Pojedinac i država u 21. stoljeću: Kriza identiteta kao pokretač napretka u globaliziranom svijetu

Cilj ovoga rada je da rasvijetli odnos pojedinca i države u okolnostima globaliziranog svijeta, u kome se kao bitnim pojavljuje pitanje krize identiteta i njenog utjecaja na ukupne društvene promjene. Polazeći od dominantnih teorijskih paradigmi politologije: teorija političkog realizma i liberalizma, rad tematizira navedeni odnos, čime se dotiče vrlo značajnih koncepcija društvenog ugovora i ljudskih prava. U zbilji utemeljenoj na realističkoj paradigmi, gdje su nacija – država i identitet jedno, iskorak iz društveno etablirane matrice, nepoželjan je. U tom se smislu, globalizacija kao proces sve veće povezanosti između nacija pojavljuje kao mogućnost navedenog iskoraka, odnosno, kao pokretačka snaga ka promjenama, koje, u rastućoj međuovisnosti svijeta otvaraju niz mogućnosti i bitne su za opstanak u 21. stoljeću, kako na individualnom, tako i na kolektivnom nivou.

To Speak or not to Speak? Theoretical Framework of Willingness to Communicate

The decision of a speaker whether to communicate in a specific situation or not, assuming they have the right to choose, has been identified in the current literature as the speaker's willingness to communicate (WTC). In recent times, with the communication becoming the backbone of successful professional and private lives and the role of world languages ever increasing, the importance of willingness to communicate in one of the world languages (English, French, German, etc.) comes to the fore. Therefore, many authors have embarked on a journey to prove why willingness to communicate shall be put under the spotlight and why should language instructors set the engendering of WTC as one of the main aims of language instruction. Among the abundance of reasons, it is often argued that willingness to communicate may facilitate language learning itself. This paper represents a theoretical framework of research conducted on the subject of willingness to communicate over the past several decades, with emphasis on WTC in language learning.

Twice-Exceptional, Half-Noticed: The Recognition Issues of Gifted Students with Learning Disabilities

Gifted children with learning disabilities are known as twice-exceptional. Both the identification and the classification of twice-exceptional children are a matter for practical ingenuity, as these children tend to fall upon extremes of a scale, resulting in either the child with both obvious giftedness and a learning disability or in the child where the giftedness effectively masks the disability. The latter results in a child that tests as average upon surface-level assessments. In this article, a new direction of the identification of twice-exceptional students is proposed in terms of specific learning disabilities, specifically in terms of the latter form of students who go through education undiagnosed. In addition to this direction, we provide a condensed understanding of both giftedness and specific learning disabilities in students, as well as how they interact in twice-exceptionality, and how teachers might best navigate the issue of masking within the classroom.

The Role of Reading in English Language Classrooms

Being able to read well is crucially important for language learners. Successful performance at elementary and high school level, as well as on higher levels of academic education, is partly dependent on the ability to read. It is believed that good learners are those who are proficient in reading. However, building such a connection between a reader and the written information is complex for both English as a second language (ESL) and English as a foreign language (EFL) students, and requires the application of various reading strategies. The present study aimed to investigate EFL Bosnian learners' awareness of the use of various reading strategies. Furthermore, the study investigated students' reading habits, favorite reading materials, and the purpose of reading. It was conducted among fifty-seven ninth grade elementary school students. The findings proved that these students are aware of the importance of reading and development of reading skills, as well as of the importance of using appropriate reading strategies in order to be proficient readers and eventually to be more successful in the overall process of learning.

Teaching Lexical Chunks in the Online English Language Classroom through Learning Management Systems

Current educational trends, globalization and the global Covid-19 pandemic have forced institutions of higher education (HEI) worldwide to accelerate the changes already in progress in teaching and learning approaches incorporating more technological enhanced learning. Among the wide range of information-communication-technology tools, the focus here is on Learning Management Systems (LMS), which play a major role in teaching and learning pedagogy, and can help HEIs to achieve more effective learning outcomes. This exploratory research examines the usage of Learning Management Systems to support the teaching of lexical chunks in the online English language classroom at HEIs. The investigation will focus on Moodle and will identify the factors that support students’ interaction with language content and input in this digital learning environment, by looking at the use of Moodle features and activities to teach and practice lexical chunks. Findings suggest that Moodle proves of great value for online English language teaching and the practice of lexical chunks, whereby quiz activities can be used to great effect, producing motivation to engage with lexical chunks among students.