The free time of elementary school students is an important developmental resource that can contribute to the formation of personal competencies, creativity, social skills and healthy lifestyles. The aim of the paper is to present and analyze the role of family, school, peers and the wider social community in shaping the quality and content of students’ free time. The research was conducted on a sample of 210 respondents from two elementary schools in the city of Tuzla, students from grades VII to IX, of whom 107 are male and 103 are female. The results obtained show that parents/guardians, as the primary social environment, do not have a major role when it comes to creating free time or the function of completely protecting students from accessing social networks and using modern technologies, nor for the organization and quality of spending time outside of school obligations. In addition to the educational function, the school also has a significant educational function, and through its programs, extracurricular activities and cooperation with the local community it can encourage the constructive use of free time. Peers play a key role in socialization and interest formation, while the wider social community – including cultural, sports and other activities – provides conditions and opportunities for diverse activities. The results indicate the need for an integrated approach, in which the cooperation of all the above-mentioned actors contributes to the stimulating and balanced development of students.

ABSTRACT This special issue examines the interplay of memory, identity, and migration in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Southeast Europe (SEE) within broader transnational European and global contexts. It explores how memory processes influence identity and a sense of belonging in migration experiences and how historical narratives shape contemporary biases, solidarities, and social transformations. By addressing transnational memory practices, the issue provides a framework for understanding how past experiences and mobility patterns intersect to shape regional identities. The contributions collectively underscore the importance of memory-migration dynamics in the evolving socio-political landscape of CEE and SEE in a broader European and global perspective.

The paper discusses the domicile populations’ attitudes towards migrant population and the mediating role of social work in Bosnia and Herzegovina – a prevailing migrant hotspot on the Balkan route. This empirical study relies on the theory of cultural conflicts and uses the Bogardus Social Distance Scale. It draws from the first-hand data, involving 300 respondents from the local population, who were surveyed in the cities with the highest density of migrants. The results yield an explicitly high social distance score, not influenced by the ethnic affiliation of the domicile population. The study suggests that social workers should take a proactive role in mitigating risks of the idenitified ruptures between the locals and the migrants. It notes the importance of applying all three theoretical and methodological approaches to social work: work with individuals, to support the adaptation to the administrative and socio-cultural requirements of the receiving society; work with the migrant groups, to enable migrant families and other social groups to maintain or (re)establish high-social cohesion and influence on their own group members; work in the community, which would most effectively connect the local and the new migrant population around commonly identified social needs and issues.

The COVID-19 pandemic, or better known as the coronavirus pandemic, brought many challenges in education, and one of them was the transition to online teaching, that is. use of information and communication technologies in teaching. Information technology is a term that describes parts (hardware) and programs (software) that allow access to download, organize, manipulate and present information electronically, and communication technology (CT) is a term that describes telecommunications equipment that can send, receive information, search and access them. This research aimed to examine the subjective experience of teachers about personal competencies in the use of information and communication technology in teaching. The population of this research consists of primary school teachers in the area of Tuzla Canton, and the total sample consists of 138 respondents. An anonymous internet survey was used, which is distributed with the help of social networks “Facebook” and a Facebook group called “Prosvjeta TK”, which brings together educators from the Tuzla Canton area. In this paper, we assume that teachers assess their information and communication competencies as positive and they consider themselves competent in their use in the teaching process. It also explores aspects of teachers’ digital competencies as essential competencies for 21st-century education. The paper will provide insight into the personal perception of teachers regarding ICT competence, which is included in the fund of previous knowledge and theoretical knowledge. The results of this research could help understand and analyze further practices, decide on further steps to build teachers’ ICT competencies in and for the future of the school.

U radu autor prikazuje rezultate istražibanja provedenog na uzorku654 učenika iz 7 osnovnih škola grada Tuzle, uzrasta od 13 do 14 godina. Unutar provedenoh istražianja željelo se putem originalnog Testa muzičke kreativnosti – MASKA (muzučka skala kreativnosti), konstruisanog samo za ovu priliku, ispitati i tražiti odgovore da li učenici primijete koliko ih nastava muzičke kulture motiviše za kreativan rad. Pregled rezultata dobijenih multiplom regresijom, ukazuju da na osnovu samo četiri parametra muzičke kreativnosti moguće pojasniti kvalitet nastave muzičke kulture u osnovnoj školi. Dobijeni nalazi pokazuju da je statistički značajna razlika, s obzirom na muzičku kreativnost učenika, samo u odnosu na pol djece, u korist učenika osnovne škole ženskog pola. Ocjena iz muzičke kulture najznačajniji je prediktor motivacije učenika za uživanje u muzici. Značajan je i nalaz koji nas upućuje da dječaci slabije ispoljavaju emocije u odnosu na djevojčice.

Purpose: This paper looked into the experiences of refugee parents with an aim to uncover the challenges of parenting encountered during and after the asylum procedures in Bulgaria - a country placed at the bottom of the asylum recognition scale in Europe. Methods: Qualitative research through semi-structured interviews of eight parents originating from Iraq, Syria and Palestine was conducted during the 3 months’ period in 2016. Results: Empiric research conducted revealed that procedural shortcomings of refugee protection system in Bulgaria causes severe psychosocial stresses to families in that the factors, such as slow and deficient asylum procedures, inadequate social protection and absence of integration programs, have a direct impact on the family life, parenting and children’s wellbeing. Discussion: These results point to a clear need for improvement of the access to asylum right and subsequent refugee integration in Bulgaria. They also call for a systemic approach in which the refugee rights are fully respected and vulnerability inherent to the refugee parents’ liminal position properly addressed. We further recommend the interventions of social work and mental health professions in ameliorating existent stresses of exclusion and marginalisation of refugee families with an aim to advance their full integration rights.