Suchergebnisse

Croatian readers are provided with an alphabetic glossary listing & explaining terms that are seldom clearly defined in current reference works on sociology but the knowledge of which is indispensable for participating in contemporary discourse in & on social sciences. Some of the terms included are: paradigma 'paradigm,' postmoderna 'postmodernity,' paradoks 'paradox,' samoreferencija 'selfreference,' autopoeza 'autopoiesis,' globalizam 'globalization,' medij 'medium,' fairness 'fairness,' binarni kod/bipolarnost 'binary code/bipolarity,' & others. Z. Dubiel

Croatian readers are provided with an alphabetic glossary listing & explaining terms that are seldom clearly defined in current reference works on sociology but the knowledge of which is indispensable for participating in contemporary discourse in & on social sciences. Some of the terms included are: paradigma 'paradigm,' postmoderna 'postmodernity,' paradoks 'paradox,' samoreferencija 'selfreference,' autopoeza 'autopoiesis,' globalizam 'globalization,' medij 'medium,' fairness 'fairness,' binarni kod/bipolarnost 'binary code/bipolarity,' & others. Z. Dubiel

The concept of social capital (SC) has gained wide acceptance & usage in social sciences, particularly in sociology, political science & institutional economics. This paper reconsiders the dynamics of social capital in Croatia presented in a previous article (Stulhofer, 2001). Using data from the two cross-national social science research projects (World Values Survey -- Croatia 1995 & South East European Social Survey, 2003), the author analyses changes in generalized trust, trust in institutions, & membership in civic associations during the 1995 2003 period. The findings point to a decrease in SC, which can not be solely attributed to the situational effects of war present in 1995. The strongest predictor of the negative dynamics of SC in Croatia remains the perception of corruption within state institutions. 6 Tables, 33 References. Adapted from the source document.

Due to their professional selectiveness & standardized processing, commercial databases are a valuable source of scientific information. This paper describes the rationale behind their emergence & evolution in the sense of technological & content changes that the online databases have gone through in their 40-year existence. On today's market, there are hosts that offer a plethora of databases. In the Croatian academic community, access is provided via NSK & CARNet. The article lists the examples of surfing on major online databases available in the Web form (EMERALD, CSA, & EBSCO) as the relevant electronic sources of information from the field of social sciences/humanities. 9 References. Adapted from the source document.

Due to their professional selectiveness & standardized processing, commercial databases are a valuable source of scientific information. This paper describes the rationale behind their emergence & evolution in the sense of technological & content changes that the online databases have gone through in their 40-year existence. On today's market, there are hosts that offer a plethora of databases. In the Croatian academic community, access is provided via NSK & CARNet. The article lists the examples of surfing on major online databases available in the Web form (EMERALD, CSA, & EBSCO) as the relevant electronic sources of information from the field of social sciences/humanities. 9 References. Adapted from the source document.

The paper deals with three aspects of teaching political education: the problems of teaching social sciences in Croatia regarding their content, methods, & instruction; the quality of teaching according to the ISO 9000 norm; & the study of the quality of the program of teaching politics & economics to secondary school pupils. The methods of work chosen have made it possible to give an account of contemporary developments throughout the world in the field of methodology & instruction regarding this subject. All suggested solutions & models have not simply been copied, but adapted to the existing conditions of secondary education in Croatia. The intention is to activate fresh forces in the Croatian school system that will, taking into account the realities of the Croatian situation, find new educational paths, aware that primary importance should be given to the quality of learning & the complete satisfaction of pupils, parents, & society. This approach does not seek unobtainable material resources, but demands much effort & numerous changes in the policies & work of all those directly or indirectly involved in teaching. 2 Tables, 8 References. Adapted from the source document.

Did the social changes of 1989/90, both on the territory of the former Yugoslavia & the entire Eastern Europe, surprise political analysts? Or did the research in social sciences, particularly political science, sociology, & psychology, perhaps supply enough material pointing to the possible changes as well as to the course they were going to take? In this work, the author gives a critical review of his studies conducted & published between 1980 & 1990 &, by hindsight, shows their relevance for understanding the recent radical & dramatic changes. Inevitably, the conclusion is that the author's research had pointed to the existence of all psychological conditions necessary for the events that followed. The long crisis, first economic & later political, gave rise to social unrest, which soon turned into general agitation. The powerful presence of the authoritarian structure of personality in these territories, the enduring xenophobia that, in combination with the appropriate ideological manipulation, easily leads to open inter-ethnic conflicts, the lack of both an adequate political culture & the democratic mechanisms of overcoming conflicts, within the context of decrepitude of an ideological project in a multiethnic community rife with historical conflicts, inevitably led into open conflicts. 5 Tables, 2 Figures, 15 References. Adapted from the source document.

The authors analyze the use of the focus groups method as a qualitative form of research, which bases its analysis & interpretation primarily on the interaction between respondents. They clarify the possibilities, ways & methodology of its application, & compare it with related methods, pointing out its advantages & shortcomings. Examples are provided of the method's increasingly frequent application in scientific practice, after decades of its successful application for market research purposes, especially in marketing & in public relations. In the social sciences, it is mostly used as a complementary method, ie., as a supplement to related methods, & as a method for pre-testing & operationalization of research instruments. Focus groups allow deep inquiry into reasons, attitudes, values, motives, meanings, beliefs... Adapted from the source document.