Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, higher educational institutions worldwide switched to emergency distance learning in early 2020. The less structured environment of distance learning forced students to regulate their learning and motivation more independently. According to self-determination theory (SDT), satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and social relatedness affects intrinsic motivation, which in turn relates to more active or passive learning behavior. As the social context plays a major role for basic need satisfaction, distance learning may impair basic need satisfaction and thus intrinsic motivation and learning behavior. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between basic need satisfaction and procrastination and persistence in the context of emergency distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in a cross-sectional study. We also investigated the mediating role of intrinsic motivation in this relationship. Furthermore, to test the universal importance of SDT for intrinsic motivation and learning behavior under these circumstances in different countries, we collected data in Europe, Asia and North America. A total of N = 15,462 participants from Albania, Austria, China, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Kosovo, Lithuania, Poland, Malta, North Macedonia, Romania, Sweden, and the US answered questions regarding perceived competence, autonomy, social relatedness, intrinsic motivation, procrastination, persistence, and sociodemographic background. Our results support SDT’s claim of universality regarding the relation between basic psychological need fulfilment, intrinsic motivation, procrastination, and persistence. However, whereas perceived competence had the highest direct effect on procrastination and persistence, social relatedness was mainly influential via intrinsic motivation.

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Ensuring children's rights and family well-being is a priority of every European country. The Republic of North Macedonia, as a candidate country of the European Union, shares the same family values and family policies as the remaining EU member states. However, despite the past governmental efforts in the area of legal harmonization, several gaps have to be fulfilled and policies to be improved to achieve efficient institutions at the European level. To expand existing policies regarding family support, we consider crucial the analysis of the factual situation in the country, as a basic step towards further research. Therefore, this paper aims to initially provide an analysis of the family support legal framework of the country. Secondly, we intend to map governmental and non-governmental institutions in the Republic of North Macedonia which is responsible to provide family, children, and parents' support. By doing so, we can develop additionally omitted family policies or improve existing ones. Finally, the paper will present a list of competencies of the employees of family support institutions to evaluate more peculiarly their staff's skills standards.

Adolescent pregnancy is a problem that societies face, regardless of the level of development. Despite the availability of information and the availability of contraception, as well as the right to an abortion that is guaranteed in most modern societies, countries face many cases of adolescent pregnancies. Pregnancy in the period of adolescence irreversibly changes the lives of minors. It has an influence on their health, their education, social life and their future as adults. Also, the families of the under-aged parents are directly affected by the consequences, disrupting the functionality of the family. In a wider sense, the health system and social functioning are burdened in their entirety.  Therefore, it’s important to prevent adolescent pregnancies. Contraception is the primary protection against unwanted pregnancy and insufficient and inconsistent application of contraception, as well as the lack of information among young people about the available methods of contraception, can be one of the main causes of adolescent pregnancies. Integrated sexuality education for adolescents can be a great benefit to educate adolescents about risk factors of pregnancy in early life. The influence of parents is crucial in the prevention of adolescent pregnancy. This paper's intention is to analyses the current situation on this topic, through available indicators on birth rates, maternal and children mortality worldwide. Qualitative research conducted between the student (18-22), should give more information about the use of contraception between young people, their opinion about the importance of contraception… Important questions are: Are they well informed about contraception; are the contraception products available; Are they feel free enough to talk with their parents on those topics..etc. Key words: Adolescents, Pregnancy, Adolescent Pregnancy, Teenagers, Family, Contraception.

Families and married couples in modern societies are constantly facing changes and adjustments to the influence of the processes of urbanization, globalization, individualization, and continuous technological development. Additionally, as a result of the increased geographical mobility of the population in the last century, contemporary societies are mostly ethnically or racially heterogeneous. In the 21st century, intercultural marriages, i.e. partnerships between individuals of different ethnic or racial backgrounds, are becoming more common in the world and are attracting the attention of sociological and psychological research.The Republic of North Macedonia is a multiethnic and multi-confessional country, however, it does not have a high rate of intercultural marriages, since they are not entirely socially accepted. In this paper, we will analyze intercultural marriages -known colloquially also as mixed marriages -in the world and in the Macedonian multicultural society. We will analyze the complexity of intermarriage from a theoretical point of view and examine relevant research on this topic. Additionally, we will present the data from qualitative research on intercultural marriages in North Macedonia, which was conducted during 2020 and refers to the experiences of married couples from intermarriage.