Hungarian National Research Articles

Enhancing reading competence through drama-based pedagogy

Students' reading comprehension difficulties are a serious challenge that we encounter every day both inside and outside the school environment. Several comprehensive studies (e.g., the Hungarian National Assessment of Basic Competencies – NABC, and the Program for International Student Assessment - PISA) have shed light on that problem and its seriousness. The improvement of reading competence in school is, therefore, a particularly important task. And the methods that improve reading competence play a crucially important role. One such method is drama-based pedagogy. The purpose of this study is to emphasize how the methods of drama-based pedagogy can be used to help the development of reading comprehension. The study highlights that the use of drama-based pedagogy methods strengthens both the motivation and the reading competence. The described drama-based pedagogic methods and games can be used not only within various school lessons but also beyond the classroom setting.

“In Rome, in Paris, / in Moscow, in Berlin, in London, and in Budapest”: Antal Németh and the European Theatre

In this paper, I outline Antal Németh’s career from the perspective of his international connections. Németh was the director-manager of the Hungarian National Theatre between 1935 and 1944. His whole career was significantly shaped by his interest in European theatre and his connections with the international theatrical scene. Renowned foreign directors and theatre influencers served as his role models in the 1920s and 1930s, and his academic performance in the international sphere contributed significantly to his directorial career in his homeland. Following World War II, during the era of state socialism in Hungary, he had to give up his leading position in Hungary’s cultural life. He lost some connections, and his ability to keep contact with the remaining ones was limited. Nonetheless, he maintained a deep interest in scholarly literature and Western theatrical influences.

Side notes to an exhibition : Some remarks on early medieval lamellar armours

The team at the LVR-Landesmuseum in Bonn took on a major task in 2021 when they began planning the exhibition entitled Das Leben des BODI: Eine Forschungsreise ins frühe Mittelalter (The Life of BODI: A Research Journey into the Early Middle Ages), based around a burial site with outstanding artefacts. The central theme of the exhibition, which opened in March 2023, is the ways of social representation of the elite in the Early Middle Ages and the burials and grave finds associated with them (Fig. 1), including the lamellar armour finds from many burials of the period in different parts of Europe. Similar armours can also be found in the Avar archaeological record, the most significant specimen found in a grave at Derecske-Bikás-dűlő in 2019. The exhibition included armour fragments from the sites Kölked-Feketekapu B and Kiskőrös-Vágóhíd, lent from the collection of the Hungarian National Museum. This study summarises the brief history of research into the role of lamellar armour in the Avar funerary practice and the possibilities of its interpretation.

The Comparison Between the Hungarian and Romanian National Security Strategies

In 2020 first Hungary, later Romania, two member states of NATO, EU and PESCO adopted their own Nation Security Strategies. There was a need in both mentioned countries for new defense strategies because in recent years new challenges and threats have emerged, like the annexation of Crimea, the destabilization of Ukraine, and the migration crisis. These documents describe the two countries’ place in the international system, list the threats and challenges to their security, and finally try to give a solution based on their possibilities and capabilities. The strategies also carry a message to neighbors, allies, and future rivals. The document's aim is the protection of core national values. In this paper, my goal is to offer an overview of the strategic documents and to analyze first the Romanian National Defense Strategy. The Hungarian National Security Strategy, and finally to highlight the similarities and find the differences like national sovereignty, protection of Christian values, or the importance of a European army. In both security documents old and new threats appear like terrorism, climate change, migrant problems, hybrid warfare, arms, and drug trafficking. Each strategy is an official communication tool, an official policy message to external and internal actors at different levels and of different types that influence national security. To achieve my goal, I used the methods of document analysis and content analysis on the primary sources. The purpose of the research is to compare two neighboring countries' strategies, and how they react to their national threats.

Elindult a Magyar Nemzeti Helynévtár Program

The Hungarian National Toponym Registry Program Launched The paper reports on the launch of a comprehensive toponomastics program supported by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and based on extensive scholarly collaboration aimed at collecting, documenting, and publishing contemporary and historical Hungarian toponyms. The main objective of the first year of the program was to establish the operative framework and involve the adequate group of scholars. All university departments providing programs in Hungarian linguistics in the Carpathian Basin participate in the work with institutional representatives coordinating the activities. There are regional coordinators outside Hungary and the Advisory Board of the Academy facilitates high-quality work. University students have a key role in the collection and processing of the toponymic corpus and they are prepared for such a work with the help of university courses, online materials, collection trips, and joint database building activities. The work completed in the first year has provided a sound foundation for the implementation of the decade-long research program.

Beliefs of general classroom and music specialist teachers in Hungarian primary schools regarding the development of musical abilities in children

One of the most important issues in music education is the development of children’s musical abilities, which are in turn impacted by teachers’ beliefs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the beliefs of general classroom and music specialist teachers in Hungary about the development of the musical abilities of children. A total of 176 general classroom teachers and 272 music specialist teachers participated in the research process. Data were collected using an online questionnaire method. SPSS was used to process data using quantitative methods. The researcher used descriptive statistical methods (frequencies, means, standard deviations) for data analysis, and inferential statistics—independent samples t test, Pearson’s correlation, and factor analysis (Maximum Likelihood method, Oblimin rotation)—to examine differences and correlations between variables. The results indicated that teachers cognitively organize musical abilities differently from the Hungarian National Core Curriculum content. Moreover, the study observed several differences among the beliefs of general classroom and music specialist teachers regarding the level of development of musical abilities of primary school children. A significant correlation was noted between the teachers’ qualifications, practice, and length of instrumental learning, and their beliefs about developing musical abilities in children. One main educational implication emerged from the results was the importance of modification of beliefs for educating teachers in university courses, which poses a major problem because changing teachers’ beliefs is a complex process.

8–17 éves gyermekek légzésfunkciós és testszerkezeti mutatói kapcsolatának vizsgálata

The development of children’s respiratory functions and body structural parameters, as well as the relationship between body structural and respiratory parameters were analysed in a subsample of the Second Hungarian National Growth Study (n: 1339 children, aged between 8–17). The spirometric parameters (forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in the 1st second, peak expiratory flow in 1 minute) of children were recorded alongside their body structural parameters. The nutritional status of children was assessed by body mass index, children were divided into underweight, normal, overweight and obese subgroups. There was a significant difference between the two sexes’ respiratory functions in each age-group starting from the age of 13 years. While girls’ pubertal growth started to come to an end at the age of 15 years, boys’ developmental changes only slowed at the age of 17 years and continued even after. By considering nutritional status, it could be observed that overweight and obese children surpass their peers in spirometric functions in almost every age-group. We recommend the use of references of body weight-related spirometric parameters for paediatric use in overweight and obese children, such references of the three studied spirometric parameters are constructed on the basis of the studied sample of Hungarian children. The children scoring below the 5th centile should be considered for further respiratory examinations.

Technology vs privacy at work

Employees' right to privacy and employers' extensive need for work-related information collide. The imbalance of authority between employers and employees and the doctrine of managerial prerogative determines the outcome of these competing interests, and therefore the right to privacy requires statutory protection. The study aims to examine the legislative (hard law) and law enforcement (soft law) achievements of European and Hungarian initiatives on organizational labor control mechanisms and to understand their possible limitations concerning the doctrine of managerial prerogative. The research method was a thematic document and literature review of appropriate legislation and case law records from the European Court of Human Rights, the Hungarian Supreme Court, and the Hungarian National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information. The research results confirmed our hypothesis: current legal instruments seem to limit the control mechanisms of organizations, both in terms of content and process. However, rapid technological innovations make employee privacy a moving target, where the law provides only temporary and limited protection.

A pénzügyi közvetítőrendszer a környezetvédelem szolgálatában, avagy a zöld pénzügyi megoldások

In the present study, we have presented the activities and measures of the financial sector that support environmental protection and take into account climate change. To this end, existing international organizations have adopted documents to promote the use of climate-neutral green financial solutions by consumers, and new international organizations have been set up specifically for this purpose. The most successful of such organizations is NGFS, which currently has more than a hundred members. We have seen that the Hungarian National Bank has also taken a number of measures, announcing a program to green the financial sector.

HUNGARIAN DIPLOMACY AND THE DISINTEGRATION OF YUGOSLAVIA 1990–1991

This study aims to explore Hungarian–Yugoslav diplomatic relations in the first phase of the disintegration of the second Yugoslav state through relevant documents from the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and accounts from the contemporary Hungarian press. The study mainly focuses on relations between the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Except for Serbia, diplomatic relations between Hungary and the other Yugoslav republics were not taken into consideration due to length constraints. The study also examines Budapest’s diplomatic activities with the great powers regarding the Yugoslav question. The documents used this study can be found in XIX-J-1-j records at the Department of Political Government and Party Authorities of the Hungarian National Archives after 1945 (Magyar Nemzeti Levéltár Országos Levéltára 1945 utáni Politikai Kormányszervek és Pártiratok Főosztálya, MNL OL).

The Comparison between the Hungarian and Romanian National Security Strategies

In 2020 first Hungary, later Romania, two member states of NATO, EU and PESCO adopted their own Nation Security Strategies. There was a need in both mentioned countries for new defense strategies because in the recent years new challenges and threats have emerged, like the annexation of Crimea, the destabilization of Ukraine and the migration crisis. These documents describe the two countries’ place in the international system, also list the threats and challenges to their security, finally try to give a solution based on their and the capabilities. The strategies also carry a message to neighbors, allies and future rivals. The documents aim is the protection of core national values. In this paper my goal is to offer an overview of the strategic documents and to analyze first the Romanian National Defense Strategy, then the Hungarian National Security Strategy, finally to highlight the similarities and to find the differences like national sovereignty, protection of Christian values or the importance of a European army. In both security documents old and new threats appear like terrorism, climate change, migrant problems, hybrid warfare, arms and drug trafficking. Each strategy is an official communication tool, an official policy message to external and internal actors at different levels and of different types that influence national security.

Displaying Archaeology and Circulating Knowledge

Abstract This article explores the role of archaeological exhibitions organized at international archaeological congresses in the circulation of scientific knowledge in the nineteenth century. It does so through the case study of the exhibition organized at the 8th Congrès international d’anthropologie et d’archéologie préhistoriques (CIAAP; International Congress of Prehistoric Anthropology and Archaeology) which was held in the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest, Hungary, in 1876. The article discusses the exhibition’s curation and impact by analyzing key publications, newspaper articles, and archival documents. It examines the exhibitors’ backgrounds, along with the selection and arrangement of the displayed objects. It also highlights the exhibition’s press coverage and the discussions it generated among the international and domestic participants. The article concludes that the exhibition contributed to creating international scholarly networks, multi- and pluridisciplinary collaborations, as well as international visibility and public support for prehistoric archaeology in Hungary.

Evaluation of data quality at the Hungarian National Cancer Registry, 2000–2019

BackgroundThe Hungarian National Cancer Registry (HNCR) was legally established as a population-based cancer registry in 1999, and its operation started in 2000 supporting the planning and development of the Hungarian oncology network as well as informing national cancer control policies. Ensuring comparable, accurate, and complete data on malignant and in situ neoplasms is critical in determining the applicability of the database. The aim of this study was to perform a comprehensive evaluation of the data quality at the HNCR. MethodsBased on qualitative and semiquantitative methods from current international guidelines, we assess the comparability, completeness, validity, and timeliness of the collected data over the diagnostic period 2000–2019, with a focus on the year 2018. ResultsCoding practices and the classification system used at the HNCR are based on the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), which differs from the internationally recommended ICD-O. The annual trends in incidence did not indicate major fluctuations, that may have resulted from data collection discrepancies, while comparisons of the mortality-to-incidence ratio (M:I) compared with 1 minus 5-year observed survival indicated some systematic differences requiring further exploration. The age-standardized (European standard) incidence rate per 100 000 measured by the HNCR in 2018 was very high: 647.9 for men and 501.6 for women, 11.6% and 14.6% higher than the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) estimates respectively. Behind the overall differences between the two data sources, we identified that the vast majority were due to ill-defined ICD codes: malignant neoplasm of other and ill-defined sites (C76), and malignant neoplasm without specification of site (C80). Otherwise, there were no major discrepancies by localization. The proportion of morphologically verified cancer cases was 57.8% overall, that of death certificates was 2.3%, and that of unknown primary tumors was 1.4%. ConclusionFurther implementations and interventions are required to ensure that the operations, coding practices, and the classification system used at the national registry are in accordance with international standards, and to increase the completeness and validity of the collected cancer data. In particular, the low morphologically verified proportion questions the overall accuracy of the stated diagnoses within the database. Nevertheless, our examination implies that the data of the HNCR are reasonably comparable, and without doubt fulfill the requirements to support national oncology services and cancer planning. However, most importantly, a review of registry personnel and resource requirements to run the national population-based cancer registry should be an essential part of Hungary’s national cancer strategy.

Severe exacerbations and mortality in COPD patients: A retrospective analysis of the database of the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund

IntroductionCOPD is one of the most common pulmonary diseases and one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Exacerbations of COPD include acute worsening that could lead to hospitalization and death. In this study, our objective was to investigate the natural course of moderate and severe exacerbations (SAE) and mortality in the Hungarian population in the past decade. MethodsA retrospective financial database analysis was performed to examine the risk of additional SAEs and death after the first ever SAE in COPD patients, using the financial database of the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). Patients were enrolled between 2009.01.01. and 2019.12.31. if they had received at least one inhaled drug (LABA, LAMA, ICS or SABA/SAMA) and had been hospitalized for a COPD exacerbation (ICD-10 code J44). ResultsA total of 63,037 patients with COPD were enrolled after their first SAE. Of them, 27,095 patients suffered at least one subsequent SAE, and 32,120 patients died during the 10-year follow-up. The median survival was 4.7 years. The risk of subsequent hospitalizations increased significantly after each SAE, with hazard ratios ranging from 1.65 to 5.01. The risk for mortality was increased after each SAE, but did not increase further with the number of SAEs. Moreover, the risk for subsequent SAE and death increased with moderate exacerbations; however, this risk did not increase further with each event. ConclusionsDespite a relevant improvement in COPD treatment, the natural course of exacerbations remained unchanged. This result highlights the importance of preventing exacerbations and the need for more research to better predict them.

Report: Hungarian Studies Association of Canada Annual Conference 2022

Report: Hungarian Studies Association of Canada Annual Conference 2022

SA22 Examination of Correlations Between Core Stability, Low Back Pain and Stress in the Staff of the Hungarian National Ambulance Service

Ambulance workers are exposed to high levels of physical and mental strain as a result of their work. Our goal was to investigate the correlations between their lower back pain, stress, quality of life and core stability.

Underlying reasons for post-mortem diagnosed lung cancer cases - A robust retrospective comparative study from Hungary (HULC study).

The Hungarian Undiagnosed Lung Cancer (HULC) study aimed to explore the potential reasons for missed LC (lung cancer) diagnosis by comparing healthcare and socio-economic data among patients with post-mortem diagnosed LC with those who were diagnosed with LC during their lives. This nationwide, retrospective study used the databases of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (HCSO) and National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to identify patients who died between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019 and were diagnosed with lung cancer post-mortem (population A) or during their lifetime (population B). Patient characteristics, socio-economic factors, and healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) data were compared between the diagnosed and undiagnosed patient population. During the study period, 8,435 patients were identified from the HCSO database with LC as the cause of death, of whom 1,203 (14.24%) had no LC-related ICD (International Classification of Diseases) code records in the NHIF database during their lives (post-mortem diagnosed LC population). Post-mortem diagnosed LC patients were significantly older than patients diagnosed while still alive (mean age 71.20 vs. 68.69 years, p<0.001), with a more pronounced age difference among female patients (difference: 4.57 years, p<0.001), and had significantly fewer GP (General Practitioner) and specialist visits, X-ray and CT scans within 7 to 24 months and 6 months before death, although the differences in GP and specialist visits within 7-24 months did not seem clinically relevant. Patients diagnosed with LC while still alive were more likely to be married (47.62% vs. 33.49%), had higher educational attainment, and had more children, than patients diagnosed with LC post-mortem. Post-mortem diagnosed lung cancer accounts for 14.24% of total lung cancer mortality in Hungary. This study provides valuable insights into patient characteristics, socio-economic factors, and HCRU data potentially associated with a high risk of lung cancer misdiagnosis.

The Emergency Performance of the Hungarian Ambulance Service during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a considerable impact on the whole health sector, particularly on emergency services. Our aim was to examine the performance of the Hungarian National Ambulance Service during the first four waves of the pandemic. We defined the 2019 performance of the service as the baseline and compared it with the activity during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. The data contained deliveries related to acute myocardial infarction, hemorrhagic stroke, ischemic stroke, overall non-COVID-related ambulance deliveries, COVID screenings performed by the ambulance service, and COVID-related ambulance deliveries. The data were aggregated for each week of the investigated time period and stratified by gender and age. Compared with the pre-pandemic era, we found a significant increase in all three medical conditions and overall deliveries (p &lt; 0.001 in all cases). As a result of the increased burden, it is important for emergency services to prepare for the next global epidemic and to improve organizational performance and rescue activities. The Hungarian example highlights that in a pandemic, it can be beneficial to organize the emergency care of a country or a larger region under a single provider with a single decision maker supported by business intelligence.

Antibiotic use in elderly patients in ambulatory care: A comparison between Hungary and Sweden.

Background: The elderly use antibiotics frequently due to their increasing infection susceptibility. Given the high and increasing proportion of elderly in the population, their antibiotic use is substantial. Objective: This study aimed to compare antibiotic use in the elderly in the ambulatory care sector between Hungary and Sweden. Methods: This retrospective, descriptive, cross-national, comparative study included antibacterial use data from the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund and the Swedish eHealth Agency. Antibiotic use (anatomical therapeutical chemical: J01) was expressed as the number of prescriptions/1000 inhabitants/year or month and was further stratified by age and sex. Results: Antibiotic exposure was higher in the Hungarian elderly population (649.8 prescriptions/1000 inhabitants/year) compared to its Swedish counterparts (545.0 prescriptions/1000 inhabitants/year). Hungary had a similar scale of antibacterial exposure across all elderly age subgroups, with different trends in males and females, while Sweden had a stepwise increase in antibiotic exposure by age in both sexes. The seasonal fluctuation was high in Hungary and reached a peak of 80.7 prescriptions/1000 inhabitants/month in January 2017, while even antibiotic use was detected throughout the year in Sweden. The pattern of antibiotic use in the elderly considerably differed between the two countries. Penicillin and beta-lactamase combinations, such as co-amoxiclav, were more frequently used in Hungary than in Sweden (19.08% vs 1.83% of corresponding total ambulatory antibiotic use). Likewise, quinolones were more commonly used in Hungary than in Sweden (34.53% vs. 9.98). The elderly in Sweden were mostly prescribed narrow spectra penicillins (26.71% vs. 0.29% in Hungary). Conclusion: This cross-national comparison revealed important differences in all aspects of antibiotic use in the elderly between the two countries. The identical scale and pattern of antibiotic use cannot be anticipated due to the poorer health status of the Hungarian elderly population. However, the substantial differences indicate some room for improvement in the antibiotic prescription for the Hungarian elderly.

10 Years of Hungarian National Security Higher Education (2012–2022)

This study examines the place and role of Hungarian national security higher education coordinated by the Institute of National Security of the University of Public Service. Compared to the models seen on the international stage, the study describes the Hungarian university (UPS) form of national security training, the peculiarities that have developed as a result of the last ten years, and the framework of higher education in this special field.