The main goal of Studia Humanistyczne AGH. Społeczeństwo. Kultura. Technologia is to popularize the interdisciplinary perspective on the complex relations between modern technologies and society and culture. Since 2023, the journal has been published as a biannual publication and focuses on topics including: interrelations and influence between science and technology and society and culture; - the impact of innovation on contemporary societies and cultures (including their artifacts and practices) in the fields of urban studies, energy studies, and environmental and climate change research from the perspective of human experience and society; in the field of changes occurring in the media, media messages and communication under the influence of digitization and virtualization processes; related to contemporary inequalities in the context of technological change, including gender, disability, and old age studies. View more Editor-in-Chief: Grzegorz Ptaszek View Editorial Team
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Reprezentacje przestrzeni we franczyzie „Back to the Future”. Narratologiczne i promocyjno-marketingowe eksploracje postaw nostalgicznych
The topic of space in movie and video games is a very interesting case study. The aim of this article is to conduct a qualitative analysis of the approaches used by the creators of a transmedia franchise to refer to, present and play with the places in persuasive communication (marketing communication). In the theoretical part, the scientific theories concerning space and place have been discussed (using film and video game studies methodology). The theoretical introduction has been supplemented by transmedia communication, marketing and nostalgia issues. The research materials include: the Back to the Future [=BTTF] film trilogy (1985–1989, Universal Studio), BTTF The Animated Series (1991–1992, Universal Studios), and also BTTF The Game (2010, Telltale Games). 19 key observations have been made in regards to the analysed materials.
Copyright (c) 2026 © Wydawnictwa AGH, Kraków 2024, Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Narrativizing Identity Through Play: A Case Study Based on The Tropical America Project
The paper present and analyzes an educational project initiated and conducted in 2001-2002 by Jessica Irish and Juan Devis at Belmot High School in Los Angeles, which resulted in a flash game titled Tropical America, available until the end of 2020 at https://jessirish.com/tropical/. The project and the game are analyzed in the article from several different perspectives: as a product situated between art game and serious game and constituting an important voice for the second-largest cultural community in the United States, which is still underrepresented in mainstream media; as an implementation of the spect-actor concept, which fosters audience engagement while simultaneously making them co-creators of the narrative; from the perspective of the game as a vehicle for violence, which can be both creative and cathartic; and in terms of the game’s graphic design and the ways of representing Central and South America, which stands in opposition to the exoticization of this region and its inhabitants that dominates universal, and especially American, culture. The various perspectives adopted in the analysis serve to paint a possibly comprehensive picture of how the Tropical America project and game constituted not only an educational experiment, but also an important tool in building a sense of self-identity among young people representing the first generation of immigrants.
Clair Obscur as a manifestation of semantic dissonance in the perception of the indie game category
This article analyzes the phenomenon of semantic dissonance in the use of the term “independent game”, using the media discourse surrounding Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, developed by Sandfall Interactive (2025), as an example. The authors examine the presence and categorization of the title at industry awards galas, in journalistic publications, and in discussions on social media forums. The aim of the analysis is to reveal the tension between the production’s economic and institutional status and its perception as an independent game in the minds of audiences and other participants in media discourse. The semantic dissonance is revealed as a clash of two visions of the independent game: the normative one – emphasizing its radicalism, freedom, and revolutionary potential – and the descriptive one, situating it within the real structures of the industry.
Not Just a Portfolio: The Role of Formal Education in the Game Development Industry
The debate on preparation for work in the game development industry often emphasizes individual portfolios and self-directed learning while downplaying the importance of formal higher education. This article examines the role of academic education in the professionalization of game developers, with particular attention to soft skills, teamwork, and mentoring. The empirical basis of the study is a qualitative and quantitative analysis of 100 job advertisements published by Polish game development studios in September–October 2025. The research adopts a mixed-methods approach combining inductive content analysis with frequency analysis of competency requirements.
Sushi Cat—Cute Animal-Food Hybrids in Video Games
This article analyzes the functioning of cute animal-food hybrids as a specific form of animal representation in mobile games. It demonstrates that combining motifs that strongly activate the reward system – animalism, food, and the aesthetics of cuteness – promotes the popularity of these titles and fits into the broader visual language of consumption characteristic of digital culture. These hybrids are not merely a decorative stylistic device, but an element of a design strategy based on the accumulation of “safe” and pleasant stimuli, intended to strongly influence audiences. As a result, animality is instrumentalized and reduced to an attractive symbol, masking the problem of structural violence under a layer of visual pleasure. I situate this article at the intersection of game studies and critical animal studies, analyzing the aesthetic and ethical implications of these representations. The classic concept of “kinderschema” (Lorenz, 1943) proves insufficient to describe the complexity of these visual forms. The concept of whimsical cuteness (Nenkov & Scott, 2014) becomes a more adequate interpretive category.
Changes in World Design and Exploration in the “S.T.A.L.K.E.R.” Series in the Context of Nostalgia, Strangeness, and Technological Development
This article will focus on the changes in the world’s design and exploration that have taken place in the game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl (2024) compared to earlier games in the series. The starting point is the observation that the game developers faced a unique challenge. First, they had to reconcile two, to some extent contradictory, factors – the nostalgia of the series’ fans for the old game world and its strangeness, which is a fundamental feature of the Zone. Second, they also had to account the significant technological changes in game production that occurred between the latest instalment of the series and its predecessor, Call of Pripyat (2009). The article is divided into three main sections. The first section describes the experience of the first three parts of the series using the DDE structure, with particular emphasis on the game world and its exploration. The second section describes the aforementioned technological changes and their impact on the design of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. The third section compares the most important changes in the latest instalment of the series with the findings concerning the trilogy from 2007–2009.
Gag as a Challenge – the Tradition of the Western Cartoon in Adventure Games
Cartoons are a phenomenon that originates from cinema, but they also have an important representation in video games. Using three adventure games as examples: Day of the Tentacle (LucasArts, 1993), The Pink Panther: Passport to Peril (Wanderlust Interactive, 1996), and The Pink Panther: Hocus Pocus Pink (Wanderlust Interactive, 1997), I would like to examine how typical cartoon aesthetics and features influence adventure game mechanics and quest design. The events shown in these titles are subordinated to a gag formula, their worlds live according to specific rules, and the characters inhabiting them brazenly ignore the laws of physics of empirical reality and are aware of their artificiality.
Ludotariat in Minecraft – socioeconomic reflections on the role of the player in modern long-term game modes
This paper constitutes an exploration of the situation of the ludotarian – a player who invests a great amount of time in a particular game but is reluctant to pay for microtransactions – within the environment of servers in the game Minecraft that are administered independently of the game’s creators. The source of information is the author’s autoethnographic work: through participation in gameplay and by keeping ongoing written notes, the author obtained the perspective of a player positioned at the bottom of the social hierarchy, thus predisposed to engaging in gameplay as the ludotarian. The most important observations are: the subordination of gameplay to economic mechanisms and the fact that rewards – most often a non-transferable in-server currency – do not compensate for the labor required to obtain them, resulting in an inward accumulation of resources: during such gameplay, the ludotarian produces nothing. The status of owned by players goods is also debatable, as servers are often reset to prevent excessive inflation that would discourage players from accumulating greater capital, thus from engaging in gameplay. The servers themselves are administered by not fully transparent entities that frequently violate the official guidelines by Minecraft’s creators. The grassroots server environment, which induces ludotarization, is therefore in no way better than those created by game developers.
Rummaging thorugh Marshal's drawers - the use of digital games in education based on publications by the Ministry of National Education and the Institute of National Remembrance
The article examines the principles and implementation of digital educational games published by two government institutions – the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) and the Ministry of National Education (MEN). The titles published by these institutions are promoted as modern solutions designed to make school lessons more attractive and encourage students to learn by using a medium that, according to the creators, is preferred by young people. The term ‘gamification’ is commonly used in this context to indicate a radical modification of the existing model of education. However, the author notes that such a modification is not actually taking place, as the games created by these institutions remain in the form of textbook learning, and their creators demonstrate a profound misunderstanding of the medium they are using. Thus, this proves the need for further development and popularisation of game studies research.
The portrayal of mental disorders and trauma in digital games, as exemplified by ''Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice'' and ''My Child Lebensborn Remastered''
The article analyses the portrayal of mental disorders and trauma in digital games, using the examples of ‘Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice’, made by Ninja Theory, and My Child Lebensborn Remastered, developed by Sarepta Studio. These games belong to the genre of so-called “serious games” (Świątek), which are an important example of the use of interactive media to explore difficult psychological and social topics. The analysis of selected games is based on theories from the fields of cultural studies of illness (Szubert), game studies, and the psychology of trauma and mental disorders (Mielczarek-Żejmo). The article attempts to show how digital games, through their mechanisms, can engage the player and become a tool for critical cultural reflection.
I have played these games before. The persistence and permanence of video game ruins.
In the article, I examine how digital cultures use and transform their ‘ruins’ (older content, earlier versions, abandoned games) to create new content, contexts, and experiences. Digital game spaces of older games function as cultural layers that are subject to both preservation and recycling. The main thesis is the assumption that digital game ruins operate on a spectrum between two poles: processuality, referring to the changing existence of systems and data within an active game environment, and permanence, meaning the stable, archival persistence of content as an artefact. In conclusion, it is noted that ruins of games create various forms of cultural archaeology: from ritual abandonment, through digital palimpsest, to graceful degradation. Ultimately, the discussed framework aims to contribute to understanding digital heritage as a process rather than a product.
The meaning of playing - an analysis of video games according to Victor's Frankl toughts
The first decade of the 21st century proved to be a turning point in the history of digital games, when a significant change in their function took place. Today, we can observe their evolution from tools that are a source of entertainment and a carrier of cultural information to a meaning-making medium. The aim of this article is to analyze the concept of meaning and the related concept of escapism and an attempt to structurize their presence in the medium of digital games and to present current research related to this subject. We will focus on trying to present the concept of meaning from the perspective of a character in the game and the course of its narrative, metagames and the player’s search for aspects of meaning.
The Human Translator: Expertise and Uncertainty in the Age of Automated Digital Advertisingenvironmental storytelling in art installation
This article analyzes the fundamental transformation of the work of Pay-Per-Click (PPC) specialists in the context of increasing automation and algorithmic opacity (the so-called “black box”) in digital advertising. Based on a qualitative ethnographic study, the article explores how practitioners negotiate responsibility and expertise under conditions of systemic uncertainty. The findings indicate that the work of PPC specialists is evolving from a purely technical role into an interpretive and epistemic practice. Specialists are increasingly functioning as interpreters of algorithmic decisions, explaining their results to clients and managers in an effort to maintain the appearance of control over systems whose internal logic remains hidden. Tacit knowledge, based on intuition, emotional experience, and the collective construction of meaning within communities of practitioners (e.g., on forums), proves to be crucial to their functioning. This article introduces and develops the concept of algorithmic accountability as an epistemic practice—the everyday effort to make sense of, justify, and explain automated decisions in the face of structural ignorance.
The Marketing Potential of Queer Books for Libraries – The Case of Instagram
Libraries are institutions with enormous social and bonding potential, which fosters inclusive initiatives. As such, they target individuals from diverse backgrounds and social groups, offering them a range of services. One group at risk of exclusion, and one largely overlooked by Polish libraries, is the LGBTQ+ community. Various types of libraries can provide this group with a service by collecting literature related to this topic – this includes scientific, popular science, historical, fiction, children's and young adult literature, as well as journals and zines. Such initiatives are not only inclusive but also attract interested audiences to libraries. This study attempts to examine marketing activities related to queer literature conducted within the social networking site Instagram. This portal, like other social media platforms, is used to promote library activities in the digital space. As part of the research, the author analyzed four hashtags related to literature addressed to LGBTQ+ people (#queerksiążki, #queerksiazki, #queerksiazka, #queerksiążka) to look at the content tagged with these tags, identify their types, authors, purposes of their publication, and find the potential for library marketing activities in this field.
The Role Of Social Media In Disseminating Knowledge About The History Of Fashion In China
This article analyzes Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo, Douyin, Bilibili, and Xiaohongshu in terms of disseminating knowledge about the history of Chinese fashion. Widespread awareness of the diversity of Chinese attire began to emerge in society with the publication of Shen Congwen's research in 1981. Acquiring knowledge in this field is associated with difficulties in reading specialized vocabulary and the specificity of the Chinese language. Social media in China has witnessed the emergence of influencers educating on fashion history. Reconstruction and training materials are published, offering easy-to-remember content. This medium offers an opportunity to disseminate knowledge from a broad perspective on fashion studies, but it carries risks. Not every creator possesses the necessary competences and knowledge. For this reason, social media contributes to the spread of false information and creates a distorted image of imperial-era fashion.
Video Games and Contemporary Art: Polygonal Painting and Environmental Storytelling in Art Installation.
This article describes two kinds of relations between contemporary art and video games. The first part of the article is about contemporary painting, which draws inspiration from the style of polygon graphics. In the second part the author describes similarities between the methods of transmitting narrations in contemporary art installation and videogames, which use environmental storytelling.
New Migrations, New Narratives: On the Study of Migration Narratives. Introductory Remarks
The article addresses narratives surrounding contemporary migration and is the outcome of an academic conference entitled 'New Migrations, New Narratives'. The Contemporary Experience of Migration: Patterns, Strategies, Contexts'. In the introductory section, the authors explore the concept of narrative and its academic history. Originally a concept in literary studies, it has found its place within the broadly defined field of the social sciences, including sociology. The article outlines key research topics and directions present in the literature and discusses the potential application of narratology to migration studies, referring mainly to foreign sources due to the marginal presence of this subject in Polish migration research. The theoretical section focuses on the core of migration narrative research, which seeks to answer the question: how is migration narrated? More specifically, it examines how various forms of representation contribute to the production, dissemination and utilisation of knowledge about migration processes and phenomena. In the third part, the authors analyse the articles included in the volume, focusing particularly on their narrative dimensions.
Copyright (c) 2025 © Wydawnictwa AGH, Kraków 2024, Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Społeczne granice przyjaźni i miłości: Muzułmańscy studenci w krakowskiej przestrzeni akademickiej
Celem niniejszego artykułu jest analiza doświadczeń społecznych muzułmańskich studentów studiujących w Krakowie, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem ich sieci społecznych, strategii adaptacyjnych oraz barier integracyjnych. Badanie koncentruje się na procesie nawiązywania relacji przyjacielskich i romantycznych, a także na wpływie kontekstu społeczno-kulturowego i instytucjonalnego na codzienne życie studentów. Wykorzystując metodę wywiadów pogłębionych, artykuł ukazuje, w jaki sposób różnice kulturowe, bariery językowe oraz islamofobia kształtują społeczne funkcjonowanie badanej grupy. Wyniki wskazują, iż studenci pochodzący z krajów islamskich w Polsce często doświadczają trudności w budowaniu relacji z lokalnymi mieszkańcami i w większym stopniu opierają się na sieciach etnicznych oraz religijnych. Dodatkowo, kwestie tożsamości religijnej silnie wpływają na ich możliwości nawiązywania związków romantycznych.
Can embracing contradictory moral principles be a cure for political polarization? Jonathan Haidt's Moral Foundations Theory.
The essay analyzes Jonathan Haidt's Moral Foundations Theory (MFT) and its application in explaining political polarization. It discusses the three main principles of morality and the six universal moral foundations proposed by Haidt, as well as the controversial claim that the political right draws on a broader range of innate moral intuitions. Despite numerous theoretical and methodological objections to MFT, it remains an influential model for explaining ideological and political differences. At first glance, MFT leads to pessimistic conclusions that rational arguments have little significance and do not reduce worldview divisions. However, awareness of universal cognitive limitations and diverse moral matrices is undoubtedly a valuable perspective that expands the possibilities for social depolarization.
Writing skills in Polish as a second language in students with migration experience in Polish schools – context and theoretical review
The article presents a literature‑based review and identifies the principal challenges involved in fostering writing proficiency in Polish as a second language among upper‑secondary students with migration experience. The introductory section delineates the scale and dynamics of recent migration to Poland, paying particular attention to its repercussions for the school system. The subsequent theoretical section clarifies key constructs—Polish as a second language, the language of schooling (Język Edukacji Szkolnej, JES), and Cummins’s BICS/CALP model—underscoring the stringent linguistic demands that JES imposes on learners’ writing development. Later sections synthesise current research on writing and document the specific obstacles faced by migrant students, including cross‑linguistic interference, limited access to genre‑appropriate models, and assessment practices that insufficiently accommodate their linguistic profiles. The article concludes with practice‑oriented recommendations for educators and researchers and calls for further empirical studies aimed at devising effective instructional and systemic solutions.
Unlocking the World: Expert Insights on High School Study Abroad
High School Study Abroad (HSSA), a form of mobility providing temporary physical mobIility for adolescents, has been facilitated by various organisations for more than 80 years, with growing interest in participation. Despite its growth, scholarly attention remains limited compared to similar programs at the tertiary level. This qualitative study aimed to gather perspectives on HSSA through six interviews with experts identified with the support of AFS Intercultural Programs. The result presented in the article is a detailed characterisation of the phenomenon, its sector, and its historical context. The analysis highlights the interplay of macro- and mezzo-level factors shaping program design and operations, as well as potentially influencing experiences of individual participants. The findings provide a valuable foundation for future research in the field.
Broken Biographies of Russian Migrant Women in Poland After Russia's Aggression Against Ukraine
Russia's aggression against Ukraine in February 2022 had a profound impact not only on the direct victims of the conflict but also on the lives of Russians abroad. In Poland, where social and political relations with Russia were already tense, migrant women from Russia found themselves in a particularly difficult situation. Our qualitative research conducted as part of the GEN-MIGRA project ‘Gender, mobility and migration during and after the COVID-19 pandemic - marginalisation, resistance and strategies for the future’ shows that Russian women who arrived in Poland before the outbreak of the war have on the one hand experienced the negative effects of the war in their family, professional and social relationships, and on the other hand, they have been facing increasing discrimination and rejection, both from the majority of Polish society and institutions, primarily in the form of refusing to extend their residence permits. The presentation of the situation of women forces us to reflect on the effects of the war, the interrupted life course project, unforeseen suffering and normative chaos.
Tożsamość narracyjna. Strategie konstytuowania siebie w relacji z miejscem poprzez opowieść – na przykładzie Nowohuckiej telenoweli Renaty Radłowskiej
Analiza narracyjna 19 reportaży składających się na zbiór Nowohucka telenowela Renaty Radłowskiej pokazuje, jak budowniczowie i pierwsi mieszkańcy Nowej Huty używają opowieści do konstruowania własnej tożsamości w relacji z miejscem. Podstawą teoretyczną przedstawionych badań jest narratologia Mieke Bal, która zakłada trójdzielność tekstów narracyjnych (tekst, opowieść i fabuła). Spisane przez reporterkę historie zawierają tę samą (lub podobną) opowieść, każda stanowi jednak odrębny tekst narracyjny. Analizowanie ich swoistości prowadzi do wniosków na temat intencji i statusu bohaterów. Dla świadków i uczestników budowy Nowej Huty opowiadanie staje się gestem emancypacji wobec „tożsamości mniemanych” – wizerunków projektowanych przez PRL-owskich ideologów czy funkcjonujących społecznie stereotypów. Efekty badań mogą stanowić uzupełnienie dla faktografii dotyczącej początków Nowej Huty.
New narratives about war refugees from Ukraine
The article presents a research project on changes in the perceptions of rural communities in the Nowy Targ district regarding the inhabitants of Ukraine after the Russian invasion in February 2022. The project, carried out using ethnographic methods in 2023-2024, showed how narratives about femininity have changed, capturing the image of female refugees from Ukraine and the self-image of the Highlander interviewees. Analysis of masculinity-related narratives revealed double standards of male duties towards the homeland. Conversations with primary school children showed the struggles of the teaching staff building open attitudes in children with critical opinions conveyed by their parents. A comparison of narratives explaining the purpose and meaning of aid practices in two communities documented many ways of giving meaning to similar actions. Work, a fundamental value in Podhale, turned out to be a key category used to assess migrants, both from Ukraine and from non-European countries. Resentment related to the Volhynian events still present in social memory, was silenced in conversations so as not to undermine the justification of the aid uprising. Narratives about war refugees from war-torn Ukraine were accompanied by geopolitical conspiracy discourses revealing the deeper meanings of political events.
Refugees' perception of the shape of Europe: The case from Kos
In 2016, 49 interviews were conducted with migrants on the Greek island of Kos, as well as a several conversations on the Hungarian-Serbian and Macedonian-Greek borders. The interviews were supplemented with a request to draw a map of Europe. The analysis of the obtained sketch maps revealed a clear West-centrism, spatial egocentrism, the influence of the experience of the "road" on the perception of space, and a linear perception of space, reminiscent of historical maps of pilgrimage routes.
Czy w Polsce będą dwie mniejszości białoruskie?
W analizach sytuacji mniejszości narodowych rzadko uwzględnia się relacje między mniejszością narodową a społecznością imigrancką należącą do tego samego co mniejszość ethnosu. W artykule podjęto ten wątek w odniesieniu do mniejszości i imigracji białoruskiej w Polsce. Te dwie społeczności należące do jednej społeczności diasporycznej różnią się od siebie językowo, religijnie, poziomem świadomości narodowej i pamięcią historyczną. Każda tworzy własne organizacje i fundacje skierowane najczęściej do „swoich”. Czy stworzą w przyszłości jedną społeczność, czy przeciwnie, różnice między obiema społecznościami będą się utrzymywać prowadząc do współwystępowania dwóch społeczności białoruskich w Polsce? W artykule podjęto próbę odpowiedzi na to pytanie, odwołując się do wyników pilotażowego badania wśród liderów mniejszości i aktywistów imigranckich zrealizowanego w 2023 i 2024 roku na Podlasiu. In analyses of the situation of national minorities, the relationship between a national minority and an immigrant community belonging to the same ethnos is rarely considered. This article addresses this issue in relation to the Belarusian minority and Belarusian immigration in Poland. These two communities, both part of the same diasporic group, differ in terms of language, religion, level of national consciousness, and historical memory. Each forms its own organizations and foundations, primarily aimed at its own members. Will they form a single community in the future, or will the differences between them persist, leading to the coexistence of two separate Belarusian communities in Poland? The article attempts to answer this question by referring to the results of a pilot study conducted among minority leaders and immigrant activists in 2023 and 2024 in the Podlasie region.
Migrations in the context of climate vulnerability and resilience
The aim of the paper is to summarize research on the connections between human mobility and climate change. The first part discusses selected social consequences of climate change, especially those with potential impact on migrations (including rising sea levels, epidemiological threats and temperature changes). Emphasis has been placed on factors which, on the one hand, make certain populations and subgroups thereof vulnerable to climate change and, on the other hand, factors which make individuals and groups resilient to climate change impacts. In the second part, the paper discusses unequal impacts and unequal contribution to the climate crisis. The main part highlights key features of environmental migrations. This type of mobility constitutes an adaptive strategy employed in a particular social and economic context and depending on one’s place in the social structure.
“Yizkor”: A Case of Holocaust Memory Activism In a Czech Village
The article explores the construction and preservation of Holocaust memory in the small Czech village of Kosova Hora. The study, based on focus group interviews, reveals how local Holocaust memory is shaped by a unique combination of activism, local history, and communal practices. The article highlights the role of a Jewish couple who, by rescuing and restoring the village synagogue during the Communist era, created a central site for Holocaust remembrance. This act of preservation catalyzed broader local engagement, resulting in a collective effort to remember the Jewish community that once thrived there. The synagogue now serves not only as a cultural and educational center but also as a place for religious commemoration, despite the absence of a local Jewish population. The research concludes that such localized efforts are crucial for sustaining Holocaust memory, showing how minority activism can embed itself within majority memory, even in small and seemingly ordinary communities.
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Transgenerational Holocaust Memory In Slovakia: From Forgetting to Ambivalence About the Roots of Hatred
This article explores Holocaust memory in Slovakia, shedding light on how Slovak citizens perceive this past and its transgenerational transmission. The data presented were gathered in 2023 through ethnographic fieldwork and focus group interviews with informants belonging to three generations (between ages of 18 and 95), in three different locations across the country: Krupina, Prešov, and Bratislava. The initial findings show that Slovakia has been moving from indifference towards the Holocaust to the limited capability of realizing the actual causes and effects of atrocities, while at the same time officially accepting the commemorative centrality of the Holocaust.
Mitigating Central Tendency And Acquiescence Biases in Survey Design: A Methodological Exploration With Empirical Evidence
This paper presents a survey design methodology aimed at mitigating central tendency and acquiescence biases, which are commonly encountered in traditional Likert-scale surveys. The proposed approach employs a forced ranking method, using a case study involving 220 engineering students at the University of Zagreb as a source of data to assess whether respondents exhibit patterns of systematically avoiding honest answers for any reason. Statistical analysis demonstrates the effectiveness of the design in reducing these biases. The results provide strong evidence that the method developed in this article can minimize response distortions without sacrificing data richness. While the primary focus is on the methodological aspects, the case study illustrates the potential of this approach for ethical and attitudinal research. The study concludes with recommendations for refining survey techniques and exploring their broader applicability in different populations and contexts.