The current study examines whether the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia) can be assessed reliably and validly by means of a self-report instrument in di¤erent countries of the world. All items of the GELOPH 254 R. T. Proyer et al. (Ruch and Titze 1998;Ruch and Proyer 2008b) were translated to the local language of the collaborator (42 languages in total). In total, 22,610 participants in 93 samples from 73 countries completed the GELOPH. Across all samples the reliability of the 15-item questionnaire was high (mean alpha of .85) and in all samples the scales appeared to be unidimensional. The endorsement rates for the items ranged from 1.31% through 80.00% to a single item. Variations in the mean scores of the items were more strongly related to the culture in a country and not to the language in which the data were collected. This was also supported by a multidimensional scaling analysis with standardized mean scores of the items from the GELOPH3154. This analysis identified two dimensions that further helped explaining the data (i.e., insecure vs. intense avoidant-restrictive and low vs. high suspicious tendencies towards the laughter of others). Furthermore, multiple samples derived from one country tended to be (with a few exceptions) highly similar. The study shows that gelotophobia can be assessed reliably by means of a self-report instrument in cross-cultural research. This study enables further studies of the fear of being laughed at with regard to di¤erences in the prevalence and putative causes of gelotophobia in comparisons to di¤erent cultures.

Informatization of the educational process, in general, and the educational system of the higher educational establishments, in particular, is one of the most significant tasks of restructuring and shaping the education system in accordance with society requirements. Educational institutions nowadays have an opportunity to disseminate new material in a way that responds to the unique needs of each student thanks to using computer networks and online technologies. The purpose of the academic paper is to identify and provide a brief assessment of the primary trends in implementing information technologies in higher educational institutions (HEIs) in terms of the specifics of their application in the educational process. Methodology. In the course of the research, analytical and bibliographic methods. At the same time, induction, deduction, analysis, synthesis of information, system-structural, comparative, logical-linguistic methods, abstraction, and idealization were applied to study and process data. By the way, the research authors also conducted a questionnaire in online mode. Results. Based on the research results, the primary and most significant theoretical aspects of using information tools in higher educational institutions, as well as the standpoints of scientists and heads of departments of higher educational institutions on key aspects of the issue outlined.

Purpose: to define the dynamics of physical development indicators among medical college students in 2017 and to compare it with the results of the previous study of 2005. Method: The inclusion criteria were: no health complaints at the time of the examination, no chronic diseases in family medical history, no deviations from the norm in clinical and laboratory tests. The selected young men were examined by medical specialists (neuropathologist, ophthalmologist, otolaryngologist, therapist, surgeon); detailed clinical, laboratory and diagnostic tests were conducted: X-ray; spirography; electrocardiography; dental examination; ultrasound examination (cardiovascular, thyroid, abdominal, urological); biochemical blood testing. The participants were subdivided into two groups: Group 1 (students (n=140) who studied at Zhytomyr Medical College in 2004-2005) and Group 2 (students (n=150) who studied at Zhytomyr Medical Institute in 2016-2017). Results: According to the results of studying the dynamics of anthropometric, functional and psychophysiological indicators of physical development among Ukrainian medical college students (n=290; 17-21 years old) in 2017, comparing them with the results of the previous study, conducted in 2005, the tendency to gain in body mass in average values from (0.88 ± 0.26) to (2.7 ± 0.67), in body mass index from (0.88 ± 0.26) to (1.38 ± 0.38), in the fat component from (8.70 ± 0.22) to (9.36 ± 0.21) was established. Conclusions: An increase in body mass index, the fat component in medical college students was revealed, which is related to problems in the quality of the students' diet. Though the muscle mass has increased, and the study indicates that there is insufficient physical activity; sustainability and concentration of attention indicators tend to decrease under the influence of intensification of the educational process. The dynamics of the indicators under analysis indicates the stabilization of the growth process in Ukrainian male students.

The article is devoted to the experimental testing of aesthetic competence of future philologists by means of ethnology. The principles (national character, humanization, ethnicization, cultural conformity, integration) are considered and stages of model implementation (orientative, training, creative) are elaborated and characterized. Structural and functional components, criteria and indicators of the levels of forming the future philologists' aesthetic competence are defined. The characteristic of levels of aesthetic competence development in philology students (reproductive, constructive, creative) is given. The characteristics of the levels with the help of the coefficient of tasks completeness related to knowledge, skills and abilities for aesthetic competence development of the philology students by means of ethnology were determined. The paper concludes by calling attention to the enhancement of the educational process forms and methods in order to develop the aesthetic competence of future philologists by means of ethnology, urging to instill the aesthetic competences more purposefully and integrally throughout the Bachelor program.

Стаття присвячена аналізу будови, значення та функціональних характеристик лексичних одиниць, що вживаються в медійному дискурсі на позначення понять, пов'язаних із належністю людей до різних демографічних поколінь сучасного англомовного суспільства. Фактичною базою слугують сучасні лексикографічні джерела та фрагменти медійного дискурсу з он-лайн версій англомовних газет та журналів. Вираження поняття "generation" лексичними засобами актуалізують репрезентації таких референтів, як: люди за віковою, груповою належністю, статусом, за певною характерною ознакою, групи однодумців тощо.