This introductory article to the monographic section of the latest issue of "Chowanna" (edited by Beata Mazepa-Domagała) titled "Visual Culture – Educational Contexts" argues that visual culture is not just images, but primarily a modern tendency to depict or visualize existence. Subjecting all images found in social space and all visible manifestations of social life to scientific scrutiny—with the belief that images serve as windows through which we see various social contexts—provides a unique interpretation of the visual in terms of everyday life. The texts collected in this monographic section demonstrate the multifaceted nature of visual culture's relationship to the contemporary worldview.

In the paper there are analyzed different perspectives and interpretations of the notions: culture, visual culture, culture studies, visual studies, postmedia, picture, software, hardware, digital codes, and chosen theories which describe phenomena and processes taking place in the range of the visual culture and contemporary society as well as in education. In the end of the article the chosen results of the empirical research carried out in the framework of the visual culture are described.

The article present one of the ways in which photographs can be employed in studies on everyday life. The purpose has been to recognize and describe elements of everyday life found in private photographs submitted to analysis. The personal documents method was used because amateur photographs belong to this category of documents. The visual data matrix elaborated by P. Sztompka was applied. The analysis of visual data suggests that the photographs document six contexts of social life (science, work, education, college holidays and celebrations, religion and religious holidays, and finally sports and recreation). Additionally, each context was interpeted from the perspective of the individuals involved, their actions and interactions, communities, culture and the surroundings.

The article conveys a theoretical reflection on the functioning of the young generation in the visual, imagological culture based on the media with a dominant visual code. The author presents issues pertaining to the specificity of the new media (using mainly iconic code), characterizes the image culture and introduces its new recipients. Then, she indicates the main sources and mechanisms of the image culture, and its consequences for the new generation’s development. The article closes with an attempt at describing a theoretical model of how to support the young generations’s development, which would be adequate for the qualities (features) of the image culture. It refers to Henry A. Giroux’s thesis about the abandoned geneartion, Kazimierz Obuchowski’s concept of the author’s personality, Jozef Kozielecki’s idea of transgression and M.E.P. Seligman’s conception of positive psychology.

The discussion presented in this paper aims at a broadened reflection on the teacher and their role in conditions of the contemporary media culture, which constitutes a difficult-to-define blend of “the non-obvious and the possible.” The authors of the paper consider the relations between the teacher and the media culture, the manifestations and products of which can influence their stance on the world, art and profession practised. The assumed perspective leads to the outlining of the area of necessary changes in the whole educational system and raises the problem of the quality of cultural education of teachers.

The following paper results from discussions about the concept of visual literacy and preparing children for the reception of art. The analysis indicated new necessary and possible directions in work with children focusing on educational programmes that allow children to learn how to adequately interpret and develop artistic expression in visual arts.

The article presents the results of preliminary research on how important is the first child-rearing and educational environment such as family or preschool, as well as the first emotions after perception of particular work of art, in forming the sense of aesthetics connected with visual arts. The author claims that the first emotional experiences concerning art influence the aesthetics sensitivity, mind development and more important feelings. She confronts her opinions with educating polish children through art. She also claims that in polish educational system there should be more attention paid to art while teaching and upbringing children.

Media effects have been debated for decades. There is no doubt, due to their pervasiveness, that media is incredibly influential as a teacher of social norms. Moreover a lot of research has proven that the media is very influential in fostering stereotypical portrayal of femininity. This is because the media is seen to play a significant role in offering a socializing influence on the attitudes, beliefs and behaviours. Since it is generally agreed that children are most vulnerable to being influenced, the research has been done to analyze the messages being delivered through children’s cartoons, especially Disney films, which are a huge part of many childhoods. Although Disney movies possess positive messages and values, they are also responsible for the negative media messages being reflected by our society. Children assume from the films that women are supposed to be beautiful, skinny, and seductive, which may promote to children the self-image.

The article presents the results of an empirical study conducted among 4–5-year-old children. The study was focused on establishing colour preferences of these children. Moreover, an attempt was made to determine the symbolism the children ascribed to particular colours.

Rapid development of the ultrasound technology enables visualization of the fetus with an increasing precision. The USG images in two, three or four dimensions help pregnant women to visualize the baby, to empower it and develop a maternal-fetal bonding. The objective of this paper is twofold. Firstly, to provide a concise state of the art of the role of visual communication in the formation of parenting bonds in the prenatal period of child development. Secondly, to present authors’ own research results on the role of USG images for the development of parenting in the prenatal period. The research work which has led to the results reported in this paper was qualitative in nature and involved 11 pregnant women or women who had already given birth to a child. The obtained results confirm the hypothesis that USG visualization is favorable for the development of a positive parental-fetal bonding, it helps parents accept their parenting role and enables them to better prepare to it and develop the first interaction with their baby.

Modern man is exposed to countless images, mainly products of the pop culture. Generally, the reception of these does not require a great intellectual effort; visual content is easily absorbed by a mass recipient. Dominant in this visual content is the body whose “shape” is determined by social and cultural processes. A repeated exposure to images of an ideal body propagated by the western culture results in this image being internalized and conceived as a model, especially by young people. Consequently, young people define and evaluate themselves by the appearance of their body, simultaneously making many efforts to improve this appearance and social presentation. This behaviour can, however, cause various negative consequences both for an individual and society. The author’s awareness that the images of the body presented by the media usually do not reflect reality makes her emphasize the need to develop a strategy in media education promoting critical interpretation and evaluation of the visual coverage.

This paper is a report on research regarding relationship between visual culture and body image, and on important role of body acceptance. Mechanisms lowering the body satisfaction (internalisation of thin ideal, self-objectification, self-comparison, attachment to extrinct goals), implications of negative body image (avoidance, internet activity) and the role of body acceptance are discussed. Reported study (N = 120) confirms that relationships between visual culture and body image are consistent with those reported in literature. Additionally, results indicate the importance of body acceptance in improving resistence to negative cultural influences (e.g. unrealistic beauty ideals). In the discussion section potential implications for prophylaxis programs are discussed.

The knowledge regarding sexuality, fertility and reproduction should be given to young people in generational families and, later, in educational institutions, such as schools. Properly implemented sex education should provide reliable information on the psycho-physical development of people, the available methods of contraception and sexually transmitted diseases. In Polish homes and schools this type of education is marginalized, which in turn can bring about the phenomenon of a growing number of teenage mothers. This paper presents the results of a study in which information was gathered by the method of a diagnostic survey with the use of the technique of an interview. A structured interview was conducted with teenage mothers who gave birth to their first child before the age of 18.

The „Health Promoting School” (HPS) programme, with the main component of the whole school approach to health, is developed in Poland and in Europe over 22 years. Up to now the activities focused mainly on the health of students, but in last years in some countries school staff health promotion is being implemented. In this article the concept, theoretical basis, model and stages of the first in Poland pilot project on „Health Promoting of School Staff” are presented. The project was implemented in 21 primary and lower secondary schools, belonging to six regional network of HPSs in 2012–2015. The project attempts to link two programmes based on the setting approach: the health promoting schools and workplace health promotion.

The aim of this work is to present the therapeutic effect of theatrical activities in the process of shaping and developing a sense of self-respect among young people with mild intellectual disabilities. Psychological and behavioral problems in children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities are very common, and therefore in this paper an attempt is made to show that improving self-esteem plays an important role in dealing with such problems, both potential and already existing ones.

This paper provides data concerning the scale (dimensions), dynamics, and structure of deprivation, as well as penal acts committed by juveniles over the period 2000−2012. The research results presented here are the author’s own elaboration of the data from the Statistics Department of the Ministry of Justice in Warsaw. The prevention of juvenile deprivation and delinquency requires the use of countermeasures against these issues on an individual and collective basis and against the deterioration processes. For several years, there has been observed an increasing interest rate regarding activities aimed at preventing and reducing many worrisome behaviors among children and youth. Focusing on this issue can be explained when looking at police or court statistics that each year show a growing number of juveniles reaching for alcohol or other intoxicants, starting sexual activity early, committing brutal acts of aggression and criminal acts.

While working with prisoners – persons deprived of their liberty one uses the whole spectrum of methods that are aimed at their social rehabilitation in order to allow them to properly function in society. Mediation may be one of such methods, facilitating socially maladjusted people‘s rehabilitation. Although mediation after the verdict was sanctioned by law in Poland, in practice, no one uses it. Perhaps a good solution in this case would be to promote efforts to raise awareness of restorative justice among prisoners, which is the foundation of mediation. Therefore, in our study, it was decided to discover what are the views of randomly selected inmates on the restorative justice.