Cultural Competence: Preparing Future Law Enforcement Officers for Practice in Multicultural Society

Evolving processes of globalization, liberalization and integration and their induced changes pose new challenges to learning/teaching of foreign languages and cultural competence development. Law enforcement officers frequently face difficulties perceiving and interpreting actions and behaviour of citizens from other cultures. It may have the negative impact on law enforcement officers’ communication and prevent them from efficient performing of their duties, which include safety of the community. Therefore, while preparing future law enforcement officers it is of crucial importance to develop their cultural competence. The article covers law enforcers’ attitude towards the cultural aspect of professional foreign language learning/teaching, its significance and development possibilities in studies of law enforcement at Mykolas Romeris University, Public Security Academy

POSSIBILITIES OF ENSURING PERSONAL FREEDOM AND PUBLIC SECURITY IN CONTEMPORARY MIGRATION CONTEXT: THEORETICAL ASPECT

The article deals with compatibility of personal freedom and public security. The aim of the research is to analyse theoretical aspects of the correlation between personal freedom and public security and evaluate their assurance possibilities in the context of contemporary global migration. The article emphasizes value of freedom and security, their interconnection as well as demand and possibilities of their compatibility. Aspects of freedom as personal decision-making and freedom as realizing that decision are analyzed by revealing that extension of freedom boundaries common to contemporary society can turn into self-will with regard to other individuals or society. Such concept of freedom subsequently raises the issue of public security. The following research methods were employed: text interpretation, rational reconstructions, historical explications. On the basis of the methods, the essential ideas of the issue under discussion, its arguments and meanings within historical context were revealed. The conducted analysis allows one to make a conclusion that an individual is free in the society as much as he acknowledges others’ right for freedom whereas the society is secure if certain individual’s self-will is limited for the sake of all society members’ right to freedom. Assurance of personal freedom and public security is the goal of contemporary democratic society and different state institutions including the State Border Guard Service, and has become extremely relevant in the context of modern global migration

English for border guards

Mokomasis leidinys skirtas Mykolo Romerio universiteto Teisės ir valstybės sienos apsaugos nuolatinių ir ištęstinių studijų studentams. Pateikiamos penkios temos su teksto skaitymo, teksto suvokimo patikrinimo ir specialybės anglų kalbos žinių įtvirtinimui skiriamomis būtiniausių specialybės terminų užduotimis. Leidinys gali būti naudojamas tiek dirbant auditorijoje, tiek savarankiškai, studentams rengiantis baigiamajam specialybės anglų kalbos egzaminui raštu ir žodžiu

Developing Intercultural Competences to Diminish the Threat of Intercultural Conflict Rise

Each country’s culture consists of a mosaic of specific ethnic subcultures. Each of these cultures has its value and standard systems, patterns of behaviour and worldview. Thus, it is no surprise that people representing various cultural groups inevitably conflict. This article discusses the nature of intercultural conflicts, the reasons of their rise and their types. Although often the difference of cultures is emphasized as a substantial reason of intercultural conflicts, in real life communicating individuals who differ by their character features and their cultural and intellectual levels cause conflicts. Besides, quite a vital social phenomena as superstitions exists – a tendentious and hostile preconceived attitude. Superstitions have a big emotional critical mass, which place phenomenon in a twisted light and form a negative aggressive outlook of them. Superstitions stimulate negative forms of internecine communication which spill out into ethnic and intercultural conflicts. A proper attention for the acquisition of intercultural competences can become an effective assumption to suppress intercultural conflicts and to stimulate a complete communication and collaboration of representatives from different cultures

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AS THE PRECONDITION OF TEACHER’S PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT

Society is pausing higher and higher requirements for teachers regarding their professionalism, efficiency of activity, personal qualities and other aspects. If we treated teachers’ professional development as a life-long process, we would find alternative learning forms, which enable continuous, individual and flexible learning. It is important to reveal the role of informal learning in the area of life-long learning process because its significance to teacher’s professional competence has not been fully estimated. Knowledge, skills, and abilities that teachers bring into their professional activity, gained as the outcome of informal learning and development, are not adequately valued. Insufficient attention is paid to professionality and contextuality of teacher’s professional competence development. Therefore, it is crucial to perceive experiential learning which determines development of the competence as a constituent part of informal learning. The aim of the article is to reveal the interaction between experiential learning and teacher’s professional competence development. Methodology of the research encompasses both theoretical, namely scientific literature analysis and summary, and empiric research methods. Qualitative research data were collected using biographical-narrative interviews while data analysis and findings are based on Abductive Reasoning Theory according to Peirce, Grounded Theory according to Strauss and Corbin and Formulating Interpretation according to Bohnsack. Scientific literature analysis has revealed that experiental learning is frequently random, spontaneous and unplanned. Due to its nature it is considered as a part of informal learning. The results of the biographical-narrative interviews with teachers show that professional activity provides pedagogues with rich experience and opportunity to develop regarding the contents of the subject taught as well as methodological and personal perspectives.

Citizenship and Being a Citizen: Legal Stipulations and Subjective Perspective of Police Officers

This paper presents analysis of the legal documents regarding interpretation of citizenship regarding activities of a police officer, and presents some data from an empiric study carried out in 2019. The purposes of the empiric study was to examine to which degree police officers and future police officers conceptualise themselves as citizens, and to which extent they participate in citizen’s entitlements and their manifestations. The analysis of the legal documents revealed that there are no direct and straightforward stipulations on the interpretations and the manifestations of citizenship, while a police officer and his/her activities are at the focus. Legal documents directly related to requirements for activities and behaviour of a contemporary police officer do not use the term itself. However, a number of requirements and expectations, that may be related to the term ‘citizenship’ are listed both at the level of acts, and other documents. The empiric study, based on quantitative research strategy revealed several issues for concern. Though just a part of data is presented. However, it is worth noting that for the clarification of the reasons and motives for some answers, further studies are needed. Interviews, focus groups may provide more in-depth insights into some aspects

Lithuanian Language Policy in Multilingual Europe: Legal and Social Aspects

The Lithuanian language has rapidly established itself in modern multilingual Europe. The current policy of the Lithuanian language covers many fields of activity. However, the reality still raises fundamental questions about the existence and dissemination of language related to the assessment and implementation of the status of the national language, the concept of language and society relations, and the prestige of language. These are also important topics for other European countries. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to review the situation of the Lithuanian language in the context of European languages policy. In order to achieve the aim the following objectives have been raised: 1) to review legal regulations of the Lithuanian language and changes of the use in important areas of life; 2) to reveal the situation of Lithuanian language policy and prestige in Lithuania; 3) to discuss the situation of the Lithuanian language in the policy of EU languages. In conclusion, public education must be promoted, as well as assistance provided, the public debate on language and targeted language attitudes must be developed. It is very important to adopt and timely update the legal foundations of the language - not only the legal acts regulating separate areas, but also the constitutional Law on the State Language promulgating the main provisions of the language policy

Opinion of Future Law Enforcement Officers about the English for Specific Purposes Course

The aim of the paper is to describe difficulties that can be faced by students learning terminology of English peculiar to their professional field, or, in other words, English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Before the research the assumption was made that students are generally not prepared for the course regarding their basic English skills needed for communication. Thus, the research was supposed to confirm or deny the hypothesis. The survey of first-year students at Public Security Academy of Mykolas Romeris University was conducted to find out students’ level of preparation and opinion about the usefulness of ESP course. The paper is completed with recommendations for teachers how to organize ESP teaching successfully

THE PROBLEM OF USING OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES IN THE LITHUANIAN LANGUAGE AS A LESS WIDESPREAD LANGUAGE IN THE WORLD

The demand to promote development of Open Educational Resources (OER) in less used languages is relevant all across Europe. Although numerous education resources are available today, their access in the Lithuanian language is very scarce. The aim of the article is to reveal the importance of OER in the Lithuanian language for the development of teachers’ competences. This is crucial to assure the quality of teaching material by providing a possibility to disseminate innovations, to develop creativity and consistency as well as to share created teaching resources. The article is based on scientific literature analysis and descriptive methods. OER in Lithuanian are crucial to assuring the quality of teaching material by providing teachers a possibility to develop their competences, creativity, and consistency as well as to apply innovations and share the designed resources of teaching

Mokymasis bendradarbiaujant užsienio kalbos mokymo(si) kontekste

Teaching/learning of ESP (English for Specific Purposes) at higher educational level is oriented towards foreign language specific to a subject and containing context-bound items expressing curricular concepts and phenomena of a subject. However more and more researches appear showing that during the course of professional foreign language speaking and writing skills are mastered worse than reading and listening skills. Cooperative learning (CL) method provides more opportunities for communication, and this has influence on academic, cognitive and social students’ development. The paper highlights relations and expressions of CL and both language and social competences. The study results show that the implementation of CL method promote the development of students’ linguistic and social competences during the studies of ESP.Darbe yra analizuojamas mokymosi bendradarbiaujant metodas, suteikiantis daugiau galimybių komunikacijai, įtakojantis akademinį, pažintinį ir socialinį studentų tobulėjimą, sąlygojantis geresnius mokymosi rezultatus. Studentų apklausos rezultatai rodo, kad, mokantis bendradarbiavimo metodu, daug geriau lavinami profesinės anglų kalbos kalbėjimo įgūdžiai. Studentai diskutuoja mažose grupelėse, panaudodami kalbą dalykiniame kontekste, aiškinasi ir perfrazuoja terminus, geriau įsisavindami mokomąją medžiagą. Diskutuodami besimokantieji keičiasi mintimis ir informacija apie mokymosi dalyką. Dėmesys yra sutelkiamas į studentų tarpusavio bendravimą ir tobulinimą socialinių įgūdžių, tokių kaip grupės draugo išklausymas, klaidų pataisymas, paskatinimas, nuomonės išsakymas bei argumentavimas ir kt. Toks kalbos mokymosi procesas keičia studentų bendravimą su dėstytoju. Pastarasis labiau prisideda prie studentų kalbinių ir socialinių kompetencijų profesinės užsienio kalbos mokymo(si) kontekste lavinimo