The article addresses the potential of using social networks in social education and for solving the
problems of youth socialization. There is an urgent social need for the harmonious development of
the child’s personality, including in the Internet environment. At the same time, there is insufficient
knowledge about the organization of education in social networks in science.
The article identifies the experience of successful interaction between teachers and students on the
Internet and ways of organizing event situations in social networks. The study was conducted in
February-October 2020 and analysed the content of open official accounts of educational organizations
in the social networks ‘VKontakte’, Instagram and documents of educational organizations. The
complex use of observation methods, quantitative data processing, expert assessments was aimed
at identifying forms of educational activity that are promising for implementation online in social
networks. The study showed that, despite the variety of topics and styles, the content of official
school accounts resembles a list of news about holidays and other public events. The accounts do
not contain materials that could cause vivid emotions and sensations in children, become a source
of experiences, value attitudes, experience of interacting with people. Consequently, schools do not
provide children with opportunities for self-knowledge, self-determination, self-realization, and do
not support their initiatives in social networks. The article recommends that schools expand the
practice of organizing networked educational events. For this, they need to create groups of different
ages for children and adults for joint planning, organizing, conducting, summing up creative deeds.
The maintenance of a thematic Instagram account of a school is offered as an example of a successful
subject-subject interaction between a teacher-educator and students in social networks.
Journal Articles
E&SD 16(2) June 2021
This is the English language contents page for E&SD 16(2)
Nick Rushby
Editorial: The Shape of an Article 6
Amera Seifu Belayneh
Science Teachers’ Integrative Practices in Teaching, Research, and Community Services: The Case of Three Universities in Ethiopia. 10
Raed Zedan
Student Feedback as a Predictor of Learning Motivation, Academic Achievement and Classroom Climate 27
Ayesha Khatun, Babu George, Sajad Nabi Dar
Knowledge Management Practices in the Higher Education Sector with Special Reference to Business Schools 47
Andreja Istenic, Ivan Bratko, Violeta Rosanda
Pre-Service Teachers’ Concerns about Social Robots in the Classroom: A Model for Development 60
Ali Nawab, Nasima Zainulabidin
‘Satiating Hunger with Water’: Perceived Features of Professional Development for Teachers in Rural Pakistan 88
Olga A. Romanova
Competence-based Approach in Vocational Education and Training: Systematic Review of the Russian Literature 105
Nadezhda A. Avdeenko
Teachers’ Beliefs about Creativity and Its Nurture at School 24
Elena V. Kuznetsova
How do Students of Mathematics Relate to Their Learning? Research into Individual and Motivational Factors 139
Tatyana P. Budyakova, Angelika N. Pronina
Problems of Developing the Ecological Consciousness of Modern Schoolchildren 153
Daniya Z. Akhmetova, Ilona G. Morozova Maksim A. Suchkov
Ethno-Cultural Aspects of Inclusive Education Development in the Context of Globalization and Digitalization 165
Editorial: The Shape of an Article
There has been some discussion and proposals, from members of the reviewer panel and within the editorial team, of the format of articles submitted to Education & Self Development.
It is generally accepted that research articles have a standard structure with six key sections: an introduction, a literature search, the method; results, discussion and a conclusion. These are prefaced by the title, abstract and keywords, and concluded by a list of the references cited in the text. This structure helps the author ensure that all of the key components have been covered, and also helps the reader who knows what to expect as he or she reads through the article. It works well for a traditional research article – and after all, Education & Self Development is mainly a research journal.
Science Teachers’ Integrative Practices in Teaching, Research, and Community Services: The Case of Three Universities in Ethiopia
This study examined university science teachers’ integrative practices in teaching, research and community service at Bahir Dar, Dire-Dawa and Wolkitie universities. The data were obtained through questionnaires and interviews from randomly selected teachers. Interview data was also secured from purposively selected managers and teachers. The one sample t-test revealed that, except in their teaching practices, science teachers performed poorly in their research, community service and integrative practices among the missions (teaching, research and community service) of the university. The multiple regression analysis showed that the multiple contributions of teaching, research and community service practices towards these integrative practices was 44.12%, in which research took the major share (34.56%). The questionnaire data showed that institution-related factors (e.g., rigid financial rules) posed serious challenges in practicing research and community services. The interview data did not minimize the challenges related to personal factors (e.g., interest and motivation). This article shows that the university management are committed to providing practical encouragement to science teachers for research and community service. These are important for promoting better teaching delivery and integrative practices within the missions. Instead of attributing most of the challenges to institutional factors, science teachers should acknowledge their own personal problems and work to cope with the available external/institutional challenges. This will enhance the integrative practices among the missions which build the capacity for an effective science academic unit.
Student Feedback as a Predictor of Learning Motivation, Academic Achievement and Classroom Climate
This research was conducted to examine students’ perceptions of their teachers’ dominant characteristics – the feedback they provide, how feedback is related to students’ achievements and learning motivation level, and how all of these relate to classroom climate. It was conducted with 2,599 elementary school, junior high and high school students. Data were collected by means of structured questionnaires. The results were significant: learners attribute much importance to the feedback they give their teachers and they evaluate them positively regarding pedagogy and didactics. In addition, learners reported an average or slightly above average score for the general classroom climate. Girls reported more positive perceptions than boys at all age levels. Elementary school students reported more positive perceptions than junior high and high school students. Mathematics was more highly rated than other disciplines. Female teachers were preferred to male teachers and younger teachers to older teachers. Positive teacher evaluations resulted in a higher motivation level and improvement in learning achievements, as well as a positive perception of classroom climate, but teacher feedback and motivation were found to be the most important factors in predicting learning achievement.
Knowledge Management Practices in the Higher Education Sector with Special Reference to Business Schools
Higher education institutions are creators and disseminators of knowledge, yet, it is questionable whether they follow scientifically established knowledge management practices. The paper attempts to review the knowledge management practices appropriate for business schools and highlights key enablers and barriers. There is a special need in business schools versus rest of the higher education ecosystem in respect of knowledge management in business schools, given the differences in the value of diverse kinds of knowledge and their storage and retrieval. This paper lists the major parameters of knowledge management relevant to higher education and presents a framework for managing knowledge as a strategic tool for developing and maintaining sustainable competitive edge for business schools. It observes that business schools hold in higher regard current and up- to-date applied, actionable, and context-rich kinds of knowledge, whereas other constituencies of a university value less transient kinds of knowledge. Also, knowledge in business schools is found more in networks than in nodes and hence effective leveraging of such knowledge calls for different strategies. The integration with knowledge ecosystems outside the institutional libraries is crucial. The nature of knowledge expected by business schools is scholarly yet rooted in practice. The contexts provided included globalization, higher education internationalization, and there is special mention of their implications for knowledge management.
Pre-Service Teachers’ Concerns about Social Robots in the Classroom: A Model for Development
Social robots are being tested in the educational arena with current thinking in two main directions. One is arguing for the benefits of robots in affective and efficient instruction and is more teacher- centered. Within the second, more student-centered oriented, proponents of human uniqueness are raising long-term concerns. Teacher-centeredness and student-centeredness form pedagogical beliefs underpinning teachers’ attitudes guiding technology integration. Limited research has explored teachers’ underlying beliefs and attitudes to social robots, with some presenting mixed feelings identifying some concerns with some identifying more positive attitudes. Preservice education is critical in forming beliefs, and this paper presents a qualitative study of Slovene pre- service pre-primary school and primary classroom pre-service teachers’ attitudes and underlying beliefs. Students were asked to reflect on their perception of social robotic educational technology in which they would highlight at their own discretion the positive, neutral and negative aspects. Students’ reflections predominantly expressed concerns. The research model was designed in part, drawing from participants reflections and on related studies. Previous studies indicated the concerns teachers hold about robotic technology, but lacked a more holistic model. We built a threefold model distinguishing instructional, social-emotional, and legal concerns. Our findings differ from related studies because they identified participants’ negative attitudes and a clear rejection of robot technology with a human-like appearance and social skills in the classroom. Previous student- centered studies reported on single groups of concerns within specific contexts without developing a holistic view relating diverse concerns in one picture. Related teacher-centered studies were arguing for refinements anticipating robot’s social intelligence affordance in the classroom. The participants in our study are not rejecting social robots as such, but in their view, the robot is not granted the status of a social entity capable of engaging in student-centered teaching and taking care of child wellbeing and development. The findings of our study call for action and informed robot development, taking into consideration teachers as co-designers.
‘Satiating Hunger with Water’: Perceived Features of Professional Development for Teachers in Rural Pakistan
Aimed at understanding what makes Professional Development (PD) effective and valued for teachers, this research examines the perceptions of key stakeholders in rural Pakistan. A qualitative case study approach was used to draw on the experiences of the key stakeholders including providers of PD, officials of education department, school principals and teachers. Focus group interviews were used as the major research tool to generate data. The research findings revealed that stakeholders value a PD program that is relevant to teachers’ immediate needs, focuses on both content and pedagogy, involves active learning experiences, extends over a long period and includes follow-up support. It is found that the majority of the PD programs on offer for teachers lacked most of these features. Based on these findings, the research argues that the existing PD programs offered for teachers in rural Pakistan are externally driven and less informed by the views, needs and experiences of stakeholders. The research also highlights that context is a significant influential factor in determining features of PD for a particular region.
Competence-based Approach in Vocational Education and Training: Systematic Review of the Russian Literature
The article is devoted to analysis of the Russian literature related to the implementation of the competence-based approach in vocational education and training (VET). The objective of the study is to systematize existing publications on this issue and to formulate an agenda for future research. The paper presents a systematic literature review: a uniform description of a sample of publications from the most influential Russian journals for the period 2005-2019 within a pre-defined category system. Moreover, the research includes an in-depth study based on content analysis that reveals how different aspects of the competency-based approach are currently elaborated in the literature. The results include some basic conceptual features of the construct that underlies the competence- based approach in Russia. It summarizes the data on the conceptual and terminological apparatus used in the discussion on competency-based vocational education. The paper also presents the data on the dominant research methods and the target audience of the articles in the sample. The most important result of the study is an evidence of deficiencies in research that support the introduction and adaptation of competence-based approach in the Russian VET. In particular, there are practically no judgments, which indicate that researchers understand or delve into changes in assessment of educational outcomes that are reformulated in terms of competences.
The practical use of the results will fill the gaps in scientific support for the implementation of the competency-based approach in the Russian VET. The article will be useful for representatives of the research community, pedagogical and managerial personnel of vocational schools as well as for decision-makers in the field of VET policy.
Teachers’ Beliefs about Creativity and its Nurture at School
The article presents the concept of teachers’ beliefs, and particularly their issue of implicit theories, about creativity and its nurture. It aims to identify whether teachers’ beliefs are consistent with modern theories of creativity and research on creativity-fostering practices. A second aim is the evaluation of potential barriers for implementation of creativity-fostering practices in Russian schools. A survey of 115 teachers from Kaluga region and Yaroslavl region was undertaken after 2 days of specific training. The analysis of their answers shows that their beliefs are only consistent with modern theories of creativity at a basic level. However, teachers still experience a high amount of uncertainty in how to implement nurture of creativity into everyday teaching practice and the ways to combine it with delivery of disciplinary knowledge. The results of this study may inform educational policy.
How Do Students of Mathematics Relate to Their Learning? Research into Individual and Motivational Factors
Many publications discuss the means and methods that allow schoolchildren and university students to cope with negative experiences and anxiety when studying mathematics. How do those students for whom mathematics is part of life and their future profession relate to studying at a university? The paper researches the attitude of mathematics students to learning and identifies the influence of motivational and individual factors on their development. This survey involved students in applied mathematics and the results were studied through correlation, factorial, regression, and cluster analysis. The study revealed that individuality in activity planning affects the attitude of mathematics students to learning, while features that reflect the temperament do not. Attendance depends more on their internal motivation (recognition of abilities and the importance of study) and less on their assessment of the level of teaching, the fairness of grading, and perception of difficulty of the material studied. It showed that the students, in general, have a positive attitude towards their learning, and that the educational process meets the expectations of students with high motivation and assessment of their abilities. Nevertheless, cluster analysis revealed the presence of a problem group of students who need the support of teachers. The results obtained allow us to formulate the direction of further research and outline measures to eliminate existing shortcomings.
Problems of Developing the Ecological Consciousness of Modern Schoolchildren
The article considers the issues of ecological education of schoolchildren, in particular, the development of environmental awareness and environmental competence. An analysis of theoretical and applied research led the authors to conclude that the concept of environmental consciousness and the environmental competence developed on the basis of that competence are incomplete. It lacks an element that reflects the safety of the subject of environmental activity. Foreign concepts of ecological consciousness are critically evaluated, including as a necessary element of such consciousness a “guilt complex” for former non-ecological behavior. The paper demonstrates the harm of such concepts to the psychological health of the student. It shows empirically that the problem of the safety of environmental actors is especially relevant for schoolchildren. Lacking sufficient environmental competence in the field of hygiene and hazard assessment of household waste, survey data shows that they are unprotected in environmental terms. The paper concludes that modern environmental education programs should include, as a necessary element, provisions on reasonable prohibitions on environmental activities. Sections on teaching safe behavior when participating in environmental activities should also be included in environmental education programs for schoolchildren.
Ethno-cultural Aspects of Inclusive Education Development in the Context of Globalization and Digitalization
The growth of globalization and digitalization leads to the development of educational environments in which people of different cultures, mentalities, traditions, worldviews, possibilities and abilities meet with each other. We need to find ways and educational strategies which will support such multi-dimensional diversity. The relevance of the study is the need to take into account ethno- cultural factors in order to build inclusive education environments which will promote respect for other cultures, considering the abilities, health status, and at the same time, facilitate knowledge about own ethno-cultural identity.
The purpose is to justify theoretically the model of inclusive professional education development taking into account the ethno-cultural specificity of the countries of Russia and Kyrgyzstan, to test this model experimentally in the Kyrgyz Affiliated Campus of Kazan National Research Technological University (Kant, Kyrgyzstan) and in the Kazan Innovative University named after V.G. Timiryasov (Kazan, Russia).
The methodology is based on the concept of geographical determinism (Montesquieu), the principle of unity of consciousness and activity (Rubinstein), cultural-historical theory of personal development (Vygotsky), dialogue of cultures’ theory (Bakhtin and Bibler).
The novel aspect of the work is that the model of inclusive education development in the vocational educational institutions is developed for Russia and Kyrgyzstan taking into account the ethno- cultural specificity of these countries, as well as the system of enhancing the psycho-pedagogical and intercultural competence of students and teachers.
The results have been implemented in the vocational educational institutions in Russia and Kyrgyzstan through the inclusive teaching technologies and methods in the Elective course for students ‘Ethno-cultural aspects of inclusive education’ and methodological seminars and the training course ‘Inclusive Education in ethno-cultural context’ for teachers and directors of educational institutions.
E&SD 16(1) March 2021
This is the English language contents page for E&SD 16(1)
Andreja Istenič
Editorial: Learning and Development in a Post-Digital Age 6
Ademola Kehinde Badru, Saka Adewale Owodunni
Influence of Mathematical Language Ability and Parental Supports on Students’ Academic Achievement in Secondary School Sciences (Physics, Chemistry and Biology) in Ogun State, Nigeria10
Mohammad Kazemian, Mohammad Reza Khodareza, Fatemeh Khonamri and Ramin Rahimy
Instruction on Intercultural Communicative Competence and Its Application by Iranian EFL Male and Female Writers 21
Hamid Farhadi Rad, Sakineh Shahi, Ahmad Fazeli
The Role of Transformational Leadership and Knowledge Management in Organizational Innovation of Schools 40
Marichen van der Westhuizen, Sibulelo Gawulayo, Nomvuyo Lukelelo
A Reflective View of the Introduction of Technologies in Social Work Fieldwork Modules within the South African Context 54
Aleksey N. Dorofeev, Galina V. Bukalova, Alexander N. Novikov
Learning Specifics of Corporate Culture Development: A Study of Motor Transport Masters Program Graduates 74
Daria A. Bukhalenkova, Aleksander N. Veraksa, Margarita N. Gavrilova, Natalia A. Kartushina
The Role of Russian Parents’ Education in Developing Intuitive Theories of Parenting 82
Ekaterina Yu. Protassova
Multilingualism at an Early Age: Parents’ Views and Teachers’ Reflections 93
Natalia Yu. Sinyagina
Psycho-Biographic Factors and Predictors of the Formation of Individual Psychological and Personality Characteristics: A Review of Foreign Studies 102
Olga B. Yarosh, Igor F. Zinoviev
Educational Standards and Modern Requirements: Contradictions or Opportunities 116
Marsel G. Fazlyyyakhmatov, Leonid M. Popov, Lyudmila I. Ovchinnikova, Olga N. Baklashova, Pavel N. Ustin, Vladimir N. Antipov
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 129
Editorial: Learning and Development in a Post-Digital Age
Learning and development are the focus of The Journal of Education and Selfdevelopment.
In the computation era, the contexts and spaces for learning need to be
reconsidered. In early learning, the child acts in an approximate environment interacting
with parents and also mediated by artefacts. The child learns by sensing human touch
and non-verbal communication as well as from the material world surrounding her.
Interaction in this approximate environment affords a child in its learning and development
through the socialisation process. In post-digital era, the environment is constructed in
societal processes utilising physical and digital materiality. The proliferation of digital
technologies is affecting socialisation and perception of reality (materiality of physical
and digital and transmedia practices) and the child’s agency. How the interaction process
takes place utilising a set of media is affecting self-development and self-conception. The
environment is established by social practices which in post-digital era blur the boundary
between physical and digital. In defining literacy, the terms online and offline activity
are introduced (Sefton-Green, Marsh, Erstad, & Flewitt, 2016). The boundaries between
physical and virtual are blurred (Marsh, 2010; Plowman, 2016).
The social practices and digital technology are interconnected
Influence of Mathematical language ability and Parental supports on students’ academic achievement in Secondary School Sciences (Physics, Chemistry
The development of any nation depends on its scientific and technological prowess which when
pivoted on sound mathematical foundation helps acquisition of functional skills for productive
contribution to society. However, students have difficulty in applying mathematical knowledge to
science learning. This study investigated the influence of Mathematical Language Ability (MLA) and
Students’ Parental Supports (SPS) on achievement in senior school science subjects in Ogun State.
It adopted a survey research type with two research questions raised and six hypotheses formulated.
Seven hundred and twenty students were randomly selected from six out of eleven public senior
secondary schools purposively selected in Ijebu Ode Local Government Area, Ogun State. Three
test instruments: Mathematical Language Ability Test (r = 0.85), Students’ Parental Supports
Questionnaire (r = 0.75) and Students’ Achievement Test (r = 0.78) were used for data collection.
Data analysis using regression analysis revealed a significant influence of MLA on students’
achievement in the core science subjects. Similarly, the result indicated significant influence of SPS
on achievement in science subjects. It is recommended that science teachers should be familiar
with the language of mathematics since many of the science concepts involve the use of numbers,
symbols, signs and mathematical expression for problem-solving.
Instruction on Intercultural Communicative Competence and Its Application by Iranian EFL Male and Female Writers
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.
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.