In the context of sociological interest, the fundamental goal of our research was to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on organizational culture within elementary schools. The authors ...started from the assumption that the COVID-19 pandemic influenced changes within the organizational culture, negatively affecting the organization of the school’s work as an educational institution. The research was conducted during June and July 2021. A quantitative and qualitative approach was combined using survey methods and semi-structured interviews. An elementary school in the Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia, was chosen for the case study. The survey was conducted with the teachers at the school, and a semi-structured interview was conducted with the principal and professional associates. The sample included part of employees of the selected school (teachers), i.e., thirty respondents. The research results indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the organizational culture of elementary schools and is the cause of numerous changes that are not necessarily negative. Most of the changes occurred within the organization of work and teaching. Changes in forms of work during a pandemic did not have a negative effect on the school collective, and there was no disruption of relationships, working environment, atmosphere, communication, and cooperation within the collective. It is concluded that supportive school culture will be reflected in student achievements and the work of all employees, and will have a wider positive social impact and therefore should be encouraged.
By combining the attributive-taxonomic and process approaches to the profession, resulting from different sociological traditions, the professional elements and the professionalization of school ...principals in Croatia are analysed. The research was conducted by survey method in 2017. The sample was convenient and included 73 principals who participated in the research activities of the Centre of Scientific Excellence for School Effectiveness and Management. Our results suggest that the job of school principals in Croatia cannot be considered a profession yet. There are no fundamental elements that differentiate the profession from an ordinary occupation. More specifically, there is a lack of expertise in the area of educational management and leadership (authority), cooperation with professional associations in defining the professional socialization (autonomy), as well as high social status (attractiveness) as a result of the state of previous elements. Given the contextual specificity, the discussion presents incentives, obstacles and recommendations for further professionalization of school principals in Croatia. The importance of professional education is emphasized, whose design and implementation should involve representatives of principals’ professional associations, as well as decentralization of education system so that theoretical expertise can be developed through the practice. As the trained practitioners focused on a benefit of the educational system stakeholders (altruism), the principals should set the conditions of the profession to make it more attractive for the best candidates.
The paper starts from the role and meaning of sociological theory in the context of research traditions. It begins with a discussion of the positioning of theory within qualitative research ...approaches in the time context of the late 1980sand early 1990s during the so-called of the “postmodern turn “. Given that the aim of the paper is to consider the genesis of research traditions in sociology with an emphasis on ethnographic research traditions, but it is difficult to start the discussion without grasping the essence of sociological theory. When talking about theory and ethnographic research, there are numerous forms of specific theories that ethnographers have, each of which is applicable to specific topics. The inappropriateness of the theory and the specific research topic results in a misunderstanding in relation to the main research questions. Within the work, the order of knowledge is also problematized, which is associated with ethnography on the one hand and postmodernism on the other, as well as a „reflexive” turn. The postmodern sensibility is especially visible within the reflective moment during the writing process. Postmodern ideas therefore first introduce a new level of criticality within ethnographic research and draw attention to certain topics, processes and phenomena that have not been sufficiently discussed within wider social reflection.
The paper applies the concept of total institution (E. Goffman) to the specific reality of seafarers. During shipboard service, the mentioned social category has a limited choice of physical space, ...content, and social contacts. Seafarers are required to adapt to the conditions on board and to the authority of the company and of higher-ranking crew members that govern their daily lives. The challenges of working and living at sea result in the trend of increasing numbers of experienced and highly educated seafarers leaving the profession. The study aims to investigate the seafaring conditions among Dalmatian seafarers, as well as their future career projections. It was conducted between June and July 2020 using the method of online survey, which included a snowball sample of 112 respondents. The results indicate a lack of satisfaction in relation to most of the considered aspects of seafaring, except for earnings, including the possibility of promotion and communication with family and friends. While most of the seafarers surveyed consider these conditions sufficient to spend their entire working lives at sea, one in three respondents has no such intention (31.4%). More specifically, 42.6% of the respondents intend to stay at sea only because they believe finding a better job ashore would be difficult, while only a fifth love their job (19.2%). The results highlight the importance of improving the conditions of seafaring in order to preserve high-quality personnel and reinforce the safety culture on board ships. Further sociological research into the topic should provide a basis for mitigating the negative effects of a total institution as an increasingly visible concept within maritime sociology.
In this paper, the field of sports management is considered through the prism of the sociology of professions. The authors start from the hypothesis that sports management is currently a ...semi-profession due to it missing some of the classical elements highlighted within sociological literature. It is primarily about professional associations that define the rules of conduct, making professions more or less autonomous. Besides, higher education for sports managers is becoming increasingly desirable, but it is still not mandatory, which is a sine qua non of a true professionalization. The possibility of high earnings leads to various affairs that can weaken the reputation of the profession, and diminish the trust of the public in sports managers. For the professionalization of the field, persistence in the development of professional associations, that would bring the codes of ethics and occupational standards is necessary. Establishing quality educational programs requires recognizing the potential of sport-based entrepreneurship, intending to balance market trends and the needs of athletes, audiences, and the community.
By applying the ethnographic approach, the virtual community of 2CELLOS fans was studied. The research was conducted in 2015 and 2016 by observing Facebook and Twitter followings, by conducting an ...online survey among their members and ethnographic interviews with twenty fans and the two members of 2CELLOS. According to the results, social networks are a tool that changes the understanding of fans. One can belong to a fandom today without actually ever going to concerts; fans perceive such fandoms as very important sources of identity. The internet makes the music easily available and facilitates intense communication between musicians and their fans. The establishment of global social networks calls for an appreciation of diversity. Bringing various cultures closer together is reflected in the freer melding of musical genres in both their creation and adoration, and 2CELLOS are an indicative phenomenon with a global fandom.
This paper is a result of empirical research done in the second largest city in Croatia. It was conducted by interviewing both employers and work contingent members. Results have shown us the ...differences among them when assessing some educational aspects. Employers more often appreciate a certain behaviour patterns and soft-skills which can be trained in schools. It seems that professional knowledge nowadays represents just one of many qualities required on labour market, especially due to increasing share of university graduates. PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
The subject of this ethnographic study is the daily life in the context of urban public transport in two cities in Croatia: Zagreb and Split. The qualitative method of participant observation was ...used to identify and understand the aspects of the behaviour of passengers, drivers and ticket controllers and, more generally, daily life in urban public transport. The quantitative methods of structured observation and content analysis were used to analyse the frequency of passengers' various behaviours and the infrastructure of urban public transport in both cities. Different types of passengers were identified: passenger-loner, passenger-talker, deviant passenger, passenger-altruist and passenger-romantic. The results showed differences in behaviour depending on the demographic characteristics of passengers as well as differences in passenger behaviour with respect to the city. The analysis of infrastructure showed that Zagreb has better urban public transport than Split, but also that urban public transport systems needed to be upgraded in both cities. Reprinted by permission of the Slovene Anthropological Society
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