The influence of globalization on applied linguistics has recently generated considerable debate.
With the advent of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) at the start of the twentyfirst
century, many theoreticians and practitioners have accentuated the ICC perspectives and
its incorporation into teaching language skills. This mixed methods research study tries to verify
whether instruction on ICC encourages Iranian advanced EFL learners to incorporate ICC in their
writings, and whether gender plays any role in the tendency to use that competence. To this end,
33 male and female Iranian advanced EFL learners were chosen via an Oxford Placement Test and
then placed in two experimental classes. All the participants received a five-week instruction on
ICC in a writing class at a private language institute in Rasht, Iran. The data analyzed via T-tests,
content analysis technique, and η revealed that instruction on ICC assisted learners in coping with
intercultural issues differently in their writing; however, gender did not play any role in using the
ICC in writing. This study can shine a light on the writing course and language teaching in general
and teaching how to incorporate ICC in writing in particular.
Year : 2021
The Role of Transformational Leadership and Knowledge Management in Organizational Innovation of Schools
One of the most significant prerequisites for an innovative school is the presence of transformational
leaders and knowledge sharing. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effect of
the transformational leadership on organizational innovation with the mediating role of knowledge
management. It applied research by orientation, descriptive research by purpose, survey research by
strategy, causal research by nature, and a questionnaire in terms of data collection methods. Data
were collected from 265 school principals, expert officers and deputy managers at the Department
of Education of Dasht-e Azadegan county, Khuzestan province, Iran. As the target population was
small, census sampling was adopted and all the 265 members participated in the survey. For data
collection, the Multifactor Leadership, Organizational Innovation, and Knowledge Management
Questionnaires were used, whose reliability (using Cronbach’s alpha) was estimated to be 0.89,
0.93, and 0.91, respectively. Factor analysis was used for validity assessment. For data analysis,
structural equation modeling in Amos software was employed. The results showed that components
of intellectual stimulation, idealized influence, inspirational motivation, and individualized
consideration, both directly and through the mediating role of knowledge management, influence
organizational innovation of schools.
A reflective view of the introduction of technologies in social work fieldwork modules within the South African context
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to prepare students for emergency online learning
and teaching. The blended-learning approach that includes online learning and teaching options in
social work theoretical modules has been described as valuable in providing students with a variety
of modes of learning and teaching. However, its use in fieldwork modules requires further research.
This article aims to explore the experiences and perceptions of undergraduate student social workers
and their supervisors regarding the inclusion of technologies in the first-year fieldwork module,
and how this affected their online experiences during the pandemic. The activity theory served
as a theoretical framework. A qualitative approach was followed with an explorative-descriptive
research design. Participants were selected through purposive non-probability sampling. Data was
collected through written reflection sheets that were analysed through thematic content analysis.
Ethics included voluntary participation, informed consent, privacy, confidentiality and anonymity.
The findings indicate that all the components of the activity theory were present, while challenges
experienced prior and during the pandemic were identified as a lack of previous exposure to the
use of technology and of access to technological resources, socioeconomic challenges, the need to
become skilled in becoming independent scholars, a need for direct interaction among students and
between students and supervisors/lectures, and the importance of a variety of role-players to support
learning. The findings provided a foundation to draw conclusions and make recommendations
regarding what is needed to effectively use the activity theory’s components in fieldwork modules
and to prepare students for technology-based learning and teaching in higher education settings.
Learning specifics of corporate culture development: a study of motor transport masters program graduates
Within the framework of post-industrial development in the motor industry a new management
culture based on corporate values is stimulating change in the system of engineering education.
In the evolution of the vehicle servicing businesses, second level higher education graduates,
(masters of Engineering) are often employed as line managers. The results of a multi-panel academic
study involving stakeholders indicated the need for masters program graduates to be actively
engaged in the development of corporate culture and training production staff. This highlighted a
new competence for line manager which has previously not given adequate focus – training as a part
of operational management activities. This is an innovative feature of the Engineer masters Program
training process. This article analyzes the curriculum for teaching corporate culture to production
personnel. It also specifies the role of a facilitator to replace an expert teacher and formulates the
academic problem of teaching specific didactic tools appropriate for corporate culture development
to masters students.
The Role of Russian Parents’ Education in Developing Intuitive Theories of Parenting
Previous research in English-speaking countries has shown that parental education predicts
significantly parental attitudes and theories about parenting which, in turn, guide parental
interaction with their child and might impact the child’s mental development. However, to the best
of our knowledge, there has been no research aimed at studying the role of parental education in
shaping the views of Russian parents on their children’s education and development. The current
study aimed to analyze the role of Russian parents’ education in their intuitive theories of parenting,
by controlling for the region where the families live, and taking into account the age and sex of their
child. Intuitive theories of parenting were studied using the Early Parental Attitudes Questionnaire
(EPAQ). The sample consisted of 995 parents who have children aged 1 to 7 and live in Moscow,
the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and Republic North Ossetia in Russian Federation. Two profiles
of intuitive theories of parenting were identified. Differences and similarities in intuitive theories
of parenting between regions, when controlling for parents’ level of education were also identified.
The results characterize modern parenthood in three geographically distant Russian regions and
can be useful in understanding the profile of a modern parent, as well as for developing educational
programmes aimed at self-development and increasing parental competence in Russian parents.
Multilingualism at an early age: parents’ views and teachers’ reflections
The questions of superdiversity, multiple identities and practices, language policy, multilingualism,
plurilingualism, intercultural, minority and immigrants’ education in the pre-primary and primary
classrooms are crucial for the current situation of the Russian language abroad. Teachers have to take
into account linguistic and artistic resources and deploy special methodological repertoires. The aim
of the present research is to show what main themes the parents and teachers of young multi-lingual
children discuss and how to overcome difficulties in organizing multilingual education. Parents and
teachers in four countries (Finland, France, Germany, Russia) answered the questionnaires about
their attitudes towards bi-lingual education of pre-primary and primary children. In addition,
the Internet discussions on the international platforms in the Russian language were analyzed.
Participants characterized their experience, their family policy and the educational institutions
that their children attend. Existing practices show that the variety of approaches to early bilingual
education is limited through material and human resources and the children’s potential. The best
results demand more input, devoted parents and educators, more money, strict rules of language
use, and a true continuity of bilingualism as a goal in all steps of child development. The different
effects of various approaches to education may lie, not only in the language itself, but also in its
political and economic power and the cognitive effects of an early start.
Psychobiographic factors and predictors of the formation of individual psychological and personality characteristics (review of foreign studies)
The article supports the importance of the psycho-biographical approach in assessing personality,
and reviews foreign studies of the influence of psycho-biographic factors on the development
and formation of an individual’s personal and psychological characteristics. It describes the role
of gender characteristics, birth order, life events and the early period of upbringing in the family
in the formation of individual personality characteristics. It also describes the tendency for such
an analysis to shift from single cases to comparative studies. The work analyzed the most popular
approaches and procedures for assessing the personality of a leader. The article emphasizes the need
for a comprehensive analysis of these factors and the relationships between their influence. Most
previous research has focused mainly on isolated effects and short periods of time, ignoring the fact
that cumulative effects, emotions, thoughts during the leadership period can fundamentally change
a leader, their personal qualities, style and behavior and generally affect their further biography.
The result is a set of approaches to the evaluation of personnel, which have been included into the
practice of personal professional diagnostics for civil service managers.
Educational standards and modern requirements: contradictions or opportunities
This is an empirical study of professional competencies. The article addresses two main tasks: the
demands of the labor market presented to specialists in the field of trade and marketing; and the
identification of the professional competencies formed by the standard for the preparation of FSES
HE 3+ and whether it meets the modern requirements of employers. Two hypotheses are investigated:
(i) can the competencies inherent in the educational standard develop the necessary skills required
by this profession in the modern labor market; and (ii) do the professional competencies reflect
the necessary personal qualities demanded by employers. The analysis shows that the educational
standard of the FSES HE 3+ is rather poorly adapted to the modern requirements of the labor
market. As a rule the professional competencies in it develop a specialist who is ready to engage in
his own entrepreneurial activity, while the training of such personnel is carried out at the expense
of the state budget. This implies the need to work in large organizations and to possess a wider set
of skills, including the ability for expert and analytical work, systemic thinking, etc. The increasing
innovation in high-tech industries as Russia moves towards a digital economy will increase the
demand for labor marketers who have design, engineering, visualization and skills for working with
BigData. It is these skills that should be integrated into the new FSES of HE3 ++ to train a specialist
to meet the requirements of the 21st century.
On the Formation of the Ability to Perceive the Depth, Volume and Spatial Perspective of Flat Images as a Basic Component of the Technology for the Human Creative Potential Development
This article identifies new opportunities for initiating human creativity through activation of visual
perception. It considers the possibility of increasing the level of creativity through the indirect
formation of visual constructs when referring to the associative thinking of students. It shows that
the potential development of creativity is due to the level of the subject development and the ability
to perceive any flat images with the effects of depth, volume, and spatial perspective (hereinafter
referred to as the 3D phenomenon). The results of student learning and testing students in grades
7-11 of one of the schools (Gymnasium) in Kazan are presented. Technology patents were obtained
on training and surveys.