 1998). Lipman (2003) identified three interconnected types of thinking – critical, creative, and caring – as the pillars of P4C. While critical thinking encompasses judgment based on criteria, self-correction, and contextual awareness, creative thinking serves to complement and enrich critical thinking by fostering innovation and alternative perspectives. Caring thinking, meanwhile, emphasizes attentiveness, active listening, and valuing others’ contributions. Sharp (2004) identifies ontic category of care. She relies on Dewey’s idea of our capacity to grow, that she understands as our capacity to care. She further connects caring thinking to Heidegger’s (1988) concept of Sorge (care), he regards as ontological category, basic constitutive phenomenon of human existence.
The epistemological foundation of Philosophy with Children is grounded in fallibilism, which emphasizes intellectual humility, openness to new perspectives, and the value of reflection and self-correction within community of philosophical inquiry (Lipman, 2003). Sharp (2009) extended this foundation by integrating Hannah Arendt’s notions of plurality and freedom, which contend that freedom emerges only through the diversity of speech and action (Arendt, 1998). Lipman (2003) identified three interconnected types of thinking – critical, creative, and caring – as the pillars of P4C. While critical thinking encompasses judgment based on criteria, self-correction, and contextual awareness, creative thinking serves to complement and enrich critical thinking by fostering innovation and alternative perspectives. Caring thinking, meanwhile, emphasizes attentiveness, active listening, and valuing others’ contributions. Sharp (2004) identifies ontic category of care. She relies on Dewey’s idea of our capacity to grow, that she understands as our capacity to care. She further connects caring thinking to Heidegger’s (1988) concept of Sorge (care), he regards as ontological category, basic constitutive phenomenon of human existence.
In Pedagogy of the Oppressed (2002), Freire argues that “the fear of freedom” is one of the main obstacles to conscientização (consciousness-raising), or implementing education for liberation. The oppressed, although divided and inauthentic beings, must participate in creating their pedagogy of liberation by understanding that they carry the oppressor within themselves. Freire argues that the banking model of education – which he sees as a source of dehumanization and oppression – leads students to mechanically memorize presented content. Authentic liberation, or the process of humanization, is possible only as a practice, an action and reflection by people on their world in order to change it. This requires rejecting the banking model of education and replacing it with problem-posing education, which emerges from the relationship between people and their world.
Building on the transformative educational visions of Lipman and Freire, which emphasize critical inquiry, dialogue, and social justice, today’s educational challenges – such as digitalization, neoliberal reforms, and systemic inequalities – highlight the urgent need to adapt their principles to address contemporary issues in learning and teaching. Turkle (2011) warns about the decline in children’s social skills due to excessive reliance on technology, leading to isolation and difficulties in teamwork. Spitzer (2018) introduces the concept of “digital dementia”, highlighting cognitive problems associated with overuse of digital devices. Prensky (2001) notes that while digital natives are naturally skilled at using technology, they often lack critical and analytical skills for effective learning, with multitasking impairing their ability to focus deeply.
Beyond mentioned issues, structural and ideological barriers further undermine education’s transformative potential. Liessmann (2008) identifies the instrumentalization of education in the service of economic and political interests in the so-called knowledge society as a key issue that obstructs intellectual curiosity and deeper understanding. Giroux (2001) highlights how neoliberal reforms prioritize market-oriented curricula, marginalizing the humanities and social justice. He advocates for education that promotes critical thinking and active citizenship, drawing on Gramsci’s ideas of cultural hegemony and the teacher’s role as a public intellectual. Apple (2012) examines how the hidden curriculum perpetuates social inequalities, while Gandin and Apple (2016) cite Porto Alegre as an example of educational reform that advances social justice. Drawing on Gramsci’s concept of cultural hegemony, Giroux and Apple advocate for education that promotes critical thinking and social justice. Their analyses reveal the systemic challenges that hinder the realization of the democratic and transformative ideals championed by thinkers like Dewey and Lipman. Despite of a numerous challenges, Philosophy with Children offers a potential response to some issues of education crisis. This educational approach empowers children to become active participants in their learning through critical, creative, and caring thinking. Inspired by Dewey’s vision of education as preparation for democratic life, Philosophy with Children uses dialogue and inquiry to foster reflective and empathetic citizens. To ensure effective implementation, Philosophy with Children requires well-trained educators and policies that prioritize humanistic approaches to teaching, bridging the gap between traditional education and the demands of the modern world.
Despite its transformative potential, P4C nonetheless encounters significant cultural, academic, and systemic barriers. Gregory (2017) observes that philosophy is not deeply embedded in thecultural heritage of many societies, including the United States, where practical and economic concerns have historically dominated. Gregory (2017) highlights that philosophy is not deeply rooted in the cultural heritage of many societies, including the U.S., where practical and economic priorities have historically dominated. Religion’s influence on American universities and anti intellectual attitudes among some leaders have further sidelined philosophical inquiry. Nussbaum, in an interview with Solomon (2009) observes that American culture often views religion, rather than philosophy, as addressing life’s fundamental questions. Another obstacle lies in how academic philosophers perceive their roles. Gregory notes that many philosophers avoid engaging as public intellectuals, preferring academic isolation and viewing philosophy as too complex for the public, including children. This limits philosophy’s accessibility and potential as an educational tool. Finally, educational systems often prioritize employment preparation and standardized testing over fostering reflection and critical thinking.
In Southeast Europe, no comprehensive research has yet been conducted to examine the didactic and methodological value of Philosophy with/for Children as a distinct teaching approach. While some successful programs highlight the benefits of PwC, they are seldom integrated into formal educational systems and remain limited in scope. These isolated examples suggest that PwC could significantly enhance students’ personal growth and development, yet systematic research is required to substantiate these claims.
My personal experience with Philosophy for Children, working directly with children and teachers and receiving their highly positive feedback, has further inspired me to scientifically explore and evaluate its effectiveness in educational practice. By empowering students to think critically, act empathetically, and engage reflectively, P4C bridges the gap between traditional education and the demands of the modern world, fostering a generation equipped to transform society for the better. Despite the challenges, Pw/4C offers a transformative response to the educational crises of our time. Its emphasis on fostering critical, creative, and caring thinking prepares children not only for democratic participation b