Responsibility as a social capital phenomenon in the eyes of young people. International perspective

SummaryIn this article, we analyse the phenomenon of responsibility and its understanding among young people from Visegrad countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary). Using the AGA research method, 400 students of the last stages of economic faculties in capital and local universities were examined. The results indicate a personal rather than a social dimension of responsibility. We also found some patterns to depend on the country. Young Poles’ responsibility is more related to the subjective dimension, Hungarians’ to social, Czechs’ to affective, and Slovaks’ to moral one.Key words: responsibility, young people, social capital.Department of Psychology of Development and EducationSocial Science FacultyUniversity of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, ul. Oczapowskiego 210-975 Olsztyn, Poland In this article, we analyse the phenomenon of responsibility and its understanding among young people from Visegrad countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary). Using the AGA research method, 400 students of the last stages of economic faculties in capital and local universities were examined. The results indicate a personal rather than a social dimension of responsibility. We also found some patterns to depend on the country. Young Poles’ responsibility is more related to the subjective dimension, Hungarians’ to social, Czechs’ to affective, and Slovaks’ to moral one.Key words: responsibility, young people, social capital.Jaunimo požiūris į atsakomybę kaip į socialinį kapitalą . Tarptautinė perspektyvaBeata Krzywosz-RynkiewiczSantraukaŠiame straipsnyje analizuojama, kaip jaunimas iš Vyšegrado šalių (Lenkijos, Čekijos, Slovakijos, Vengrijos) supranta atsakomybę. Naudojant AGA metodą buvo ištirta 400 skirtingų universitetų studentų, besimokančių paskutiniuose ekonomikos fakultetų kursuose. Tyrimo rezultatai atskleidė, kad atsakomybė labiau suvokiama asmeniniu, o ne socialiniu lygmeniu. Be to, egzistuoja skirtumai tarp šalių.Pagrindiniai žodžiai: atsakomybė, jaunimas, socialinis kapitalas

SIMILAR OR DIFFERENT? HOW YOUNG PEOPLE CONCEPTUALIZE CONVENTIONAL AND VIRTUAL CITIZENSHIP IN RELATION TO CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION

The development of new technology blurs the line between reality and the virtual world. The extent to which this process influences citizenship should be investigated. The aim of this study was to explore the way in which young people, who have recently acquired formal civil rights, conceptualize the phenomena of citizenship and virtual citizenship in the context of citizenship education. An online study was conducted among 145 Polish university students aged 18–23 (71% females). The Associative Group Analysis (AGA) approach that supports qualitative and quantitative analyses was used to collect associative constructs and conceptualize the studied phenomena. The results indicate that citizenship is perceived in the collective-state dimension with strong nationalist and patriotic undertones. Virtual citizenship is an individual-interpersonal concept that is associated with membership in the global community

Relationship between young people’s citizenship behaviors and personality traits – an international perspective

The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between young people’s citizenship behaviors and their basic personality traits. Three dimensions of citizenship were studied with the use of the model proposed by Zalewska and Krzywosz-Rynkiewicz: (1) passive citizenship, (2) semi-active citizenship, and (3) active citizenship with the following sub-dimensions: political, social, and personal citizenship, and action for change. The Big Five personality traits: (1) Openness to experience (2) Conscientiousness, (3) Extraversion, (4) Agreeableness, and (5) Neuroticism, were evaluated using the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO FFI) (Costa & McCrae) or the Big Five Questionnaire (BFQ44) (Capara, Barbaranelli, Borgogni, & Perugini, 1993). The surveyed sample consisted of a total of 3452 girls (N = 1786) and boys (N = 1666) aged 11 (N = 1099), 14 (N = 1192) and 17 (N = 1163) years. The respondents resided in big cities (N = 1561) and small towns (N = 1863) in 10 countries. The participants completed the Citizenship Behavior Questionnaire and a Big Five personality test (NEO FFI or BFQ44). The results revealed similar citizenship behavior patterns among young people from all surveyed countries. The respondents were most willing to engage in passive and semi-active citizenship activities, and they were least likely to become involved in political activities and activities aimed at bringing about a change. In the analyzed group of personality traits, Conscientiousness and Extraversion were the most strongly correlated with the evaluated dimensions of citizenship behavior, whereas Neuroticism was the least strongly correlated trait. Direct political citizenship was the only dimension that was not correlated with any of the personality traits and was influenced by other factorsVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŠvietimo akademij