Development of Leadership Competencies During Studies at an Institution of Higher Education: Students’ Opinion

In order for more professionals to take the role of leaders, the systematic attitude to this question is necessary and one of the aspects is that it is needed to begin preparing students for the leadership at a higher school. Although there are many facts about the importance of developing of leadership competences at higher schools, there is a lack of research on the subject of students’ opinion about leadership development in Lithuania, as well as in other countries. That is why the research considering this issue is relevant practically and quite new scientifically. The aim of this study is to reveal students’ opinion about developing leadership competences during the studies at an institution of higher education. For this purpose, in the year 2015 and 2016 the research involving 857 last year students from different Lithuanian higher education institutions was fulfilled. The research has shown that the demand of students to develop leadership competences is significantly high and it is realized only partially. The research also confirmed the idea that the development of the leadership competencies could not be based on only one subject, but the integrated strategy needs to be applied. Based on the findings, some recommendations for higher education institutions were formulated as well

Praktikos mentorių lyderystės kompetencijų ir mentoriaus funkcijų įtaka plėtojant studentų lyderystės kompetencijas

Moksliniais tyrimais nustatyta, kad aukštosios mokyklos vaidina ypač didelį vaidmenįkuriant ir formuojant lyderystės kokybę šiuolaikinėje visuomenėje. Dėl to šiuolaikinėsaukštosios mokyklos susiduria su problema, kaip ugdyti lyderystės kompetencijas.Viena iš efektyviausių strategijų įvardijama praktinė veikla, o joje aktualizuojamasmentoriaus vaidmuo. Mentorystės svarbos aktualizavimas plėtojant ir stiprinant studentųlyderystės kompetencijas paskatino šio tyrimo objektu pasirinkti mentoriaus irstudento lyderystės kompetencijų ryšius. Todėl šiame straipsnyje nagrinėjama mentoriausir mentorystės samprata, gilinamasi į tai, koks mentoriaus vaidmuo yra studentųpraktikos veikloje, nagrinėjama, kokie veiksniai turi įtakos produktyviam studento irmentoriaus bendradarbiavimui ir kompetencijų, iš jų ir lyderystės, sėkmingam perdavimui.Taip pat teoriškai ir empiriškai pagrindžiama, kad yra ryšys tarp praktikosmentorių lyderystės kompetencijų ir studentų išugdytų lyderystės kompetencijų.PAGRINDINIAI ŽODŽIAI: lyderystė, lyderystės kompetencijų plėtojimas, mentorystė. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15181/andragogy.v6i0.121

NATŪRALUSIS EKSPERIMENTAS KAIP SOCIALINIŲ MOKSLŲ POZITYVISTINIO TYRIMO STRATEGIJA

Although the representatives of different social sciences are trying to highlight and raise the methodological and methodical peculiarity of social sciences with respect to natural sciences, it should be noted that a big part of social sciences research is based on the positivist research paradigm. The positivist tradition allows a researcher to choose certain research methods that originated from natural sciences and to apply them in the research of social sciences. Regarding the possibilities to determine causality, an experiment is considered to be the best empirical research method. However, the emphasis is placed on the complicated application of this method to social sciences due to certain practical, political and ethical aspects. When developing ideas about an appropriate and effective use of the experimental research method in social sciences, the use of natural experiment is recommended. Although in recent years, the research based on the methodology of natural experiment is gaining popularity, there is still a lack of literature on how and when this methodology can be applied, what problems it can help to solve, how data can be collected and analysed. Thus, on the basis of methodological literature analysis, this article is an attempt to present natural experiment as a method for social researches, to provide guidelines and recommendations for the application of the methodology of natural experiment and to inspire scientific discussion about using the strategy of natural experiment in social sciences.KEYWORDS: experiment, natural experiment, positivist research strategy

PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY OF NURSING STUDENTS IN LITHUANIA AND POLAND

Nurses' professional identities develop throughout their lifetimes, from before entering nursing education, throughout their years of study and clinical experience, and continue to evolve during their careers. Education is, however, a key period as it is during this time students gain the knowledge and skills that separate nurses as healthcare professionals from people representing their professions. In order to purposefully shape the professional identity of nursing students, there is a need of knowing the level at which students identify themselves with the profession when graduating from a university. The aim of the study is to reveal the professional identity of nursing students in Lithuania and Poland and to make recommendations for improving the study process on the basis of the results of the study. A quantitative survey was conducted in the spring of 2017. The results of the research reveal that the professional identity of nursing students is rather of high level, the decision to work as nurses is strong, but there are some gaps in understanding of roles and responsibilities of nursing.

Effective communication in the healthcare settings: Are the graduates ready for it?

Social competences, and particularly good communication skills, are becoming increasingly important in contemporary professional environment. Although studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of different training strategies, many Lithuanian higher education institutions have not yet incorporated the training of communication skills in their curriculum. The aim of this paper is to assess the communication skills of healthcare students in Lithuania and indicate the benefits of their development. Students graduating from a variety of health sciences study programs (N=118) self-assessed their communication skills. The results show that participants their communication skills as average with some potential strengths, i.e. ability to talk about things of interest to every person in conversation, recognizing how others are reacting to what is being said, not interrupting others in the conversation, understanding other people’s feelings, ability to praise the person, etc. On the other hand, some skills and abilities need to be improved, i.e. expressing opinion in a non-aggressive manner, as well as thinking and speaking clearly, while being emotional

THE NEED FOR STUDENTS OF PEDAGOGY PROGRAMMES TO DEVELOP LEADERSHIP CONPETENCIES AND ITS REALIZATION IN LITHUANIAN HIGHER EDUCATION

Although there are facts about the significance of education of leadership competences at higher schools, there is a lack of research on this issue in Lithuania, as well as in other countries. That’s why the research considering this issue is relevant practically and quite new scientifically. The aim of this article is to reveal the demand of students of pedagogical programmes to educate leadership competences and its realisation at higher schools. For this purpose, in the year 2011 the questionnaire involving 507 students of final courses who study at programmes training educators at universities and colleges was fulfilled by using a specially created instrument. The research has shown that the demand of students from pedagogical programmes to educate leadership competences is significantly high and it is realized only partially. KEY WORDS: pedagogical leadership, education of leadership competences

SELF-ASSESSMENT OF COMMUNICATION SKILLS OF HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS: A QUANTITATIVE STUDY

Communication and social skills are becoming increasingly valuable in the 21st century. Despite increasing awareness of the importance of communication skills in modern healthcare practice, there is a lack of research that addresses this issue. The aim of this research is to assess the communication skills of healthcare professionals working in Lithuanian healthcare institutions. Respondents (n=1154) were asked to assess their own communication skills using the Interpersonal Communication Skills Inventory. The research revealed that sending clear message skills were the strongest and giving/getting feedback skills were the lowest for most of the respondents, including physicians, head nurses, nurse, nurse assistants, and other personnel. The strongest aspects were that respondents can talk to other people and others seemed to be interested and attentive when healthcare specialists were talking because in conversation they were trying to talk about things of interest to both them and the other persons. The respondents could recognize as well how others were reacting to what they were saying. However, they did not always care how other person feels about the point they try to make. Emotional interaction skills were the lowest for most of the respondents in this study. They saw a tendency to change the subject when other person’s feelings enter into the discussion and it was difficult for them to think when they were angry with someone. It was summarized that talking, listening, and emotional interaction skills of the respondents are the areas that need more consistent attention, and giving / getting feedback is the skill that needs much improvement.

Percepciones de estudiantes de enfermería sobre el Ambiente de Aprendizaje Clínico y la salud mental: estudio multicéntrico

Objetivo: este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar as percepções dos estudantes de Enfermagem das universidades públicas de três países da União Europeia sobre saúde mental e ambientes de aprendizagem clínica, tema pouco investigado na literatura. Método: a coleta de dados ocorreu por meio de um formulário de dados demográficos, a Escala Ambiente de Aprendizagem Clínica, Supervisão e Professor de Enfermagem e o Mental Health Continuum Short Form. Um total de 571 participantes da Turquia, Lituânia e Portugal foram incluídos no estudo. Resultados: houve uma diferença significativa entre os três grupos em relação ao ambiente de aprendizagem clínica e estado de saúde mental (p <0,001). A supervisão foi o elemento mais valorizado. Os estudantes portugueses apresentaram a média mais elevada nos escores do Mental Health Continuum Short Form e Ambiente de Aprendizagem Clínica, Supervisão e Professor de Enfermagem (p<0,001). Idade, sexo e saúde mental influíram nos escores do Ambiente de Aprendizagem Clínico, Supervisão e Professor de Enfermagem. Conclusão: os resultados indicaram que os escores do Mental Health Continuum Short Form e Ambiente de Aprendizagem Clínica, Supervisão e Professor de Enfermagem obtidos pelos estudantes de Enfermagem portugueses foram mais elevados. Revelou-se também que as percepções dos alunos sobre o ambiente de aprendizagem clínica foram afetadas pela idade e sexo, e que suas percepções sobre saúde mental foram influenciadas pelos escores da escala Ambiente de Aprendizagem Clínica, Supervisão e Professor de Enfermagem.Objective: this study aimed at evaluating the perceptions of Nursing students from public universities in three European Union countries on mental health and clinical learning environments, a topic that has been rarely investigated in the literature. Method: data collection took place using a demographic data form, the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher Scale, and the Mental Health Continuum Short Form. A total of 571 participants from Turkey, Lithuania and Portugal were included in the study. Results: there was a significant difference among the three groups regarding clinical learning environment and mental health status (p<.001). Supervision was the most valued element. The Portuguese students presented the highest mean in the Mental Health Continuum Short Form and Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher Scale scores (p<.001). Age, gender and mental health were effective in the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher Scale scores. Conclusion: the results indicated that the Mental Health Continuum Short Form and Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher Scale scores obtained by the Portuguese Nursing students were higher. It was also revealed that the students’ perceptions on the clinical learning environment were affected by age and gender, and that their perceptions on mental health were influenced by the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher scale scores.Objetivo: este estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar las percepciones de estudiantes de enfermería de universidades públicas de tres países de la Unión Europea sobre la salud mental y los Ambientes de Aprendizaje Clínico, tema poco estudiado en la literatura. Método: la recolección de datos se realizó mediante un formulario de datos demográficos, la Escala de Evaluación de Ambiente de Aprendizaje Clínico, Supervisión y Profesor de Enfermería y el Mental Health Continuum Short Form. Se incluyeron en el estudio un total de 571 participantes de Turquía, Lituania y Portugal. Resultados: hubo una diferencia significativa entre los tres grupos con respecto al Ambiente de Aprendizaje Clínico y al estado de salud mental (p < 0,001). La supervisión fue el elemento más valorado. Los estudiantes portugueses obtuvieron los puntajes promedio más altos en el Mental Health Continuum Short Form y Ambiente de Aprendizaje Clínico, Supervisión y Profesor de Enfermería (p<0,001). La edad, el sexo y la salud mental influyeron en los puntajes de Ambiente de Aprendizaje Clínico, Supervisión y Profesor de Enfermería. Conclusión: los resultados indicaron que los estudiantes de Enfermería portugueses obtuvieron los puntajes más altos en el Mental Health Continuum Short Form y Ambiente de Aprendizaje Clínico, Supervisión y Profesor de Enfermería. También se reveló que las percepciones de los estudiantes sobre el Ambiente de Aprendizaje Clínico se vieron afectadas por la edad y el género, y que sus percepciones sobre la salud mental fueron influenciadas por los puntajes de la escala de evaluación de Ambiente de Aprendizaje Clínico, Supervisión y Profesor de Enfermería

Mokytojų mentorių lyderystės kompetencijos kaip studentų lyderystės kompetencijų ugdymo veiksnys

The importance of leadership for the quality of education and for the progress of school has been emphasized. Recently the proof that in leadership environment at schools the significance of leadership of teachers is not less important than the leadership of principals has increased; in some aspects it is even more significant for the achievements of students than the leadership of the principals. The importance of teachers-leaders has especially been emphasized in recent years. So the scientists have raised an idea that educators should be prepared for leadership at higher school. There has been more and more research done concerning the preparation of students for leadership. The role of practice in this process has been increasingly emphasized. At the same time, the influence of mentors on the education of students as leaders has also been acknowledged. Although the significance of practical activity and mentorship has been emphasized, the lack of research has been felt that could reveal the connection between the leadership competencies of mentors and their students. Due to practical relevance and the lack of research, the issue of connection between leadership competencies and mentorship has been chosen for this dissertational research. The results of natural experiment show change in leadership competencies of students during teaching practicum as well as differences between their mentors’ leadership competencies and their own ones, connection between students’ leadership competencies and their mentor’s functions fulfilled, and forecast of impact of mentors’ leadership competencies on students’ leadership competencies has been provided