Subjective Well-Being in the Czech Republic and Central Europe: Macro- and Micro-Determinants

Positive Psychology represents a relatively new trend in contemporary psychology, which brings interesting ideas and useful inspiration into the field of education and school practice. Evidence exists that higher levels of subjective well-being, optimism and positive emotions are closely related to academic success. A positive education movement builds on these findings and aims to practically apply the scientific knowledge of Positive Psychology into the educational process. The objective of this research study is to introduce the theoretical background and arguments for the establishment and development of positive education in the world and the Czech Republic. We present an overview of main positive education programs which focus on development of psychological resilience and character strengths and on increasing subjective well-being and life satisfaction among the individuals at all the levels of the educational process. We focus mainly on the description of those positive education programs, for which the effectiveness has been empirically verified. Finally, we briefly describe the situation in the Czech Republic, which opens a large space for the development and implementation of Positive Psychology methods to improve the quality of education.

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Factor Analysis of Subjective Well-Being Sustainability through Foreign Language Learning in Healthy Older Individuals

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13031590 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 1590

Author(s):

Blanka Klimova ◽

Marcel Pikhart ◽

Szymon Dziuba ◽

Anna Cierniak-Emerych

Keyword(s):

Factor Analysis ◽

Czech Republic ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Foreign Language Learning ◽

Well Being ◽

Pharmacological Intervention ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Older Individuals ◽

The Czech Republic

Healthy aging is one of the most important aspects of human life as it can significantly improve its quality. Therefore, it is necessary to promote successful aging as a significant and important part of maintaining physical and mental well-being in the elderly. One of the strategies to enhance the elderly’s well-being may be also foreign language learning. The purpose of this study is to compare and discuss what effect foreign language learning (FLL) might have on subjective well-being among healthy older individuals in the Czech Republic and Poland, using factor analysis as the primary statistical method. The research sample consisted of two experimental groups of seniors; one from the Czech Republic (n = 92) and another from Poland (n = 100). The main research methods included a questionnaire survey and factor analysis. The factor analysis revealed the four significant factors and their correlations with demographic variables, whose results showed the effect of FLL on seniors’ subjective well-being. In conclusion, learning a foreign language at an older age seems to be one of the key strategies to maintain a subjective feeling of happiness at a relatively high level in elderly people without necessary pharmacological intervention.

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Innovation of the concept and content of technology education in the Czech Republic in context with their development in the countries of central Europe

International Handbook of Technology Education ◽

10.1163/9789087901042_034 ◽

2006 ◽

pp. 463-475

Keyword(s):

Czech Republic ◽

Technology Education ◽

Central Europe ◽

The Czech Republic

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Transitional Justice and Changing Memories of the Past in Central Europe

Government and Opposition ◽

10.1017/gov.2013.37 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 50 (1) ◽

pp. 24-44

Author(s):

Roman David

Keyword(s):

Czech Republic ◽

Central Europe ◽

Transitional Justice ◽

The Czech Republic ◽

Divided Societies ◽

The Past ◽

The Impact

Memories of wrongdoings are often viewed as an obstacle to reconciliation in divided societies. Is it due to the past or the present politics of the past? To examine the dilemma of essentialism versus presentism, this article investigates the impact of transitional justice on memories of wrongdoing. It theorizes that using different transitional justice strategies to deal with the same wrongdoing shapes memories in different ways. The theory is tested via vignette-based surveys in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, which adopted distinct lustration laws. The results show that wrongdoing is viewed through lustration laws, reflecting present power constellations, not history.

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The impact of the air temperature on measuring the zenith angle during the year in the ground layer of the atmosphere for the needs of engineering surveying

Acta Polytechnica ◽

10.14311/ap.2021.61.0476 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 61 (3) ◽

pp. 476-488

Author(s):

Tomáš Suk ◽

Martin Štroner

Keyword(s):

Czech Republic ◽

Numerical Model ◽

Central Europe ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Zenith Angle ◽

Geographical Area ◽

Temperature Gradients ◽

The Czech Republic ◽

Different Seasons ◽

The Impact

This paper presents the results of over a year-long experiment dealing with a temperature measurement to calculate the theoretical effect of the atmosphere on the measured zenith angle in engineering surveying. The measurements were performed to determine the accurate and specific temperatures (temperature gradients), which can be recorded in different seasons in the low level of the atmosphere (up to 2 m above the ground, where most Engineering Surveying measurements take place) for the geographical area of Central Europe - specifically the Czech Republic. A numerical model was then applied to the resulting determined temperature gradients to calculate the path of the beam passing through an inhomogeneous atmosphere. From these values, the apparent vertical shifts caused by refraction in a given environment and time were finally determined.

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A new specimen of Araucaria fricii from the early Coniacian of the Bohemian Massif, Central Europe

Fossil Imprint ◽

10.37520/fi.2021.020 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 77 (2) ◽

pp. 282-286

Author(s):

Jiří Kvaček

Keyword(s):

Czech Republic ◽

Central Europe ◽

Bohemian Massif ◽

Type Material ◽

Massif Central ◽

The Czech Republic ◽

First Occurrence ◽

Bohemian Cretaceous Basin ◽

Cone Scale

A specimen of Araucaria fricii is described from the upper part of the Teplice Formation in the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin. It extends the first occurrence of A. fricii from the mid-Coniacian back to the early Coniacian. Found in the Radovesice locality near Kučlín in the northern part of the Czech Republic, it is characterised by a deltoid cone scale complex with a centrally placed seed. It is compared to the type material of A. fricii from the mid-Coniacian Březno Formation and other European Cretaceous species of Araucaria. The taphonomy and palaeoecology of A. fricii is briefly discussed.

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The Buddhist Style in Consumer Culture: From Aesthetics to Emotional Patterns

Journal of Religion in Europe ◽

10.1163/18748929-20211488 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1-2) ◽

pp. 28-54

Author(s):

Zuzana Bártová

Keyword(s):

Czech Republic ◽

Middle Class ◽

Everyday Life ◽

Consumer Culture ◽

Personal Development ◽

Well Being ◽

Ethnographic Research ◽

The Czech Republic ◽

Identity Style ◽

And Behavior

Abstract This paper contributes to the sociological theorization of religious lifestyles in consumer culture, analyzing one of its most important identity markers: style. Based on a three-year comparative ethnographic research project into five convert Buddhist organizations in France and the Czech Republic, it finds that style is expressed through aesthetics with its adornment practices apparent in everyday life materializations of Buddhist symbols. The stylistic dimension is also found in practitioners’ attitudes towards Buddhism, as they may use the discourse of taste. Moreover, Buddhist style stands for the collective, coherent, and systematic emotional patterns expressed in Buddhist symbols, individual and collective experiences, and the ethics and behavior they display in everyday life. The paper also explores how this style is adapted to the educated, middle-class, city-dweller practitioners and how it respects dynamics of consumer culture with its emphasis on identity, style, and values of well-being, authenticity, and personal development.

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Capabilities and well-being of child and adolescent social services clients in the Czech Republic

Children and Youth Services Review ◽

10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105280 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 117 ◽

pp. 105280

Author(s):

Monika Punová ◽

Pavel Navrátil ◽

Jitka Navrátilová

Keyword(s):

Czech Republic ◽

Social Services ◽

Well Being ◽

Child And Adolescent ◽

The Czech Republic

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Predicted climate change will increase the truffle cultivation potential in central Europe

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-76177-0 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Tomáš Čejka ◽

Miroslav Trnka ◽

Paul J. Krusic ◽

Ulrich Stobbe ◽

Daniel Oliach ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Czech Republic ◽

Central Europe ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

The Czech Republic ◽

Truffle Cultivation ◽

Ecological Requirements ◽

Wide Range ◽

Future Warming

AbstractClimate change affects the distribution of many species, including Burgundy and Périgord truffles in central and southern Europe, respectively. The cultivation potential of these high-prized cash crops under future warming, however, remains highly uncertain. Here we perform a literature review to define the ecological requirements for the growth of both truffle species. This information is used to develop niche models, and to estimate their cultivation potential in the Czech Republic under current (2020) and future (2050) climate conditions. The Burgundy truffle is already highly suitable for cultivation on ~ 14% of agricultural land in the Czech Republic (8486 km2), whereas only ~ 8% of the warmest part of southern Moravia are currently characterised by a low suitability for Périgord truffles (6418 km2). Though rising temperatures under RCP8.5 will reduce the highly suitable cultivation areas by 7%, the 250 km2 (3%) expansion under low-emission scenarios will stimulate Burgundy truffles to benefit from future warming. Doubling the moderate and expanding the highly suitable land by 352 km2 in 2050, the overall cultivation potential for Périgord truffles will rise substantially. Our findings suggest that Burgundy and Périgord truffles could become important high-value crops for many regions in central Europe with alkaline soils. Although associated with uncertainty, long-term investments in truffle cultivation could generate a wide range of ecological and economic benefits.

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