Kwartalnik Edukacja numer 04/2025

DOI: 10.24131/3724.250402

Abstract

The economic difficulties faced by African countries may have been significantly exacerbated by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused significant disruptions to student learning across the world. In this study, we estimate the relationship between human capital, measured through Harmonized Learning Outcomes, and GDP per capita in African countries based on available historical data. Our estimations indicate that a one standard deviation increase in human capital is associated with roughly a 400 point increase in GDP per capita, with statistical significance found both for primary and secondary school achievements in the educational domains of mathematics and reading. Given the evidence from the literature on the significant economic and educational impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, this could translate into an economic loss, estimated as being between 70 and 330 US dollars per capita in African countries. We highlight the need for reliable and consistent estimations of school performance in the continent. 

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DOI: 10.24131/3724.250403

Abstract

This study explores the role of creative self-efficacy in mathematics in shaping students’ choices of science, technology, engineering and technology (STEM) classes in secondary school, with a particular focus on gender differences. A sample of 185 eighth-grade students from the Mazovian Voivodeship in Poland completed measures of creative self-efficacy, creative personality traits, math skills, and school achievement. Results showed that boys reported higher creative self-efficacy in mathematics than girls, which was associated with a stronger preference for choosing STEM subjects. For girls, creative self-efficacy was primarily predicted by math grades, while for boys it was additionally linked to creative personality and math skills. The findings underscore the importance of targeted educational strategies to strengthen girls’ confidence in their creative mathematical abilities and to reduce gender disparities in STEM pathways. 

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DOI: 10.24131/3724.250404

Abstract

The article presents a theoretical analysis of the relationship between a sense of community and social participation in the context of education. The starting point is a reflection on contemporary interpretations of the concept of community—from classical communitarianism to Maffesoli’s concept of neo-tribalism. An attempt was made to compare two approaches to community: Wojciszke’s psychological model of agency and community, and McMillan and Chavis’s concept of a sense of community. The importance of shaping a sense of community as an essential component of education for the social participation of children and young people is emphasized. Areas of pedagogical activity that can support the development of social competences and involvement in community life are proposed. 

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DOI: 10.24131/3724.250410

Abstract

Recent debates in education often describe digitalization as the “end of writing” or the decline of literacy. This paper challenges that view, arguing instead that digital transformation reshapes literacy into hybrid forms where analogue and digital practices coexist. The study analyzes the interrelations between analogue and digital modes of learning, examining how their balanced integration can enhance cognitive development and educational equity in the post-digital era. Combining critical review with insights from the anthropology of the word and linguistic practices, this study draws on qualitative findings, educational reports, and policy documents to contextualize emerging hybrid learning models. The analysis shows that analogue competencies such as handwriting, deep reading, memorization, and mental calculation remain essential for cognitive grounding and comprehension. At the same time, overreliance on commercial digital infrastructures risks deepening inequalities, weakening public oversight, and encouraging superficial, automation-dependent learning. Two conceptual frameworks are proposed: new lecto-orality, which highlights the continuity of oral, written, and digital practices, and the Digital Lowest Common Denominator (DLCD), which promotes accessible, sustainable and pedagogically driven digital tools. The paper advocates for a hybrid educational paradigm that integrates analogue and digital learning through a capacity-first approach, supporting “analogue education for students, media education for teachers”. Such an approach strengthens critical thinking and resilience to technological obsolescence. 

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DOI: 10.24131/3724.250411

Abstract

We study how university students trade off the design and demands of study against expected labor-market returns. We conducted a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) with students of the Economics Department at the University of Warsaw. Choice alternatives varied the share of in-person teaching, weekly class hours, weekly preparation time, language mix (Polish vs. English), net monthly study cost (tuition minus stipends), and expected net salary after graduation. The DCE was embedded in a broader survey measuring study experience, time use, work during studies, scheduling preferences, and perceptions of quality and reputation. The instrument and framings follow state-of-the-art DCE guidance and are publicly documentable. Using multinomial logit and mixed logit models, we estimate compensating differentials students require to accept (i) more online teaching, (ii) more weekly effort (classes/prep), or (iii) English-medium instruction in Polish-language curricula. The results show large, precise utility gains from higher expected salary, disutility from higher weekly preparation time, and strong (non-linear) preferences over delivery mode and language. We then simulate policy scenarios (e.g., introducing 50% online, adjusting effort) and quantify the cost-equivalent or salary-equivalent levers needed to maintain program attractiveness. We position our results in the international literature on DCEs in higher education and discuss external validity with respect to a large national DCE that emphasized earnings over prestige. We conclude with program design implications for universities worldwide navigating hybridization, workload calibration, and language policy in light of students’ revealed economic preferences. 

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