Journal:Tiltai
Volume 95, Issue 2 (2025), pp. 65–85
Abstract
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.
The article analyses Oswald Spengler’s philosophical work The Decline of the West, and the related philosophical and cultural context of the 20th century. This controversial work was written a hundred years ago, between 1918 and 1922, but its original contents remain relevant today. The author analysed the stages of development of world history, paying great attention to Western civilisation. History was understood in the sense of cyclical, recurring periodicity. Historical events repeat themselves, they are born, reach a climax, and die. In this sense, the idea is still relevant today, for example, in terms of peace and war in Europe. Even then, Spengler sensed that the devaluation of spiritual values would lead to a new war. And it so happened. In the face of the current war between Russia and Ukraine, we can see that history is indeed repeating itself. It is interesting to note that, according to the author, crises occur when morality and moral values decline. According to him, Christianity can no longer offer a very solid spiritual foundation; the God it proclaims seems neutral to the course of history, unknowable and distant. This is partially why nihilism, rationalism and pessimism appear, and then political authoritarianism, excessive individualism and honorifics, which begin to destroy the foundations of civilisation from within. Not all of Spengler’s prophecies have come true. It is true that there are many manifestations of all this even now; but the decline of the West that he predicted has only been partially fulfilled, because Christianity has not disappeared, and man is still searching for authentic truth, meaning and God today.
Journal:Tiltai
Volume 95, Issue 2 (2025), pp. 38–64
Abstract
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.
Journal:Tiltai
Volume 95, Issue 2 (2025), pp. 18–37
Abstract
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 article describes the pastoral duties of Pastor Kristijonas Donelaitis, and aspects in the life of the Tolminkiemis parish during his ministry. It examines Donelaitis’ path to the priesthood, the ethnic composition of his parish and the reasons for the decline in the number of Lithuanians, the construction projects initiated by the pastor, difficulties encountered during the Seven Years’ War, the entries made by the pastor in the church records, the liturgical life of the congregation, the pastor’s attitude towards Pietism, the case of land separation that was disadvantageous to the Church, and the opinions of later parish clergy about their predecessor. The author suggests that the village of Metai is a Lithuanian village in the parish of Tolminkiemis, as the pastor saw it in his interactions with his Lithuanian parishioners.
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.
Journal:Tiltai
Volume 95, Issue 2 (2025), pp. 1–17
Abstract
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.
2025 m. lapkričio 28 d. Klaipėdos universiteto Socialinių ir humanitarinių mokslų fakultete buvo surengta tarptautinė mokslinė konferencija „Dangaus Karaliene šviesi“, skirta katalikų liaudiškojo pamaldumo tyrinėtojo prof. habil. dr. Alfonso Motuzo (1955–2019) gimimo 70-mečiui paminėti. Konferencijos globėjas – Jo Ekscelencija Algirdas Jurevičius, Telšių vyskupas.
2025 m. lapkričio 20–21 d. Klaipėdos universiteto Socialinių ir humanitarinių mokslų fakultete vyko VIII tarptautinė tarpdalykinė mokslinė konferencija Tradicijos ir modernybės sąveika, kuri šiemet sutelkė ypatingą dėmesį į iškilaus XIX a. lietuvių raštijos veikėjo ir pirmojo lietuviškų dainų rinkinio sudarytojo Liudviko Rėzos palikimą ir jo poveikį šiuolaikiniams kultūros procesams. Renginys, kurį jau penkiolika metų organizuoja Klaipėdos universiteto mokslininkai, tapo svarbia akademinės refleksijos ir dialogo platforma, jungiančia įvairių šalių ir sričių mokslininkus.
Dalios Pakalniškienės 2023 m. išleista mokslo studija Lietuvių kalbos intarpinių ir sta kamieno veiksmažodžių struktūra ir semantika (CiC- tipas) – tai tik dalis tęstinio išsamaus intarpinių ir sta kamieno (toliau – INSTA) veiksmažodžių tyrimo, kuriam ši lingvistė skyrė ne vieną dešimtmetį (Pakalniškienė 2021a; 2021b, 15–56; 2020, 1–16; 2018, 61–101; 2008, 250–263 ir kt.). Gausus INSTA veiksmažodžių struktūrinis tipas, kuriam skirtini apie 1 600 veiksmažodžių, yra sulaukęs daugelio baltistų dėmesio ir tirtas taikant įvairius metodus (Gorbachov 2007; 2014, 21–53; Villanueva Svensson 2010, 204–233; 2011, 33–58; 2016, 37–59; Balčiūnienė 2014; Mikašauskienė 2018 ir kt.), tačiau kompleksinio tyrimo, atskleidžiančio šių veiksmažodžių raidos, semantikos ir formaliosios struktūros ypatumus, iki šiol nebuvo. Būtina pabrėžti, kad Dalia Pakalniškienė minėtų veiksmažodžių tyrimo kompleksiškumą supranta ne tik kaip nuoseklią empirinių duomenų analizę, apimančią jų formaliąją struktūrą, darybą ir semantiką, bet ir kaip visuminę tiriamosios medžiagos šaltinių aprėptį (tiriami senųjų raštų, tarminiai ir bendrinės lietuvių kalbos duomen