No abstract

No abstract

Young people's interest in scientific and technical subjects, including geography, has been declining for a long time.According to the European Commission, the most important reason for the decline in interest is the way these subjects are taught in primary and secondary schools. As a result, numerous projects to support inquiry-based methods have been launched in recent years and significant changes have been made to the national curriculum in many of the European countries. Geography as a school subject, due to its multidisciplinary nature, provides options to make lessons more attractive and increases students´ motivation to learn by using practical research during lessons. This case study presents the results of a questionnaire survey that was conducted among geography teachers in Slovakia. The aim of the study was to measure the attitude of Slovak teachers, students and society towards Inquiry-based Education (IBE).Based on the results, the current position and degree of implementation of IBE in Slovak schools were estimated. It was determined that the implementation of IBE in teaching is not an easy task for teachers. To implement IBE successfully requires compliance with many elements, such as improvements in teacher training, curriculum changes and pupil´s assessment.

The presented paper focuses on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site of Vlkolínec (Slovakia), changes in its cultural landscape and the possibilities of its preservation for future generations. However, it is also a living settlement with residents who have demands for their standard of living. To analyze the development of changes in the landscape of the Vlkolínec protection zone, we used available relevant data such as historical maps and aerial photographs from selected time horizons 1769, 1823, 1949, 2007 and 2017. Overall, we interpreted a total of 13 landscape elements, paying special attention to historical landscape structures. For the land use elements, we focused mainly on determining their area and percentage of the landscape in relation to their changes in the period under review in the context of natural and socio-economic conditions. In order to gain a realistic view of the future development and use of the Vlkolínec area in the context of direct users of the area, we decided to apply a questionnaire survey in 2017. The questionnaire is a written form of a structured interview. We determined a target group of respondents—residents of Vlkolínec and users of this area (holiday cottage owners, foresters, farmers), i.e., we processed the opinions of people directly influencing Vlkolínec and its immediate surroundings—the landscape. The interviews were focused on identifying problems and proposing solutions so as not to disturb the uniqueness of this site, but at the same time to also attract tourism participants. Based on the results of the survey, we evaluated the identified phenomena, structures and values and compared them with the desired state of protection of the landmark. Subsequently, we prepared plans for the preservation and sustainable development of this important site.

A river is a highly complex structure and the constituent of landscape and catchment basin from which it drains water. In the holistic concept, a river is defined in mutual interactions with its surroundings as a spatial system -the riverine landscape. As a product of fluvial processes, the riverine landscape has a regular spatial hierarchical structure, which is determined by the structure of its morphology, substrate, biota, land cover and socioeconomic structures.