Education and processes of teaching and learning

Teacher training and general education processes.

Aim of the Team

To conduct research in the contexts of children’s and adults’ formal and non-formal education and teaching and learning processes.

Objectives
Research on Teaching and Learning

• To examine the state of computer science teaching and learning in ten European countries, providing recommendations to the European Commission on improving computer science education
• To investigate children’s early mathematical abilities; to investigate students’ self-assessment of their learning in the context of self-directed learning

Research on Teacher Education and Training

• To conduct research in the contexts of teacher education and training (resilience, participation in changes, professional identity, etc.)
• To research teachers’ professional development and growth in a contextualized environment
• To perform a systematic literature analysis, identifying reflective practice strategies in the training of sports and physical education teachers (in collaboration with researchers from Spain and Korea)
• To evaluate the implementation of teaching staff mentoring in general education schools
• To analyze the impact of sports and physical education teachers’ competencies and the exercise methods they apply on learners’ motivation to engage in sports; to conduct a theoretical analysis of sports and physical education specialist training models, modeling their practical application
• To analyze the experience of applying problem-based learning in teacher training and in organizing the study process

Head of the Research Group – Prof. Dr. Remigijus Bubnys.
Members: Prof. Dr. Renata Bilbokaitė, Prof. Dr. Aušra Kazlauskienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lauras Grajauskas, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ramutė Gaučaitė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jurgita Lenkauskaitė, Assist. Dr. Darius Masiliauskas, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Erika Masiliauskienė, Lect. Danguolė Razmaitė, doctoral students Asta Vaičiūnienė, Loreta Zavadskienė.

Studies and researches of childhood phenomena have been carried out since 2002. Research problems include children's play and metaphorical thinking, the development of computer-based behavior culture, self-learning, free time, parents' pedagogical education and other topical issues of preschool and pre-school education, studies of childhood phenomena from the perspective of children and adults, examining pedagogical interaction and dialogue "child - adult".
The understanding of childhood as a social construct allows to identify the solutions of strategic educational tasks, based on the perception of social investments in children through the perspective of society's future. Childhood research is relevant not only at the national but also at the international level; they promote significant changes in education policy, especially in the areas of preschool and early childhood education.

Head of the Research Group – Prof. Dr. Daiva Malinauskienė.
Members: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nijolė Bražienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Erika Masiliauskienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Asta Vaitkevičienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rima Bakutytė, Assist. Dr. Asta Širiakovienė, Assist. dr. Skaistė Kovienė, Dr. Goda Stonkuvienė, doctoral students Inesa Vietienė, Vaida Padgurskytė, Alma Laužonytė.

Art education studies and research.

Aim of the Research Team

To develop conceptual research on arts education based on interdisciplinary methodology, to analyse current issues in cultural education, to identify problems in arts education, and to discover ways of solving them.

Task:

• to conduct research on arts education based on an interdisciplinary approach at the national and international level;
• to analyse current issues in cultural education;
• to identify challenges and problems in arts education and discover ways of solving them;
• to disseminate scientific and methodological experience by combining traditional and modern technologies;
• to create and develop an innovative content of arts education;
• to develop an inclusive arts education system;
• to promote arts and cultural education in the forms of scientific and performing (concert) activities and to carry out project activities.

Head of the Research Group – Prof. Dr. Diana Strakšienė.
Members: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Edita Musneckienė, Lect. Angelė Kavaliauskienė, Dr. Aušra Kardašienė; Assoc. Prof. Birutė Janonienė, Assoc. Prof. Gediminas Ramanauskas, Assoc. Prof. Gediminas Dapkevičius, Lect. Jūratė Deveikytė, Lect. Simona Žalytė-Linkuvienė, Lect. Laura Remeikienė, doctoral students Marius Šinkūnas, Klaidas Kauneckas.

Didactics research. Nature, technology and mathematical education is an important field of educational research in many countries and in Lithuania. The goal of the research group is to encourage research-based progress in national science education. The Vilnius university Siauliai Academy STEAM center is the first such center in Lithuania, where a focused team of researchers prepares science education and qualification improvement programs, methodological tools that are used by all Lithuanian pre-school, primary and basic education teachers, organizing educational activities and lessons of children's and students' science education.
The STEAM center periodically organizes science education conferences. This helps to develop teachers’ didactic competences and to ensure professional research-based methodological assistance in improving the content of science education, student achievements and progress. The aim is that the STEAM center, where science education activities are conducted and methodological tools are prepared, will become a support center for the improvement of science education in Lithuania.

Head of the Research Group – Prof. Dr. Renata Bilbokaitė.
Members: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Violeta Šlekienė, Lect. Dr.  Aušra Kardašienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ieva Bilbokaitė-Skiauterienė, Lect. Dr. Martynas Kazlauskas (RPI), Lect. Ingrida Donielienė, doctoral student Loreta Venslavičienė.

Humanities in public culture

Sinchronic and diachronic analysis of language and literature as well as cultural and historical research are being undertaken.

Linguistic, Literary, Cultural and foreign languages Research

Linguistic and cultural studies are carried out in order to reveal regionality, i.e. uniqueness, specificity of the region. The knowledge of local culture and research on multiculturalism are one of the essential prerequisites for strengthening regional identity in a socio-cultural sense. Comparative studies of languages and cultures continue, annual international interdisciplinary scientific conferences “The Region: History, Culture, Language” are organised and the journal “Acta humanitarica academiae Saulensis” is published.
The research conducted by historians focuses on the analysis of political, social and local history of the 15th–17th centuries of Central and Eastern Europe (including Lithuania). This topic remains relevant in modern historiography. Throughout almost the entire second half of the 20th century, the socio-economic history research dominated; however, since the last decades of the 20th century, the new cultural histories (including the histories of everyday life, trends in micro-history) and the new political histories are more and more prevalent.
Project “Local Society and Central Power. Their Interactions (Case of Šiauliai Economy in the 17th C. – Beginning of 18th C.)”, financed by LMT (2020-2023) (Rita Regina Trimonienė).

Head of the Research Group – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Solveiga Sušinskienė.
Members: Prof. Dr. Džiuljeta Maskuliūnienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Regina Kvašytė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rūta Kazlauskaitė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jolanta Vaskelienė, Assist. Dr. Edita Valiulienė, Assist. Dr. Karolina Butkuvienė, Assist. Dr. Lolita Petrulionė, doctoral students Edita Puskunigytė, Justė Povilaitienė.

Natural sciences and advanced technologies

Scientific research is focused on examining the influence of environmental factors on the interaction and development of natural and man-made systems, scientific or technological assessment of the expression of its individual components, solving problems of analytical and probabilistic number theory, analysis, evaluation, and forecasting of various phenomena and processes, increasing the efficiency of production processes, the modern development of informatics. Joint teams of natural and technological sciences cooperate by participating in international programs, as well as carrying out R&D orders from Lithuanian and foreign businesses. Research groups aim to create innovations that would have an impact on the competitiveness of the region and the entire country in the long term.

Analytic number theory problems

The research focuses on problems related to the value distribution of zeta and L-functions, as well as certain collections and compositions of these functions.

Tasks:

• To prove continuous and discrete limit theorems in the sense of weak convergence of probability measures for collections and compositions of zeta functions.
• To investigate the approximation of analytic functions by shifts of zeta functions, specifically:
     – to prove universality theorems for certain sets, classes, and compositions of zeta functions using generalized shifts;
     – to establish the universality of some zeta functions in short intervals.
• To analyze the questions of joint functional independence.

The researchers from Šiauliai Academy are members of the Analytic Number Theory Group at the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, Vilnius University.

Topic Leader – Prof. Dr. Renata Macaitienė.
Members: Prof. Dr. Darius Šiaučiūnas, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Virginija Garbaliauskienė.

Environmetal research

The Environmental Research Group specialises in assessing and modelling the sustainability of ecological processes and ecosystem services in natural ecosystems and anthropogenic environments in the face of a changing climate. The scientific team includes biologists, ecologists, geographers, physicists, chemists, landscape specialists and computer technology experts. Research facilities cover a wide range of tools needed for nature observation or molecular analysis, together with algorithm development and process modelling techniques. A major focus is on the impact of atmospheric bioaerosols on ecosystems and human health. The group's activities are oriented towards interdisciplinary collaboration in environmental research, extending the practice of international leadership in the field of aerobiology. The group intends to broaden its research interests to the assessment of microplastic contamination of ecosystems. The Botanical Garden Experimental Facility is the site of research work on the study of pharmaceutically relevant substances in plants and the evaluation of plant acclimatisation and phenophases. We invite progressive researchers to join us and pave the way for an ambitious international research career.

Head of the Research Group – Prof. Dr. Ingrida Šaulienė.
Members: Prof. Dr. Gintautas Daunys, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Laura Šukienė, Lect. Dr. Martynas Kazlauskas, Dr. Ilona Kerienė, Dr. Rimanta Vainorienė, Lukas Vaitkevičius, Dovilė Dovydaitytė.

Modelling and Data Science

The aim of scientific research area: the development of methods of Computer modeling and data science.

Tasks:

• Development and application of methods of computer-based business process modelling.
• Dynamic Knowledge Integration into Large Language Models.
• Computer network management using heterogeneous systems models.
• Analysis of Production Process Data.
• Automated Software Development Methods for Interoperability.
• Statistical models of stochastic processes and their applications.

Head of the Research Group – Dr. Sigita Turskienė.
Members: Prof. Dr. Gintautas Daunys, Prof. Dr. Dalė Dzemydienė, Assist. Dr. Liudas Kaklauskas, Assist. Dr. Vaidas Giedrimas, Assist. Dr. Vaidotas Kanišauskas, Assist. Dr. Karolina Kanišauskienė, Assist. Dr. Donatas Dervinis.

Socio-economic phenomena in the process of building a welfare state: region resilience studies

Scientific research includes the areas of sustainable state development: smart society, smart economy and smart governance, research on women's and men's (in)equality and discrimination in the context of socioeconomic change, emphasizing the importance of regional resilience. Scientific sudies are focused on problems’ solutions in such areas as increasing employment, reducing poverty and social exclusion, improving the investment and business environment, ensuring financial sustainability and resilience, managing long-term relationships and value co-creation, sustainable development at the intersectoral level, good governance at local self-government, quantitative modeling of macroeconomic processes, educational management and leadership issues.

Transformations of modern public management

The purpose of the work: to analyze, evaluate, and promote modern transformations in the field of public management, in order to improve management efficiency, transparency, and accountability, and to apply innovative management models at the local and national levels.

Task:

• Conduct research on the topics of ethics, corruption prevention, leadership, public policy agendas, smart public management, and innovation in the public sector.

• Conduct research in the areas of public management changes, public law, and participatory management.

• Together with members of the Quantitative Macroeconomic Process Modeling Research Group, conduct research in order to understand and identify the links between organizational resilience and digital management in public sector organizations.

• Together with foreign researchers, develop a methodology for the complex assessment of innovation potential.

• Together with foreign partners, conduct research: A comparative study of the executive triangle in Europe, which combines research of the highest representatives of the civil service and ministerial advisors.

• Together with foreign partners, conduct a study: “Local-level democratic functioning and governance quality in Central and Eastern Europe during multiple crises and democratic decline”.

• Development of Living Labs as a participatory research method that allows for the evaluation of public governance innovations, digital governance solutions, and measures to strengthen organizational resilience in real conditions.

Head of the Research Group – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rita Toleikienė.
Members: Prof. Dr. Diana Šaparnienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vita Juknevičienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jurgita Joniškienė, Assist. Dr. Violeta Kiurienė, Lect. Sigitas Balčiūnas, Dr. Dalia Dambrauskienė, Lect. Vilma Tubutienė, Lect. doctoral student Anželika Gumuliauskienė, doctoral students Gvidas Petružis, Rytis Milkintas, Kristina Kuprytė.

Quantitative Modelling of Macroeconomic Processes

Aim of this team:

Conduct quantitative, economics-oriented research focused on economic growth, convergence, resilience, and the factors that shape them.

Objectives

1. Literature review on fiscal resilience
   Carry out an analysis of the scholarly literature and, based on its synthesis, justify the fiscal (public-finance) resilience concept and identify the factors that determine it.
2. Impact of population ageing on the labour market
   Analyse how an ageing society affects the labour market: identify the channels through which the impact occurs and assess the role of migration in addressing the challenges posed by demographic ageing.
3. Regional economic convergence and EU support
   Review the academic literature and, using its synthesis, substantiate the factors and channels that condition regional economic convergence, as well as the mechanisms through which EU financial support influences that convergence.
4. Economic-growth issues
   Explore the broader problematic of economic growth and prepare an article entitled “Degrowth: Shifting Priorities.”

Head of the Research Group – Prof. Dr. Mindaugas Butkus.
Members: Prof. Dr. Diana Cibulskienė, Prof. Dr. Zita Tamašauskienė, Prof. Dr. Skaidrė Žičkienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kristina Matuzevičiūtė-Balčiūnienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lina Garšvienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dovilė Ruplienė, Assist. Dr. Laura Dargenytė-Kacilevičienė, Junior Research Worker dokt. Greta Mockevičienė, Postdoctoral fellow Dr. Akvilė Aleksandravičienė (2024 – 2026).

Educational management and leadership

The research group's field of interest - interdisciplinary research focused on the analysis of the organisation (not necessarily education) as a complex adaptive system, delving into management and leadership processes, stakeholder participation and engagement in value co-creation processes.
The conceptual foundation group's recent research is complexity theory, which is recognised as a powerful paradigm in the social sciences for achieving an integral, multidisciplinary understanding of reality that explains the dynamics of organisations as systems and the phenomena of change. Multidirectional leadership processes in multi-agent interactions, adaptability of organisations, learning by doing, leveraging change, organisational resilience, and value co-creation are the main managerial phenomena explored by the research team.
The research group work together with other researches in education and natural sciences.

Head of the Research Group – Assoc. Prof. Jūratė Valuckienė.
Members: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Milda Damkuvienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Evandželina Petukienė, Lect. Sigitas Balčiūnas.

Strengthening of inclusive society with socio-educational measures

Innovations in inclusive education and meeting special educational needs. The group of researchers investigate the processes of identifying and meeting children's special educational needs, the quality of special pedagogical and speech therapy assistance in Lithuanian educational institutions; evidence-based coping strategies for phonological disorder; interprofessional support for stuttering children at early age applying the multidimensional intervention; peculiarities of disabled students' participation in international higher education, etc. The researches and researchers' expert consulting activities have an impact on the national development of inclusive education, the meeting of special educational needs, and the improvement of the availability of special pedagogical and speech therapy assistance. Innovations based on the latest scientific data are integrated into schools practice of the education students' with special educational needs, the continuing development of competences teachers', special pedagogues', and speech therapists'. The initiative of this group of researchers since 1998. the international journal Special Education (Scopus) is published. International and national conferences, scientific-methodological seminars and discussions are organized on relevant topics of inclusive education and special pedagogical and speech therapy assistance. The researchers cooperate with the Associations of Special Pedagogues of the Republic of Lithuania and Lithuanian Speech Therapists, and are members of Lithuanian and international scientific associations.

Head of the Research Group – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Renata Geležinienė.
Members: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ieva Bilbokaitė-Skiauterienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Margarita Jurevičienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Irena Kaffemanienė, Assis. Dr. Rita Kantanavičiūtė-Petružė, Assist. Dr. Regina Karvelienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ieva Kuginytė-Arlauskienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rolandas Paulauskas, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Laima Tomėnienė, Assist. Dr. Simona Daniutė, Lect. Dr. Simas Garbenis, doctoral students Mona Paula Kumžaitė, Ugnė Žilytė, Researcher Živilė Kulėšė.

Research on psychosocial well-being and social education.The main focus is on scientific research, based on which the aim is to solve problems related to the challenges of psychosocial resilience, empowerment, and social participation of persons in unfavorable situations. The field of research also includes the stress expression of social welfare workers and educational support professionals and the development of positive stress coping strategies. Based on empirical research data, social pedagogical assistance and social work innovations are modeled; the functioning of social rehabilitation networks and the possibilities of service coordination; initiatives to increase social inclusion are developed, which have a significant and long-term impact on the psychosocial well-being of children and adults from vulnerable groups. Since 2011 ongoing international scientific conferences Social Welfare: Interdisciplinary Approach are organized. A scientific journal Social Welfare: Interdisciplinary Approach (Web of Science) is published on the initiative of a group of researchers.

Head of the Research Group – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Darius Gerulaitis.
Members: Prof. Dr. Liuda Radzevičienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Daiva Alifanovienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Albina Kepalaitė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Asta Vaitkevičienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kristina Rūdytė, Assist. Dr. Aistė Batūraitė-Bunka, Lect. Odeta Šapelytė.