Socialinių pokyčių studijų centras / Centre for Social Change Studies (9211)

This paper analyzes the impact of generative artificial intelligence (ChatGPT) on students’ cognitive skills in social sciences and humanities within the framework of McLuhan’s concept of media as “extensions of man.” A qualitative study based on interviews with students from V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University (Ukraine) revealed that AI facilitates cognitive offloading and enhances productivity in the learning process but may reduce the depth of critical thinking. ChatGPT is considered a “cool” medium that significantly alters how students interact with knowledge.

This study explores the discursive dimensions of LGBTQ+ social advocacy within the academic community in Lithuania, emphasizing the interplay between progressive discourse and the country's deeply rooted conservative values. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data collected from lecturers and researchers at Klaipėda University, the research highlights key discursive patterns, such as awareness of discrimination, conditional tolerance, and institutional ambiguity. The findings reveal a critical-liberal perspective coexisting with ambivalence and passivity, suggesting that effective advocacy should emphasize gradual change, empathy, shared rights, and educational neutrality within the academic space.

In Chapter 4, Sigita Kraniauskienė and Goda Damaševičiūtė examine the demographic features of the transition to adulthood of cohorts born in 1980-2000 and aim to evaluate the change of life-course patterns typical for Lithuania from a longer-time perspective - before and after the 1990s. Survey data reveals that the de-standardisation of family formation that began after the geopolitical transformations continues, but education or education-work transitions are of a more standardised nature. The chapter discusses the consequences of the transition from the Soviet standardised model to the post-Soviet individualised and (de/re)standardised one and to a current post-transformation ‘semi-standardised’ timetable for the transition to adulthood. The questions are: what normative life-course calendar do these processes reveal, and what do they allow us to understand about the direction of change in Lithuanian society? To what extent can we talk about convergence of life-course patterns with the West, or ‘path dependence’?

Environmental Literacy (EL) is a multidimensional concept that includes knowledge, values, and behavior related to environmental sustainability. Past research has highlighted that EL could play a crucial role in shaping individuals’ appraisals with environmental issues, such engagement in pro-environmental behaviors and activism. This research explored the connection between core EL components and other psychological dimensions such as environmental identification, self-efficacy, attitudes, and behaviors among 792 university students across six countries: Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and the United States. Findings indicate that while EL components are interconnected, knowledge has the weakest links to attitudes and behaviors. While biospheric values and past environmental behavior are stronger predictors of environmental engagement, reinforcing the idea that moral commitment and experience drive action more than knowledge alone. EL was also correlated with normative and non-extreme forms of activism, while extreme activism was not correlated to any of the EL dimensions. Country-level differences revealed that Poland and Portugal had the highest environmental literacy and activism levels, while Italy and Spain had the lowest engagement levels. These results highlight the importance of integrating environmental literacy into educational programs as a tool that could foster long-term climate engagement.

This chapter addresses the interconnections between structural change, current challenges and generational identity formation. The subjective, self-reflexive generational identity of the age cohorts born between 1980 and 2000 in Lithuania is analysed. These birth cohorts are selected for analysis because their early socialisation coincided with the deep transformation processes, ‘normalisation’ of life, and new challenges. Generational self-identity is explored by analysing and comparing the conceptualisations of belonging to a generation with the ones expressed by the 1970s generation (the ‘Last Soviet Generation’). The analysis is based on life history narratives of people born between 1980 and 2000. The main questions asked are: do cohorts born in the 1980s and 1990s have a strong generational self-identity and perceive themselves as a distinct generation or generations? If so, what features serve as the basis of their self-identity? Can we describe those born between 1980 and 2000 as a distinct ‘political73x2019; generation with a distinctive identity, or would it be more accurate to say that generational constructs of recent cohorts are based not on political criteria but on technological changes, demography and lifestyle? How do recent geopolitical events have an impact on the identity of young generations?

In Chapter 5, Sigita Kraniauskienė further examines the transition to adulthood of cohorts born in 1980-2000 in Lithuania. The chapter addresses different questions: how is the ‘semi-standardised’ pattern of the transition to adulthood experienced on an individual level, and what features of social change/changing society do these experiences reveal? How do the individual demographic calendar of transition to adulthood and the sense of adulthood differ, and how synchronous are these two experiences? The chapter highlights the concept of adulthood presented by the respondents - from demographic characteristics to psychological traits and the difference between maturity and adulthood. How much conflict exists between the standard adulthood and real adulthood experiences in Lithuania? The analysis of life history narratives is used to answer these questions.

The qualitative study aims to understand the motivations and ways of involvement of activists and to investigate the factors that can lead to the radicalization of some individuals and groups. The qualitative investigation was based on semi-structured interviews and focus groups carried out in five European countries (Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal and Spain). The thematic analysis of the data (Braun & Clarke, 2021, 2006) highlights some key factors that influence the adhesion to activism: curiosity, the family context and the sense of impotence in reference to the climate crisis. Three profiles of activists were identified: teachers activists, oriented towards dissemination; critics activists, with an analytical and critical approach; and avantgarde action, which adopt direct mobilization strategies. The study highlights the need to integrate different strategies to enhance the impact of climate activism, underlining the importance of a more accessible scientific language and of building spaces of “radical dialogue” to strengthen the public debate on the climate crisis.

The article reveals the phenomenon of alcohol dependence and assesses the situation of people in a situation of dependence who seek support. In this context, the authors assess the impact of social work interventions on recovering health and the improvement of the quality of life at mental care centres. The study reveals that social workers face many challenges in their work, including professional burnout, emotional exhaustion, and strategies for maintaining motivation in addicts in the context of social stigma towards these people. The emotional burden of working with individuals who often suffer from repeated relapses is presented as a critical problem that needs to be addressed by better support measures for specialists. The article reveals the difficulties of interdisciplinary team cooperation due to resource limitations and professional differences. In order to improve the effectiveness of social work interventions, it is emphasised that the support and participation of relatives, friends, colleagues and neighbours in the process of recovery and integration into society allow social workers to seek innovative intervention methods in solving the problem of alcohol dependence in society.