The role of mindset in preventing one’s mental health

Introduction: As long as the world is still in a pandemic, an individual must maintain his mental health to deal with problems or impacts arising from a pandemic situation. The growth mindset is believed to be a predictor in influencing a person's mental health. We tested how the growth mindset influences on positive mental health in college students during a pandemic. Method: A total of 567 students from universities in Indonesia randomly completed an online questionnaire. The data collection tool uses Positive mental Health and Implicit Theory Measures scale on two dimensions of growth mindset: intelligence mindset and moral mindset. Results: The results show that the intelligence mindset affects positive mental Health, the moral mindset as well. In addition, the two variables together, intelligence mindset and moral mindset, affect positive mental health. Conclusions: The three hypotheses proposed can be accepted statistically, but the magnitude of the influence of each hypothesis is very small. The implications and research suggestions are discussed in depth in the discussion.

Piecza zastępcza ‒ perspektywa historyczna i kształt obecny

Problem sprawowania opieki nad dziećmi osieroconymi i opuszczonymi występował we wszystkich kulturach, epokach i systemach społecznych. Zapewnienie pieczy zastępczej należało i należy do uznawanych powszechnie obowiązków społeczności wobec tych dzieci. Początkowo opieka nad dzieckiem osieroconym nie była zinstytucjonalizowana, a dzieci opuszczone pozostawały pod opieką indywidualnych osób i rodzin. W Europie dopiero w XIII w. Kościół katolicki zaczął tworzyć pierwsze instytucje opiekuńcze. Z czasem coraz większą rolę zaczęło odgrywać państwo oraz organizacje społeczne. Od tego czasu rodzinne i zinstytucjonalizowane formy opieki funkcjonują obok siebie. Przez wieki (nie zawsze skutecznie) starano się udoskonalać funkcjonowanie zarówno samych placówek, jak i stosowanych w nich metod wychowawczo-opiekuńczych. Również współcześnie w Polsce trwa spór o model sprawowania pieczy zastępczej, który w dużym uproszczeniu toczy się pomiędzy zwolennikami zachowania wyłącznie rodzinnych form opieki a praktykami i teoretykami widzącymi sens w utrzymaniu tych instytucjonalnych. Celem artykułu jest usytuowanie obecnego dyskursu dotyczącego kształtu sprawowania pieczy zastępczej nad dzieckiem w szerszym kontekście historycznym. Rozpatrując sytuację dzieci pozbawionych opieki rodzicielskiej, koncentrujemy się na stanie obecnym, rzadko kiedy przyjmując perspektywę historyczną. Ta zaś może dać przykłady dobrych praktyk w zakresie opieki nad dziećmi osieroconymi, jak również szeregów działań podejmowanych w przeszłości, które powinny stanowić przestrogę. Ponadto omówiono wpływ różnych form opieki zastępczej na rozwój psychofizyczny podopiecznych. Zebrane dane wskazują, że im bardziej rodzinny charakter przyjmuje piecza zastępcza, tym mniejsze ryzyko poważnych problemów natury psychicznej, emocjonalnej i społecznej u wychowanków.

Wychowanie do dorosłości – znaczenie poczucia autonomii młodych dorosłych dla doświadczanego dobrostanu psychicznego

: W ciągu ostatnich kilku dekad można zaobserwować szczególnie zmiany w zakresie funkcjonowania osób w okresie wczesnej dorosłości. Uwagę badaczy zwraca niepokojące zjawisko społeczne związane z coraz późniejszym osiąganiem przez młodych dorosłych społecznych wyznaczników dorosłości, co koresponduje z doniesieniami wskazującymi na to, że coraz rzadziej postrzegają oni dorosłość w kategoriach realizacji określonych zadań rozwojowych, w zdecydowanej większości zaś utożsamiają ten etap życia z zaspokojoną potrzebą autonomii. Dotychczasowe doniesienia empiryczne wskazują, że czynnikiem, który ma duże znaczenie dla pomyślnego wejścia młodych ludzi w okres dorosłości, jest doświadczany przez nich poziom dobrostanu psychicznego. Ma on korzystne znaczenie nie tylko dla podjęcia i realizacji zadań rozwojowych okresu wczesnej dorosłości, ale przede wszystkim odnosi się do aktualnego definiowania tego etapu życia przez młodych ludzi w kategoriach potrzeby autonomii. Dobrostan psychiczny młodych dorosłych w dużej mierze wiąże się z systemem rodzinnym, którego młody człowiek jest częścią, a w szczególności z prawidłowo przebiegającym procesem separacji emocjonalnej dziecka od rodziców. Mając na uwadze trudności z wejściem w okres dorosłości, które są udziałem współczesnych młodych ludzi, i ważkie znaczenie tego problemu w szerszej perspektywie społecznej, celem tego artykułu jest przedstawienie znaczenia oddziaływań wychowawczych rodziców dorastającego dziecka dla doświadczanego przez nie poczucia autonomii i dobrostanu psychicznego. Tekst koncentruje się wokół czterech głównych wątków: 1) zmian w zakresie funkcjonowania młodych ludzi i definiowania przez nich okresu dorosłości; 2) znaczenia dobrostanu psychicznego dla pomyślnego wejścia młodego człowieka w okres dorosłości; 3) rodzinnych uwarunkowań dobrostanu psychicznego młodych dorosłych; 4) kierunków dalszych badań oraz implikacji praktycznych.

Analysis of equal access to education on the example of Roma students in Chorzów and Bytom

The article was prepared as part of the project: Promoting equal access to quality education for Roma children, implemented by Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues in Europe. The study consists of three parts. The first one concerns the basic information related to the analysis of the current state of knowledge on equal access to education of Roma children in Poland, the second – indicates the current statistical data on the education of Roma children, and the final part, which is a summary – presents the results of research and recommendations for practice in to improve communication between Roma parents and officials and teaching staff. The pilot study was aimed at identifying problems related to equal access to education of Roma children at the preschool and kindergarten level. They were conducted in Silesia – in Chorzów and Bytom – using the method of a structured interview. An interview with school principals, officials, and Roma’s parents revealed a significant need to build a bridge based on trust and fluent communication.

Ethnic identity of representatives of the Ukrainian minority university students in Poland

Introduction: Referring to the knowledge about the number of Ukrainian students in Poland, James Marcia’s theory of identity development and Henri Tajfel’s theory of social identity, the authors examined how the Ukrainian minority studying in Poland describes its ethnic identity. Method: For this purpose, nine semistructural interviews were conducted, which were then subjected to a semantic narrative analysis. Results: It turned out that the respondents identify most strongly with the group of international students and students, and with their national identity in the second place. Polish nationality was cited as a group of belonging, spending time, while the Ukrainian nationality was individual, related to origin. Polish groups were positively evaluated by the respondents. The analysis also distinguished categories of differences between Poland and Ukraine, indicated by the respondents. They were: culture and religion, customs and tradition, decision-making and self-confidence, social issues, as well as mentality and science. The categories of stereotypes that were mentioned in the interviews were also identified: cheating and stealing, complaining and the similarity of nations. Conclusions: The results showed that the identity of Ukrainians is in a state of moratorium. The respondents define Ukraine as “their” country, while the strongest ones describe themselves as international students.

Childhood trauma and perceived control in adulthood

Introduction: Prejudices might negatively influence the well-being of people they concern and often lead to discrimination. Hence, it’s important to search for effective ways to improve intergroup attitudes and implement them during education. One of the most effective known methods is intergroup contact. However, as it’s not always possible to implement, it’s important to search for more accessible methods. The article proposes a new form of reducing prejudices, i.e. a letter of contact with fictitious outgroup members. In such interaction, people receive a letter and are asked for a reply. The method is based on two concepts of improving attitudes: imaginary contact and narrative about positive intergroup interaction. Its effectiveness in improving attitudes was experimentally tested and compared to a typical imaginary contact task. Method: Participants were 179 high school students. They were divided into three experimental conditions: replying to a letter from an outgroup member; replying to a similar letter from an ingroup member; imagining interaction with an ingroup member. After the manipulation, participants completed an intergroup attitudes questionnaire. Results: What had an impact on intergroup attitudes was the perceived pleasure of the task, while the type of manipulation had no effects. Conclusions: Results suggest that in manipulations based on imaginary contact or narration, responses are probably influenced not by imaging interaction with an outgroup member, but by the positive character of the task, which probably has an impact on attitudes by priming a good mood. This calls into question the effectiveness of methods of imaginary contact and narrative about the contact. They probably temporarily affect mood but have no influence on prejudice.

Letters from Russia: impact of imaginary contact, epistolary contact, and narrative on intergroup attitudes of adolescents

Introduction: Prejudices might negatively influence the well-being of people they concern and often lead to discrimination. Hence, it’s important to search for effective ways to improve intergroup attitudes and implement them during education. One of the most effective known methods is intergroup contact. However, as it’s not always possible to implement, it’s important to search for more accessible methods. The article proposes a new form of reducing prejudices, i.e. a letter of contact with fictitious outgroup members. In such interaction, people receive a letter and are asked for a reply. The method is based on two concepts of improving attitudes: imaginary contact and narrative about positive intergroup interaction. Its effectiveness in improving attitudes was experimentally tested and compared to a typical imaginary contact task. Method: Participants were 179 high school students. They were divided into three experimental conditions: replying to a letter from an outgroup member; replying to a similar letter from an ingroup member; imagining interaction with an ingroup member. After the manipulation, participants completed an intergroup attitudes questionnaire. Results: What had an impact on intergroup attitudes was the perceived pleasure of the task, while the type of manipulation had no effects. Conclusions: Results suggest that in manipulations based on imaginary contact or narration, responses are probably influenced not by imaging interaction with an outgroup member, but by the positive character of the task, which probably has an impact on attitudes by priming a good mood. This calls into question the effectiveness of methods of imaginary contact and narrative about the contact. They probably temporarily affect mood but have no influence on prejudice.

The work values and professional expectations of the second cohort of Generation Z

Introduction: The people born since the year 2000 (Generation Z) are now dynamically entering the labour market. This presents a range of challenges for employers, such as how to make their workplace attractive to young employees, how to entice talent and above all, how to retain it for longer. The aim of the following work was to identify the primary work values and professional expectations of representatives from Generation Z. Method: The study included 236 final-year students (129 girls and 107 boys) from vocational and comprehensive schools. The most highly-rated work values were identified using the “Moja Kariera” (My Career) questionnaire by Schein (adapted by Paszkowska-Rogacz) together with a free interview, providing a deeper insight into the work values and professional expectations of the group. Results: The predominant values expressed by the study group were associated with security and stability, as well as lifestyle; however, the main expectations regarding the employer comprised a high salary, clear working conditions and clearly-defined professional responsibilities. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the members of Generation Z regard an attractive employer as one whose organisation cares about work-life balance, ensures secure employment, based on a contract of employment (e.g. on a permanent basis) and stable (constant) earnings.

Culture wars

The author identifies three stages in the transformation of the dominant ethos in colleges and universities over the past century. These stages were separated by rifts that looked like mild but pernicious culture wars. The first stage which impresses the author most is commonly called Modernism. The second stage is identified as Post-Modernism. The third that presumably takes form before our eyes can be called Neo-Conservatism. Modernism is described as an intellectual position skillfully characterized by Harland G. Bloland. Postmodernism is shown as an intellectual position adopted by Jacques Derrida, Michel Foulcault i Jean-François Lyotard. Copious references to Bloland are also made in this case. The positon of Neoconservatives is exemplified by the writings of Michel Houllebecq, Douglas Murray and Frank Furedi.

Cognitive functioning of children and youth with developmental language disorder

The article consists a literature review. It presents the results of research on the cognitive functioning of people with developmental language disorder, with particular emphasis on executive and linguistic functions. The discussion focused on terminological issues related to medical classifications of diseases. The most common cognitive deficits occurring in people with this disorder and their consequences for functioning are presented. The language profile is presented in detail, taking into account all language and language pragmatics.