Czech Context Research Articles

Lost between legislation and application: a critical reading of Czech post-war architectural conservation policies

ABSTRACT Responding to the reality of post-war architecture in Prague, threatened by demolition and harmful reconstruction, this paper employs critical discourse analysis to examine heritage legislations and documented administrative procedures. The Czech context is a relevant case to the international discussion on heritage definition as an example of the establishment of a rigid authorised discourse that turns conservation processes incoherent and self-referential, especially when evaluating post-war architecture. To safeguard post-war heritage, local conservationists have sought legal protection granted by the Act on State Landmark Conservation upon monument designation. However, designation proposals are being halted and declined to inconsistent criteria and evaluation processes. In response, this paper aims to add to the understanding of the Act and its application by revisiting raised arguments on the designation of five cases and detecting patterns in tendencies and attitudes to estimate the impact of communicated values and influences on the process. The analysis confirms the reported issues of the Act and its application. It also highlights the ideological issues at play that have resulted in a prejudiced judgement towards post-war architecture. Recommendations provided are expected to assist conservationists to strategically structure future proposals being aware of these issues and ultimately contribute to post-war heritage conservation.

Exploring social media technologies for novice EFL school teachers to collaborate and communicate: A case in the Czech Republic.

With an increasing number of international schools, traditional EFL teaching methods may not satisfy students’ needs. This study aims to investigate perceptions of social media technologies (e.g., Web 2.0) and willingness to adopt such technologies to collaborate and communicate in multicultural classrooms among novice EFL schoolteachers in the Czech Republic. The participants were 100 novice EFL schoolteachers in Prague and the South Moravian regions of the Czech Republic. The study used a mixed research method consisting of a survey (stage 1) and a semi-structured interview (stage 2). The survey examined the participants’ appraisal and concerns of using social media technologies to collaborate and to communicate as well as the level of willingness to use social media technologies. A hierarchical cluster analysis using participants’ responses regarding their attitudes and behavioural tendency towards using Web 2.0 social media technologies in language classrooms identified three clusters of teachers. The teachers who were most likely to adopt social Web 2.0 technologies were those who had the highest ratings on both appraisals and concerns regarding the use of social media in language classrooms. The results from the semi-structured interviews were consistent with those from the survey. Together, the results from the two stages demonstrated that most pre-service teachers favoured using Web 2.0 technology for collaboration and communication among colleagues and stakeholders in a broader community, but they displayed contrasting levels of appraisal of and concerns towards using social media technologies. Participants believed that this might be due to their different levels of ICT proficiency, workload, and working environment. The political and practical implications in K-12 education in the Czech context are also discussed.

Visualizing the European migrant crisis on social media: the relation of crisis visualities to migrant visibility

ABSTRACT The paper analyses popular geographical imageries of the European migrant crisis. It focuses on visualities that shaped discussions about the event among Czech Facebook users with anti-immigration attitudes. The paper elaborates on the co-production of migrants’ visibility and visualities that depict them in certain ways. Visuality influences visibility and shapes what it means for people (who are represented by images) to be visible in certain ways when seen by another people (who observe and consume the images). Here, we analyse how cartographic visualizations and the practice of montage of images produce meanings and affects that make migrants either visible only as abusers of the Czech social welfare system (linking migrants in a racist way to the Roma minority) or visible only as dehumanized raging Muslim invaders that resemble more machine-like beings. These interpretations are explained with references to historical specificities of the Czech context. A user-made, film-like sci-fi video of the crisis is also analysed carefully to demonstrate its imaginary of a collapsing Western Europe, where raging invaders dominate. Presenting migrants’ visuality as invaders links these racist and Islamophobic attitudes to migrants’ visibility as enemies and targets to be killed, not pitiable human beings to be helped.

Role of Actors in the Processes of Sustainable Development at Local Level—Experiences From the Czech Republic

In this text we are interested in the preconditions for, and opportunities provided by sustainable development at local level in non-metropolitan areas, i. e., in rural areas and villages. These areas are generally seen as having an important role in achieving sustainability. The literature review highlights the general principles of endogenous development with an emphasis on local resources including human potential and social capital, and the Czech context. In practice, the empowerment and cooperation of regional actors is crucial for the sustainable transition of rural areas; an analysis of the local situation was thus conducted from the perspective of social capital. Research primarily questioned the role of local actors in different areas related to sustainable development, their relationships and involvement in sustainability processes, as well as deficiencies in social conditions creating barriers to sustainable development. The research methods selected to answer these questions reflected the context-specific, scientifically-overlooked character of the theme of this research where emerging phenomena were at the center of our interest. A survey conducted with representatives of the National Network of Local Action Groups (LAGs) mapped the situation in 50 (out of 180) LAGs in the Czech Republic (28 % of the total number). Data were analyzed quantitatively (single and multiple-choice questions), in combination with qualitative methods which were used to transform and aggregate responses into conceptual categories which were monitored for frequency (to observe majority opinion). The diversity of local actors, their relationships and roles in the sustainable development processes was thus illustrated. A snapshot of actors' current involvement in specific areas of sustainable development was compared with their potential involvement in these areas illustrating the importance of social capital which is not always recognized in relevant policy documents. The engagement of these diverse actors in sustainability transition processes is less evident: in most of the categories of change, the role of public administration prevails. According to the respondents, these changes that would ensure a sustainable future of the regions are often not taking place. While some of these findings may be specific to geographically-defined regional conditions and the Czech historical context, the research raised theoretically relevant questions concerning the role of social capital in sustainability processes.

ICT Equipment in the Kindergartens for Sustainable Education from Kindergarten Principals’ Perspectives in the Czech Republic

With the rapid development of the technology in 21st century, education sectors try to make good use of the ICT effectively. Therefore, the schools have rapidly been equipped with modern ICT tools to sustain education effectively. The purpose of the research was to map the equipment of ICT for sustainable education. 143 kindergarten managers participated in the research from four Czech Republic regions. They were interviewed by the questionnaire prepared by the researchers. In the study 3 hypotheses were tested via the quantitative method. In conclusion, it shows that the kindergartens seem to ideally have a lack of ICT tools in kindergartens in the Czech context for sustainable education.

Sisterhood in 5D

Sisterhood in 5D

Legislation on Same-Sex Partnerships in the Post-Communist Area: Case Study of the Czech Republic

Abstract In the Czech context, the issue of same-sex partnerships can be viewed as a “hot potato”. After long political debates, a law allowing civil unions was adopted in 2006. In the post-communist area, there has been a political struggle over the marriage. The Czech Constitutional Court recently published two key decisions that moved this debate forward. At the same time, two major legislative bills were tabled in the Chamber of Deputies: the first extending marriage to non-heterosexual couples, the second preserving the current status quo with regard to marriage. In the article, we explain these recent Czech legal events in the broader context of the perception of marriage in the post-communist area. We argue that if the Court decides in the future on the constitutionality of same-sex marriages, it should take into account the principles of human dignity and the best interest of the child.

Partner preference and age: User's mating behavior in online dating

Objective: We test whether real online-user mating behavior corresponds with expectations from both the sociobiological and social perspectives and explore the age differentials that individuals opt for when searching for a mate and how this evolves relative to the user’s age and gender.
 Background: Age plays a vital role in partner choice. Previous studies have focused primarily on age differences between couples and their self-reported preferences for partners of a certain age. However, little is known about how age affects behavior in the online dating market.
 Method: We use behavioral data from a Czech online dating app, Pinkilin and analyze 197,519 invitations that users sent to each other in July 2017.
 Results: Men strongly prefer young women, and women prefer partners of their age or slightly older. At older ages, men’s preference for younger women widens, while women's preferences become more diverse. Homogamous tendencies are stronger among younger users and women.
 Conclusion: Overall, our results corroborate those of previous research on online dating, but we extend this research in terms of age differences in the Czech context.

Kolik nás může pracovat z domova? Výsledky pro Českou republiku

How well can a society and an economy face up to COVID-19 depends, among other factors, on how many jobs can be performed at home. Work from home has the potential to increase firms' productivity and quality of workers' lives regardless of COVID-19, but it can also create new challenges. In this paper, we estimate the share of Czech workers who could work from home, using detailed Czech labour force survey data and an internationally recognised occupational classification methodology. Overall, we apply in the Czech context a methodology developed by Dingel and Neiman and published by the Journal of Public Economics in 2020. Our results show that about one third of Czech workers can perform their jobs from home. This share is comparable with countries at similar per capita income levels and with the share of workers who worked from home in Czechia during COVID-19 in the spring of 2020. The ability to work from home is distributed unequally across sectors, regions and workers' education levels. Whereas around four fifths of workers in the financial or the information technology sectors can work from home, less than one in five workers in agriculture and culture can work from home. Most university-educated workers can work from home, but only one in ten workers with primary education can do so. About a half of the workers in Prague can work from home, while only about a quarter can do so in the rest of the Czech Republic.

Smíšený mód a online dotazování: mezinárodní praxe a tuzemská připravenost na implementaci

The cost of interviewer-administered data collection (CAPI, CATI) has been gradually rising, while response rates have been declining over time. This situation has led to the domination of online data collection (CAWI), which tends to suffer from poor population coverage and even lower response rates. This could be overcome by combining this method with another mode of data collection. This paper aims to summarise the main principles of mixed-mode design, its implementation in major international surveys, and the first results of a project testing the feasibility of the push-to-web mixed-mode design in the Czech context. The results illustrate that together, unequal distribution of technological skills and willingness to participate distort the recruitment of random samples for CAWI towards middle-aged and more educated respondents. The mixed-mode design – together with the described components – has the potential to better involve underrepresented groups, while it is essential to follow the rules for achieving comparable answers across modes and devices. Finally, we emphasize the need to disseminate findings to researchers and other users of survey data, as the use of mixed-mode design has been rapidly increasing.

Teaching as a part of academics' professionalization: the case of Czech educational sciences

PurposeThe article explores the current as well as the future concepts of university teaching by the academics/the “leaders of educational sciences” in the context of the changes of the academia that have affected the academic professionalization.Design/methodology/approachThe Delphi method was implemented to answer a research question dealing with the possible change in academics' concept of teaching as part of their current and future work. In this study, the experienced academics in the area of educational science are seen as the “leaders” since through their intensive teaching activities on all three levels (bachelor, master and doctoral) as well as through the high-quality research, they “lead” the concept of a particular science as well as the educational policy. Four rounds were used for consensus building among “leaders” based on a multiple interaction in an anonymous setting.FindingsThe research points out that academic professionalization in research is at its maximum. The currently perceived concept of teaching is content-oriented. However, the results also indicate the need for a gradual change in training Czech academics, should they accept their role also as university teachers in the future and be able to highlight the predicted change of teaching to support learning. Whether the strategy of a particular university will or will not accept all the academics' diverse roles seems to become the crucial factor.Research limitations/implicationsSeveral rounds with the same group of experts, which is the principle of Delphi method, is at the same time a limitation of the study, as in most of the research based on this method. The participation in the expert panel dropped throughout the rounds; however, geographic (in terms of university) dispersion of participating experts remained. The final fourth round confirmed the collective judgments of academics.Practical implicationsThe article broadens the understanding of changes in the content of academics' professionalization with respect to changes in the academia. It emphasizes the role of an academic as an educator and concludes with the need of institutional reform in the context of a single university in a decentralized system.Social implicationsThe article questions the trends of (national) educational policy in the sense that academics at universities are not only scientists but also teachers. However, the study also shows that the acceptance of their teaching abilities remains mainly on the organizational level.Originality/valueA less common method of data collection among rather rarely involved group of experts in educational sciences brings a different view of the profession of academics, who (not only in the Czech context) are seen mainly as researchers and not as teachers. Humboldt's ideal regarding the unity of diverse roles is, thus, threatened due to narrower focus on academics' professionalization.

The Role of Innovation in Small and Medium-Sized Family Firms: A Literature Review

This article builds on existing family business research conducted worldwide and embeds the research results in the Czech context to portray the Czech Republic as a critically important context for extending our knowledge on important family firms’ topics. In this article, we present a systematic review and integration of 69 articles published in peer-reviewed journals by Elsevier, Emerald, Wiley and others from 2015 to 2021 in order to answer two research questions: what is the role of innovation in SME family firms and what drives the innovation in family firms? Specifically, the content of the article discusses the new definition of family firm in the Czech Republic; the relationship between innovation and family firm growth; and some contextual factors that might affect the innovations in the Czech SME family firms: ability and willingness paradox, socioemotional wealth, and familiness. The insights of this review are used to develop suggestions for future research in setting the value of family firm where innovation can play an essential role as one of the core value drivers.

Impact of COVID-19 on Czech cross-border commuters: legal perspective

The paper focuses on the impact COVID-19 has on Czech cross-border commuters. Emphasis is placed on the legal and political science perspective and on the comparison of measures against traffic at the state border, against the free movement of persons and specifically against commuter workers (also known as cross-border commuters, or as pendlers in the Czech context), during both previously declared states of emergency in the Czech Republic. From a theoretical perspective, the paper summarizes information and data on cross-border commuters in Europe and the world. The research was performed by means of two qualitative case studies. In general, the legal measures at the Czech-German state border and the conditions of commuter workers during these states of emergency are compared. The research stage also included media searches (during both states of emergency) and content analysis of relevant policy outputs. The results suggest that border closures and related measures and the inability to travel abroad were unconstitutional, which also damaged commuters. And this also resulted in the fact that during the second state of emergency, the commuters were, in effect, not subject to any measures from the Czech side.

Driving locus of control: The Czech adaptation

Objectives. This study attempts to introduce the Driving Locus of Control (DLoC), a method focused on the internal or external source of attribution of the driving behaviour, to the Czech context. This study also relates DLoC to attitudes towards autonomous vehicles (AVs). Participants and setting. Out of the general population, 59 inquirers personally interviewed (CAPI) 1 065 respondents (49% women) in the age range between 15 and 92 years (M = 50, SD = 17). The respondents were sampled via multistage random sampling procedure, based on the list of addresses in the Czech Republic. Hypotheses. The authors hypothesised to replicate the original two-factor structure of the DLoC Scale and that the higher levels of internal DLoC result in not considering the improvement in traffic safety as the AVs replace human drivers. Statistical analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to analyse the factor structure of DLoC Scale. Hypotheses related to the empirical validity of the method were assessed via structural equation modelling. The reliability of DLoC Scale was calculated in terms of internal consistency (McDonald coefficient). Results. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed reasonably good support for structural validity of the one-dimensional DLoC-CZ15 factor model (χ2 = 426.967, df = 90, CFI = 0.964, TLI = 0.958, SRMR = 0.066, RMSEA = 0.065). In addition, the one-dimensional DLoC-CZ15 factor model showed acceptable internal consistency - ω = 0.9 (95% CI [0.89, 0.91]). The structural equation modelling found a relationship between DLoC and some of the items capturing attitudes towards AVs, too. Study limitations. The analysed data were obtained via interviews between respondents and inquirers. As a result, the study does not contain indicators of empirical validity measured by a methodologically different approach, such as an observation of driving behaviour.

How to typologize Czech anti‑communism: A reflection on three decades of memory conflicts

The paper is based on an analysis of Czech anti‑communism. It starts with a brief definition of anti‑communism. Then it presents six possible typologies of anti‑communism based on various questions: type of political mission, political background, actual political function, proposed cure, and spatial scope. There then follows a presentation of various phenomena that are framed in an anti‑communist way: the Communist Party, Social Democrats, liberals, the young generation, but also the contemporary West with its “progressivist” tendencies. In the two final sections the paper focuses on comparison in the Central European context. It shows that in the Czech context the transfer of German experience was (in)adequate for different reasons than in the Polish and Hungarian cases, namely because of the dynamics connected with the different trajectories of post‑communist political subjects.

Energy poverty in the Czech Republic: Individual responsibility or structural issue?

Although energy poverty is now high on the EU agenda, pressing member states to adopt targeted policies, there are considerable differences in the state of play across individual countries. In this context, it is worth investigating how this agenda translates into policy. We aim to contribute to this underrepresented strand of research in the energy poverty domain by focusing on the discursive side. This paper starts with the theoretical assumption that bureaucrats are especially important in the initial stages of new policy formation. It further presupposes framing as a process that typically occurs in tackling the complex reality of an emerging policy problem. We have chosen the Czech Republic as a case study as it does not currently have any official energy poverty policies though a working group on the ministerial level has been tasked to define the issue in the Czech context. The research reveals how relevant Czech bureaucrats frame the question of energy poverty. We identify three distinctive frames. Whereas two frames follow the broader ideological debate on poverty (individualizing vs. structural view), the third builds on the concept of vulnerability. None of the frames is clearly predominant. Besides their conflicting views about the causes of energy poverty, responsibilities and policies, there are also disagreements over the appropriate level (national or regional) of governance and a widely held belief that external research actors should shed more light on the issue. The complexity of the discussion may complicate finding a common approach.

Videoconferencing and Virtual Worlds in Tourism Language Education – Practical Evaluation of the Systematic Approach in the Czech Context

Abstract Language learning in tourism is increasingly embracing digital technologies for both synchronous and asynchronous content delivery and interaction. Blended learning combining online and traditional face-to-face forms as well as immersive forms such as 3D virtual worlds, where participants may travel as they learn from the comfort of their sofa, offer promising benefits, namely in times of pandemic and other turbulent events. Involving culturally and geographically distant tutors in the learning process may increase learners’ motivation as well as satisfaction, provided that the course curricula and lesson plans utilize the potential by appropriate selection of activities. Despite all the potential benefits, however, troubles caused by the increased complexity of digitally enhanced courses may ruin learners’ experience. The paper provides a conceptual basis for a systemic approach in planning, creating, and delivering courses, considering both technical and psychological aspects, which may assist in the prevention or mitigation of the challenges. To provide a relevant context, presentations of several language schools are briefly examined. The study of changes in their presentations between 2014 and 2021, in the light of web search trends, provides an additional glimpse into the evolution of the adoption and perception of relevant forms of education and technologies, further supporting the necessity of a systematic approach. Experience from three separate projects implementing innovative language courses collected both qualitatively and quantitatively via questionnaires is summarized, pointing out both successes and challenges.

Teologii myslet, nikoliv dělat. Několik kritických poznámek k otázce "co je teologie?"

This article is a polemical discussion with the recent attempts to define the nature and purpose of theology in Czech context. I critically examine the call to do theology rather than to think in theology as presented in the work of Frantisek Stěch and Stefan Stofanik. In contrast to these authors, I argue for theology as the practice of theoretical thinking, inspired by Jean Yves Lacoste, and propose that not practice but the lived experience in a philosophical reflection is the locus where the nature and purpose of theology is most clearly manifested.

Servant Leadership and Its Relation to Work Performance

Servant leadership has been anchored in academia on the international level during recent years. However, there is a lack of studies within the Central European region. The aim of this study is to review the concept of servant leadership and examine its relation to work performance. The focus is placed on the supervisor’s servant leadership and their relationship with subordinate’s in-role and extra-role work performance. Data were collected via a self-report questionnaire based on validated and adapted scales. The sample included 106 Master students of a standard Management program at the University of Economics, Prague (VĹ E) who have a job of 20 hours a week and more. Regression analysis showed a positive and significant relationship between supervisor’s servant leadership and both subordinate’s in-role and extra-role work performance. On the level of individual dimensions of servant leadership, only “empowering” showed to be positively and significantly related to work performance. Results suggest that working business students appreciate when supervisor provides them with responsibility and autonomy. The implications are limited due to the design of the study and the nature of the data. Organisations would benefit from the adoption of servant leadership if they aim to create an environment supportive for both in-role and extra-role work performance. Implications for Central European audience: Servant leadership is a viable concept used and researched worldwide. Its factorial structure was supported in the Czech context, and it provides a base for future research. Servant leadership might offer a convenient roadmap to accommodate work expectations of millennials and Gen Z from Central European region, e.g. servant leadership behaviour “creating value for the community” aligns with their expectation “business leaders take responsibility for societal needs”.

Invented religions and the conceptualization of religion in a highly secular society: The Jedi religion and the Church of Beer in the Czech context

This study illustrates the need to develop efforts that define scientific terms, namely, ‘religion’. Despite the fact that such efforts may seem to be practically unattainable, current phenomena testify to the need to continually improve standardized scholarly terminology (such as Invented Religion, Parody Religion). Using specific material (of new religious phenomena in the Czech Republic, specifically the Jedi religion and the Church of Beer), the study identifies several key ambiguities stemming from the cultural and social context in which both contemporary new religions and academic study of religions coexist. The study concludes that in a highly secular society, where the continuity of religious memory is disrupted (as in the Czech Republic), the academic study of religions plays an important role, functioning as an authority for the decision-making of state institutions.