Browse Our Social Sciences Journals
In the broadest sense, social sciences encompass society, human behavior, and its influence on the world. Social sciences help understand how society works, ranging from the causes of unemployment, economic growth, what makes people happy, and so on. The information it provides is vital for governments and policymakers, non-governmental organizations, and local authorities.
Social Sciences and Law
Fiatal felsőoktatók jólléte és produktivitása
The well-being and productivity of young academics in higher education
In the past, the core responsibilities of academic staff primarily consisted of research activities and related lectures. Today, however, their roles are much more diverse: they must serve as teachers, researchers, mentors, and, in some cases, even fulfil pastoral duties. The expectations (or demands) associated with these roles and activities place significant pressure on academics, creating substantial sources of stress that negatively impact their health, well-being, and performance. In our study, we examined which demographic and job-related factors, as well as workplace stressors and resources, influence the well-being and productivity of academics in five Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. We also investigated differences related to age and job characteristics strongly linked to age (e.g., position, academic rank). Another key question was the role of physical activity, individual and institutionally provided sports, and recreational activities in these outcomes. To address these research questions, we used data from the CEETHE 2023 database (N = 821). The survey data collection was conducted in two disadvantaged Hungarian regions – the Northern Great Plain and Southern Transdanubian regions. For Slovakian, Ukrainian, Romanian, and Serbian institutions, we targeted Hungarian minority institutions. The most significant finding of our research is that performance evaluations emerged as the sole stressor reducing productivity, while age, higher positions, and academic rank increased academic productivity. Another important result is that institutional sports opportunities – through the provision of infrastructure – directly contribute to higher productivity.
Fiatal oktató-kutatók – Szerkesztői előszó
Young researchers – Editors’ foreword
A közösség ereje: fiatal oktató-kutatók kollektív megküzdési gyakorlata a növekvő kutatási elvárások tükrében
The power of community: Collective coping strategies among early career researchers in response to increasing research demands
This study aims to develop a better understanding of how early career academics (ECAs) cope with the increased research productivity expectations. The two research gaps identified in the relevant literature – the exclusive focus on individual coping, while not questioning individual responsibilisation and seeing ECAs as just receiving support, neglecting the possibility of actively seeking mutual collegial relationships – were examined through the lens of collective coping. This paper addressed the identified gaps by (1) capturing different strategies for collective coping at the group level, which by their nature challenge individual responsibilisation as an exclusive characteristic of academia, and (2) describing ECAs as proactive contributors and beneficiaries of collective coping, thus actively contributing to the creation and maintenance of mutual collegial relationships. Participation and initiation of collective coping may be viewed as means for ECAs to challenge and alter the academia without overtly attempting to revolutionise it, which would expose them to the risk of becoming casualties.
A kutatói életpálya kihívásai és a pályaelhagyás lehetséges okai a fiatal kutatók akadémiai életútján
Young researchers – Challenges of the academic career and possible causes of leaving the academic sector
Young researchers are the steady supply of new talent that can ensure the quality and excellence of work in universities and research centres. At the same time, fewer and fewer people can afford to stay in the profession simply out of curiosity and love of science. Literature suggests that the different forms of researcher career transitions and job changes have a significant impact on academic succession and workplace culture. The studies reviewed suggest that motivation is mostly determined by material and personal factors such as pay levels, security, and a sense of esteem and workplace climate. Therefore, it can be said that a number of financial, promotional and employment factors contribute to the increasing rate of attrition. In this article we attempt to investigate this phenomenon and explore the reasons for it, based in part on the results of an online survey. Although a sense of lack of financial dignity was the most important reason for leaving a career, issues of mental health, working conditions and lack of job opportunities also featured prominently. In this context, opportunities for improvement and recommendation are made.
A kutatói kiválóság értékelése
Jó gyakorlatok egy nemzetközi, fiatal kutatókat tömörítő szervezetben
Assessing research excellence
Good practices in an international organization of early career researchers
I review the main points of the Agreement on reforming research assessment (ARRA), which calls for basing research assessment primarily on qualitative criteria, with metrics having only a supportive role. I outline the relevance of these principles in Hungarian academia, and I present a case study on how the Global Young Academy (GYA), an organization of young researchers, has put the ARRA principles into practice both in its call for new members and in its instructions for reviewers. Finally, I make recommendations on which aspects of the GYA’s good practices could be adopted in Hungary, especially when it comes to evaluating researchers and their previous results in the context of grant proposal assessments.
A kutatónők helyzete és támogatási lehetőségei hazai és nemzetközi jó gyakorlatok alapján
The situation and supporting possibilities of female researchers based on national and international best practices
Female researchers face several challenges in their careers, and their situation is specific both in Hungary and abroad. At undergraduate level (depending on the discipline), the gender distribution is still typically balanced, but in teaching and research positions, particularly as they progress, the over-representation of men becomes more significant. In this paper, we present the specific situation of women researchers, their career path characteristics, the problems they face and the factors that hinder their success based on previous research findings and literature review. Women researchers often report facing discrimination and gender bias in their careers. The glass ceiling phenomenon is also evident, with a significantly lower proportion of women in senior academic positions compared to men. Reasons for this include more difficult access to professional networks, lack of mentoring and gender stereotypes. Career breaks, such as having children, also have a significant impact on women researchers’ careers. Often, these breaks slow down or prevent career progression, as they interrupt the continuity of research activity, as reflected in citations, publication output and the distribution of successful grant applications. We conclude the paper with some international good practices and some suggestions.
PhD-pályák: egyenlőtlen esélyek a doktori képzésben Angliában
PhD pathways: Unequal opportunities in doctoral education in England
The United Kingdom’s higher education system operates on a deeply stratified selection mechanism that reinforces structural inequalities, even as it ostensibly aims to promote equal opportunities. While most research focuses on inequalities at the undergraduate level, this study explores the real and perceived barriers to accessing doctoral education through in-depth interviews. The findings indicate that the constraints on doctoral-level access are complex and layered, with institutional hierarchies fundamentally determining opportunities for further study. The research identifies three ideal-typical trajectories that provide nuanced insights into the micro-sociological dimensions of educational inequalities. The results offer significant lessons for a deeper understanding of the relationships between different levels of higher education, social background, and academic advancement.
Abstract
The success of church-based schools is proved by the students' results and with the low rate of dropout according to previous researches. Nevertheless, there are neither international, nor Hungarian studies about Kolping pedagogy and its pioneer character that makes it a special actor among the faith-based schools, which aim to reduce the rate of student drop-out. In our study, we search for the specific characters of Kolping pedagogy in the schools' institutional documents. We investigated eight Hungarian secondary grammar and vocational schools' house rules, operational and organisational regulations, and pedagogical programmes (N = 8/8/8) with one method of content analysis which is document analysis. In the documents Adolf Kolping's community-building philosophy can be found according to the four pillars that have their roots in the history of the 19th century. The schools' general pedagogical principles want to solve modern social phenomena, and create chances for low SES students. Our results show that – even if with different methods (fitting to the institutions' individual characters) – but every document includes the Kolping characters with different aims and tasks. These are fulfilled by several pedagogical methods, first of all by community building. Just like in case of every type of church-based schools, intragenerational community networks are important chances for generating social and cultural capital.
Abstract
The article considers the intellectual odyssey of the Hungarian sociologist Karl Mannheim (1893–1947) during the three phases of his career: as a Jewish intellectual and philosopher in Hungary during the communist revolution of 1919, as an exile in the German Weimar Republic from 1920 to 1933, and as a refugee from Nazi Germany in England from 1933 to his death in 1947. It considers his transition from philosophy to sociology through his Habilitation degree at the University of Heidelberg which qualified him as a university teacher. Mannheim's publications in German are noted including those on structures of thinking, conservatism and generations. Mannheim's appointment as a lecturer in sociology at the London School of Economics and publications in English, including Ideology and Utopia (1935), on the sociology of knowledge, culture, education, planning in a democratic society, and the public role of the social scientist are noted. There was also Mannheim's association with the Christian discussion group The Moot and appointment to a Chair at the Institute of Education, University of London. The article concludes by noting critics of Mannheim and with an assessment of his work and relevance today.
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the teaching self-efficacy of Hungarian and Turkish preservice physical education teachers (PrePETs) and to identify the similarities and differences between two countries with different educational systems in the context of demographic factors. Research indicates that self-efficacy (SE) is critical to preservice teachers' ability to cope with challenges, their professional development, and effective performance and teaching practices. Although there is numerous research on SE, studies on PrePETs remain under-represented, especially in cross-national studies. Therefore, a cross-sectional survey design was employed involving o 107 Hungarian and Turkish PrePET. Data were collected using the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale and the Demographic Questionnaire. The results revealed that both Turkish and Hungarian PrePETs showed higher SE with no significant differences observed based on gender, GPA, age, or country. However, teaching experience was a statistically differentiating factor while it has a positive, modest correlation with Turkish candidates, it had a negative, weak correlation among Hungarian candidates. The findings of the study highlight the role of teaching experience in shaping SE while highlighting similar and different factors influencing SE. By addressing these differences and similarities, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of SE beliefs in cross cultural context.
