THE EFFECT OF FAMILY ENVIRONMENT CONDITIONS ON THE EMERGENCE AND / OR THE CULTIVATION OF LEARNING DIFFICULITIES IN PRE-SCHOOL AND PRIMARY-SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN: GREEK KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS VIEWS

The study investigates the empirical aspects of Greek kindergarten teachers regarding the topic of the existence of the effect that the family has on the emergence and / or the cultivation of Learning Difficulties in pre – school and primary – school aged children. The research involved 23 teachers (22 women and 1 man) who, citing the possibility of early detection of Learning Difficulties (LDs) offered to them due to the daily contact with the children as part of the classroom, reported on whether the relationship between the two parents, but also between them and the child itself, may affect the appearance and / or the cultivation of Learning Difficulties in it. Furthermore, this work investigates the relevance of the provided parental stimuli and the educational level of the parents with the LDs of these children. The survey was conducted through semi-structured interviews the results of which were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. According to the findings, effective identification of children LDs is achieved by the kindergarten teachers through observation of the children's response to free and organized activities. In addition, the relations between the couple of mother and father, as well as the relationship between the parents and their child were considered by teachers worthy predictors of the effect that the institution of family has on the learning process and career of pre – school and primary school children. Finally, the stimuli that parents provide with their children were associated with the LDs that the offspring have or might develop in the future, as opposed to the educational level of both parents which teachers did not associate with the good or poor academic performance of students.  Article visualizations

ROMA MOTHERS’ VIEWS ON THE CONCEPT OF DISABILITY: AN INTERCULTURAL APPROACH

The present research sought to explore Roma mothers’ views on the concept of disability and through the trends which emerged it investigated the extent to which they have been influenced by the dominant culture on disability. The research focused on the study of the views of Roma mothers living in a specific region in Greece. One of the characteristics of the minority group in which these Roma mothers belong is their permanent installation in this region for many years. The research was undertaken through the qualitative approach and more specifically with the use of semi-structured interviews with Roma mothers. The main findings of the survey suggest that the influence of the dominant culture on disability upon these mothers is remarkable. Disability is recognized by those as something different from the majority in terms of respect and understanding. However, as the research revealed, they cannot interpret this differentiation, in relation to the education that every mother of the sample has received. At the same time, disability constitutes undoubtedly a link between their race and the dominant group[1], thus the dominant culture. Finally, the combination of Roma minority and disability in the context of intercultural education is projected as a key issue of social inclusion.[1] For the purposes of this study, the term ‘dominant group’ does not imply the group which exercises power, but the majority and under this sense it is used throughout the whole text.  Article visualizations

Intercultural education in Greece : the case of thirteen primary schools

The present study deals with headteachers' and teachers' perceptions of the nature of\ud intercultural education and the necessity of its implementation in intercultural primary schools\ud in Greece. It also seeks to explore teachers' and headteachers' views on the teaching methods\ud adopted and the events and activities organised in the classrooms and in the school to\ud implement intercultural education, and why.\ud The research methodology adopted is a mixed-method approach. It has been employed in order\ud to add breadth and depth to the analysis and to achieve a better and more complete\ud understanding of the social phenomenon examined. The research methods used include\ud questionnaires administered and interviews undertaken with teachers and headteachers.\ud Teachers and headteachers seem to have a clear idea of the meaning of intercultural education\ud and of its principles. In addition, they support the implementation of intercultural education for\ud a number of reasons. The results indicate that great importance is attributed to the use of\ud cooperative learning, group work and the interdisciplinary approach to implementing\ud intercultural education. Teachers and headteachers also seem more confident to implement\ud intercultural education in language studies and social studies as well as in art studies. Data\ud analysis reveals that teachers organise a variety of events and activities in order to implement\ud intercultural education.\ud The findings provide suggestions for the creation of a school environment in which the\ud intercultural dimension in education will be promoted in the school, so as to meet the\ud educational needs of native, foreign, and repatriate pupils attending both intercultural and\ud mainstream primary schools. The contribution of the present study to the topic examined is\ud significant, since there has been no previous research conducted in all 13 intercultural primary\ud schools in Greece

Wagner’s law versus Keynesian hypothesis: Evidence from pre-WWII Greece

With data of over a century, 1833-1938, this paper attempts, for the first time, to analyze the causal relationship between income and government spending in the Greek economy for such a long period; that is, to gain some insight into Wagner and Keynesian Hypotheses. The time period of the analysis represents a period of growth, industrialization and modernization of the economy, conditions which are conducive to Wagner’s Law but also to the Keynesian Hypothesis. The empirical analysis resorts to Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) Cointegration method and tests for the presence of possible structural breaks. The results reveal a positive and statistically significant long run causal effect running from economic performance towards the public size giving support to Wagner’s Law in Greece, whereas for the Keynesian hypothesis some doubts arise for specific time sub-periods

Classical theory of investment: panel cointegration evidence from 13 EU countries

In the realm of macroeconomic theory, it is well established that investment decisions play an instrumental role in the determination of the level of output and employment; nevertheless, little progress has been made in relation to the theoretical aspects of these decisions. This paper, inspired by the classical approach to capital accumulation as well as the Keynesian theory of effective demand, attempts to enhance our empirical understanding of what determines investment decisions by exploring profitability, financial as well as demand factors. In so doing, a ‘Fully Modified OLS’ panel cointegration framework, for a cluster of two distinct groups of EU countries classified as core and the peripheral economies, provides the platform upon which our econometric investigation takes place. The respective evidence generated from the estimation process is in line with the theoretical framework proposed in this paper

Educational Models for Managing Diversity: What’s Next?

Different educational models have been designed and implemented through the passage of time in order to manage diversity in the classroom. These educational models have been categorised as the monocultural educational models, such as the assimilation and integration models, which aim at assimilation and integration, respectively, of minority groups. The multicultural educational models aiming at the promotion of coexistence, tolerance of diversity and interaction of different cultural groups of either minority groups of the majority are also discussed and criticised along with recent educational dimensions of managing diversity such as the critical multicultural and the critical intercultural model

The Long Recession and Economic Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic

In this article, we argue the rate of profit in combination with the movement of the real net profits determines the phase-change of the economy in its long cyclical pattern. Since WWII, the US and the world economy have experienced two such long cycles. The pandemic COVID-19 has deepened a recession that has been already underway since 2007. The growth rates in the first post-pandemic years are expected to be high; however, soon after, the economies will find themselves back to their old recessionary growth paths. The onset of a new long cycle requires the restoration of profitability, which can be sustained only through the introduction of ‘disruptive’ innovations backed by suitable institutional arrangements

Η κήρυξη πολέμου και οι επιπτώσεις της στην εκτέλεση της ναύλωσης και της θαλάσσιας μεταφοράς

Αντικείμενο της παρούσας εργασίας αποτελεί η μελέτη της περίπτωσης κήρυξης πολέμου και των επιπτώσεων της στα πεδία της ναύλωσης και της σύμβασης μεταφοράς εμπορευμάτων. Ο εξαιρετικά ευάλωτος σε εξωγενείς παράγοντες χαρακτήρας της ναυτιλίας ανακύπτει κυρίως στις περιπτώσεις κατά τις οποίες το πλοίο προσεγγίζοντας εμπόλεμες περιοχές απειλείται με πλήγματα ως προς την αξιοπλοΐα του, με ολική καταστροφή αλλά και με επίταξη από το κράτος της σημαίας του. Η πρακτική του πολέμου αποτελεί κατά τρόπο τραγικό ένα διαρκώς επαναλαμβανόμενο χαρακτηριστικό του αρχαίου και σύγχρονου κόσμου. Ο αρχαίος φιλόσοφος Ηράκλειτος είχε καθορίσει, στα «Περί Φύσεως», την φύση του πολέμου ως εξής «Πόλεμος πάντων πατήρ, πάντων δε βασιλεύς, και κοσμογονική δύναμις διαφοροποιούσα τα όντα και δημιουργούσα την ηθικήν, την πολιτικήν και κοινωνικήν τάξιν» . Είναι λοιπόν δυνατόν να λεχθεί πως ο πόλεμος αποτελεί το βασικότερο κίνητρο εξέλιξης του τεχνικού πολιτισμού και ταυτόχρονα τον κυριότερο παράγοντα οπισθοδρομήσεως του πνευματικού κόσμου. Μια πολεμική σύρραξη πέραν της ανθρωπιστικής τραγικότητας της οδηγεί και στην συθέμελη κατάρρευση της παγκόσμιας οικονομίας επηρεάζοντας την παγκόσμια ναυτιλία και ναυτιλιακή δραστηριότητα. Λαμβάνοντας υπόψη τα παραπάνω οδηγούμαστε στο συμπέρασμα πως η μεταφορική δραστηριότητα δια θαλάσσης, που επιτυγχάνεται μέσω της εκμετάλλευσης των πλοίων στις περιπτώσεις της ναύλωσης και της σύμβασης μεταφοράς εμπορευμάτων, που θα μας απασχολήσουν στην παρούσα εργασία, κατακλύζεται από αβεβαιότητα λόγω των αστάθμητων παραγόντων που καλείται να αντιμετωπίσει το πλοίο τόσο στα διεθνή ύδατα όσο και στους λιμένες προορισμού του. Ο ανωτέρω περιγραφόμενος κίνδυνος αναδεικνύει εκτός των άλλων και την ιδιαιτερότητα της μεταφορικής δραστηριότητας δια θαλάσσης και τον βαθμό που μπορεί να επηρεάσει τόσο τα διάφορα είδη ναύλωσης όσο και τις εκάστοτε συμβάσεις μεταφοράς εμπορευμάτων και τελικά τις υποχρεώσεις των μερών που ενδέχεται να μην εκτελεστούν προσηκόντως ως επακόλουθο της κήρυξης του.Subject of this thesis is the study of the case of declaration of war and its effects in the fields of charter and the contract of carriage of goods. The extremely vulnerable character of shipping to external factors arises mainly in cases where the ship, approaching war zones, is threatened with blows to its seaworthiness, total destruction and also requisition by the flag State. The practice of war is tragically a recurring feature of the ancient and modern world. The ancient philosopher Heraclitus defined, in "On Nature", the nature of war as follows: "War is the father of all, and the king of all, and a cosmogonic force that differentiates beings and creates moral, political and social order". It is therefore possible to say that war is the main motivation for the development of technical civilization and at the same time the main factor in the regression of the intellectual world. A war conflict, in addition to its humanitarian tragedy, also leads to the complete collapse of the global economy, affecting global shipping and maritime activity. In view of the above, we are led to the conclusion that the sea transport activity, which is achieved through the exploitation of ships in the case of chartering and the contract of carriage of goods, which will occupy us in this study, is overwhelmed by uncertainty due to unstable factors which the ship is called upon to face both in international waters and in its ports of destination. The risk described above highlights, among others, in addition to the specific nature of transport activity by sea and the extent that can affect both the various types of charter and the respective contracts of carriage of goods and finally the obligations of the parties that may not be duly performed as a consequence of of his proclamation

The Long Recession and the Economic Consequences of the Pandemic

ABSTRACT In this article, we argue the rate of profit in combination with the movement of the real net profits determines the phase-change of the economy in its long cyclical pattern. Since WWII, the US and the world economy have experienced two such long cycles. The pandemic COVID-19 has deepened a recession that has been already underway since 2007. The growth rates in the first post-pandemic years are expected to be high; however, soon after, the economies will find themselves back to their old recessionary growth paths. The onset of a new long cycle requires the restoration of profitability, which can be sustained only through the introduction of ‘disruptive’ innovations backed by suitable institutional arrangements Long recession, secular stagnation, pandemic, long cycles, institutional changes, disruptive innovation