Problems of Education in the 21st Century

321

Authors: Editorial Board

Contents of the issue

324-334

Authors: Theresa Adrião, Teise Garcia, Juliana Azevedo

This research aims to present a result on three educational policies in force in Brazil that link public education at the stage of compulsory schooling to the interests of corporations or sectors linked to them. The first is called Integral Secondary Education and was implemented in one of the poorest regions of the country, the state of Pernambuco; The second identified as Education - Commitment Program São Paulo is being developed in the richest region of Brazil, the state of São Paulo, where the third policy was also disseminated with the adoption of so - called Private Education Systems in public schools. The research, of a qualitative nature, derives from research in primary documentary sources and semi-structured interviews with educational managers. The results confirm the trends identified in the literature, according to which education, when it is a field for business expansion through the performance of private companies directly in the management of public education, accentuates inequalities of access to schooling processes. In the analyzed cases, these inequalities are observed in the unequal access to the time of permanence in the school; In the unequal working conditions of teachers and in the allocation of public funds to profitable companies, to the detriment of investment in public education.

345-353

Authors: Anna Klim-Klimaszewska, Stanisława Nazaruk

The core curriculum of preschool education stipulates that the child that is prepared to study Mathematics in school can distinguish between basic geometric figures (circles, squares, triangles, rectangles). Nevertheless, a review of the records of student training in kindergarten revealed that there were no geometry-related subjects in any of them. Therefore, it was decided to further explore whether it was the teachers who did not implement geometrical concepts or just the students, who had no opportunity to observe or conduct classes in the field. In addition, if the latter was the case, the analysis was to include the extent to which teachers implement geometric concepts.A total of 150 teachers (females only), 78 teachers from 19 kindergartens located in Siedlce and 72 teachers from 18 kindergartens located in Biala Podlaska, participated in the research. The research methods of a diagnostic survey and document review were employed. Structured interviews were conducted with the teachers in order to identify the factors having an influence on the implementation of geometric concepts in kindergartens. The content analysis of geometry topics recorded in class registers was performed for the period of 8 months. The analysis of research results revealed that, in most cases, there was no systematic mathematical education with geometric content provided by most of the teachers participating in the research. They do not use children’s potential, i.e. geometric intuition, in an effective way. However, if properly shaped in kindergarten, this intuition may be a baseline for a more systematic study of Mathematics, including geometry, in school. On the basis of this research, conclusions may be drawn about the scope of geometrical education in kindergartens.

366-374

Authors: Nino Rachvelishvili

The aim of the research is to identify an achievement goal as a motivational factor of learning the English language among Georgian students. In the current research, a four-factor structure of achievement goal orientation (master-approach, master-avoidance, performance-approach, performance-avoidance) and attitude toward the language acquisition were researched. The data obtained were evaluated using the Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AGQ) (2008) and Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB). The main finding of this research is that in different forms of language learning are different leading achievement goals. The results showed that different speciality learners were determined to achieve different motivational goals. Different forms of language learning cause differences between strong and weak learners and raise different goal orientations. Students, who have high scores and are successful, have strong ability of the Master Goals. Language learners, who do not have high grades and are not successful, have a high level of Performance goals. The 2x2 achievement goal framework (master-approach, master-avoidance, performance-approach, performance-avoidance) were closely connected with a positive attitude. Positive attitude defines language learning effectively and stimulates students to perform their goal perfectly.

394-409

Authors: Julius Ssegantebuka

The research examined the relevance of the visual arts curriculum content with the view of assessing the extent to which it equips pre-service visual arts teachers with the knowledge and skills required for effective teaching. The study adopted a descriptive case study design. Data were collected from three purposively selected National Teacher Colleges (NTCs), six tutors and 90 final year pre-service visual arts teachers participated in this study. The research findings showed that teacher education institutions are inadequately preparing pre-service visual arts teachers because of the gaps in the Visual Arts Curriculum (VAC) used in NTCs. Some of these gaps are attributed to the structure of the visual arts curriculum tutors use in NTCs. The visual arts curriculum lacks explicit visual arts assessment strategies; it has wide and combined visual arts content to be covered within a short period of two years and the limited knowledge of the available art materials, tools and equipment. The research recommended the restructuring of the VAC to accommodate more practical; and the introduction of specialized knowledge in the visual arts education (VAE) to enable tutors decipher practical knowledge from the theory studied so as to adopt an integrated approach in VAE curriculum.