Hungarian University Research Articles

Sandy Loam Soil Shear Strength Parameters and Its Colour

The shear strength parameters—the shear cohesion and the internal friction angle—are important parameters in calculating the shear strength of the soil, which is a mechanical property reflecting the resistance of the soil to shearing. This article embeds shear cohesion and internal friction angle results of the sandy loam soil measured using the direct shear test relying on drawing the Mohr–Coulomb line. Beside the shear strength parameters, this article contains colour results of the tested soil at different moisture contents, measured using the spectrophotometric technology in the visible band (spectrum; 400–700 nm). Measuring the soil colour might be the simplest way in the field for identifying the shear strength and its parameters in case of having the colour linked to the shear strength parameters through the moisture content of the soil, and this target is achieved by laboratory empirical work. The process of correlating the soil colour and the shear strength parameters at different moisture contents is presented in this article. The measurements were carried out at the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE—Department of Vehicle Technology Laboratory).

Interpretable Dropout Prediction: Towards XAI-Based Personalized Intervention

Student drop-out is one of the most burning issues in STEM higher education, which induces considerable social and economic costs. Using machine learning tools for the early identification of students at risk of dropping out has gained a lot of interest recently. However, there has been little discussion on dropout prediction using interpretable machine learning (IML) and explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) tools.In this work, using the data of a large public Hungarian university, we demonstrate how IML and XAI tools can support educational stakeholders in dropout prediction. We show that complex machine learning models – such as the CatBoost classifier – can efficiently identify at-risk students relying solely on pre-enrollment achievement measures, however, they lack interpretability. Applying IML tools, such as permutation importance (PI), partial dependence plot (PDP), LIME, and SHAP values, we demonstrate how the predictions can be explained both globally and locally. Explaining individual predictions opens up great opportunities for personalized intervention, for example by offering the right remedial courses or tutoring sessions. Finally, we present the results of a user study that evaluates whether higher education stakeholders find these tools interpretable and useful.

The impact of institutional governance reforms on organisational culture – Two case studies from Finland and Hungary

AbstractSeveral European countries have made it possible for public universities to become foundation universities. The transformation has also involved a change in their governance model with external actors taking important decision-making positions. We believe that these changes also imply a transformation of the organisational culture of the said universities.This study examines the transformation of a Finnish and a Hungarian university into a foundation one based on documents, interviews and questionnaire surveys. We found that for both universities there is strong pressure to move towards a corporate culture, but that change is not happening without resistance at either university.

Academic Burnout, Family Functionality, Perceived Social Support and Coping among Graduate Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Academic burnout and the COVID-19 pandemic have greatly impacted the academic life and mental health of graduate students. This study aims to address the mental health issue in graduate students by relating it to family functionality, perceived social support, and coping with academic burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were gathered from a cross-sectional study with 519 graduate students across universities in Hungary and other European countries. The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory Student, Family APGAR Index, the brief form of the Perceived Social Support Questionnaire, and the Brief Resilient Coping Scale were used to measure academic burnout, family functionality, perceived social support, and coping, respectively. Structural equations modeling was used for statistical analysis. The results revealed a negative effect of family functionality, perceived social support, and coping on academic burnout. The inverse relationship between perceived social support and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory was identified, and mediated by coping and family functionality. These findings may offer patterns and predictors for future graduate students and higher-education institutions to identify outside factors that are implicated in academic burnout, especially in outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Soil Spectral Behavior Related to Its Load-Bearing Capacity Based on Moisture Content

Soil’s load-bearing capacity is a crucial property from which the ability of soil to resist the vertical deformation resulting from a normal load can be determined, and this property is essential for analyzing a vehicle’s performance over soil terrain in terramechanics studies. Soil’s moisture content has a significant impact on its load-bearing capacity and spectral behavior. This study aims to show the relation between the load-bearing capacity and the spectral behavior of sandy loam soil. The study presents the load-bearing capacity and color results of sandy loam soil at different moisture contents. The load-bearing capacity was measured using the Bevameter technique, and the color was measured using spectrophotometer technology that sends waves in the visible range (400–700 nm). The pressure–sinkage results of the tested soil show that with an increase in the moisture content, the bearing capacity of the soil decreases, and the color results show a decrease in the color reflectance with the increase in the moisture content. The measurements were performed in the laboratory of the vehicle technology department at Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE).

The need to know. Information gathering and evaluation in Communist Party organizations of Hungarian universities (1948-1956)

ABSTRACT Based on the example of university party organizations, the article discusses the function of information scarcity in the daily work of lower-level functionaries in the Stalinist period of Hungarian state socialism (1948–56). In order to implement party policies efficiently, the functionaries of the Hungarian Workers’ Party needed to acquire information about the goals, possible methods and evaluative frameworks of their tasks and their social environment. The article argues that the uncertainty caused by the scarcity of reliable information from and about society could have been reduced by consistent orientation from the higher party levels. In the first years of open sovietization, the party leadership successfully presented itself as the only true and all-knowing guide towards communism, which provided stability when the Stalinist style of discipline, work and practice was introduced into the organizational culture. However, the contradictory and watered-down central interpretations about the modifications of the Soviet model during the New Course and after the Twentieth Party Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union proved to be insufficient to make sense of the party policies’ twists and turns and made functionaries unable to deal with the new challenges. The perception of not being adequately informed resulted in a gradual loss of loyalty towards the actual party leadership by the eve of the revolution of 1956. Elaborating functionaries’ confusion in the context of universities also shows how the control of students slipped through the party’s fingers and provides further explanation of why universities became hotbeds of opposition and resistance against the communist regime.

The Prevalence of Educational Neuromyths among Hungarian Pre-Service Teachers

Teachers with poor neuroliteracy fail to distinguish scientific evidence from neuromyths (NM), which might lead to the implementation of pseudoscientific educational methods. The prevalence of NM and general knowledge about the brain (GKAB) among in-service and pre-service teachers has been assessed in multiple countries, but no such study has been performed in Hungary. The aims of this study were to (1) assess the neuroliteracy of pre-service teachers, (2) compare the results with those of previous studies and (3) analyze the factors influencing neuroliteracy. Our sample included 822 pre-service teachers from 12 Hungarian universities. We developed a survey including 10 NM and 13 GKAB statements, adapted from a widely used questionnaire. The average rate of incorrect answers to NM was 56.9%, whereas the average rate of correct answers to GKAB was 70.9%. Male gender and frequency of using Facebook as the primary information source about neuroscience were the only predictors of NM acceptance. In comparison with other studies, the Hungarian pre-service teachers had the second highest endorsement of NM. The most prevalent NM were linked to motor functions, which might be related to the widespread use and promotion of motor therapies in Hungary.

Factors associated with risky alcohol consumption in Hungarian university students

ABSTRACT Background Considerable amount of students consume excessive amount of alcohol on a regular basis during their university studies, with known health and academic consequences. This study explores the reasons for this behavior and how mental health and physical fitness influence the process. Methods Risky alcohol consumption (AUDIT), mental health (DASS-21) and physical fitness (IFIS) were assessed with standardized questionnaires. Hierarchical binary logistic regression was performed to ascertain the effects of university-related factors job, scholarship, living location during term, study years, controlled for demographics (age, gender, marital status) and health status (BMI, stress, anxiety, depression, and physical fitness) on the likelihood that students have risky alcohol consumption. Results 520 university students were surveyed, mean age of 22.16 (2.80) years (66.2% female). 28.1% of the students showed risky alcohol consumption. Logistic regression revealed that among college students being male and young increases the likelihood of risky drinking. Mental health was not found to be an adverse factor, while physical fitness was not found to be a contributing factor. Conclusions These results suggest changes associated with university life do not necessarily lead to unhealthy alcohol consumption. To prevent it, the effectiveness of university alcohol policies might be examined.

First report of Erysiphe corylacearum Causing Powdery Mildew on Hazelnut in Hungary.

The interest in hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) cultivation has recently increased in Hungary, it is currently grown on 490 hectares. In August 2021 early powdery mildew symptoms were observed in a hazelnut plantation, and in a variety collection of the Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences in Érd. White patches of mycelium and conidia were observed on both side of the leaves. In early October abundant chasmothecia were formed. The disease incidence was 100% on varieties 'Segorbe', and 'Corabel', 70% on 'Ennis', and 30% on the leaves of 'Istrska dolgoplodna leska' (15 plants per cultivar). Powdery mildew is usually caused by Phyllactinia guttata, which was present abundantly on the abaxial and sparsely on the adaxial surface of the observed leaves. However, another fungus co-occurred on the adaxial surface of the leaves, and rarely occurred on the abaxial surface of the leaves. Its morphology differed substantially from P. guttata on having smaller chasmothecia, and branched appendages. The new powdery mildew agent was morphologically described. Mycelium was hyaline, branched, septate, thin-walled and smooth, 2.5-3.1 μm wide. Conidiophores measured 22 to 61 × 5.1 to 8.5 (average: 44.1 × 6.5) μm (n = 30), the foot cells were erect, cylindrical, and flexuous. Conidia occurred rarely and were produced single on conidiophores, 19 to 34 × 15 to 24 μm. Chasmothecia were spherical, 74 to 103 (average: 85) μm in diameter (n = 100), single or in groups on both sides of each leaf. Appendages 7 to 15 per chasmothecium, aseptate, straight, sometimes flexuous with a length of 74 to 118 (average: 103) μm (n = 50), and had 3 to 5 times dichotomous branched apices with curved tips. Each chasmothecium contained 3 to 5 asci. Ovoid to subglobose asci measured 43 to 65 × 32 to 54 μm (average: 56 × 43) μm (n = 30). Asci contained 4 to 8 ascospores which were hyaline, ellipsoid, measured 17 to 23 × 11 to 20 (mean: 21 × 15) μm (n = 40) in diameter. Morphological identification was confirmed by molecular analysis of two samples, one from the plantation, and one from the variety collection. After DNA extraction partial rDNA internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) of the isolates was amplified using primers ITS1_F and ITS4_R, as previously indicated (Meparishvili et al. 2019). Obtained sequences were deposited to the GenBank (accession no. OL744964 and OL744961). BLAST analysis indicated that the two samples were showing 100% and 97,81% identity to ITS rDNA sequences of Erysiphe corylacearum from Switzerland (MN822722), and showed low similarity of 83% and 85% each to P. guttata (AB080558). Pathogenicity tests were accomplished on ten healthy two-year-old plants of C. avellana cv. 'Merveille de Bollwiller' with the two isolates under controlled environment on 25°C, 80% humidity and 16/8 photoperiod. Plants were artificially inoculated by conidial suspension droplets (104/ml). Symptoms appeared after 7-8 days after inoculation and the developing fungus was morphologically identical to the original isolates. Control plants were treated with distilled water, no symptoms were found on them. E. corylacearum was first observed on C. avellana in Turkey in 2013 (Sezer et al. 2017) and was considered as a highly destructive pathogen. It is also known in neighbouring countries, Ukraine (Heluta et al, 2019), Austria (Voglmayr et al. 2020) and Romania (Rosati et al. 2021). To our knowledge, this is the first report of Erysiphe corylacearum in Hungary.

Doctoral students’ English academic writing experiences through metaphor analysis

Doctoral students are expected to contribute to their academic community by presenting their research findings in an internationally acceptable manner and to submit their dissertation. Students from non-English-speaking backgrounds might face challenges when writing publishable papers and dissertations in English. The aim of this study is to explore conceptual metaphors doctoral students used for characterizing their English academic writing experiences during their doctoral studies. A survey was conducted in the spring of 2022 inviting all non-native English-speaking doctoral students. They were asked to finish the sentence: “Writing an academic paper in English is like …..”. A total of 255 doctoral students (125 females; 127 males; 3 not stated) studying at 14 Hungarian universities volunteered to participate. They were from 49 countries and used 52 mother tongues. The metaphor dataset was analyzed following Lakoff and Johnson’ (1980) theoretical framework. Ten conceptual domains emerged from the dataset: WORK, TEXT PRODUCTION, CHALLENGE, STRUGGLE, CHANGING PLACES, ACTIVITIY, NOURISMENT, EASY TASK, CONSTRUCTION, and COMPLEX PROCESS. Only four students shared very negative metaphors on their experiences; whereas most students’ metaphors reflected optimism, even though they implied various demanding features of English academic writing. Students’ metaphors offered new authentic insights into their emic perspectives on their lived experiences.

What Matters the Most?

This study examines the impact of gender and age differences on the performance of students from different Hungarian universities and colleges in online learning during the third wave of COVID-19. The survey responses were assessed using Partial Least Squares estimation technique. The research model attempts to understand the influence of environmental and situational variables (i.e., compatibility, accessibility, perception of online self-efficacy, mobility) on performance and satisfaction with online education. Apart from mobility, other indicators have significant impact on respondents’ performance. However, moderating effect of age and gender almost do not influence the performance of surveyed Hungarian students. The results demonstrate that gender impacts the compatibility → performance pathway. The age of respondents has no effect on relationships between environmental and situational variables and performance.

Towards Gender Equality in Hungarian Universities

Women's participation in higher positions in education, particularly in higher education, is a critical issue. Governments are working toward improving gender equality in education, as well as other aspects of the issue such as economics, social issues, and work. This study aims to investigate the factors that influence gender equality at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. To accomplish the aim, two research questions were set up: How do the employees perceive gender equality at BME, and what factors have an impact on gender equality? Plus, what does the BME Gender Equality Plan reveal about workplace equality and policies, and how is the university working towards achieving gender equality?The study relied on qualitative methods, such as interviews and data analysis of the gender equality plan 2022-2025 and its intervention areas. The study explored the university background and experiences toward achieving gender equality, and the challenges encountered. The interviews revealed some of the challenges that the participants have faced regarding equal pay, promotion, and research opportunities. The evidence indicates that there is an underrepresentation of women in managerial and teaching positions, while there is an overrepresentation in administration positions. This can be attributed to the lack of formal policies that aim to promote gender equality, culture, and the lack of appropriate communication channels. However, based on the Gender Equality Plan 2022-2025, the university aims towards achieving gender equality within all faculties.

Improving university students' cooperation skills through portfolio projects: A pilot study

AbstractIn the autumn semester of the academic year 2019/2020, a portfolio approach was introduced and piloted in one of the ESP courses offered by Budapest Business School's Faculty of Finance and Accountancy. Besides developing ESP skills, the portfolio tasks developed for the purpose of this research and introduced during the research project reported herein were intended to improve students' cooperation skills, which are essential in the job market. At the beginning of the same semester in order to forecast how successful this portfolio approach could be, we intended to obtain insights into our students' initial attitudes towards cooperation with peers and wished to look into the likelihood of participants' positive reception of cooperation-purpose portfolio tasks. To this end, a quantitative questionnaire study was carried out through an online platform amongst 49 Hungarian university students. This paper presents the results of this study. First, the relevant theoretical background is presented, namely, cooperation as a soft skill and its subskills. Then the possibilities and opportunities of improving cooperation skills during ESP classes are discussed: in the scope of our study, relying on the methodological approach offered by of the European Language Portfolio, cooperation skills were developed through cooperation-purpose portfolio tasks. Next, our study describes the quantitative questionnaire study, its administration and the resulting data. Our results show that students have a positive initial attitude towards cooperation with peers and cooperation-purpose portfolio tasks, and it has been found that the portfolio approach used in this research project seems to be a useful strategy for developing participants' cooperation skills.

Screening Wild Pepper Germplasm for Resistance to Xanthomonas hortorum pv. gardneri

Bacterial spot disease on peppers is caused by four species of the genus Xanthomonas. This disease causes black spot lesions not only on the leaves but also on the fruit, leading to yield and quality loss. Xanthomonas species cause major disease outbreaks in tropical, subtropical and humid continental regions worldwide. Bacterial blight caused by xanthomonads occurs on both greenhouse- and field-grown peppers and is particularly important in areas characterized by hot and humid environmental conditions. As pesticides are currently not sufficiently effective in the control of bacterial spot, the development of pepper varieties resistant to Xanthomonas species, including X. hortorum pv. gardneri, is of primary importance for sustainable production. In our research, 119 lines of Capsicum baccatum from the USDA ARS gene bank (Griffin, GA) and MATE (Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences) were tested against strains of X. hortorum pv. gardneri under greenhouse conditions. Four accessions of the wild pepper species C. baccatum appeared to be resistant to seven strains of X. hortorum pv. gardneri in greenhouse trials. The resistant genotypes of X. hortorum pv. gardneri identified in this study can be used for the resistance gene pyramidation against different bacterial spotted Xanthomonas species in pepper.

Implementation of Experience-Based Online Education at Dunaujvaros University in Light of the “GeoGecko” Project

The “GeoGecko” project represents a pioneering initiative in both technical and pedagogical aspects, aiming to develop educational content based on experiential learning principles with a foundation in gamification. This project is currently underway at Dunaujvaros University in Hungary. This article comprehensively outlines the evolutionary process through which, drawing upon elements of e-learning, a novel and experiential online program is being developed, tailored to the expectations and needs of today's high school students. The article not only delves into the expectations but also reports on the implementation and its effectiveness.

The relationship between students' health behaviors and health-related quality of life in Gál Ferenc University in Hungary

University life can be stressful. Students try to balance work, family, community life and their studies. It is a critical period in young adulthood for an individual’s mental and physical health. The aim of the research was to examine the health behaviors (HB) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of the students. In the first phase, which covered the period from September to November 2021, 1,013 students (women 85.1%) at Gál Ferenc University (Szeged, Hungary) responded to a WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire (WHOQOL, 1998) supplemented with questions about their studies. According to the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire, 84.2% of the students rated their quality of life as good or very good, and 70% were satisfied or very satisfied with their health. Examined by domains, 67.26 ± 13.41 were the least satisfied with their quality of life in the field of environment and most satisfied 76.02 ± 22.22 in the field of physical health. There was no significant difference in the domains between the academic years. In the upcoming period, the elaboration of a health behavior questionnaire will be a priority task so as to follow the effects of the lifestyle change program.

Developing Dictionary Skills through Monolingual and Bilingual English Dictionaries at Tertiary-level Education in Hungary

Among reference works, dictionaries are particularly important in foreign language learning. Dictionaries provide language learners with a wide range of data, however, wading through the mass of data and information can be a daunting task. Mastering dictionary skills should be important in the language learning process; however, in official educational documents in Hungary, there are no clear guidelines on how to develop these skills. By integrating dictionary skills into the curriculum and teaching them explicitly in lessons, teachers could play an important role in bridging the gap between lexicographers and dictionary users. In the present study, we report on our methods of teaching lexicography and dictionary skills to students at a Hungarian university. The authors are speaking from experience, the discussion and accompanying material are based on more than 15 years of teaching practice. To ensure that the training can meet the expanding needs of young students, a longitudinal study was launched in 2020 to examine students' changing habits and needs. The aims of the article are threefold: first, to encourage the teaching of lexicography at university level by providing concrete methods, then to highlight the importance of dictionary skills, and finally, to emphasise the importance of integrating the effective teaching of the use of electronic dictionaries into dictionary didactics. In this context, the article underlines the need to incorporate new evaluation criteria as well as to develop new skills for digital dictionaries, different from those for print dictionaries, into education. Keywords: teaching lexicography, dictionary didactics, reference skills, dictionary skills, dictionary use, university course design, course evaluation, online dictionaries, evaluation of dictionaries

Hungarian University reforms on trial: Boards of trustees and the paradox of University autonomy

Hungarian University reforms on trial: Boards of trustees and the paradox of University autonomy

The Role of Lajos Martin in Hungarian Academic Education in Cluj

Lajos Martin (1827–1897) was a mathematician, engineer, corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (1861), founding member of the Transylvanian Museum Society, first appointed professor at the Hungarian University of Cluj founded in 1872, one of the Hungarian pioneers of aviation, and also warden of the Evangelical church. In 2022 was commemorated the 125th anniversary of his death and also the 150th anniversary of the founding of the University of Cluj, of which he was professor, from the foundation until his death. He was also the rector of the institution in academic year 1895/96. His legacy (the floating wheel, his collection of papers containing his research and the Martin folder) was bequeathed by his children to the Transylvanian Museum Society, the institution where he gave many lectures and published the results of his research. The present study aims to present in more detail not only the part of his life revealed by his commemorative research, but also that part of his life which highlights his role in Hungarian education in Cluj, as educator and institution leader, marked by his faith in science.

Some results of an empirical study on the willingness of university citizens to transfer knowledge

In 2021, a survey was conducted to map the willingness to share knowledge of several students studying at Hungarian universities. The authors of the study wanted to examine how students rate knowledge sharing in the organisation where they study, how open they are to share their knowledge, what informal forms of knowledge sharing exist in the educational institution for academic and non-academic knowledge sharing, with whom they are willing to share their knowledge the most and furthermore what are the most important knowledge transfer problems in their institutions. The respondents filled in a questionnaire during seminars and on the social media platforms. 552 university students participated in the survey. The results show that knowledge sharing is a fundamental feature of the institutional strategy and active knowledge transfer is practised in schools since this is one of the primary tasks of universities, however, it is less common to encourage or reward knowledge sharing. In the study women rated their institution's knowledge management practices stronger than men. Furthermore, the results showed that in institutions where knowledge sharing is an important part of the strategy, there is active knowledge sharing and the more distant the relationship between a student and a student is, the less open they are to sharing information. According to the findings, the closer the relationship is, the more sharing tends to occur within the participants of knowledge transfer. As the issue of knowledge management and knowledge sharing is an inevitable question in corporations’ and universities’ everyday life, preserving, developing, and transferring knowledge is a primary requirement for the organisations.