Cihan Ertan graduated from Akdeniz University, Department of Sociology and received both his Master and PhD degrees from the same university. His PhD thesis was entitled “The Body and the Practice of Tattooing as a Tool of Meaning Production”. He is currently working as an Associate Professor at the department of Sociology in Düzce University, Türkiye. His main research interests are cultural studies, sociology of the body, and gender.

Dr. Maja Kerneža, Assistant Professor and Researcher, University of Maribor, Slovenia
Field: Didactics of Slovenian Language and Literature

Education
2020: Master's degree, Professor of Slovenian Language, University of Primorska, Faculty of Humanities, Slovenia
2016: Doctorate of Science, Ph.D. in Educational Sciences, University of Maribor, Faculty of Education, Slovenia
2010: Bachelor's degree, Primary School Teacher, University of Maribor, Faculty of Education, Slovenia

Work Experience
2025 – present: Assistant Professor, University of Maribor, Faculty of Education, Slovenia
2019 – present: Researcher, University of Maribor, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Slovenia
2021 – 2025: Teaching Assistant, University of Maribor, Faculty of Education, Slovenia
2017 – 2021: Associate, University of Maribor, Faculty of Education, Slovenia
2014 – 2016: Researcher and Program Developer at a Private Institution
2011 – 2013: Primary School Teacher, Jože Hudales Primary School, Jurovski Dol, Slovenia

Main Research Areas:
Primary education, literary didactics, literacy, comics, new literacies, digital literacy, digital learning environments, artificial intelligence, STEM education.

Research Experience:
Research program: Digital Restructuring of Deficit Professions for Society 5.0 (Industry 4.0)
Participation in the project DigComp PP: Digital Competencies for the Field of Special Needs
Participation in the project UTRINKI: Digital Transformation of Education for a Sustainable Future – Students, Sustainability, and Computing as a Challenge
Participation in the project RAČek: Development of Computational Thinking through the Integration of STEM Kits in Kindergartens and Primary Schools from Grades 1 to 5
Participation in the project INTREF: Integration of Refugee Children Toward Sociocultural Harmony
Participation in the project Digi-School: Modules and Applications for Increasing School Success of Students with the Innovative Digital School Model
Participation in the project Innovative Pedagogy 1:1
Participation in the project E+ Valiant: Virtual Innovation and Support Networks
Participation in the project SESHOME: Supporting the Education of Students with Disabilities in Homeschooling
Participation in the project ECOFAR: Development of Managerial and Entrepreneurial Skills of Young Eco-Farmers via Joint VET Curricula, Enhanced Qualification Profile, Assessment Standard, and Sustainable Cooperation Synergies

Recent Publications:

Didactics of Children's Literature in Light of the Ljubljana Manifesto: Advanced Reading and Developing Empathetic Ability: http://dx.doi.org/10.18690/um.ff.1.2025.13
Rethinking the Role of Intelligent Systems in Education: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-81261-3_24
Science and Engineering Project Using the DALL-E Tool: Exploring Primary School Students' Communication Competence: A Pilot Study: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-81261-3_23
Education of Refugee Children within the INTREF Project Framework: http://dx.doi.org/10.33225/pec/24.82.658
Embracing Doubt: Critical Thinking in the Age of Artificial Intelligence in Education: https://futurity-publishing.com/international-conference-on-science-innovations-and-global-solutions-archive