The characteristics of physical strength and functional ability of mountain bikers and road cyclists

Tyrimo tikslas – ištirti Lietuvos kalnų dviratininkų fizines ir funkcines galias bei palyginti šių tyrimų rezultatus su analogiško Lietuvos didelio meistriškumo plento dviratininkų tyrimo rezultatais. Tyrimuose dalyvavo Lietuvos kalnų dviratininkai (n = 17) ir Lietuvos didelio meistriškumo plento dviratininkai (n = 15). Išmatuoti antropometriniai fizinio išsivystymo rodikliai. Specialiajam anaerobiniam alaktatiniam galingumui nustatyti taikytas 10 s trukmės maksimalių pastangų testas, mišriajam anaerobiniam alaktatiniam-glikolitiniam galingumui – Wingate 30 s trukmės maksimalių pastangų testas, aerobiniam pajėgumui – nuosekliai didėjančio krūvio testas veloergometru. Šio tyrimo metu buvo registruojami kiekvieno kvėpavimo ciklo plaučių ventiliacijos (PV), pulso dažnio (PD), deguonies suvartojimo (VO2) ir galingumo (W) rodikliai ties kritinio intensyvumo ir anaerobinės apykaitos slenksčio ribomisThe aim of this study was to investigate the physical strength and functional abilities of Lithuanian mountain bikers and to compare the results with analogical results of elite road cyclists’ of Lithuania. 17 mountain bikers and 15 elite road cyclists of Lithuania were tested. Anthropometric measurements were performed. The 10-second test was performed to estimate the special alactic anaerobic power output, whereas the 30-second Wingate test was performed to estimate composite alactic anaerobic glycolytic power output. For evaluating the aerobic capacity progressive incremental laboratory cycling test to exhaustion was performed. During this test pulmonary ventilation (VE), heart rate (HR), oxygen usage (VO2) and power output (W) were continuously registered, also anaerobic threshold was determined. Road cyclists had higher muscle mass (p<0,05) and mountain bikers had higher hand grip strength (p<0,001) due to the isometric contractions of arm muscles necessary for bike handling and stabilizationVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŠvietimo akademij

Xenophobia and the phenomenon of populism in contemporary Western Europe

Jaunųjų politologų almanachas nuo Nr. 3 pakeitė pavadinimą į Politikos mokslų almanachasEuropos Sąjungos integracijos kontekste šiuolaikinėje Vakarų Europoje, kur turėtų vyrauti sutarimas ir darna bei bendri idealai, jau nuo devinto dešimtmečio pastebimas priešingas efektas. Tai ksenofobijos ir etninio nepakantumo augimas. Užuot bandydamos liberalizuoti migracijos įstatymus, Vakarų Europos valstybės pradeda vykdyti antiimigracinę ir ksenofobinę politiką. Tai dažniausiai daroma dešiniųjų populistinių partijų dėka, nes identiteto išsaugojimo klausimas yra jautrus, o populistinės partijos dažniausiai tuo ir naudojasi. Šiame darbe, be pateikto istorinio ksenofobijos konteksto, bandoma atsakyti į pagrindinį klausimą – kokiu būdu dešiniosios populistinės partijos naudoja ksenofobiją kaip priemonę savo politiniams tikslams pasiekti ir kiek tokios galimybės yra sėkmingos21st century is called the century of democracy. But if you take a look at the contemporary political discourse and recent situation, it is evident that the real situation is far from the described above. “The resurgence of ideological and political turbulence in the late 1960s, social conflicts rising in the early 1970s, and the spread of mass protest by new social movements and citizen initiatives in the 1980s were symptoms of a profound transformation of West European politics”. This transformation united xenophobia and the populist ideology into one strong phenomenon that became very popular among the European societies. “Populist parties are generally thought of as lacking grand visions on comprehensive ideological projects. Instead, they are presumed to appeal to common sense of common people, seek to divine mood swings of an increasingly volatile electorate, and to shape their political programs accordingly.” Because of high popularity, radical right wing populism becomes stronger. The main purpose of today’s political and social elite is to stop or to prevent European societies from the possibility of becoming xenophobic nations full of fair and hatred. The way of preventing xenophobia and radical right wing populism is to create a unified and common European identity. “The future of radical right-wing populism ultimately depends on the degree on which it manages to incorporate the question of national identity into a coherent political program”. Since this question was successfully unified in the Western democracies, it is possible that these parties and xenophobic radicalism can come to new EU member states: to Lithuania as wellPolitikos mokslų ir diplomatijos fakultetasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Mokslinės veiklos uždaviniai ir būsimųjų mokslininkų pasirengimas mokslinei veiklai

Vytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Samogitian Calvary Hills prayers and songs: between tradition and innovation

Katalikų liturgiją sudaro Šv. Mišios ir pridedamosios pamaldos. Pridedamosios pamaldos – tai religinės apeigos, skirtos liaudžiai arba liaudies viešai vietos kalba atliekamos ne per šv. Mišias bažnyčioje, o prie arba po šv. Mišių bažnyčioje, taip pat namų aplinkoje ir atviroje erdvėje, koplyčiose. Lietuvoje pridedamąsias pamaldas sudaro įvairios maldos ir giesmės. Žemaitijoje tai specifinės Žemaičių Kalvarijos Kalnų (toliau Kalnų – A. M.) maldos ir giesmės. Šiandien ši pamaldumo praktika yra vadinama „senaisiais“ arba „naujaisiais“ Kalnais. Tyrimo tikslas – atskleisti, kas tai yra. Atliktas tyrimas atskleidė kelis dalykus. Pirma, „senųjų“ Kalnų pamaldumo praktikos tradicija gimė 1681 metais ir gyvavo iki 1968 m., pirmojo Liturginio maldyno atsiradimo. Antra, nuo 1968 metų iki 2016 metų išleistos šešios Liturginio maldyno laidos su „naujųjų“ Kalnų redakcija. Trečia, „naujųjų“ Kalnų redakcija atsirado atsižvelgiant į 1962–1965 m. įvykusio Vatikano II Visuotinio Bažnyčios Susirinkimo priimtas direktyvas. Ketvirta, po 1991 m. Lietuvoje susiformavusios dvasingumo praktikos, liberalios ir laisvos kūrybinės iniciatyvos ir nuo XXI a. pradžios Lietuvoje besiformuojanti laisvosios ekonomikos rinkos dėsnių praktika pamažu ėmė išstumti tradicinę gyvo meldimosi ir „senųjų“ Kalnų giedojimo pamaldumo raišką. Pristatomos išvados patvirtina darbo pradžioje keltą tyrimo hipotezę, kad XX a. pab.–XXI a. pr. pasaulyje ir Lietuvoje įvykusio krikščionybės ir ekonomikos atsinaujinimo kontekste tebėra praktikuojamos tiek tradicinės, tiek ir naujosios Žemaičių Kalvarijos Kalnų maldos ir giesmėsThe Catholic Liturgy comprises of the St. Mass and supplementary services. Supplementary services are religious practices of the community designed to be performed not during the Mass but in local language before or after the service, also at home and in chapels. In Lithuania, these are various religious songs and prayers. Lithuania’s ethnographic region, Samogitia, distinguishes itself by a very special form of singing, Samogitian Calvary Hills (hereafter – Hills) prayers and hymns. Today, this specific devotional practice is called ‘Old’ or ‘New’ Hills. The main aim of the article is to describe these two distinctive forms of prayers and singing. Research showed that the ‘Old’ Hills tradition of devotional practice was born in 1681 and had existed until the publication of a new Liturgical prayer book in 1968. From 1968 to 2016, six Liturgical prayer books with the new edition of ‘New’ Hills were released. The new version was influenced by the directives of the Second Vatican Council which took place in 1962–1965. Since 1991, liberal and free market-based economy in Lithuania has ousted the traditional ‘Old’ Hills practice. The article proves the hypothesis that today Hills prayers and hymns are performed in both traditional and new waysVytauto Didžiojo universitetasKatalikų teologijos fakultetasReligijos studijų katedr

Evaluation of educational inequality in Lithuania

ISSN 2335-8742 (Online)Autorės straipsnyje analizuoja teorinius išsilavinimo nelygybės ypatumus ir, pasitelkusios tiesioginį Gini išsilavinimo nelygybės indekso skaičiavimo metodą, vertina išsilavinimo nelygybę Lietuvoje. Naudojamas metodas pabrėžia išsilavinimo nelygybę nuo žemiausio lygmensAuthors analyze the causes and effects of educational inequality, and summarize the results of education inequality in Lithuania by using direct Gini index method. It is important to know that this method is used to calculate education inequality for basic levelsEkonomikos ir vadybos fakultetasEkonomikos katedraVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Estate raids in Vilnius district in the mid-18th century (statistics, social composition of the raiders, degree of violence)

The article analyses a specific kind of crime committed by the nobility of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, i. e. the raids on estates, in Vilnius District (administrative district in Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine). The article covers the period of the mid-18th century when the country was ruled by Augustus III (1734–1763). Attacks were well organized, armed, and violent seizures of other people’s possessions; they were organized on a large scale. According to the legal norms of that period, these raids could have been legal, having the approval of the law court, and illegal. The latter, however, were the most frequent ones; we did not come across any legal attacks. Raids were one of the most widely spread crimes in rural territories and the most frequent crime against a person and his/her property in the period under analysis. All in all, 288 cases dealing with this crime during the above-mentioned period were found. Frequency tendencies of these attacks are directly related to the general tendencies of crime rate. The boom of this kind of crime could be dated by the 5th decade of the 18th century when, on average, more than 13 attacks occurred every year; later, their number decreased. The raids usually took place in summer, at day-time; however, there were some other cases as well. The group of raiders, as a rule, consisted of a landlord, his family members, and land administrators with their subjects – household servants and peasants. Peasants and other unprivileged subjects participated in almost all attacks. Though acts of violence were abundant, homicide cases were not numerous. For example, we discovered only seven murder cases; some deaths occurred after attacks, and some women miscarried because of the acts of violence. Violence was committed against people of all social layers, and imprisonment or rapes could be defined as concrete cases of the expression of this violence.[...]Humanitarinių mokslų fakultetasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Propaganda war in the Lithuanian diaspora press during the soviet period

eISSN 2351-6461Analizuojant informacinį propagandinį karą tarp išeivijos ir sovietų galima kalbėti apie atskirus šio karo etapus: nuo informacijos rinkimo, apdorojimo iki atvirų pareiškimų spaudos puslapiuose. Išeivija buvo aktyvi šio informacinio propagandinio karo dalyvė, turėjusi savo taktiką, siekusi konkrečių tikslų. Nevengta įvairių ginklų, netgi sovietinės propagandos panaudojimo konrtrpropagandiniams tikslams. Sovietų bandymai įvairiomis priemonėmis neutralizuoti priešingą pusę dažniausia būdavo nesėkmingiThis article briefly surveys the information/ propaganda war raging between Lithuania and the diaspora during the Soviet period. In analyzing this war it is possible to distinguish separate stages of it – from the collection, processing, and use of information in one’s own press to open informational and propagandistic warfare in the public sphere. The diaspora community actively participated in this war, and it had its own tactics, objectives, and means to achieve them. A variety of weapons were used, including those employed by Soviet propaganda itself, which was cleverly positioned with a opposed viewpoint to produce a contra-propagandistic effect. Soviet efforts to neutralize the other side were usually ineffectiveHumanitarinių mokslų fakultetasLietuvių išeivijos institutasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Mandatory qualifying examination of accountants in Lithuania: an assessment of feasibility

Straipsnyje privalomas Lietuvos buhalterių kvalifikacijos egzaminavimas vertinamas trimis aspektais: kiek privalomas buhalterių egzaminavimas yra paplitęs kitose ES šalyse, ar rinkoje egzistuoja kitos kvalifikacijos patvirtinimo alternatyvos bei kaip esamą reikalavimą vertina Lietuvos apskaitos rinkos ekspertai. Tyrimo rezultatai rodo, kad privalomas Lietuvos buhalterių kvalifikacijos egzaminavimas nėra pagrįstas nei vienu iš analizuotų aspektų. Lietuvos apskaitos rinkai labiau tinkama būtų rinkos savireguliacijos alternatyvaDue to the rapid pace of globalization and business relationships management of companies become more and more complex and provoke many changes in the way business is run. It also increases the need for true and fair accounting information as the main source of information about an entity. Therefore the role of reliable and honest accountants in management of companies and worldwide economy is important as never. Therefore, knowledge, skill and qualification of accountants are important topics of discussion among researchers and professionals. According to the national Law of Accounting as of 2016 Lithuania introduces new requirements regarding qualification of chief accountants. According to these requirements all the accountants who sign financial statements of an entity have to pass two compulsory exams and have to comply with the requirements of Code of Professional accountants. However, despite the fact that provisions of the law come in force in less than two years, accountants’ qualification examination system is not yet clear. It raises many questions to the participants of Lithuanian accounting market, such as what will be the content of the exam, should such exams be specialized based on size and sector of entities, etc. Analysis of Lithuanian and foreign scientific literature revealed a lack of up to date scientific research on qualifying examination for accountants. However, as such Lithuanian requirement sets many discussions among practitioners and as it will strongly influence future of accounting profession in Lithuania, a scientific discussion on the problem is required. The aim of this paper is to assess if Lithuanian requirement for mandatory qualifying examination of accountants is feasible. [...]Ekonomikos ir vadybos fakultetasFinansų katedraVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Formuojamasis vertinimas meninio ugdymo pamokoje: epizodinis ar integruotas į veiksmingą mokymą?

E-ISSN 2029-0551Formuojamasis vertinimas šiandien laikomas svarbiu veiksniu gerinant mokinių mokymąsi ir pasiekimus. Formuojamasis vertinimas suprantamas kaip mokytojo grįžtamasis ryšys, padedantis mokiniui susiorientuoti, kas daroma gerai, kas ir kaip galėtų būti pagerinta. Tačiau nėra aišku, kaip plačiai formuojamasis vertinimas turėtų būti suprantamas. Vieni tyrėjai ir ekspertai grįžtamąjį ryšį daugiau supranta kaip epizodą, kurio metu mokytojas teikia grįžtamąjį ryšį apie užduoties atlikimą. Kad šis grįžtamasis ryšys būtų veiksmingas, dedama daug pastangų aiškinantis tinkamiausius būdus (vertinimą poromis, mokinio savęs vertinimą, mokytojo dialogą su mokiniu ir kt.). Kiti autoriai, nenuneigdami to, formuojamąjį vertinimą supranta plačiau ir teigia, jog formuojamasis vertinimas yra integruotas į visą veiksmingą mokymą. Šio darbo tikslas buvo nustatyti, kaip formuojamasis vertinimas taikomas meninio ugdymo dalykų (dailės, muzikos, šokio, teatro) pamokose. Tyrimo metu atlikta bendrojo ugdymo mokyklų išorės vertintojų įvertintų meninio ugdymo dalykų pamokų protokolų (n – 142), kuriuose formuojamasis vertinimas buvo įvertintas kaip neveiksmingas (1 balas) ir kaip veiksmingas (4 balai) antrinė analizė. Tyrimo duomenys apdoroti taikant kiekybinę ir kokybinę analizes. Kiekybinė duomenų analizė parodė formuojamojo vertinimo ir kitų pamokos aspektų įvertinimų artumą. Tose meninio ugdymo pamokose, kuriose formuojamasis vertinimas rastas veiksmingas, beveik pusėje iš jų (43 proc.) kiti vertinti aspektai taip pat buvo rasti veiksmingi, likusiose pamokose – artėjantys prie veiksmingų („vadovavimas mokinių mokymuisi“ – 3,83, „mokymosi patirtys“ – 3,75, „mokinių pasiekimai ir pažanga“ – 3,71). [...]The question of how formative assessment should be used in lessons: as an episode of feedback, or wider – as integrated with effective teaching has been researched on extensively. This article presents the results of the investigation conducted on the protocols of arts education (music, fine arts, dance, theatre) lessons imparted in Lithuanian general education schools. For the analysis, protocols with extreme (effective, 4 points and ineffective, 1 point) evaluations of formative assessment were selected. It was found, that of the lessons, almost in half (43%) of those in which the aspect of formative assessment was effective, all the other aspects were effective as well. In the rest of the lessons, all the other aspects (“leadership for pupils’ learning”, “learning experiences”, “pupil achievements and progress”, “learning environments”) approached close to the effective level (averages from 3.83 to 3.65 points). In these lessons, the teachers formulated learning objectives, assessment criteria, used feedback during task performance or after it and at the end of lessons. Of the lessons in which formative assessment was ineffective, the closest to this level was the aspect “pupil achievements and progress” (1.26 points). The other aspects were close to the satisfied level or a little over it (from 1.73 to 2.25 points). In these lessons, teachers didn’t use formative assessment at the end of lessons. Moreover, they didn’t relate feedback used in pupils’ task performance or after with learning objectives and assessment criteria. The results suggest that formative assessment should be considered as being integrated with the whole effective teachingMokytojų rengimo institutasVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŠvietimo akademij

Axiological socio-cultural competence conception context and its expression in vocational training

Straipsnyje analizuojamos šiuolaikinės globalios visuomenės gyvenimo kokybei itin svarbios sociokultūrinės kompetencijos, teikiančios prielaidas sėkmingai asmens integracijai į nuolat besikeičiančią aplinką, gebėjimą gyventi kartu su kitais, palaikyti harmoningus santykius tiek profesinėje veikloje, tiek pilietinėje visuomenėje. Aptariamos sociokultūros, sociokultūrinių kompetencijų sampratos, pateikiama vertybių, kaip sociokultūrinės kompetencijos dalies, svarba suvokiant ne tik save, bet ir šalia esančius, sociokultūrinių kompetencijų ugdymo prielaidos profesinio rengimo sistemojeThis paper analyses the contemporary global society’s quality of life - essential to sociocultural competence, providing conditions for the successful integration of the person into a constantly changing environment, the ability to live with the others and maintaining harmonious relations in profession and civil society. Issues discussed: the sociocultural, socio-cultural competency concepts, the values of the socio-cultural competence, the importance of understanding not only themselves, but also nearby, the socio-cultural competency training assumptions of VET system. The modern global society’s quality of life is becoming extremely important expertise providing preconditions for successful integration into the constantly changing environment, the ability to live with others, and maintaining harmonious relations profession and civil society. Sociocultural concept of public communication norms, customs, traditions, the most important social values, human relationships, lifestyle, non-verbal expression of identity and so on. The socio-cultural competence is interpreted as a public culture in a broad sense, the general socio-cultural context of cognition. Socio-cultural competence acquired and developed throughout life, is conducive to the survival and successful operation of the present job market. Socio-cultural competency content and effects of socialization is highly dependent on the specific field in which these competences are provided, acquired and applied. Vocational training as a full- time continuing education activity is conductive environment to develop these competencies. Bruges Communique (2012, p. 10) states that “the initial and continuing vocational training has a dual purpose: contributing to employability and economic growth and solve common problems of society, in particular the promotion of social cohesion.” [...]Socialinių mokslų fakultetasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta