Collaborative learning has been shown to be a useful tool for improving several social skills in students; however, it is very diffi cult to set up the initial conditions that guarantee its eff ectiveness. Since group projects are made for students and, most importantly, by students, we should not forget to take their opinions based on previous experience into consideration, which might increase the effi ciency of their own learning. Th erefore, the aim of the study was to investigate what secondary school students learn from and think about group projects in Physical Education. A total of 94 secondary school students (46 girls and 48 boys) participated in the study carried out in the 2015/2016 school year. Th e participants were given the assignment to create a video exercise, which they were working on in small groups in PE. A questionnaire was designed to investigate students' learning outcomes, participation, evaluation, and attitudes towards the project. Diff erences for selected categorical variables were determined using the Chi-square test. Th e majority of the students reported improvement in selected social skills and better relationships with their teammates. In addition, several signifi cant diff erences in students' opinions with respect to age and gender were found.

Th e present study aims to determine the associations between family, neighbourhood, and school social capital with academic achievement among Lithuanian high-school students. Th e study included 1854 high-school students (901 males and 953 females) aged 16-18 years. At the end of the school year, the students' achievements were measured as an average grade. Family, neighbourhood, and school social capital were identifi ed, indicating trust and understanding perceived from those social settings. Gender, body-mass index, self-perceived socioeconomic status, self-rated health, psychological distress and physical activity were also measured and used as covariates. Academic achievement was associated with family social capital, horizontal school trust and reciprocity at school. Family support, cooperation, and trust between students positively aff ect their achievement. Policies and strategies for a healthy environment for children need to be incorporated, especially within the school system for students' better progress.

Abstract:The main purpose of the present study was to determine the associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and lifestyle factors. In this cross-sectional study, participants were 3,072 adolescents from two European countries of Lithuania and Serbia. The dependent variable was SES, while independent variables were gender, adherence to a Mediterranean diet, body-mass index, self-rated health, psychological distress, moderateto-vigorous physical activity and sedentary behaviour. The associations between dependent and independent variables were analysed by using logistic regression analysis. In univariate model, middle/high SES was associated with higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet (p trend = 0.003), good self-rated health (OR 1.51; 95 % CI 1.12 to 2.05) and meeting recommendations of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (OR 2.09; 95 % CI 1.45 to 3.00), yet inversely associated with psychological distress (OR 0.81; 95 % CI 0.66 to 0.99) and sedentary behaviour (OR 0.80; 95 % CI 0.68 to 0.94). No associations were found between SES and body-mass index and gender. In multivariate model, the same associations occurred between middle/high SES and lifestyle factors. In conclusion, special strategies and policies, based on more affordable nutrition and participation in moderate-tovigorous physical activity, should be implemented within the system.

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The main aim of the study was to compare self-perception of health status and importance of physical activity in students in Croatia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. We used a self-designed questionnaire originally prepared in the Slovak language that was translated in mother languages for Czech and Croatian students. The questionnaire consists of five parts (we focused only on one part – physical activity and health) and basic demographical data. We obtained 1,368 questionnaires from first and last grade of high school students. For answers to 15 statements, students used 5-point Likert scale. Health status was perceived as excellent or very good by large portion of Croatian boys compared to Czech and Slovak boys. Physical activity helps students to be fit and to better assess situation in real life. Importance of physical activity should be promoted because not only does it make people fit but also helps them work, study, and relax better.

Introduction. Physical activity is already well established in all Member States of the EU in the form of physical education as well as various programmes to enable young people to be physically active before, during and after the school day. Nevertheless, active school breaks and inclusion of physical activity into school lessons could be extended at national level. The number of hours of physical education is often defined subnationally and in some instances by schools. Increasing the number of mandatory hours and setting standards to ensure quality could further help students to reach the WHO recommendations and ensure the potential of schools for promoting physical activity among young people. The study aimed to find out the best practices of the International Federation of Physical Education to monitoring of quality physical education. Material and methods: theoretical analysis and generalization of literary sources. Results. Physical activity of youth can be increased in several ways. The most broadly used practice is physical education, which is part of the school curriculum in all EU Member States; however, the number of hours of physical education provided, whether compulsory or optional, and the quality vary widely among countries. In order to provide good quality, regular physical education and promote safe physical activity to all young people in schools, physical education teachers must be adequately trained in promoting health-enhancing physical activity, in addition to traditional sports. Conclusions. It needs to be viewed in the context of inter-related strategies to embrace the formulation and development of inclusive and equitable curricula, which provide personally meaningful and socially and culturally relevant experiences and which attract young people to the joy and pleasure of physical activity so as to foster an active healthy lifestyle over the full life-span. Quality physical education curricula need to be based on the vision that the knowledge, skills and understanding acquired facilitate attainment of physical literacy and be part of a well-structured physical education programme spanning from early childhood education to the upper secondary level.

The aim of the research was to investigate teachers’ self-efficacy and attitudes towards inclusion of pupils with disabilities in mainstream education. The research group consisted of 253 physical education teachers (125 male and 128 female) with an average age of 40.52 ± 10.69 working in primary (62%) and secondary (38%) Slovak schools. To obtain empirical data, the standardized questionnaire methods SE-PETE-D and PEATID-III were used. In the analysis of self-efficacy, using the Mann–Whitney U test, significant differences were found in practical experience with pupils with disabilities and (a) teachers’ self-efficacy (p ≤ 0.01) and (b) their attitudes (p ≤ 0.05). The same significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) were found between participation in APA/APE courses and both (a) self-efficacy as well as (b) attitudes. Moreover, the research found the same significant differences (p ≤ 0.01) between the type of disability and both (a) self-efficacy and (b) attitudes. A significantly positive correlation with a moderate relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and their attitudes towards pupils with disabilities (p ≤ 0.01) were also found. Based on our findings, recommendations with specific proposals for physical and sports education practice were formulated.