Lifelong Learning as a lever for tackling the ageing phenomenon in the European Union: new challenges, new tools
Eugenia A. Panitsides
University of Macedonia, 156 Egnatia Str, 54006 Thessaloniki, Greece
Abstract
In light of overwhelming challenges in the European Union, associated with a rapid, compared to most other world regions, population ageing, combating age-related mental decline along with activating the potential of the elderly are inextricably related to attaining ‘inclusive growth’, while promoting a social justice agenda. Hence, the present chapter draws on an integrated framework of Lifelong Learning interventions in order to tackle the ageing phenomenon. The proposed framework is structured at dual level: a) develop and implement educational interventions on seniors’ (65+) cognitive stimulation, and b) train seniors to act as educators in delivering cognitive-based interventions, multiplying the spillover effect of the original intervention and generating wider benefits at economic and societal levels.
Keywords: lifelong learning; active ageing; age-related demantia; project design

Development directions for the school curriculum, from the perspective of training students’ transverse competences
Claudiu Marian Bunaiasu
University of Craiova, 13, A.I. Cuza, Craiova 200585, Romania
Abstract
Assuming the presupposition that certain categories of students’ transverse competences support the process of personal development, of professional (self) training and of structuring social skills, we have considered the opportunity of a study based on the development directions and modalities of the school curriculum, efficient in structuring these competences. Our article is structured on three dimensions: a) presenting the theoretical and methodological bases of the transverse competences’ formation process; b) analyzing the national curricula in EU countries, with relevance to the trans-curricular competences’ issue, as far as the primary and secondary education are concerned; c) describing a study of empirical research (methodology, tools, results, conclusions), which reveals subjects’ adhesion (didactic staff, experts, students) to the flexible curricular structures and the cognitive interests regarding this issue.
Keywords: competences approach paradigm; transverse competences; cross-curricular approach; curricular flexibility and adaptation.

Self-efficacy beliefs and academic help seeking behavior of Chinese students
Mark Ng
Department of Business Administration,Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Braemar Hill, North Point Hong Kong
Abstract
Helping students to acquire self-regulated learning abilities has become a major goal of our education. This study focuses on a major aspect of self-regulated learning: adaptive help-seeking. Adaptive help seeking behaviors allow students to learn effectively when facing academic difficulty and facilitate adoption of other self-regulated learning strategies. This study explores how Chinese students’ perceive academic self-efficacy and social efficacy related to their academic help-seeking behaviors. The hypotheses were supported in an examination of 271 students from three Hong Kong tertiary institutions. When students had high level of social efficacy, they tended to displayed more adaptive and less of non-adaptive help-seeking behaviors. These findings add to the literature on Chinese students’ academic help seeking behavior and also have practical implications for teachers seeking to promote self-regulated learning behaviors.
Keywords: academic self-efficacy; social efficacy; self-regulated learning; academic help seeking; avoidance of help seeking

Relationship between Mathematics, self-efficacy and students’ performance in statistics: the meditational role of attitude toward Mathematics and Mathematics anxiety
Firouzeh Sepehrian Azar, Limou Mahmoudi
Department of Psychology, University of Orumieh, Orumieh, Iran
Abstract
The present research seeks to examine the relationship between Mathematics self-efficacy, anxiety and attitude and students’ progress in statistics in Orumieh University using structural equations modeling. The population of this research consisted of all students of education sciences and Mathematics who have passed the statistics course. Of that population, 100 students of education sciences and 100 students of Mathematics were selected as samples of this study. Then, the questionnaire of mathematics self-efficacy, anxiety and attitude was distributed among them and the final examination scores were considered as their scores in statistics. In the next stage, the data were analyzed through structural equations modeling methods. The results showed that mathematics self-efficacy has a direct effect on mathematic attitude. Also, the direct effect of mathematics self-efficacy on mathematics anxiety as well as mathematics anxiety on mathematic attitude was confirmed. The mediating role of mathematic anxiety between mathematics self-efficacy and statistics scores, the mediating role of mathematic attitude between mathematics anxiety and statistics scores and also the mediating role of mathematics anxiety between mathematic self-efficacy and mathematic attitude was confirmed.
Keywords: attitude toward Mathematics; Mathematics anxiety; Mathematics self-efficacy; statistics

E-learning and its perception by university students
Milan Klementa, Jirí Dostál
Faculty of Education, Palacký University, Žižkovo nám. c. 5, Olomouc 771 40, Czech Republic
Abstract
At present, the use of information and communication technologies in education at all types of schools is becoming commonplace. Information and communication technologies bring many positive effects which appropriately complement and support the process of education. The present study reflects the attitudes of university students toward e-learning within their course of study, and submits partial results of the research investigation implemented throughout the years 2008 to 2012. Selected outputs of the research, focused primarily on the assessment of the level of students’ satisfaction with the organization of teaching through e-learning, and on the identification of the elements of electronic study materials preferred by the students, are the subject of this study.

Keywords: E-learning; educational research; survey research; quantitative research; statistical methods; nonparametric statistical methods; electronic distance learning materials

Pre-service teachers’ perceived training needs, personal strengths and impeding issues in fulfilling guidance and counseling role in Hong Kong
Susanna Wai Ching LAI-YEUNG
The Open University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Abstract
Teachers have multiple roles to perform nowadays. One important teacher role is to provide guidance and counseling to students. This paper aims to investigate several issues related to teachers’ guidance and counseling role. Thirty-one students taking a guidance and counseling component in a pre-service undergraduate teacher preparation program for English Language Studies and English Language Teaching double-honors degree participated in this study. Using qualitative analysis of students’ responses in a personal reflection activity, various perceived training needs, personal strengths and impeding issues related to fulfilling teachers’ guidance and counselling role at school were found. The paper ends with discussions and recommendations on directions for future teacher training and research.
Keywords: guidance and counseling; training needs; teacher education program; undergraduate course

Intimate Partner Violence in media representation: a comparison between two Italian newspapers
Luca Rollè, Silvia Abbà, Roberta Fazzino, Eva Gerino, Elisa Marino, Piera Brustia
Department of Psychology, University of Torino, Via Po 14, Torino 10123, Italy
Abstract
The media sector plays a crucial role in the representation of issues which are uncomfortable, reflecting and shaping public opinion: intimate partner violence (IPV) is one such issue (Lloyd & Ramon, 2013). The aim of study is to explore how IPV is represented in 2 Italian newspapers in the years 2002/12. Seven keywords have been used to point out the appropriate articles, after that two independent researchers categorized the keywords into: form and content. We focalized the analysis on the correlation between journalists gender and victims’ and perpetrators’ portraits. The results show an increase of articles, and a deeply change into the newspaper coverage of IPV, from 2002 and 2012.
Keywords: domestic violence; intimate partner violence; italian newspapers; content analysis; media coverage

Socially desirable response tendencies in specific selection situations
Iva Mikulic, Ivana Sekulic
Sunce International Health Center, Trnjanska cesta 108, Zagreb 10000, Croatia
Ante Starcevic Primary School, Hrvatskih Pavlina 42, Lepoglava 42250, Croatia
Abstract
The general purpose of this study was to bring contributions to the findings about the validity of using lie scales in selection situations. A sample of 796 candidates was identified during selection procedures required for occupational health purposes. The following instruments were used: EPQ and the Cognitive non-verbal test. As was expected, candidates with higher cognitive abilities score lower on the Lie scale than those with lower cognitive abilities. Despite those differences, all groups lie more than people in non-selective situations. The justifiability of using such scales to decide if a certain candidate is suitable to drive, to work, etc. is questionable.
Keywords: di(simulation); social desirability; selection; intelligence

Mental Health - prospects for reform
Lavinia Duica
“Lucian Blaga” University, Sibiu, B-dul Victoriei, no. 40, 550024, Romania
Abstract
The development of a coherent Mental Health System is a purpose hard to accomplish due to the complexity of the field, the preconceived ideas related to psychic illness, as well as the economic and administrative difficulties characteristic for the Romanian Health System. In order to accomplish an assessment of the needs of improving the activities of the field it has to be known the difficulties inside the system from the point of view of the patients, of the beneficiaries from the mental health services. According to a questionnaire conducted into patients, a survey that assesses the perception of the stigmatization phenomena and the identification of some needs that can improve mental health services, shows the presence of the embarrassment (46.9%), but, still, a positive attitude related to dealing with psychiatry (84.4%), the need of increasing communication with the therapist (41.7%), increasing safety (44.7%), easy access to out-patient treatment (40%).
Keywords: mental health services; psychiatry; stigma

Brain strain: how much is too much?
Cocks, B., Nandagopal, D., Vijayalakshmi, R., Dasari, N., Dahal, N., & Thilaga, M.
Division of IT, Engineering and Environment, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
Department of Applied Mathematics and Computational Science, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
Abstract
Reducing a process to its component units underscores scientific research, yet such a pre-occupation with the details of human cognition may mean that the bigger picture is missed. By adopting a global approach to cognitive processing, the current study aimed to identify cortical locations capable of accurately reflecting global cognitive load; that is, overall cognitive processing. Working on the assumption that higher and lower order cognitive processes have limited processing capacity, and that interactions between these processes will have at least an additive effect on performance degradation, results suggested that global cognitive load is measureable in real time using less than 5 cortical sites. This thus lays the foundation for future research into suitable metrics for accurately measuring degree of global cognitive load at increasingly finer levels.
Keywords: Global Cognitive Load; EEG; Graph Theory; Mutual Information Theory

Using Facebook interface as a teaching method for predicting learning behavior in University students, majoring in Psychology
Alexandra Oprea, Cristian Alupoaie, Andrada Tufa, Lecturer, PhD. Aurelia Draghici
”Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, B-dul Victoriei, no. 40, 550024, Romania
Abstract
The idea of this experiment emerged from our observation in the academic environment that students spend a lot of time on social media. Our main objective was to demonstrate if PowerPoint or Facebook presentations during lectures, influence learning outcome. We have used the experimental design. The experiment took place in 2 different classrooms in the Department of Psychology, at “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu. The participants are 52 students in the first year at the “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, Faculty of Psychology. They were divided into 2 groups, and responded to a set of questions at the beginning and at the end of the presentation. The results showed that students that participate in the Facebook and PowerPoint presentation do equally well.
Keywords: experiment; Facebook; PowerPoint; learning method; presentation; social media