The aim of this research was to compare the level of digital competence of future pedagogical staff (students of pedagogical faculties) in Italy and Poland. The research was conducted using original measurement tools and knowledge tests. The triangulation of techniques and research tools made possible the determination of the level of knowledge of the positive and negative features of the development of the information society, as well as the proficiency and frequency of use of the most popular websites and software. The research was conducted in the first half of 2022 using stratified sampling in both countries (N = 1209, IT = 604, PL = 605). Based on the data collected, it was noted that: (1) Pre-service teachers most often use software such as word processors and presentation creation tools; (2) This group very rarely uses software to create web pages, create visual material, or edit video; (3) The least problematic software that students use are word processors and multimedia presentations; (4) Among the typical ICT mediated activities that cause problems are: searching for and installing freeware (PL), installing and configuring parental control software (PL, IT), creating websites (PL, IT), searching for freely licensed images, and identifying plagiarism (PL); (5) Polish students have more theoretical knowledge about e-risks and the possibilities of the digital world than their Italian counterparts; (6) In most domains, the Italian future teachers rate their competences higher; (7) 53.81% of the respondents in IT and 38.68% in PL received lower results in competence tests, and handling ICT in selected areas causes problems for these students; (8) Both in PL and IT the frequency of ICT use and its seamless integration are predictors for assessing the effectiveness of ICT use in education.

The digitalisation of education has become an irreversible process, and Poland is no exception. However, the issue of ICT usage in education raises many concerns and controversies, posing numerous methodological challenges at the same time. In the interpretation of our research, one of the most frequently used and validated models in empirical research—the Unified Theory of Technology Acceptance and Use (UTAUT) model—was used. The aim of the research was to show the frequency of use of popular hardware, software and websites among teachers from Poland (in the Silesia Province) and finding answers to the questions pertaining to the main determinants of digital teaching aids. The frequency of ICT use in education was juxtaposed with the attitudes towards new media in the school environment as well as with the support of managers in that area. Quantitative research was conducted on a sample of N = 258 in 2020. A questionnaire in the form of a digital diagnostic survey was used to collect data. Based on the data collected, it was noted that: (1) Teachers use virtual systems (eRegisters) and interactive whiteboards most often, while educational podcasts and software for learning foreign languages are used least often; (2) approximately 40% of teachers use ICT often or very often in their school teaching; (3) in public schools, digital teaching aids are used slightly more often than in non-public institutions; (4) teachers are consistent in their use of digital teaching aids, so the individuals experimenting with and implementing ICT at school do so regardless of the type of software and hardware; (5) active support from school head teachers strengthens the frequency of ICT use in education; and (6) in schools where the use of smartphones by students is prohibited, the frequency of ICT use in education is at a lower level.

Problematic Internet Use (PIU) has of late come to the major attention of researchers of risky behaviours. For parents and teachers in turn, the various pathological forms of Internet use have become more and more noticeable. In recent years, the operationalisation of the term PIU has also been discussed and attempts to measure its various phenomena have been made. In our study, we used the quantitative method—a diagnostic survey designed on the basis of a tool of the Supreme Audit Office and Scientific and Academic Computer Network (Naukowa i Akademicka Sieć Kompureowa NASK), The survey was conducted in the first half of 2017 in Poland, among 3569 adolescents (median 16, SD = 1.28). The purpose of the research was to investigate the scale of PIU among Polish youths. For most young people, PIU is a major social problem. The majority also declare that more than half of their friends have problems with using electronic media (smartphones and the Internet in particular). On the basis of the data collected, it is estimated that 60% of adolescents use media in a functional way, whereas 40% of young electronic media users show visible PIU symptoms, of which 5% do so at a destructive level (all symptoms). Gender does not co-occur with PIU; however, family structure (where both parents are present), the setting of rules for the use of electronic media, and the place of residence are all protective factors. There is a need for constantly improved tools for measuring PIU, as well as preventive programs focused on developing self-control and helping young people understand their own emotions.

The geographical presentation of various data on the spatial functioning of society has been present in fields such as social policy and security for almost 200 years. New technologies, in particular computerization and the GIS tool, not only make the mapping of social problems or security threats more accurate, but also allow for the interactive creation of those maps by society and public institutions. This article is a qualitative analysis of solutions used in the Silesian Voivodeship, a region of Poland with a highly specific nature and density in terms of the problems discussed. The tools presented, including a “National Map of Security Threats” and “Maps of Social Problems and Resources in the Local Environment”, demonstrate—apart from their obvious benefits, such as increasing public awareness of threats and enhancing cooperation between society and public institutions in combatting them—the challenges and problems that these solutions bring and may also create in the future.

The aim of this research was to explore whether and how various components of cross-border sociocultural competence were attended to in bilingual schools serving Polish minorities in the Zaolzie border region. Zaolzie is on the Czech side of the Polish-Czech border region, where the Polish minority play an important role in cross-border relations. Based on a review of the extant literature on the development of sociocultural competence among students enrolled in bilingual programs, researchers developed a 19-item survey capturing three distinct components of cross-border sociocultural competence: cognitive, social, and political. The survey was sent to teachers in the 14 Zaolzie region schools, with 123 teachers (44%) participating and asked participants to indicate the extent to which different facets of cross-border sociocultural competence were part of their school’s instructional program. Most participants were female-identifying and had over 10 years of teaching experience, and most were born on the Czech side of the border but identified as Polish nationals. Results from an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed two unique factors representing different components of sociocultural competence included in bilingual programs in the Zaolzie region: (1) the development of students’ intrapersonal skills, motivation, and cross-linguistic understanding, and (2) the development of students’ capacity to engage interpersonally with and to understand others in the region. These findings suggest that schools in the Zaolzie region attend to cross-border sociocultural competence through both an intra- and interpersonal lens, emphasizing individual students’ linguistic and cultural development as well as their ability to interact in their highly politicized cross-border context. Educators in the region can thus consider assessing students’ progress in these two areas over time as measures of program effectiveness. Given that the researchers found that cognitive, social, and political aspects of sociocultural competence were integrated across intra- and interpersonal dimensions, more research is needed to understand if this integration is unique to the teaching of cross-border sociocultural competence in the Zaolzie region or is taught similarly in other contexts.

Research objectives (aims) and problem(s): The aim of this study was to identify differences in the level and determinants of intercultural communication competence among school pupils in the Polish–Czech border region. Specifically, we sought to determine whether statistically significant differences exist among the study groups, and which variables—such as environment, gender, faith, national identity, and community affiliation—shape intercultural communication skills. Research methods: The study employed a diagnostic survey using a questionnaire. It involved 464 participants across three groups: pupils from bilingual schools in the Czech Republic [A], pupils from Polish schools located near the border [B], and a control group of pupils from public schools in the Silesian Voivodeship. Process of argumentation: Zaolzie represents a borderland with a unique cultural identity and a longstanding tradition of multiculturalism. This raises the question of whether, in such an environment, students’ levels of intercultural communication competence differ from those in other regions, or whether their declared views are shaped by different variables. Research findings and their impact on the development of educational sciences: The study found that the local context—the environment in which respondents were raised and educated, situated at the cultural and national border between Poland and the Czech Republic—does not significantly influence their level of intercultural communication competence or their expectations regarding intercultural education. The data indicate that students’ competences are similar to those of adolescents from other regions, and that beliefs, views, and attitudes toward multiculturalism are only minimally affected by the examined variables.