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These three keynote speeches from a European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) seminar "Research on Vocational Education and Training in Europe" focus on the links between education, training, work, and economic growth. "Education and Training Policies in the Transition towards a Global Information Society: Needs and Opportunities" (Eve Caroli) analyzes the links between new technologies, skill requirements, and economic growth. It promotes transferable skills as necessary in the transition to the information and knowledge based society and recommends integrating education and training policy on one hand and labor market and employment policy on the other. "The Relationships between Education, Training, Employment, and the Labor Market: Some Research Findings and Conclusions" (Manfred Tessaring) illustrates the positive contribution of education and training to earnings and economic growth as confirmed by a number of studies. It also discusses the opportunities and problems of identifying and quantifying new employment fields, occupations, and qualification requirements. "OECD [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development] Activities Related to Research on Vocational Education and Training" (Abrar Hasan) addresses three issues: where the Vocational and Technical Education Project (VOTEC) work fits into OECD's broader mandate in the area of education and training work; a review of OECD's work in the VOTEC area completed in recent years; policy issues that have emerged from this work and the research gaps they identify; and an outline of the work the OECD is now planning in this area. (YLB)

Eleven working papers are provided from a meeting to enable national training research and development organizations to present their current and future research and development priorities and exchange information and experience on projects of mutual concern. They cover a wide range of subjects in 11 of the 12 European Community Member States, but all the programs include work on changing qualification profiles needed to work effectively with new technologies. The papers include: "Summary of Major Research and Development Projects--AnCo (the Industrial Training Authority)--Ireland"; "Training Research Projects--The Centre for Studies and Research on Qualifications--France"; "Government Sponsored Research and Development on Vocational Training and New Technology--United Kingdom";"Work Results of the Federal Institute for Vocational Training--Federal Republic of Germany"; "Development of Research in the Field of Vocational Training--French- and German-Speaking Community, Onem, Belgium"; "Vocational Training by the National Manpower Service--Flemish Community, RVA, Belgium"; "Outline for Action in 1986--Institute for the Promotion of Workers' Vocational Training (ISFOL)--Italy"; "Summary Progress Report on the Training Research Programmes in Greece"; "Research Methods for the Investigation of Problems in the Linkage with the Labour Market in the Netherlands--University of Utrecht and PCBB"; "Vocational Training in Spain"; and "Development of Vocational Training in Small and Medium Craft Enterprises in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg." (YLB)

These proceedings contain the papers of the International Conference e-Learning 2013, which was organised by the International Association for Development of the Information Society and is part of the Multi Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems (Prague, Czech Republic, July 23-26, 2013). The e-Learning 2013 conference aims to address the main issues of concern within e-Learning. This conference covers both technical as well as the non-technical aspects of e-Learning. The conference accepts submissions in the following seven main areas: Organisational Strategy and Management Issues; Technological Issues; e-Learning Curriculum Development Issues; Instructional Design Issues; e-Learning Delivery Issues; e-Learning Research Methods and Approaches; e-Skills and Information Literacy for Learning. Keynote papers in these proceedings include: (1) Thoughts on the Quality of Learning in MOOCs (Thomas C. Reeves); and (2) Social Networks as the support of the e-Learning (Jan Lojda). Full papers in these proceedings include: (1) Evaluation of Visual Computer Simulator for Computer Architecture Education (Yoshiro Imai, Masatoshi Imai and Yoshio Moritoh); (2) Understanding Children's Museum Learning from Multimedia Instruction (Asmidah Alwi and Elspeth McKay ); (3) How Does the "Digital Generation" Get Help on Their Mathematics Homework? (Carla van de Sande, May Boggess and Catherine Hart-Weber); (4) Productization and Commercialization of IT-Enabled Higher Education in Computer Science: A Systematic Literature Review (Irja Kankaanpää and Hannakaisa Isomäki); (5) Motivating an Action Design Research Approach to Implementing Online Training in an Organizational Context (Christine Rogerson and Elsje Scott ); (6) Social e-Learning in Topolor: A Case Study (Lei Shi, Dana Al Qudah and Alexandra I. Cristea); (7) Training Educators: Plan for Replicating the Experience (Ulanbek Mambetakunov and Marina Ribaudo); (8) Choosing Learning Methods Suitable for Teaching and Learning in Computer Science (Estelle Taylor, Marnus Breed, Ilette Hauman and Armando Homann); (9) Teaching AI Search Algorithms in a Web-Based Educational System (Foteini Grivokostopoulou and Ioannis Hatzilygeroudis ); (10) Digital Histories for the Digital Age: Collaborative Writing in Large Lecture Courses (Leen-Kiat Soh, Nobel Khandaker and William G. Thomas); (11) Promoting Scientific Literacy through the Online Argumentation System (Chun-Yen Tsai); (12) Using a Techno-Skepticism Framework to Evaluate the Perception and Acceptance of a New Online Reading List (Ajmal Sultany and Samantha Halford); (13) SMS-Based Learning in Tertiary Education: Achievement and Attitudinal Outcomes (Yaacov J Katz); (14) e-Portfolios @ Teacher Training: An Evaluation of Technological and Motivational Factors (Alfred Klampfer and Thomas Köhler ); (15) Effects of Facebook Tutoring on Learning English as a Second Language (Chang-hwa Wang and Cheng-ping Chen); (16) An Italian Experience of Social Learning at High School (Michelle Pieri, Davide Diamantini and Germano Paini); (17) Distance Education: Educational Trajectory Control (Andrey Isaev, Alla Kravets, Ludmila Isaeva and Sergey Fomenkov); (18) Leadership for Sustaining Pedagogical Innovations in ICT Implementation: A Case Study of Taiwanese Vocational High School (Yih-Shyuan Chen, Yu-Horng Chen, Shun-Jyh Wu and Fang-Kai Tang); (19) Towards to a Versatile Tele-Education Platform for Computer Science Educators Based on the Greek School Network (Michael Paraskevas, Thomas Zarouchas, Panagiotis Angelopoulos and Isidoros Perikos); (20) Adaptive Feedback Improving Learningful Conversations at Workplace (Matteo Gaeta, Giuseppina Rita Mangione, Sergio Miranda and Francesco Orciuoli); (21) Teachers Little Helper: Multi-Math-Coach (Martin Ebner, Martin Schön, Behnam Taraghi and Michael Steyrer); (22) Youflow Microblog: Encouraging Discussions for Learning (Rafael Krejci and Sean W. M. Siqueira); (23) Interaction Problems Accessing e-Learning Environments in Multi-Touch Mobile Devices: A Case Study in Teleduc (André Constantino da Silva, Fernanda Maria Pereira Freire, Alan Victor Pereira de Arruda and Heloísa Vieira da Rocha); (24) Integrating a Learning Management System with a Student Assignments Digital Repository. A Case Study (Javier Díaz, Alejandra Schiavoni, María Alejandra Osorio, Ana Paola Amadeo and María Emilia Charnelli); (25) On the Recommender System for University Library (Shunkai Fu, Yao Zhang and Seinminn); (26) Developing and Implementing a New Online Bachelor Program: Formal Adoption of Videoconferencing and Social Networking as a Step towards M-Learning (Roland van Oostveen and François Desjardins); (27) Developing a User Oriented Design Methodology for Learning Activities Using Boundary Objects (?lga Fragou and Achilles Kameas); (28) User Acceptance of a Haptic Interface for Learning Anatomy (Soonja Yeom, Derek Choi-Lundberg, Andrew Fluck and Arthur Sale); (29) e-Learning Software for Improving Students Music Performance Using Comparisons (M. Delgado, W. Fajardo and M. Molina-Solana); (30) A Digital Game for International Students Adjustments (Maryam Bisadi, Alton Y.K Chua and Lee Chu Keong); (31) Developing an ICT-Literacy Task-Based Assessment Instrument: The Findings on the Final Testing Phase (Jessnor Elmy Mat-jizat); (32) Peer Tutoring in the CIS Sandbox: Does it Work? (Mark Frydenberg); (33) e-Competent Teacher and Principal as the Foundation of e-Competent School e-Education, the Largest School Informatization Project in Slovenia 2008-2013 (Magdalena Šverc, Andrej Flogie, Maja Vicic Krabonja and Kristjan Percic); (34) Collaborative Tools in Upper Secondary School--Why? (Helle Mathiasen, Hans-Peter Degn, Christian Dalsgaard, Christian W Bech and Claus Gregersen); (35) Adaptation of Educational Text to an Open Interactive Learning System: A Case Study for RETUDIS (M. Samarakou, E.D. Fylladitakis, G. Tsaganou, J. Gelegenis, D. Karolidis, P. Prentakis and A. Papadakis); and (36) Using Podcasts in Distance Education (Herman Koppelman). Short papers in these proceedings include: (1) Big Data & Learning Analytics: A Potential Way to Optimize eLearning Technological Tools (Olga Arranz García and Vidal Alonso Secades); (2) Critical Factors in Mobile eLearning: A Quasi-Systematic Review (Sergio Assis Rodrigues, Rodrigo Pereira dos Santos, Lucas Arnaud and Jano Moreira de Souza); (3) Analysis of Instruction Models in Smart Education (JaeHyeong Park, JeongWon Choi and YoungJun Lee); (4) The History Harvest: An Experiment in Democratizing the Past through Experiential Learning (William G. Thomas and Patrick D. Jones); (5) Challenges of Mongolian e-Learning and An Improvement Method of Implementation (S.Baigaltugs, B. Munkhchimeg and J.Alimaa); (6) Towards a Trust Model in e-Learning: Antecedents of a Student's Trust (Woraluck Wongse-ek, Gary B Wills and Lester Gilbert); (7) Elemental Learning as a Framework for e-Learning (John V. Dempsey and Brenda C. Litchfield); (8) An Interactive Training Game Using 3D Sound for Visually Impaired People (Hsiao Ping Lee, Yen-Hsuan Huang and Tzu-Fang Sheu); (9) e-Learning Practice-Oriented Training in Physics: The Competence Information (Alla G. Kravets, Oxana V. Titova and Olga A. Shabalina); (10) Student Experiences on Interaction in an Online Learning Environment as Part of a Blended Learning Implementation: What is Essential? (Laura Salmi); (11) Usability Assessment of e-Cafe Operational Management Simulation Game (Chiung-sui Chang and Ya-Ping Huang); (12) System for Automatic Generation of Examination Papers in Discrete Mathematics (Mikael Fridenfalk); (13) Direction of Contents Development for Smart Education (YoungSun Park, SangJin An and YoungJun Lee); (14) Online Training in Australia (Joze Kuzic); (15) Using Facebook as a Virtual Classroom in a Public University in Mexico City (Miguel Angel Herrera Batista); (16) Exploring Competency Development with Mobile Devices (Maurice DiGiuseppe, Elita Partosoedarso, Roland Van Oostveen and Francois Desjardins); (17) A Study of the Metacognition Performance in Online Learning (Ya-Ping Huang and Chiung-Sui Chang); (18) Educational Company and e-Learning (František Manlig, Eva Šlaichová, Vera Pelantová, Michala Šimúnová, František Koblasa and Jan Vavruška ); (19) Structural Constructivism as an Epistemology for Professional e-Learning: Implications & Recommendations for the Design of ECPD Pedagogical Models (Gurmit Singh and Maggie McPherson); (20) e-Learning System for Experiments Involving Construction of Practical Electric Circuits (Atsushi Takemura); (21) Component-Based Approach in Learning Management System Development (Larisa Zaitseva, Jekaterina Bule and Sergey Makarov); (22) Learning Portfolio as a Service--A Restful Style (Shueh-Cheng Hu, I-Ching Chen and Yaw-Ling Lin); (23) Context Aware Recommendations in the Course Enrollment Process Based on Curriculum Guidelines (Vangel V. Ajanovski); and (24) A Model of e-Learning Uptake and Continued Use in Higher Education Institutions (Nakarin Pinpathomrat, Lester Gilbert and Gary B Wills). Reflections papers in these proceedings include: (1) The Development of Logical Structures for e-Learning Evaluation (Uranchimeg Tudevdagva, Wolfram Hardt and Jargalmaa Dolgor); (2) Ethics in e-Learning (Alena Bušíková and Zuzana Melicheríková); (3) A Comparative Study of e-Learning System for Smart Education (SangJin An, Eunkyoung Lee and YoungJun Lee); (4) Alternative Assessment Techniques for Blended and Online Courses (Brenda C. Litchfield and John V. Dempsey); (5) Assessing the Structure of a Concept Map (Thanasis Giouvanakis, Haido Samaras, Evangelos Kehris and Asterios Mpakavos); (6) Implementations for Assessing Web 2.0 on Education (Gabriel Valerio and Ricardo Valenzuela); (7) Storytelling: Discourse Analysis for Understanding Collective Perceptions of Medical Education (Yianna Vovides and Sarah Inman); (8) Perception and Practice of Taiwanese EFL Learners' Making Vocabulary Flashcards on Quizlet (Chin-Wen Chien); (9) A Study of Perceptions of Online Education among Professionals (Parviz Ghandforoush); and (10) The Design of the Test Format for Tablet Computers in Blended Learning Environments: A Study of the Test Approach-Avoidance Tendency of University Students (Takeshi Kitazawa). Posters in these proceedings include: (1) Blended Lessons of Teaching Method for Information Studies in Which Students Produce a Learning Guidance Plan (Isao Miyaji); (2) Factors Affecting Teenager Cyber Delinquency (Young Ju Joo, Kyu Yon Lim, Sun Yoo Cho, Bo Kyung Jung and Se Bin Choi); (3) Personalized Virtual Learning Environment from the Detection of Learning Styles (M. L. Martínez Cartas, N. Cruz Pérez, D. Deliche Quesada, and S. Mateo Quero); (4) Distance Online Course for Librarian in Mongolia, Reflection and Learned Lesson (Uranchimeg Tudevdagva and Garamkhand Surendeleg); (5) The Design and Development of a Computerized Attention-Training Game System for School-Aged Children (Tsui-Ying Wang and Ho-Chuan Huang); (6) Discovering Visual Scanning Patterns in a Computerized Cancellation Test (Ho-Chuan Huang and Tsui-Ying Wang); and (7) The Effects of Self-Determination on Learning Outcomes in a Blended Learning (Young Ju Joo, Kyu Yon Lim, Sang Yoon Han, Yoo Kyoung Ham and Aran Kang). Luís Rodrigues is an associate editor of the proceedings. Individual papers contain references. An author index is included.

Global Employability Skills are skills that students acquire during their study period, that are in addition to their academic knowledge and skills, and that would help in their careers. As students continue their university journeys, they often overlook or underestimate the importance of developing Global Employability Skills that employers may consider important for their jobs. In this paper, we present a mobile application, the GES App, designed to help students recognize, document, and articulate their skills to their prospective employees. The GES App is designed to stimulate university students to reflect upon their experiences and assess the skills they may develop outside of their formal university studies. This paper presents how such an app could support students plan their careers and develop their Global Employability Skills that would make them more attractive to their future employers. A use case scenario is described to illustrate the role the GES App could play, from the perspectives of students, staff, and employers. [For the full proceedings, see ED639391.]

This paper presents an ongoing comparative study of secondary teachers' education programs in France, Greece, and England, with a primary focus on strategies aimed at cultivating a positive learning environment in schools. Recent studies have underlined the significance of teachers' pedagogical competence formation as a determinant element which will form their future in the teaching profession. Globalization and technological development being major characteristics of our century have had an undeniable impact on educational thought and practice which imposes the need to acquire new types of knowledge and skills to ensure teachers' capacity to deal with the needs of the new generation. Secondary teachers must implement targeted handlings towards a special age group--adolescence--in combination with the principles of the curriculum. Through interviews and focus groups with secondary teachers of various specialization and teaching experience the aim is to understand their needs and level of preparation for the purpose of entering the classroom equipped to conduct their demanding role and to explore the ways the undergraduate studies of secondary teachers can be enriched both theoretically--and especially--at a practical level. [For the complete Volume 22 proceedings, see ED656158.]

A huge part of the Greece GDP is contributed by Tourism industry. Hence, a great attention has been paid by companies to offer high quality services and in this framework personnel's special competencies are under investigation. The differentiation that Wellness and Spa offers for a hotel or a resort is prominent. Quality services can attract customers of high expenditure capabilities and this is the nest of the market that has to be gained. Skills and competencies of the therapists and managers of a SPA center assure quality. This paper is part of a research project that has been granted by the research Committee of International Hellenic University as a joint effort of the department of Business Administration, Marketing and Tourism and the former Department of Aesthetics and Cosmetology in order to determine the competencies that should be entailed by a Post Graduate Program in SPA management. The Authors have performed a great campaign of both a qualitative and quantitative research that includes interviews of Spa managers in big Greek Resorts and employees. However, before that, an extensive literature review has been carried out so that trends and elements in this scientific area would be investigated and give the theoretical background of the research. In this paper the results of this extensive literature review are presented and analyzed. The aim of the paper is to investigate any specific characteristics or qualifications that a SPA manager should have so that he/she manages effectively a SPA/wellness center. The impressive outcome is that a Spa Manager should have an interdisciplinary profile that includes not only the knowledge of the therapist subjects, but also marketing, sales and financial management as well as health and safety issues. Based on those findings, the Authors propose the outline of an MSc program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As teaching moves increasingly online, language teachers are faced with the challenge of how to support dyslexic students in an inclusive manner in and out of the classroom. This paper will focus on an innovative educational multi-modal, mobile application -- Comics for Inclusive English Language Learning (CIELL) -- supporting upper-intermediate and advanced English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students with dyslexia when faced with language proficiency tests and academic writing tasks. A cyclical educational design research methodology (McKenney & Reeves, 2019) was used to include three cycles of feedback from stakeholders so that their views and suggestions would inform the development of an alpha, beta, and gamma version of the app, thereby maximising practical relevance. The discussion of the quantitative and qualitative feedback is supported by educational design research. [For the complete volume, "CALL and Professionalisation: Short Papers from EUROCALL 2021 (29th, Online, August 26-27, 2021)," see ED616972.]

Over the last few years, high-technology sectors have seen a steady, dynamic and substantial growth in Greece. By many measures, aggregated technology growth in Greece has improved over the past decade. Concurrently, this trend interacts with several aspects of the national innovation system which is also rapidly evolving in terms of multiple functional dimensions (e.g. innovation funding, innovation hubs). Furthermore, the growth of high-technology sectors is gradually interlinked with innovation diffusion activities across several interconnected economic and industrial sectors. Under this prism, the present paper aims to explore the dominant long-term trends driving the emerging technology growth prospects. Based on recently published empirical data, the paper formulates an analytical framework to explain the expansion of technology-based ecosystem in Greece. Overall, the dominant role of innovation policy is explored in congruence to the major challenges emerging with respect to the endogenous and long-term growth of the technology-intensive industries in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effects of forest education on the environmental awareness and environmental attitudes of vocational high school students and their self-evaluations toward forest education. The study, in which the mixed research method was adopted, was designed with an explanatory design. Forest education was given within the scope of the experimental study carried out at the quantitative level. The importance of the education was emphasized and forest ecology, eco-social functions of forests, forest products were discussed with an interdisciplinary approach. The study group consists of 32 vocational high school students studying at vocational high schools in different provinces from the Thrace region. Data collection tools are the sustainable environmental awareness scale and environmental attitude scale at the quantitative level and structured interviews at the qualitative level. Related samples t-test was used for quantitative data and content analysis was performed for qualitative data. The results of the study show a permanent increase in environmental awareness and attitude of vocational high school students thanks to forest education. According to the self-evaluations of vocational high school students, it can be said that forest education provides positive environmental and academic contributions to them. Based on the results obtained, it can be suggested that forest education should be given importance to direct qualified intermediate staff candidates who can have a say in human-environment interaction to sustainable pro-environmental behaviors. [This paper was published in: "EJER Congress 2023 International Eurasian Educational Research Congress Conference Proceedings," Ani Publishing, 2023, pp. 463-475.]

The paper presents an attempt made to use the Arduino platform and the Scratch for Arduino (S4A) environment for the implementation of an educational project for 6th grade primary school students in a classroom attended by refugee, immigrants, and indigenous students. The aim was to investigate the opportunity to use educational robotics as tools to support the social interactions and social inclusion of refugee children in the classroom community. The research was a case study implemented in a primary school in rural Greece. Students had to work in groups to design, build, and program a construction that simulates an "escape room." Students of each group solving a riddle of the other groups must discover a code to unlock the door of the "escape room," based on a series of six worksheets of increasing difficulty to create their final construction. The research tools were a diagnostic questionnaire, an evaluation questionnaire, specially designed worksheets, an observation sheet for participatory observation, and sociometric test tools. Based on the findings it could be supported that educational robotics are able to support social interactions of refugee children to a certain extent. The intervention supported social interactions and collaboration among students but without solving the problem of difficulties in the social integration of refugee students in the classroom community. Verbally all students stated that they had not any problem cooperating with refugee students, but this was not strongly reflected in practice. Greek students interacted strongly with immigrant students and refugee students seemed to prefer interacting with immigrant students too. [For the full proceedings, see ED656038.]

The paper investigates Greek online students' and instructors' beliefs on the role that online English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers play in synchronous online courses delivered through Skype. Fifty-six online teachers and 93 online adult learners participated in a quantitative research project answering two different online questionnaires. The results showed that most online teachers and learners are satisfied with their technological expertise. Students' levels of satisfaction with online courses is greater than teachers', while there is significant association between teachers' technology familiarization and their satisfaction with online instruction. Teachers' technological expertise is strongly associated with their opinion on the effectiveness of online language courses. Finally, both groups agree that it is primarily the teachers' responsibility to be familiarized with technology to support online education. [For the complete volume, "CALL for Widening Participation: Short Papers from EUROCALL 2020 (28th, Online, August 20-21, 2020)," see ED610330.]

The current study investigated the role of visual short-term memory, working memory, and declarative memory as individual differences in the earliest stages of vocabulary and syntactic learning in "Duolingo"-based language instruction. Thirty-eight L1-Greek adults completed memory tasks and engaged in learning Navajo on "Duolingo." Subsequently, vocabulary and syntax were assessed respectively via a word recognition, a word translation, and a grammaticality judgement task. Multiple regression analyses revealed an advantage for distributed practice both in vocabulary and syntax, after controlling for amount of practice. Further, declarative memory played a significant role in learning syntax and vocabulary, when measured in a word translation task. Extending the analysis for the first time to app-based environments, the results of the present study confirm the importance of declarative memory and distributed practice in adult acquisition of L2 vocabulary and syntax. [For the complete volume, "Intelligent CALL, Granular Systems and Learner Data: Short Papers from EUROCALL 2022 (30th, Reykjavik, Iceland, August 17-19, 2022)," see ED624779.]

The integration of innovative interdisciplinary approaches to the ?-12 Curriculum aims to deepen students' knowledge and help them develop transversal skills. Applying an interdisciplinary lens, with a focus on pandemics, can help shape attitudes by means of inculcating the values of responsible global citizenship, and a high sense of personal and social responsibility. In the midst of the current lock-down due to Covid-19, a teaching approach to pandemics is presented, as an interdisciplinary connection between history and mathematics, based on the methodology of modeling in mathematics and the humanities. The main research questions posed: a) can modeling, as analyzed in the scientific literature, be used to interpret pandemics, e.g. in the case of the 'plague of Athens' (430 B.C.), as analyzed in the primary sources? b) Can the mathematical tools of statistical analysis be used to understand prevention measures through the centuries? Taking a longue durée perspective on history, students were asked to work on additional cases of pandemics across time and space, mobilizing both their mathematical and historical knowledge: process numerical data from primary sources, study maps, combine and compare elements of the past and the present using mathematical epidemiological models and real numerical data to study and predict the spread of infectious diseases. This paper presents the assessment of the effectiveness of this approach, conducted by means of closed and open questionnaires, administered in two phases (pre- and post-teaching) to a sample of 40 students aged 16-17 years. The results highlight statistics as a key tool for understanding real-world situations, and record the strengthening of students' knowledge in history, the raising of their critical thinking skills, as well as their enhanced ability to tackle real-world problems and understand responsible decision-making processes. Finally, the paper suggests that such good practices can prepare students for the complexity of globalized knowledge. [For the full proceedings, see ED626375.]

The predominant climatological wind regime in summer over the Greek Seas and especially over the Aegean Sea is undoubtedly the Etesian winds system, very well known since the time of the ancient Greeks, who first identified and described its main characteristics. The Etesian winds have been under continuous and intensive research since early 1900s, and numerous papers have been published, which have revealed all the secrets associated with the physical mechanisms responsible for their creation and maintenance. The ordinary synoptic situation, which is closely associated with the appearance of spells of Etesian winds outbreaks over the Aegean Sea, refers to cases in which the Subtropical Jet Stream (SJS) is situated over the Greek mainland. Then the frontal surfaces associated with the Polar Jet Stream (PJS), or a polar jet streak, passing through Greece from the north can cause severe weather in northern Greece as far south as Larisa (39.39° N, 22.26° E). Precipitation does not usually occur south of Larisa, because the SJS constitutes a barrier to the southward extension of the upper half of the frontal surface. In this case, cold advection occurs in the lower troposphere, resulting in a drop in temperatures even in southern Greece, due to the establishment of an Etesian winds outbreak. Thereafter, these north-easterly winds persist for a long time, weakening gradually, following the variation of the pressure gradient due to the combination of the mobile dynamic anticyclone positioned over the Balkans, after the passage of the cold front and the permanent Cyprus surface low. The main goal of this article is to investigate how much the case of a time period around 9 July 2022 differs from the conceptual model mentioned above, as deep convection occurred over all of Greece over three successive days, breaking the Etesian winds regime and defeating the low tropospheric stability usually accompanying this wind regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With individual, social, and emotional skills increasingly emerging as integral components of a comprehensive education, this scientific study aims to organize and summarize the range of different approaches found in the literature regarding the role and contribution of to the holistic development of students and adolescents. This study serves as the theoretical background upon which extensive research will be based concerning educational policies and life skills life skills in compulsory education in Europe, through a comparative analysis of three different European educational systems: Greece, Germany, and Finland. [For the complete Volume 22 proceedings, see ED656158.]

This paper presents the five-step co-design process of a prototype system for the automation of Touch Tours (TTs) service in theatre performances. By grounding our research on the Social Model of Disability, we motivate our initial design by examining the outputs of our collaboration with the first inclusive professional theatre ensemble in Greece. We present our reflections on the discourse created during the co-design process, and we contribute some initial findings of the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The model of ridge regression has ultimately been shown to be an effective shrinking strategy for reducing the impacts of multicollinearity on a number of occasions. As the variable of response positively skewed, the regression model of gamma (GR) is a popular model to use. Multicollinearity, on the other hand, is known to reduce the difference of the maximum possible estimator of coefficients of gamma regression. Truly, a regression model of gamma ridge model (GRR) has ultimately been presented as a solution to this problem. Moreover, a novel estimator is suggested in this paper by presenting a generalization of the Liu-type estimator using GR. Based on absolute bias as well as mean squared error, this Monte Carlo simulation findings along with real-world application demonstrate that the suggested estimator can provide real improvements over other competing estimators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of the social and technological environment on business performance. Focus is placed on SMEs and their effort to achieve sustainable competitive advantage and thereby sustainable business performance. For this purpose, a survey study was carried out, where primary data was collected from a representative sample of SMEs operating in the Social Media industry of Greece. Questionnaires were distributed to managers and entrepreneurs of the Social Media Industry. These managers/entrepreneurs were selected using a simple random sampling methodology. The findings of the study revealed that social and technological developments have a major role in developing a sustainable competitive advantage. Strategy alignment was also found to be key in tackling the problems and in undertaking the opportunities that arise from the current social and technological environment, thereby reaching sustainable business performance. The findings of the study are especially useful to entrepreneurs and professionals in the industry in formulating effective strategies towards aligning their business with current advancements in emerging digital technologies. Such an alignment would bring numerous competitive advantages and in turn sustainable business performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the end of surface mining activities, the remnant voids are of great concern regarding rehabilitating the final open pits. The investigation of the sustainability of pit lakes in post-mining regions constitutes a challenging research problem. This paper aims to highlight the effectiveness of pit lakes as a rehabilitation factor. In this framework, several cases worldwide and in Greece were examined in detail and evaluated. The results indicate that mine pit lakes must be evaluated as dynamic systems, natural or artificial, which demand rational mine water management to ensure their sustainability. Specifically in Greece, it is of great importance during the transition to the post-lignite era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pedersen process is an alumina production process, which combines pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical methods. In the pyrometallurgical stage, limestone is calcined and CO2 is generated. This off-gas can be captured with a high CO2 concentration. At the end of the hydrometallurgical process, aluminum hydroxides, like bayerite, are precipitated using CO2. In this paper, experimental work on precipitation of aluminum hydroxides through the addition of a mixture of CO2, O2 and N2 is presented. The parameters varied, as were the percentages of each gas and the temperature. The indicators measured were the time until the beginning of precipitation and the time that the precipitation lasts. These tests simulate the use of a smelter furnace off-gas in the precipitation stage of the Pedersen process and have shown promising results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to investigate the drivers and barriers that large-scale Greek manufacturing industries experience in adopting electronic invoices (e-invoices), based on three case studies with organizations having international presence in many countries. The study focuses on the drivers that may affect the increase of the adoption and use of e-invoicing, including the customers demand for e-invoices, and sufficient know-how and adoption of einvoicing in organizations. In addition, the study reveals important barriers that prevent the expansion of e-invoicing, such as suppliers' reluctance to implement e-invoicing, and IT infrastructures incompatibilities. Other issues examined by this study include the observed benefits from e-invoicing implementation, and the financial priorities of the organizations assumed to be supported by e-invoicing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Language teaching can be enhanced by effective uses of technology; nonetheless, there are teachers who are reluctant to integrate technology in their practice. The debated issue has resulted in a number of Ministries of Education worldwide, including the Greek Ministry, to support a transition through the introduction of Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs). This initiative was not well-received in either the public or private sector, due to the fact that teachers were not provided with any training in how to use IWBs and include them in their teaching. IWBs became intimidating to the language teacher and did not serve their intended purpose in most cases. Nonetheless, there were teachers who were intrigued by IWBs and made an effort to apply them. The present paper focuses on the development of interactive language learning and the effect the teachers' risk-taking has on pedagogy from the teachers' and students' perspectives. The outcomes of the study were that language teachers have taken charge of their own professional growth and take risks in order to help learners benefit from IWBs. However, due to lack of training, teachers and students have not reached the zenith of using IWBs. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]

This paper investigates the utilization of a social network tool in order to promote creativity in higher education. Buddypress was selected as a social network tool and de Bono's "6 thinking hats" as a creativity strategy. The participants were 17 undergraduate students from a case study in a University in Greece in the field of social sciences. Creativity was defined by Torrance & Ball's [25] factors and the results were analyzed using authentic assessment and a questionnaire. The findings show that the research process was beneficial to students' creativity and that social network tools can be utilized successfully with such a focus. These findings should be treated carefully in terms of generalizing them, as they were derived from a case study. This research could be useful to educators and researchers as a pioneering approach in all levels of education. [This paper was published in "Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing" v407 p141-149 Nov 2015 (ISBN 978-3-319-26688-6 print, 978-3-319-26690-9 online).]

A democratic government, whose power belongs to the people, serves all its citizens equally and protects their natural rights. Its highest priority is to treat and serve its citizens properly and fulfill their interests. In democratic regimes, conflicts and other social issues can be resolved through dialogue, compromise, and consensus between the government and people of a given country to have a better future. In a democratic society, civic education plays an important role in shaping people's values and behaviors, and it cannot be achieved without a stable and developed economy. However, the interest of the human society in education dates back to the dawn of civilization in ancient Greece, when Plato spoke about the importance of education in the development of the state. And, based on his initiative, he wrote at the entrance of the Academy, "Do not go inside unless you are a geometer." Plato's concept of geometry is used to understand a man with a high cultural and scientific level. Thus, the European Enlightenment based on Platonic concepts of education gave it the role and place it deserves among all the professions that develop and civilize people. In ancient Greece, education was not valued as a luxury for a small number of people in the society, but as a right of all citizens. However, in order to achieve the practical goals of education, human society needs to regard it as the most important tool for its development. Therefore, this paper discusses the significance of education in the development of society by enriching it with modern philosophical concepts. The following issues will be addressed: The philosophical essence of education, Education for democracy as a social requirement, The importance of intercultural and multicultural education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the results of the pilot of the Climatopia project at four schools in Greece. The project was described in a workshop offered by Pyrini and Ioannides at ICICTE 2023, before survey results had been collected and analysed. Results suggest that the Climatopia project had a positive effect on both teachers and students as well as parents and the local community. It encouraged collaboration among students, between students and teachers, between teachers and the community, and among community members. It increased student engagement by incorporating a narrative framework into the content and providing opportunities for students to create their own comics on the theme. In particular, as a result of the project, students at all levels were able to identify that climate change affects not only the environment but also people themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MLEARN, a European Union (EU)-funded project, is exploring and promoting teacher development of mobile learning practices in four member states--the Netherlands, the United Kingdom (UK) (England), Greece and Italy. This paper details the ways research findings have both fed into and been elicited from this pilot, supporting development and implementation of a teacher education programme for in-service teachers, focusing on mobile learning through appropriate pedagogic uses of mobile or handheld technologies. The research has focused on three dimensions to date: how contextual backgrounds for the programme can be considered and provided; a training needs analysis of trainers and teachers involved in the pilot; and gathering initial outcomes from teachers and learners after involvement in teacher education events and some one to two months of pilot uses in classrooms. The paper considers implementation outcomes to date, and what the next steps will be. [For the full proceedings, see ED562096.]

This paper is about the experience of teaching Assembly for Disassembly to fourth year architect students within the module of sustainable design. When designing a sustainable building one should take into consideration the fact that the building is going to be demolished in some years; thus the materials should be assembled in such a way so that the building is not just demolished, but disassembled in a practical way, so that its items and materials can be reused or at least be recycled in other buildings or products or be decomposed. Yet, the structure should be safe during its lifetime. With this technology, the building's sustainability spans also to its "grave". In this paper the methodology for teaching students how to design for the disassembly of buildings is presented. Apart from the respective lectures, the fourth year students have been asked to design a small home for a homeless person, following, apart from bioclimatic design and the zero-CO[subscript 2] building design, an "assembly for disassembly" design. They have also been encouraged to use, apart from conventional building materials, materials that could be collected from municipal waste, provided they have a small environmental footprint. Frequent tutorials are made during this project. Different groups of students have followed different concepts in their design; some students have focused on the assembly for disassembly of a home from municipal waste, others from construction materials, while others, apart from assembly for disassembly, have also taken into consideration the movability of their design as well as its incorporation in the urban tissue. The results and the conclusions are presented in this paper. [For the full proceedings see ED557181.]

Educational Robotics in Greece is being used increasingly, while it is hesitantly applied in Special Education as it requires a properly educational trained staff. The present study is a case study aiming to discuss the effects of the utilization of educational robotics in a Special Education School classroom and specifically on students with Autism to support their social skills, interaction skills, as well as cognitive skills. Lego WeDo kit and the Scratch environment were used to support the work of the participated students. Observation sheets, evaluation sheets, semi-constructed interviews before and at the end of the interventions, focus group discussion at the end of the whole intervention, were the research tools. The intervention had a positive effect on students improving their social skills. The cooperation and interaction of the students was remarkable. They progressively increased their ability to respond to instructions and were willing to share their effort with each other and the researcher. Most children stayed focused on the activity and tried to use the materials and resources responsibly. Sometimes weakness in respectful behavior towards peers and the researcher was noted, but all children followed socially acceptable behaviors. Children seem to have improved cognitive skills and they showed moderate improvement in content creation. Sometimes they showed enthusiasm, while they seemed to persist when they encountered obstacles or failures. [For the full proceedings, see ED656038.]

After rehabilitation or treatment in hospitals, young people with disabilities often could not engage in a variety of sports due to their physical limitations related to their illness or disability. This gives rise to certain psychological problems, reduced self-esteem and self-confident. The aim of the ReSport project is to enable young people with disabilities to participate equally in sports activities, considering their health condition. Professionals from 8 project partners' countries aim to recognize the problems that are preventing young people with disabilities from participating in sports after rehabilitation. Partners collected local, regional, national and Europe wide best practices and concepts in the field of innovative approaches for motivation of youth with disabilities for sports, and developed a set of exercises to raise their inclusion in sport activities. The project "Re-Sport" encourages social inclusion and equal opportunities in sport, while the parallel topics are to promote voluntary activity in sport and education in and through sports with special focus on skills development. Two main target groups will benefit from the project results: a) youth with disabilities and b) volunteers from sports organisations. The purpose of this study is to learn and evaluate which physical activities youth with disabilities prefer, their expectations, challenges and good practices. This research was conducted with young people with disabilities in Slovenia, Austria, Italy, Croatia, Serbia, Sweden, Greece, and Turkey. Total number of participants were 230. Analysis and graphics were prepared with a special software based on the survey's answers. According to the answers received, investigations, inferences were made and reported. [For the full proceedings, see ED654100.]

In the age of the internet and technological advancements, there are countless opportunities to generate revenue and grow professionally. This paper examines the world of online gaming and the rise of professional streamers, outlining their profiles and the various platforms available to them. To collect data for this research, a survey was conducted among 30 Greek streamers who answered an anonymous online questionnaire about their personal experiences with streaming. The survey results showed that age, gender, and budget are not limiting factors for becoming a professional streamer, and for many, streaming is their primary source of income. Furthermore, the evolution of online content creation has led to new job opportunities, such as video editing, moderating, and social media management, and to the formation of a team around the streamer. Twitch and Trovo seem to be the most popular platforms currently in Greece, and sponsorships are a growing trend in the digital space, offering creators financial support and motivating streamers to pursue streaming as a profession. However, revenue can also be generated through subscriptions and donations from viewers. To engage a larger audience, most streamers adjust their content to follow current trends and cater to their audience's preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The US subprime crisis in 2008 deregulated the world economy and unveiled the unsustainable nature of public debt in many developed countries, especially in Europe. The sovereign debt crisis in the Eurozone followed, revealing the structural imbalances of the euro area. The crisis exposed the Greek economy, which has reaped the benefits from the low-interest rate in the Eurozone and EU's financial deregulation by financing its debt and current account deficit cheaply. The high deficits, the enormous public debt, and the loss of access to the international financial market make the Greek government agree with the European Union (EU), European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) (the so-called Troika) massive rescue package in May 2010 conditional to the implementation of a Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies, namely free market-austerity policies. The extremely austere fiscal consolidation and the structural reforms accompanying the Greek Economic Adjustment Programmes (EAPs) produced significant socio-economic effects. The country's economy severely contracted, the households' disposable income reduced, the social welfare system weakened, and society's welfare dramatically declined. The Greek healthcare system already facing structural problems regarding the financing, organisation and delivery of services had to be reformed. However, implementing the austerity policies on the Greek National Health System (GNHS), which included severe cuts on public health expenditures, further reduced the quality and availability of public health care services when Greek citizens experienced their impoverishment. The economic hardships of Greece's population due to high unemployment and income losses increased its health and mental health problems. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of GDP's change on public health expenditures during the Greek economic crisis. Further, the effects of the change of public health expenditures on specific social indicators, like "AROPE", "number of deaths from suicide", "unmet health needs", and "infant mortality" would be analysed. In this study we use time series dataset of the variables of interest for the period 2008-2018. Our data supports a statistically significant positive relationship between per capita GDP and public health expenditures, while a highly significant negative correlation is found between the public health expenditures and the indicators "AROPE", "number of deaths from suicide", and "unmet health needs". Finally, according to our data there is no statistically significant relationship between public health expenditures and infant mortality. This paper contributes to the field's literature since it determines the impact of GDP on public health expenditures and, consequently, on critical social indicators, specifically matched with empirical results to derive conclusive answers. Policymakers may benefit from research's outcome and develop efficient health policies for a sustainable GNHS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper argues that the adoption of the Lisbon Strategy--in the context of the formulation of the European Lifelong Learning area, through the Open Method of Coordination--resulted in the expansion of the EU competencies into an area regulated, until very recently exclusively by the Member States--that is Compulsory Education. Accordingly, the paper aims at identifying the potential linkages between the policy priorities set at the European level and the respective legislative initiatives introduced by the Greek government in relation to Primary Education. Finally, it comments on the new roles attributed to the Greek PE in the context of the European LLL area. [For complete volume, see ED567118.]

This paper reports on a study concerning a MOOC designed to support Greek language teachers in secondary education schools towards designing and using collaborative writing activities with Google Docs in their classroom. The principles that determined the particular MOOC design framework were directed by three dimensions of teacher participation: a) engagement b) peer interaction and mutual support and c) collaborative creation of educational artefacts. A total of 566 language teachers from secondary education schools were enrolled in this MOOC, which achieved a completion rate of 57.6%. We used a mixed method that combines the analysis of teachers' engagement through platform records and their responses to a specific questionnaire. The results provided supportive evidence that the design framework was effective towards promoting teachers' active engagement, peer interaction and support, and development of learning design abilities to integrate collaborative writing with Google Docs in their classroom. In addition, the analysis showed that the majority of participants conceptualized this MOOC as an efficient environment for their professional development. [For the complete proceedings, see ED590269.]

We constructed and calibrated an instrument targeting conceptual and procedural fraction knowledge. We used this instrument in a quantitative study with 126 secondary students (7th and 9th graders), testing the hypothesis that there are individual differences in the way students combine the two types of knowledge. Cluster analysis revealed four distinct student profiles: Students who were either stronger or weaker than expected with respect to both types of knowledge; students who were stronger with respect to conceptual knowledge; and students who were stronger with respect to procedural knowledge. These findings support the individual differences hypothesis. [This paper was published in: E. Bergqvist, M. Österholm, C. Granberg, & L. Sumpter (Eds.). "Proceedings of the 42nd Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education" (Vol. 2, pp. 147-154). Umeå, Sweden: PME.]

Government regulations require businesses to improve their processes and products/services in a green and sustainable manner. For being environmentally friendly, businesses should invest more on eco-innovation practices. Firms eco-innovate to promote eco-efficiency and sustainability. This paper evaluates the eco-innovation performance of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries with data envelopment analysis (DEA). Data were gathered from the world bank database and global innovation index report. Findings show that for most OECD countries, energy use and ecological sustainability are more important than other inputs and outputs for enhancing eco-innovation. [For full proceedings, see ED571459.]

The purpose of this research is to explore the views of pupils of primary (6th grade) and secondary education (3rd grade of Gymnasium & 3rd grade of lyceum) of the Ionian Islands, about renewable sources and energy saving. In Greece, significant research has been carried out on renewable sources and energy saving. Their findings showed that the public as a whole has a positive attitude to energy saving and the utilization of renewable energy sources. At the same time, the contribution of RES to economic growth and society is recorded. In addition, it has been shown that the change of human behavior is considered a sufficient and necessary condition to solve the important environmental problems of our everyday life and makes students behavior; knowledge and perceptions on environment and it's problems, an act of major importance. [For the complete volume, "NORDSCI International Conference Proceedings: 5th Anniversary Edition (Sofia, Bulgaria, October 17-19, 2022). Book 1. Volume 5," see ED625663.]

This volume includes three sections of the 2022 NORDSCI international conference proceedings: (1) Education and Educational Research; (2) Language and Linguistics; and (3) Sociology and Healthcare. Education and Educational Research includes 7 papers covering a full spectrum of education, including history, sociology and economy of education, educational policy, strategy and technologies. The category covers also pedagogy and special education. Language and Linguistics includes 3 papers related to theoretical, literary and historical linguistics as well as stylistics and philology. Sociology and Healthcare includes 11 papers related to human society, social structures, and social change, healthcare systems and healthcare services. [Individual papers from the Education and Educational Research section of these proceedings are indexed in ERIC.]

As a nation strives to meet the challenges posed by globalization, which is an issue of the information economy, its strength relies heavily on its citizens' intellectual prowess and critical thinking skills. Thus, institutions of teacher education play a key role in producing teachers who will be able to meet the needs of the time, with empathy, while promoting critical thinking, creative ability and the value system as a priority. Educating teachers to incorporate soft skills is critical for the profession's success. The term 'soft skills' refers to a wide range of personal and interpersonal attributes that are aimed at transforming the individual as well as society as a whole (Apple, 1996). The purpose of this research is to highlight the degree of preparation of future teachers in four large primary education universities in respective European countries. To achieve this, a mixed-mode technique was used by the researcher (questionnaires and semi-structured interviews) to gather information. The target group came from the teaching staff at the faculties of education in four European countries (Spain, Romania, France and Greece). Ten academics from each nation were handpicked to participate in face-to-face interviews. At the same time, the teaching staff of the teacher training departments participated in a focus group, in groups of 5 people each. The most crucial soft skills in their teaching profession were identified to be social skills. [For the complete Volume 20 proceedings, see ED622631.]

The purpose of this study was to examine the application of Augmented Reality (AR) Application in the Geography lesson of Primary School. The application covered the Earth's atmosphere and was evaluated by 71 students in the sixth grade of primary school who completed questionnaires before and after the educational intervention. The results were positive, since most cognitive goals were achieved, and application proved to be interesting and easy to use for students. The significance of this study is twofold. A new ready-to-use digital educational tool was created, while at the same time it is one of the few studies that have investigated the efficiency of AR in terms of cognitive and usability goals with a large sample of students. [For the full proceedings, see ED638044.]

This paper investigates the adoption and use of electronic invoices (e-invoices) in Greek organizations. The study attempts to evaluate current practices applied in implementing e-invoicing. A field research has been conducted, which is based on a structured questionnaire. The target sample consisted of 42 Greek enterprises. The main issues of the investigation include the existing invoice processing practices, the barriers that prevent the extended adoption and use of e-invoicing, the observed benefits from e-invoicing implementation, and the strategic drivers for transition to e-invoicing. Currently, the use of e-invoicing in Greece is low. However, the research results testify that the adoption of e-invoicing in Greece is promising. Even though, a number of enterprises state that benefits of e-invoicing are not clear yet, the majority of enterprises agree that there are crucial financial priorities that e-invoicing is expected to support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper traces the roots of higher education from Ancient Greece to the first universities in European countries where the idea of upper education became centered on the interactive dialogue between a teacher and student. The report discusses the role of the university library today in an age of ever-developing technologies and ever-increasing information sources. The paper suggests that the classic mission and function of libraries--to provide students and staff with information they need--has not changed, but the scope and techniques to fulfill this function have broadened. Discussion then moves to the concept of flexible delivery of services; changing roles of library staff; and the value of librarians in working in course development teams. The new skill base that will be needed by the staff of the digital library is then described, and characteristics of the information professional of the 21st century (based on a pre-conference seminary of the 1997 European Business Information Conference) are summarized. (AEF)

INTRODUCTION: The covid-19 pandemic started in 2019 when the first case of coronavirus disease was reported in Wuhan in the Hubei province of China on December 12. The pandemic spread rapidly throughout most of the world. On April30, 2021, 150,110,310 people have been infected with 3,158,792 deaths worldwide. It increased morbidly and mortality and affected people and economies at every level. Pandemics lead to social disruption and economic downturns both regionally and globally. National incomes decreased and governments implemented lockdowns which caused the interruption of economic activity. More and more people were faced with uncertainty and anxiety. At the same time the effect on the pandemic on the health care systems and on the lives of human beings were enormous. Covid-19 took a heavy toll on older adults. Older adults were considered a group at risk for many reasons. Besides age, medical problems, long-term of drug use, nutrition and living conditions increased the probability of older people to be infected by covid-19. Data indicate that the most of deaths concerned older people. Thus, the chronic medical problems such as diabetes and neuromuscular disorders and the long - term use of medication make older people more vulnerable to infections (Tummala et al, 2010). Yamaroto et al. (1990) reported that severe underlying disease and poor general condition were associated with poor clinical recovery in older patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia. The governments around the world implemented the social distancing and isolation as the necessary measures to save the lives and protect the vulnerable people, such as older people. These measures lead to significant limitations of daily activities and limited the access to health workers on whom the older people are reliant. Furthermore, social activities of older people were interrupted due to the measures of keeping social distancing. The social isolation in older people could cause depression and other psychological problems. Lekamwasam and Lekamwasam (2020) report that older people should not be marginalized or made to feel marginalized regarding health and other social requirements. Pue et al (2021) using an online survey studied the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on wellbeing of older adults. They found that the participants in their survey reported a significant decrease in activity level, sleep quality and wellbeing during the covid-19 pandemic and the pandemic had a severe impact on the mental health of older adults. The goal of our paper is twofold: a) to investigate the behavior of Greek people regarding their habits during the period of lockdown and the measures implemented by the government b) to analyze the determinant factors of the mental health of the participants during the period of lockdown. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: This study is based on a survey of 605 participants during the period after the first lockdown (End of February - end of May). 64% of the participants were people aged less than 40 years old and 36% of the participants aged more than 40 years old. The main research question is to explore the factors that affected the mental health of the participants during the period of the first and second lockdown and investigate the behavior of older people in comparison to the behavior of other age groups during the pandemic period. The questionnaire consisted of 19 categories of questions (total number of questions = 80 questions). The categories of questions referred to demographic characteristics of the participants, to their habits and their daily activities, to measures taken by the government and to the health status and the mental health of the participants. Correlations between age and other variables show the different behavior of older people in comparison to other age groups during the period of covid-19. Linear regression and binary logistic regression investigate the determinant factors of the health status of the participants. CONCLUSIONS: The empirical results indicated that the mental health status of the people has been affected during the period of the lockdown. The restrictions imposed by the government negatively related the health status of the older people. It is also important to notice that older people showed a higher degree of compliance with pandemic measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The share of long-term unemployed in Greece, even during periods of low unemployment rate, is quite high. Even in 2008, when the unemployment rate stood below 8% at its lowest level, the long-term unemployed accounted for 40% to 45% of all unemployed. During the great crisis, three out of four unemployed remained unemployed for 12 months or longer, while in 2020 this share is estimated around 66%. Motivated by the fact that the long-term unemployment rate is systematically high, this study contributes to understanding Greek unemployment dynamics by documenting on the extent of unemployment persistence, as well as by analysing the extent to which observed unemployment persistence may be the result of stigmatization of unemployed. In the literature there is ample evidence that unemployed individuals tend to stay unemployed. This may be due to observed heterogeneity, such as low qualifications or lack of experience, or unobserved heterogeneity, such as lack of ability or motivation. As long as observed and unobserved characteristics persist over time, they will tend to increase the likelihood of future unemployment, creating a relationship between current and future unemployment incidence. However, one cannot rule out the possibility that the actual experience of unemployment has a genuine causal effect on future unemployment, in the sense that past unemployment causally increases the unemployment probability in the future regardless of other observed and unobserved factors. In other words, there may exist genuine state dependence. This paper provides evidence on the magnitude of state dependence in individual unemployment incidence. Moreover, we attempt to explain whether this persistence is a result of stigma effects by exploring if unemployed individuals face systematically lower chances of being hired because employers interpret their unemployment as a negative signal. The main hypothesis underlying our empirical approach is that the stigma effect of being unemployed is low when aggregate unemployment is high, as in this case individual unemployment is not a strong signal for low individual productivity, while high in times of low unemployment. To check our hypothesis, we utilize data from the Greek Labour Force Survey and estimate the probability of being unemployed conditional on the employment state of the previous period (i.e., the state dependence effect), an interaction of past unemployment and measures of cyclical unemployment risk, as well as other covariates. We use a dynamic nonlinear correlated random effects probit model taking into account the initial conditions problem. Moreover, in nonlinear models, the interpretation of the coefficient on the interaction term of past unemployment and cyclical unemployment, which is crucial in our analysis, is not as straightforward as in linear models and requires the estimation of the cross-partial derivative****. Our initial but firm results show that positive deviations of the unemployment rate from its trend are indeed associated with a significant lower level of state dependence. In other words, the penalty for being unemployed is smaller in times of high unemployment and larger in times of low unemployment, suggesting that there is a stigma effect in the Greek labour market. This stigma effect seems to vary by gender and age. The existence of stigma on unemployment persistence is confirmed with various robustness checks and tests. However, its magnitude is not sufficiently large to explain by itself the systematically big share of long-term unemployed in Greece. Our findings have important policy implications on the design of active labour market policies to fight unemployment. The fact that those longer in the unemployment face more disadvantages when striving to find a job because of stigma, especially in "good times", suggests that labour market policies should aim at preventing long-term unemployment and obstructing it from becoming permanent unemployment. In other words, short term policies to prevent unemployment and minimize its duration will have further long-term effects. It also suggests, given the vast pool of long-term unemployed in Greece, that radical interventions are required to mobilise the longterm unemployed and help them overcome the stigma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analysed physical known parameters which connect changes in mechanical field of the matter with electromagnetic wave occurrence. Previous laboratory investigations and theoretical prediction from Pride (1994), gives hope for detailed analysis of magnetograms to discover the seismic effects of disturbance of the magnetic field. In this paper is studied influence of the earthquake from 12.10.2013 in Crete, Greece, or magnetograms from geomagnetic stations on Plackovica and Skopje. Because of the low value of the amplitude of geomagnetic variation caused from seismic action, the transformation was made in the geromagnetic field in dH/dt time domain. The area of expected impact of seismo-magnetic phenomena in the magnetogram is defined, depending on the distance between the source of the earthquake and the area were magnetogram is registered (geomagnetic observatory), taking into account propagation velocity of the seismo-magnetic disturbances. Successful laboratory experiments and basic theory for correlation of seismic and geomagnetic field gives opportunity for development of seismomagnetism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Flipped Classroom model (FCM) is a promising blended educational innovation aiming to improve the teaching and learning practice in various subject domains and educational levels. However, despite this encouraging evidence, research on the explicit benefits of the FCM on K-12 Mathematics education is still scarce and, in some cases, even inconclusive. Thus, the contribution of this paper is to present an action research for investigating the impact of FCM in K-12 Math (Algebra) teaching and learning in order to support and extend the narrow existing pool of works. The action research was based on a quasi-experimental design (using an experimental-control group protocol), with a sample of 40 students, for a full semester of the school year. The results provide evidence for potential advantages in students' cognitive learning outcomes (on knowledge of subject domain), students' level of motivation, as well as better use of teaching time during the face-to-face school-based sessions. [For full proceedings, see ED571332.]

This study presents the way Parmaxi and Zaphiris's (2015) social constructionist framework was used in order to teach and learn vocabulary in an Italian for Specific Academic Purposes (ISAP) tertiary course. The participants (beginner students) were guided to build in groups an artifact, i.e a specific academic vocabulary collection. To do so, they used "Quizlet"; this online learning tool allows the creation of digital artifacts, such as vocabulary flashcards, games and quizzes, and the sharing of the collections created. The purpose of the creation of the artifact was the learning and sharing of vocabulary in Italian used in the specific area of the students' university fields of study. The data revealed that the social constructionist approach facilitated a more engaged and motivating attitude towards learning, allowing students to work constructively and collaboratively and share their knowledge with the use of new technologies. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]

The present paper aims to investigate the opening up of the forest complex Maries - Limenaria of the island of Thassos in Greece and its environmental impacts. First the study of the conditions of the forest road network of the mountain forest complex of Maries-Limenaria was done, then the assessment of the environmental impacts of the opening up of the above-mentioned complex, by investigating the intensity of the above impacts on the natural environment and the ability of the forest ecosystem to absorb these impacts of the opening up projects. Finally, based on the results conclusions are drawn, and solutions are proposed. With the completion of the research in forest complex of Maries - Limenaria favorable conditions will be created to influence, facilitate and improve substantially: a. The carrying out of the skidding of wood with modern instruments and new methods, both in terms of silvicultural goals, and technical requirements. b. The creation for both the skidding and for the transport of wood favorable conditions for technical and economical point of view, which substantially affect the extent and intensity of the forest operation. c. The better performance of forest operations. d. The movement of forest personnel and forest workers for better implementation, surveillance, and protection of the forest. e. The transportation of materials and equipment for carrying out any work of afforestation etc. f. The increase in tourism and the exploitation of sites appropriate for recreation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing use of computer games has motivated researchers to explore ways of integrating them in education. Game-Based Learning (GBL) provides learning approaches that better correspond with current students' requirements or habits and, as a consequence, engage students in the learning process. In this paper the GBL educational approach is combined with that of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) within the context of an educational geography computer game, utilizing QR Codes and Google Earth for teaching English Language to Greek Primary School students. This integration provides a motivational and cognitive basis for language learning, since it represents a meaningful, contextualized activity and on the other hand, gives students the chance to expand their cognitive skills and use more sophisticated language. CLIL is believed to help students improve specific language terminology, enhance students' intercultural communicative competence and foster implicit and incidental learning by centering on meaning and communication. QR codes were selected, as their low creating and reading technical barrier makes them ideal educational tools for innovative educators. The purpose of this treasure hunt - like game is to observe and enhance the learning strategies that students use while learning a foreign language. The proposed game immerses 10 to 12-year-old students in problem solving challenges regarding the use of geography in realistic contexts. In attempting to solve these problems, students must engage in collaborative work by following hints, provided by QR codes images. These images are embedded as pinned signs on Google Earth. By reading and decrypting them, the students are led to web pages with information and context-aware learning material, necessary for distinguishing the next "stop around the globe" with a QR code image. Additionally, the students are required to fill in work sheets, thus keeping a journal of their "journey" while producing text based descriptions of their thoughts, written in the foreign language. The aim of this paper is to present an innovative approach for enhancing teaching and learning outcomes, as it suggests how Content and Language Integrated Learning can be successfully enacted through a geography game-based learning environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper investigates the characteristics of the Urban Heat Island (UHI) in the Greater Thessaloniki Area (GTA). The study is carried out by using and analyzing hourly air temperature data covering the period from June through September 2008. It was found that the urban zone of the city is heated faster and more effectively than the suburban surroundings, especially in early morning hours. Two measuring sites were selected as representative of “urban” and “suburban” areas and the hourly air temperature differences were calculated and classified by magnitude. The analysis of the percentage of occurrences for each class revealed that the city of Thessaloniki is subject to a rather moderate UHI. It was also found that the heat island can be more clearly observed during overnight hours, reaching, however, its maximum magnitude in early morning hours. Last but not least, the current paper introduces the development of an Urban Heat Island Forecasting Service (UHI-FS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]