This is the English language contents page for E&SD 16(4)
Nick Rushby
Editorial: Reflections on learning online .6
Fatemeh Nafarzadeh Nafari, Mehrshad Ahmadian, Ebrahim Fakhri
Developing Teacher Education Performance Assessment through Teaching E-portfolios and Pre-service/In-service EFL Teachers’ Self-reflection 10
Gulzhana Kuzembayeva, Zhumagul Maydangalieva, Bakit S. Kulbaeva, Anara Urkunova, Aigul Kupenova
Survey of Indian Medical Students’ Adaptation in Kazakhstan: Psychological, Sociocultural, and Academic Dimensions 25
Daniel Doz
Students’ Mathematics Achievements: A Comparison between Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Pandemic 36
Fatemeh Khonamri, Monireh Mosleh Amirdehi, Martina Pavlikova, Hedviga Tkacova
EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Implementing Critical Thinking in Teaching Reading: Focus on the Possible Hindrances 48
Maria Lalinska, Jana Hučkova, Silvia Hvozdikova
Intervention Reading Comprehension Program in French Language 64
Olga V. Kotomina, Aleksandra I. Sazhina
The Influence of Family Factors on the Academic Performance of Schoolchildren and University Students: Review of Foreign Studies 74
Marina Yu. Krinitskaia, Tatyana A. Borzova
University Students’ Attitudes to Soft Skills in Business Communication Training 93
Evgeniya E. Jukova, Maxim S. Kozyrev, Irina Y. Ilina
Why do People Apply for Admission to Moscow Universities? An Analysis of the Reasons and Development of Recommendations 105
Inna V. Zakharova
Professional Self-determination of School Graduates: Social and Personal Factors 120
Roza Z. Bogoudinova, Ekaterina Е. Tsareva
Developing the Metalinguistic Competence of Engineering Students 136
A long time ago and in a galaxy far away, my first degree was in electrical engineering.
This was over fifty years ago, at a time when many people believe that technology-based
learning had not been invented. This of course, is not true and is a consequence of amnesia
in the education technology community (Rushby, 1983; Romiszowski & Rushby, 2015).
However, it was not until the 1970s that viable systems to manage the learning process
became available. By the late 1970s, Plato (developed by the University of Illinois) was
supporting several thousand graphics terminals distributed worldwide, running on nearly
a dozen different networked mainframe computers (Smith & Sherwood, 1976). So, my
undergraduate course was wholly class-room (and laboratory) based. To be honest, the
quality of the teaching was not good: I recall one lecturer who spent each lecture copying
the course textbook onto the chalkboard with chalk in one hand and an eraser in the other
to make space for the next paragraph , while another talked in an impenetrable accent
that none of us could decipher. Of the 100 students who started the course, only 60 made
it to the second year and fewer than 30 sat the final examinations . On average , each
year two students on this undergraduate course attempted suicide.
This was one of the factors that started my interest in ways of improving the quality
of university teaching.
A portfolio is a document describing skills, experience, interests or knowledge of an individual.
Recently, the conventional paper-based portfolio has been no longer able to keep pace and therefore,
some researchers have suggested e-portfolios overcome this weakness. It is rare to find research on
e-portfolio for managing certification of professional competence. Considering that developing an
Education Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) teaching e-portfolio helps teachers to become
more reflective in their teaching, the present study tried to merge this issue by exploring the effects
of developing edTPA teaching e-portfolios on pre-service and in-service teachers’ self-reflection in
a teacher preparation program in the Iranian EFL context. The researchers employed a sequential
explanatory mixed methods approach. A self-reflection survey was administered to 100 EFL preservice
and in-service teachers. The participants developed edTPA teaching portfolios with three
specific types of tasks (planning, instruction, and assessment) in their classrooms. After the teaching
classroom, a self-reflection survey was administered as a posttest. Then six of the participants were
surveyed using a follow-up interview. The results of the study showed that there was a significant
improvement in the EFL teachers’ self-reflection in both groups through developing three types
of edTPA and underlying five factors of reflection in their teaching. Research on edTPA as a
tool measures teacher readiness and reflection. Further research efforts should focus on edTPA
performance, teacher evaluation and student performance to add to the professional discourse on
teacher preparation, teacher quality, and policy making.
This study investigated international students’ adaptation experience in a higher education
institution. A sociological survey was conducted among one hundred and seventy Indian students in
their first and second year of medical studies at West Kazakhstan Marat Ospanov Medical University,
Aktobe, the Republic of Kazakhstan. Against the background of many studies in this field, this topic
is contextualized within the higher medical education system in the western region of Kazakhstan.
The study helps to improve understanding of such phenomena as international students’ dimensions
of psychological, sociocultural, and academic adaptation. The differences in the various dimensions
of adaptation from the gender perspective and the year of study were investigated. The impact of the
adaptation level on the students’ study achievements was assessed.
The study results demonstrated challenges in psychological adaptation in the first-year international
students, which decreased over time. The differences in the psychological, sociocultural, and academic
adaptability between girls and boys were not statistically significant. Second-year international
students felt more emotionally comfortable and psychologically safe in the group, and this reflected
their high grades GPA. Based on the findings, the authors propose recommendations on how to
improve the international students’ comfortableness in the Kazakhstani university setting.
The COVID-19 pandemic represented a shift from face-to-face to online and distance learning.
Teaching methods and assessing strategies changed, as well as grading standards. The focus of
this paper is to address the differences between pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic mathematics
grades and, in particular, to investigate the possible differences between mid-term and end-term
grades in Italy. To this end, 231 Italian middle and high school students’ grades were analysed.
Using the Wilcoxon rank test (a non-parametric statistical test) the results showed a statistically
significant difference in pre- and post-COVID-19 quarantine grades. End-of-year grades were
higher than those before the COVID-19 confinement. Furthermore, the results indicated that
more than half of the students in the sample achieved a higher grade at the end of the school year.
Gender differences in mathematics grades were examined, since the literature about gender gap
in mathematics achievement is not coherent about whether boys outperform girls or vice versa.
Statistically significant differences at the end of the first semester were reported, in favour of female
students although gender differences were not detected at the end of the school year. The findings
suggest that greater caution should be paid in interpreting students’ grades pre- and post-COVID-19
confinement, since it cannot be excluded that such students’ achievements are inflated. Excessively
high students’ grades that do not represent their actual knowledge and competencies could give
educators and legislators misleading and even false information about the quality of distance
learning and students’ knowledge.
The study explores Iranian English teachers’ perceptions of the importance of critical thinking
skills and the extent to which they practice their beliefs in real classroom setting. As a secondary
purpose, the study discovered the possible hindrances in the way of implementing critical thinking
in reading classes. Using a sequential mixed-methods design, data were collected through survey
questionnaire, interviews and class observations from 4 universities and several English language
institutes. Fifty participants took part in the study. A questionnaire with 16 closed-ended and two
open-ended questions was utilized to collect data about the teachers’ beliefs. For the next phase
of the study, one teacher from among 10 teachers who showed strong beliefs was conveniently
selected for class observation and interview. The results of one sample T-test and independent
sample T-test indicated that teachers believed critical thinking was important and that there was
not any significant difference between male and female regarding critical thinking. Qualitative
analysis of the data showed that despite the teachers’ strong beliefs about the importance of critical
thinking, they did not implement it much in their classroom practices. The hindrances as well as the
implications of the study are fully explained in the paper.
One of the priorities of European language policy is to maintain linguistic diversity, cultural identity
and, last but not least, to promote effective foreign language learning. French language has a long
tradition in the Slovak geographical area, whether in a historical, cultural or economic context. In
the educational context over the last decade, however, it has become a second foreign language,
which has begun to be reflected in particular in the declining numbers of pupils studying French.
Quantitative indicators in the form of statistical yearbooks show a sixty to seventy-five percent
decrease in the number of pupils learning French at different levels of education. The lower numbers
of lessons, normally allocated for a second foreign language, affects the quality of the knowledge and
language skills that the pupil has to acquire in order to be able to communicate at the required level
in French.
Based on the current position of French language in the Slovak school environment and the
requirements that are placed on the language level of students, our goal was to design an effective
tool that would take into account the various factors affecting the acquisition of foreign language
competence of students in French. The main aim of our contribution is to present to the professional
public a tool in the form of an intervention program, which specifically focuses on the development
of one of the key language skills included in the Common European Framework of Reference
for Languages, namely reading comprehension in French language. The degree of difficulty of its
acquisition depends on several factors. The mastery of the linguistic, sociolingual and intercultural
specifics typical for French language plays an important role in this process. In a broader sense,
however, it is a much more complex process, which is also conditioned by cognitive, social and
personality variables. These variables can also be called predictors or factors that significantly affect
the understanding of a foreign language text.
The overall concept of the intervention program is based on pre-research associated with
measuring the level of reading comprehension and determining the predictors affecting students’
comprehension of the text. Considering the pre-research carried out to determine the achieved
level of pupils in reading comprehension, the proposed intervention program can be regarded
as a preventive, but also a corrective tool for the development of language competence in French
language. The compilation of an intervention program in the form of ten model intervention units
for the development of reading comprehension in French has a precise structure and takes into
account the ontogenetic specifics of the target group (third-year students of secondary education).
The ambition of the intervention program is to include various possibilities and ways of working
with text in French with regard to the development of the relevant predictor, and thus contribute to
improve the quality of language education of students and last but not least to be an inspiration for
teachers (as well as future teachers) of French language in a new original way.
The family is informal institution that has a strong influence on the child and on his or her academic
performance in particular. Family influence is more essential in childhood, because at a young age
children depend a lot on their parents. The nature of relationships between children and parents as
well as the role of family in general can change as children grow up.
This is a literature review of foreign empirical studies leading to further development of a research
program of the influence of family factors on the performance of schoolchildren and students in
Russia. In most of the cases, the authors focus on the performance of one group – either schoolchildren
or students. This paper considers the research question of whether family factors, which have proven
their impact on schoolchildren academic performance, retain their impact on the performance of
university students.
The novelty of the review lies in its consideration of three ways in which the family impacts on
student’s performance: the socio-economic status of the family, the social capital of the family,
and the parental involvement in the educational process. The first two ways have been extensively
studied in the research, while parental involvement is often considered as a significant factor in
school performance. However, it is underestimated as factor in a university student’s performance.
The review confirmed that family factors have a significant positive impact on academic performance
for both schoolchildren and students. This influence depends on the nature of the relationship
between parents and children and can change over time.
The results are of practical interest for the researchers in the field of education and psychology,
educational institutions as well as for parents. The empirical analysis of parental involvement
influence on the academic performance of university students may be one of the possible research
themes.
Nowadays learning Russian in business communication is a major part of vocational education and
training and within this academic subject it is possible for university students to develop soft skills.
This research examined the formation, development and application of a universal set of soft skills
to help graduates adapt to the modern labor market. The study was conducted with 196 first-year
students in the Vladivostok State University of Economics and Service. A subjective scale technique
was applied using a survey-questionnaire. The data were processed using systematization and
generalization methods. The results showed that subjective attitudes to the application of soft skills
were developed in students studying Business Russian. The building of soft skills helps students
use knowledge in practice and to increase their motivation for personal professional growth and
development. The research revealed that 21 out of 24 declared soft skills are actively formed in
students in the course of teaching. In addition, the analysis gave an objective view of the abilities,
interests and tendencies of each student. This information is necessary to improve the educational
process. The results of the research play an important role in the development of the theory of
competence model of successful modern graduates. The research results can be used by universities
to develop and improve working curricula in accordance with the requirements of new educational
standards.
When there is high competition between universities for applicants, research into the applicants’
motives becomes relevant. This research used a survey questionnaire, the results of which were
subjected to correlation analysis. The survey involved students from four Moscow universities,
differing in both rating and quality of admission. The main reasons why applicants choose their
university were the availability of budget places and the cost of training. The source of information
about the university is also important. Modern youth (and also their parents) focus mainly on
Internet sites for applicants and on the university’s website social networks. The role of Internet
resources will only increase in the future although traditional forms of attracting applicants, such as
open days and Olympics should not be discounted. They attract at least a quarter of the admissions.
The research revealed that school graduates who are strongly oriented toward higher education
prepare for exams very seriously. More than two-thirds of all students surveyed noted several options
for preparing for the exam. However, not all applications had a solid life position with regard to their
future profession. Many have chosen those courses that are easier to pass. One of the important
factors in making a choice and in preparation is the image of the university. The higher the rating
of the university, the more motivated applicants it attracts and as a result, the level of training of
graduates also increases. It is proposed that distance forms of participation in university events are
developed so as to expand coverage.
Given the negative demographic trends and the aging of labor resources in most regions of Russia,
it is important to curb educational migration away from them. The study of the mechanisms of
professional self-determination of schoolchildren goes beyond pedagogical tasks in the field of
public administration and regional economy. Psychological mechanisms of career choice and
educational strategy building were widely studied during the twentieth century, but the question
of the influence of social conditions in a particular region on the professional self-determination of
young people remains poorly understood. Solving the problems of professional self-determination
of schoolchildren requires the synthesis of personality-oriented and socially-oriented pedagogical
approaches.
The article examines the factors that determine the professional self-determination of school
graduates and analyzes the conditions and patterns of schoolchildren’s professional selfdetermination,
together with the potential of their influence on educational strategy by regional
universities. The research hypothesis is that, when providing pedagogical support for professional
self-determination of pupils, it is necessary to take into account both their personal characteristics
and individual motives, as well as socio-economic factors that determine the choice of educational
strategy. The research used comparative analysis, classification, generalization, an inter-disciplinary
review of literature and socio-economic statistics, a sociological survey, and expert assessments.
The main results are the description of models of professional self-determination of school graduate
based on their awareness, values, self-efficacy assessment, and the justification of the principles
of career guidance. A survey of school graduates in the Ulyanovsk region in 2018-2019 (n=2075)
showed that a significant number of graduates lacked professional plans and knowledge about
regional universities and universities in other cities. The study revealed the professional interests
of school graduates and their plans for educational migration from the region. School graduates
did not justify their choice of a career and educational strategies by their professional interests,
but rather on their desired standard of living upon graduation. It established that the quality of
education at the university is not a determining factor for potential applicants. As actors in the
regional educational space, professional education organizations can have a greater impact on the
processes of professional self-determination of high school students.
The results indicate the importance of regional socio-economic conditions for professional selfdetermination
of school graduates, their educational strategy and choice of university. The study
confirmed that their professional self-determination follows the principles of the Social Cognitive
Career Theory.
The paper discusses the socio-communicative function of the engineer’s foreign language training
in which content is based on materials relating to the latest global technological advances and
understanding of the essence of production culture in different countries. It discusses the structure
and content of foreign language training taking into account the potential of multilingualism,
technical communication and metalinguistic competence. Foreign language training contributes
to the formation of linguistic, communicative and metacognitive skills. It sets out the modern
international requirements in an engineering university, identifies the contradictions and features
of pedagogical forms, methods and tools, and sets out the content and structure of multilingualism,
technical communication and metalinguistic competence. A methodology for the implementation
of foreign language training in combination with multilingualism, technical communication and
metalinguistic competence is proposed and proved through the realization of group international
study trips. Here, the students showed an understanding of technologies in foreign languages and
a metalinguistic awareness focusing on the cultural traditions of the region and local features of
production. The article argues for a conscious approach to deeper linguistic knowledge, cultures of
different countries and technologies with advanced language and communications requirements in
the field of science and technology, combining linguistic and engineering thinking in the human
mind for a more complete understanding of the essence and content of engineering education.
The research objective was to develop a new approach and methodology for the discipline of “Radioecology.” This ensures that the education is practice-orientated, with the possibility of distance and independent learning, skills improvement, and the development of interdisciplinary relationships. The research methods used a theoretical and methodological analysis of scientific and educational literature, logical and semantic modeling of the learning content, design, theoretical analysis and synthesis. The research achieved a new curriculum for “Radioecology,” the creation and implementation of a theoretical course and the development of the practical part of the discipline. This was differentiated by difficulty levels and aimed at solving specific situational problems. The work proposed the creative component of the practical part in the form of individual tasks requiring the learner to resolve a specific production problem situation. It also created a laboratory workshop with the development of modern scientific methods a textbook on radioecology and an electronic version of the methodological support of the discipline, facilitating independent training and making distance learning possible.