service-learning activities are effective in higher education programmes. During the COVID-19 period, universities have implemented this methodology and students have improved their social and practical skills. The purpose of this article is to analyse the role of higher education in the process of adapting teaching based on experiences designed for students to serve the community. This research presents the results of a specific service-learning experience of 35 students from the Teamworking programme during the academic years 2020–21 (online) and 2021–22 (face-to-face), in collaboration with the San Juan de Dios Foundation in Madrid, which provides care for people with disabilities. Students evaluated the experience through a quantitative study based on a questionnaire previously developed by Folgueiras (2013), divided into four dimensions. Students also provided some feedback, explaining that this experience changed their perception of people with disabilities, considering the personal value of contributing to social inclusion through service learning. The results show that through the Folgueiras model, students have strengthened their social skills and competences, and through an applied training project that offers the opportunity to build a real relationship through different activities, where learning was at the centre of the interaction between students and young people with disabilities. In conclusion, although the evaluation was positive in terms of the students’ professional and human development, this project requires continuous improvement in the long term, since the subjectivity of human relationships follows a dynamic course with variables that are sensitive to time and individual experience.
In response to the rapid and dynamic changes in the economic environment, companies must improve their processes to maintain competitiveness. This includes enhancing their intellectual capital, with particular emphasis on effective onboarding processes, which play a crucial role in integrating new employees and retaining talent. This enhances the value of the organization’s intellectual capital and emphasizes onboarding—the training and integration of new employees—whose proper functioning impacts staff retention. Drawing on both Hungarian and predominantly foreign literature, we highlight onboarding processes and examine their implementation in Hungarian companies of various sizes. The research employed a mixed-method approach, combining semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. In-depth interviews were conducted with HR leaders from 13 Hungarian organizations to explore the existence of mentoring programs. Additionally, 161 employees across Hungary completed questionnaires, which examined their perspectives on onboarding processes and the relationship between mentoring programs and company size. We analyzed the data using chi-square tests to assess the strength of these relationships. While all large companies in our sample had formal mentoring programs, smaller companies displayed more variability, with some relying on informal or ad-hoc onboarding processes. Based on these results, we identified several key areas for improvement in onboarding processes. These include enhancing the structure of feedback interviews, ensuring more comprehensive communication channels, and strengthening mentoring programs across companies of all sizes. By addressing these gaps, companies can improve employee retention, engagement, and overall integration during the onboarding process, contributing to a more stable and motivated workforce.
At the beginning of the 21st century, sustainability is today’s most important issue, but it is achieved only in those areas where there is environmental awareness. Natural heritage is a part of heritage tourism in terms of the grouping of attraction types. The conceptualization of heritage and cultural heritage itself is not uniform in the national and domestic literature, with some considering heritage tourism to be synonymous with cultural tourism and others interpreting it as a connotation. This study aims to present the natural heritage of Győr-Moson-Sopron County (Hungary). Quantitative research was used to analyze the topic (N = 666), the sample is not representative and the selection of respondents was random. Data were collected between 1 September 2023 and 31 October 2023 using electronic questionnaires shared on Google Drive. Data were processed using SPSS 25.0 and MS Office Excel in addition to the descriptive statistical data (modus, median, standard deviation), correlation, and cross-tabulation analyses. In the framework of quantitative research, respondents’ travel willingness to visit tourist attractions, their specific expenditures, and their intention to participate in various events were conducted. The following questions are addressed in the study, whether all three national parks (Fertő-Hanság, Pannontáj-Sokoró and Szigetköz) are equally popular among tourists, whether the educational level of tourists influences the visitation of Lake Fertő, whether the respondents’ place of residence and the Danube floodplain influence the visitation of the lake and whether the age of the respondents influences the visitation of the 700-year-old oak in Hédervár. The significant finding of the study is that the mean of non-young people’s visitation is higher than that of young people in all three national parks.
The safeguarding of agricultural land is rooted in national land surveys and remote sensing data, which are enhanced by contemporary information technology. This framework facilitates the monitoring and regulation of unauthorized alterations in cultivated land usage. This paper aims to analyze land policies at the national, provincial, and local levels, investigate the cultivated land protection strategies implemented within the research region, where the policies have gained societal acceptance, and propose recommendations and countermeasures to enhance the development and utilization of land resources. The central issue of this study is to identify the challenges in achieving a balance between human activities and natural ecosystems. To address this issue, the research employs a combination of literature review, semi-structured interviews, text analysis, and content analysis, emphasizing the integration of empirical fieldwork and theoretical frameworks. Key areas of focus include: (a) the current state of the farmland protection system, (b) the legal foundations for local enforcement, (c) the systematic mechanisms for implementing arable land protection, and (d) the coordinated oversight system involving both the Party and government. Notably, the practice of cultivated land protection faces several challenges, primarily stemming from two factors. Firstly, there exists a disconnect between the economic interests of certain illegal land users and the objectives of land management, which hinders effective enforcement. Secondly, environmental repercussions arise from misinterpretations of land policy or non-compliant land development practices aimed at profit, which contradict the goals of ecological sustainability. The study examines two approaches to address the issue: the distribution and effective use of land resources, and the capacity for monitoring and early warning systems. Findings indicate that Dongtai City in Jiangsu Province has rigorously implemented all national land management policies, while also preserving the adaptability of local townships in practical applications, thereby ensuring the consistency of both the quality and quantity of arable land.
This study investigates the awareness of environmentally friendly (green) dentistry practices among dental students and faculty at Ajman University in the United Arab Emirates. The primary objective is to assess their understanding and application of eco-friendly dental practices, including waste management, energy conservation, and sustainable material usage. Using a descriptive cross-sectional design, an online survey was administered to 231 randomly selected participants. The results show that although awareness of green dentistry has increased, its practical implementation remains limited. Specialists displayed the highest levels of knowledge and practice, while general practitioners demonstrated the least. Male participants showed greater experience and expertise compared to females, and the age group of 30–39 exhibited the highest levels of knowledge and practice, although age was not found to significantly affect awareness or usage. The findings highlight the need for enhanced education and encouragement of green dentistry to protect the environment and promote sustainable dental practices.
Digitalization has recently gained significant relevance in the education field. The focus has been on its use and application, as well as on training teachers and students to become responsible, competent, and ethical users of technology. This is connected to the creation of policies and programs that promote online learning and interaction from basic to higher education. In this context, this study aims to analyze the scientific production related to digital citizenship through a bibliometric mapping of publications indexed in the Web of Science database. The goal is to identify the main research trends in this field. The results show a growth in the number of publications since 2016, mainly focusing on topics such as digital citizenship media, digital competences, higher education, teachers, students, adolescents, adults, competence, digital literacy, and citizenship education. The presence of a significant number of journals related to the field of education denotes a close relationship between this field and the topic of study. Also, it is revealing a higher concentration of research production in the United States and Europe, with Latin America being absent from this scenario. The study identifies an intellectual structure of the discipline, particularly regarding the most relevant authors, journals, and descriptors. These results are important for understanding the research practices inherent to the field, which projects digital citizenship as an emerging topic. The study concludes by proposing lines of interest for further research on the topic in education and other fields, as well as acknowledging the limitations found in the present article.
This study replicates and extends Corbett and Kirsch (2001) and Vastag (2004) using a new data set to investigate the drivers of ISO 14000 certification diffusions using decision tree analysis. The findings indicate that at the national level, ISO 14000 certification diffusions are influenced by factors other than ISO 9000 certification diffusions, such as the number of environmental treaties signed and ratified, industrial activities as a percentage of GDP, and GDP per capita, thus provides a range of managerial insights and enhances scholarly understanding of sustainability beyond the influence of ISO 9000. Future studies might extend the countries included in this study to see if the results are the same. Future research may include other factors like a country’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) indicators to better understand its commitment to sustainability, including environmental sustainability. The country’s culture may influence customers, investors, and other stakeholders’ knowledge and desire for sustainable practices and inspire firms to obtain ISO 14000 certifications. Since larger firms may seek ISO 14000 certification, future studies may evaluate the influence of the number of large firms in various countries as drivers of ISO certification diffusions.
Young people are a traditional risk group for radicalization and involvement in protest and extremist activities. The relevance of this topic is due to the growing threat of youth radicalization, the expansion of the activities of extremist organizations, and the need to organize high-quality preventive work in educational organizations at various levels. The article provides an overview of research on the topic under consideration and also presents the results of a series of surveys in general educational institutions and organizations of secondary vocational education (n = 11,052), universities (n = 3966) located in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. The results of the study on aspects of students’ ideas about extremism are presented in terms of assessing their own knowledge about extremism, the presence/absence of radically minded people around them, determining the degree of threat from the activities of extremist groups for themselves and their social environment, and identifying approaches to preventing the growth of extremism in society. Conclusions are drawn about the need to improve preventive work models in educational organizations towards a targeted (group) approach.
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