This is the English language contents page for E&SD 15(4)
Nick Rushby
Editorial: Time to publication 6
John Cowan
Development of Abilities Begins from Reflection-for-action 9
Mahmoud Azizi, Roman Kralik
Incorporating Mindfulness into EFL Literature Courses to Foster Critical Reading Ability 21
Fatemeh Khonamri, Martina Pavlikova
Exploring Teachers’ and Learners’ Attitude towards Homework: The case of English versus Non-English-Major Teachers’ Homework Practices 32
Abolfazl Ashrafi, Reza-Ali Mohseni, Tahmures Shiri
Mutual-implication Interaction between Social Identity and Social System: An Analytic Approach to Social Identity Formation 50
Svetlana A. Vasyura, Olga V. Kuzmina, Marina I. Maletova
Internet Communications: Time Phenomenon in Online Activity 71
Veronika B. Veretennikova, Olga F. Shikhova, Yuri A. Shikhov
Academic Expertise for the Structure and Content of Professional Competences for Future Preschool Teachers 80
Alexander E. Krikunov
Open-Mindedness in the Terminology of the Modern Philosophy of Education: Interpretations and Problems 99
Tatiana V. Malinnikova, Pavel D. Rabinovich, Elena S. Matviyuk, Irina Y. Kulikova, Olga A. Nekrasova, Svetlana N. Apenko
Organization and Methodology for Inter-Disciplinary Training for Functional Literacy in the Digital Economy 11
Yulia B. Shchemeleva
Early Career Guidance as a Method of Developing the Foundations of Engineering Thinking 127
Once the research is completed and the manuscript is written, authors understandably
want to see their work published and available for others to read and admire as quickly
as possible. This desire for quick publication is one of the incentives offered by predatory
journals to persuade unwary authors to submit their work and pay the article publishing
charges. I recently received an email offering to publish my work within 48 hours
of submission! (Admittedly, the publisher did not say anything about the peer reviewing
process they used, or whether they carried out any copy-editing or other quality checks.)
The case is presented for the role of anticipatory reflection in the development of graduate attributes
by employed graduates and in the enhancement of core study skills by students. An approach
initiated by reflection-for-action and the stimulus of subsequent evidence-based monitoring
leading into reflective review has been found feasible and effective. After relevant literature has been
considered, recent accounts of the approach and its impact are summarised, leading into a detailed
summary of the suggested scheme in a form which is independent of discipline and embodies the
assessment of outcomes. Attention is given to the emergence of constructive active experimentation
and metacognition by learners during the development process.
Recently, educators are becoming interested in exploring the use of mindfulness-based approaches
to learning and teaching a foreign language. Through these approaches they tend to reduce stress
(for teachers and students alike), enhance and improve classroom atmosphere, and help students
to focus their attention, and even think more clearly (Tregenza, 2008; Yager, 2009; Collins et al.,
2011). The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of mindfulness techniques on
the development of critical reading abilities of EFL learners in literature courses. Although much
research has been conducted in the realm of mindfulness and positive effects are reported on stress
reduction, relaxed environment, and so forth, research on the role of mindfulness in students’
critical reading performance is scarce. To this end, a quasi-experimental study was undertaken
with the participation of 35 BA students (both male and female) majoring in English language
and literature. The participants were divided into two groups of mindful and less mindful students
based on their scores on Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). Data were collected while
students were engaged in some mindfulness techniques before they performed different forms of
critical reading activities. A critical reading test was used as pre and posttest to investigate the gain
in critical reading ability, if any, after the treatment. Paired-samples T-test through SPSS software
was used to analyze the data. The results revealed that there was a significant difference between the
mean scores of pre-test and post-test of all the participants. However, since both meditative and
socio-cognitive mindfulness practice was utilized in this study, further research is required to shed
light on the nature of mindfulness in some new ways and explore the differential effects of these
two approaches. Overall, the findings of this study will be beneficial for teachers to be aware of
some mindfulness techniques and use them in their classes in order to give students the opportunity
of learning in a more relaxed and focused environment.
Homework assignments provide a channel of communication between students and teachers
especially in an EFL context where there is little exposure to English language out of the classroom
context. Thus, exploring attitudes and homework features may provide teachers with useful
information to know how to plan their homework assignments to improve students’ learning
opportunities. This study aimed to explore both teachers’ and learners’ attitude towards homework;
the difficulties faced by both teachers and learners with regard to homework as well as the assignment
characteristics of English-major versus Non-English-major teachers. The study participants were
120 randomly selected adult male and female EFL learners and 81 EFL teachers. The data were
collected through questionnaires and subsequent semi-structured interviews. SPSS 24 software
was used to analyze the questionnaire data and interviews were recorded, transcribed, coded and
categorized for further analysis. The results indicated that students had positive attitudes towards
homework assignments. There was no significant difference between students’ attitude towards
homework given by English Major (EM) and Non-English Major (NEM) teachers. The data showed
that teachers do feel that homework is essential to students’ language development. Similarly, there
was no significant difference among EM versus NEM teachers in their attitudes toward homework.
The results revealed the following reasons for the difficulties that teachers and learners faced in
assigning/doing homework assignments respectively. Those reasons varied from not learning the
required concept, not knowing the instruction, not enjoying homework, not paying attention
when homework assignments were presented, not understanding homework instruction, copying
homework or cheating, the absence of related and meaningful tasks, parents’ lack of knowledge,
lack of word power and grammar, to anxiety and stress of homework. The findings illustrated that
there were some differences between EM and NEM teachers in terms of amount, skill area used, and
degree of individualization in their homework assignments. The results of this study offer a number
of pedagogical implications for teachers, curriculum developers, and institute managers.
Social identity formation (SIF) has rarely been addressed, either through analytic methods or on
through sociologically and social-psychologically mixed-methods design at multiple levels. In the
Iranian context, SIF, especially among youths, is devoid of any theoretical and functional models
capable of explaining the effects which have been hypothesized of social system’s SIF functional
deficiency. A sample of 445 students from the University of Tehran was selected in the period of
2016-2018, based on a random stratified sampling method. The participants undertook a validated
questionnaire (i.e., content and construct validity) measures through expert judgment and PFA,
delivered on a tablet. The reliability was r=0.88. A parametric one-sample Student’s t-test and
a Friedman test were employed in the analysis which suggested a functional model for SIF. The
analysis also supported both the major and minor hypotheses predicting direct effects of Iranian
social system’s functional deficiency on reducing the level of their SIF in relation to their social
system. Theoretically, the findings suggested an applied model for SIF in a mutually-implicated
interaction process with social system along with specific measurement criteria. The model, which
has seven parameters, is the product of a social system’s functional requirements, and seems to be
influential in SIF formation by social system and can provide insights for social researchers and
planners.
The article focuses on a theoretical overview of time phenomenon in Internet communications.
Advanced technologies and virtual interactions make interaction and communicative competence
priories in Internet communications. Time is seen as both a biological and a social phenomenon and
the notion of time competence embraces the ability to establish and maintain social contacts within
the indicated timeline and capability to extend and restrict the timeframe of communications.
Based on a theoretical analysis of reflection and regulation of communicative activity in Internet
communications the authors have devised a training programme “Enhancement of time competence
in Internet communications”. This five module programme is aimed to university and high school
students. The article also presents the results of implementing this programme.
The Federal State Educational Standard for a new generation (FSES of HE 3++) sets out universal
and general professional competences for university graduates. Educational structures can define
professional competences independently and describe them as professional standards. A means
of solving this challenge is to use a group of assessment experts – one of the core academic
qualitative methods. This collective expert opinion helps to develop an algorithm for pedagogical
competence expertise and for generalizing their quantitative representation and content. The article
presents methods for the structure and content of professional competences for undergraduate
students majoring in preschool education. These include the group expert assessment method
and the procedure for reconciling the determined competences with current legal documents for
preschool education. The research focused on competence-based and qualimetric approaches aimed
at modeling the outcomes of education. The “framework” sets out the structure of competences
that act as the professional quality standards for higher education. The group expert assessment
made it possible to identify groups of professional competences and elaborate their content.
The authors have determined the academic expertise for the structure and content of professional
competences for students who are the future preschool teachers. This involved the examination and
harmonization of the requirements of the Professional Standards for “Teachers (teaching practice
in the field of preschool, primary, lower secondary, upper secondary education) (a pre-school
teacher, a teacher),” and the Federal State Educational Standard for preschool education. These
stages can be implemented in developing the structure and content of professional competencies
for students majoring in other areas and profiles of training, which adds to their practical value and
usefulness. The findings can be used by university instructors to identify and develop professional
competences for undergraduate students following their future job functions and actions as outlined
by professional standards.
This article considers the main aspects of the discussion about the concept of open-mindedness in
modern English-speaking philosophy of education. It emphasizes the importance of the topic for
national pedagogy, which is currently in composite dialogue with world traditions of understanding
the educational process. Open-mindedness is considered as an element of an extensive terminological
system. The need to clarify the meaning of the concept is associated with its role in determining
the criteria for the distinction between education and indoctrination. The article presents the
most significant definitions of open-mindedness and indicates that the external obviousness of the
concept contrasts with the difficulty of finding its consistent definition. It finds that the key feature
of the experience in interpreting open-mindedness is the increase in educational requirements.
It summarizes the main objections raised to various aspects of a theoretical understanding of the
concept. The author considers it logical to abandon attempts to implement the ideal of absolute
rational open-mindedness in teaching. In general, the discourse on open-mindedness shows the
impossibility of avoiding discussion about the development of a subject in any attempt to determine
the meaning of education. The article presents the research prospects in rethinking the role of
rationality in the process of making a man and the world.
The advent of the digital economy and new technologies requires new human competencies,
including specifically, inter-disciplinary competencies. The current education system is organized
around subjects and more relevant inter-disciplinary training requires new organizational and
methodological foundations. There is a need to develop functional literacy, which implies the ability
of the individual to adapt and continuously develop in a dynamic and complex world, to initiate, and
to implement innovations using knowledge from different industries. The aim of this research was to
develop and implement a system of organizational and methodological tools for inter-disciplinary
learning as a means of developing functional literacy of children and adolescents in general
education organizations within Russia to help them adapt successfully to the digital economy. The
research used analysis of modern theoretical and methodological approaches and practices to the
organization of inter-disciplinary training in educational organizations, from observation, focus
groups and experiments. Part of that functional literacy is the concept of mathematical literacy. In
addition to developing cross-subject tasks, mathematical literacy was analyzed through mathematical
content and mental activity. The article describes the authors’ experience in developing cross-subject
tasks to develop research competence, motivation for knowledge and personal development, and
mathematical literacy of students in grades 5-9 (similar to the PISA-2021 research model). It then
describes the methodology and foundations for creating competence-oriented cross-subject tasks
and the development of functional literacy. These are added to specific, proven tools for improving
the effectiveness of inter-disciplinary learning. This creates an environment and conditions for the
development of a person who can think creatively using the competencies of the inter-disciplinary
complex. The article will be of interest to a wide audience of specialists in the field of educational
policy and practice.
The article discusses vocational guidance work and its importance in the rapidly developing world
for vocational guidance of young people. In the classical sense, this work is aimed at identifying
a way of thinking that has already been formed. The article considers methods for determining
types of thinking and argues for the possibility of developing a technical way of thinking. There
are proposals for developing “engineering” thinking in the framework of work with students in
further education programs and a discussion on the age at which the development of technical
thinking should begin. There is a detailed description of the author’s experience in the developing
engineering thinking in grade 5 schoolchildren within the framework of the network educational
project “Engineering”. Assessment data at various points in the project implementation are analyzed.
The problems that arose during the implementation of the project are described, their root cause is
analyzed, and methods of resolution are proposed. The conclusions show that the way of thinking
is not an inherent genetic constant; the way of thinking is formed by the social environment of a
person, by the tasks he is solving. It shows the possibility of developing students’ “engineering”
thinking through classes in technical programs.