Tiltai

Over recent decades, urban areas have expanded in number, population and complexity, intensifying governance challenges. In response, local governments have turned to smart governance. This article introduces a new theoretical model of smart governance and applies it to empirical data from 18 Lithuanian municipalities. Using a quantitative survey of local government representatives, the study explores how smart governance dimensions manifest at the local level, and how officials’ tenure influences this. Statistical tools reveal both commonalities and differences across municipalities. The research broadens the concept of smart governance beyond its technological focus, positioning it as a comprehensive analytical tool in municipal studies.

Research problem: The study addresses how the application of learning techniques influences students’ acquisition of biological knowledge, and what possibilities exist for their implementation in classroom settings. Research aim: To reveal how learning techniques affect students’ knowledge acquisition and application. Research object: The acquisition of biological knowledge through the application of learning techniques. Research implementation: The study was conducted during the second semester of the 2025 academic year, from January to May, involving students from the 9th to the 12th grades on a gymnasium biology course. The initial analysis revealed that students found it easier to memorise concepts and choose correct answers, while performing more complex, real-life context tasks proved to be more challenging. To enhance knowledge acquisition, active learning techniques were applied in the lessons, including mnemonics, meaningful repetition, and deliberate memorisation. Research results: The findings revealed that the applied learning techniques improved the understanding of biological concepts and phenomena, facilitated the application of knowledge in new situations, strengthened analytical thinking skills, and encouraged active participation in discussions. The application of learning techniques contributed to the deepening of biological knowledge, the strengthening of cognitive competence, and the long-term retention of knowledge in biology lessons.

This article analyses the diversity of students’ subjective safety experiences at school, based on a phenomenographic research approach. The aim of the study is to reveal different ways students experience and perceive safety, as well as their interactions, in the social and cultural school context. The study involved 56 students (26 boys and 30 girls) from three urban and three rural schools, purposely selected to reflect regional and social diversity. The data were collected in March and April 2024 through written reflections and focus group discussions. The data analysis was based on phenomenographic principles, identifying categories of description and constructing an outcome space. The study revealed that students’ experiences of safety vary according to regional context: urban students associate safety more often with physical measures and technologies, while rural students relate it to community closeness and teacher sensitivity. The findings highlight how social, cultural and regional factors shape the diversity of safety experiences, and offer recommendations for improving the school climate.

Creativity is increasingly emphasised as a crucial competence in contemporary higher education. However, little is known about how international students experience its development in classroom contexts, especially in Lithuania. This article analyses the perceptions of 15 international students at VIKO University of Applied Sciences in Lithuania regarding creativity and its role in learning during the course. The study applies a qualitative methodology, drawing on three focus group discussions, and employing a reflexive thematic analysis. Five themes were identified: creativity as a personal and boundless phenomenon; creativity as learnable but dependent on the environment; pedagogical scaffolding and assessment as factors that either encourage or constrain creativity; cultural and linguistic influences shaping expression; and personal growth and confidence gained through creative tasks. These findings highlight the importance of transparent assessments, supportive new teaching strategies, and intercultural collaboration in fostering creativity among diverse student cohorts. The study contributes to discussions on how to enhance creativity-oriented pedagogy in higher education.

The journal Tiltai / Bridges / Brücken is devoted to the social sciences, and is published by Klaipėda University (founded in 1991). It publishes articles on current issues in economics, management, demographics, social geography, geopolitics, politics, culture, education, religion, land management, and other social problems. In pursuing academic dialogue, the journal publishes articles in the humanities and biomedical sciences that explore social phenomena from an interdisciplinary point of view. Articles on Lithuania’s regional policy, and the economic and cultural development of border and cross-border regions, are particularly welcome. Since science does not recognise borders, scientific cooperation is a strategy that aims at the progress of the global community. For this reason, scientists from various countries are invited to participate in the work of the editorial board, and to publish articles as authors. Tiltai / Bridges / Brücken is a scientific journal that the Lithuanian Research Council recognises as a forum for defending doctoral dissertations and for obtaining pedagogical and research positions.

The concept of sustainable learning is playing an increasingly important role in today’s educational landscape. In this article, we advocate an alternative approach to how higher education can contribute to this. Against the backdrop of global challenges such as climate change, social inequality and the need for sustainable development, educational institutions, particularly those in higher education, must reconsider their teaching and learning methods. In this context, the pedagogical work of John Dewey and Urie Bronfenbrenner provides valuable insights. Drawing on their experience of sustainable learning processes in numerous international social work programmes, we pose the question: ‘How can the theoretical frameworks of Bronfenbrenner and Dewey improve our comprehension of learning processes within educational settings?’ A leading thinker of the progressive education movement, Dewey argued that education should empower individuals to participate in democratic life and in continuous personal development, rather than merely transmitting knowledge. Furthermore, Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecosystemic approach provides a profound perspective on learning, focusing on the complexity of human learning within its environment. The concept of a ‘community of practice’ (CoP) by Lave and Wenger, together with Mezirow’s concept of ‘learning as transformation’, integrate the contextual framework for the theoretical discussions.

Volunteering is an important resource for non-governmental organisations, but a trend in declining volunteer engagement is observed, with volunteers not staying in organisations for long. This encourages researchers to analyse and understand the impact of volunteers’ personal factors on their activities. The purpose of the study was to analyse the interaction between emotional support line volunteers’ self-efficacy and their choice of stress coping strategies. A quantitative study was conducted. The study involved 90 women, aged 26 to 66, volunteering for emotional support lines. To assess the self-efficacy of emotional support line volunteers, the Volunteer Self-Efficacy Scale developed by the Youth Line Volunteer Preparatory Course Programme (Bagdonienė et al., 2008) and by Youth Line Supervisor A. Semokaitė (2009) was used. The Stress Coping Questionnaire, developed by Grakauskas and Valickas (2016), was used to evaluate volunteers’ stress coping characteristics. Participants were also asked socio-demographic questions about their gender, age, education, marital status, work activity/employment, monthly income, and volunteering duration. The results of the study revealed that emotional support line volunteers with higher self-efficacy more often chose social support and problem-solving strategies to cope with stress, and less often emotional expression and release strategies.

This study investigates the impact of role overload and innovation fatigue on team viability. A quantitative survey of team members who are knowledge workers was conducted, and 207 participants were surveyed. The results show that, while role overload does not directly affect team viability, innovation fatigue has a significant negative impact. Further analysis demonstrates that innovation fatigue mediates the relationship between role overload and team viability. These findings demonstrate that team management strategies should include employees’ innovation fatigue interventions and effectively manage role demands to ensure a successful team’s future. In addition, the study advances the theoretical and practical understanding of the effects of work stressors on team viability, emphasising the importance of addressing demanding work tasks in knowledge-intensive organisational environments.

Brigita Kreivinienė. Sensorinės dietos kortelės. Metodinė priemonė. 2025. Iliustracijų autorė Urtė Kraniauskaitė. Klaipėdos universiteto leidykla. Ne visos metodinės priemonės tampa mokslininkų dėmesio objektu ir pristatomos moksliniuose žurnaluose. Dažniausiai tai praktikams skirta platforma. Ši metodinė priemonė sudaro galimybes mokslininkams tyrinėti vaikų ir jaunuolių sensorinius poreikius įgyvendinančias inovatyvias prieigas, skatina geriau suprasti neurologinių sutrikimų raišką bei sensorinių poreikių įgyvendinimo paieškas. Klaipėdos universiteto leidykloje publikuota ir pristatyta metodinė priemonė vaikams ir jaunuoliams, kurie turi individualios pagalbos poreikių, „Sensorinės dietos kortelės“ – tai inovatyvi sensorinių poreikių realizavimo praktikoje prieiga. Sensorinės dietos kortelės skirtos sensorinių poreikių turintiems vaikams ir jaunuoliams, kurių kasdieniam socialiniam dalyvavimui būtina šiuos poreikius patenkinti.

The article analyses the issue of the seasonality of tourism, and examines whether cultural activities could mitigate this problem in the famous Lithuanian resort of Neringa. Research results from other countries indicate that this is quite an effective strategy for reducing seasonality. The study aims to explore the region’s seasonal challenges and identify cultural events that could help alleviate the seasonality of tourism in Neringa. It employed a quantitative survey and descriptive statistics for data analysis. The findings reveal that the seasonality of tourism in Neringa can be reduced by increasing the number of festivals and concerts, creating tourism packages that include cultural events, and organising these events to leverage the connection between nature and culture.