Problems of Education in the 21st Century

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Authors: Editorial Board

Cover, Vol. 49, 2012, PEC

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Authors: Milan Kubiatko

The relationship between teaching and research is often assumed and just as often ignored. Research should and does influence the teaching (and vice versa), but the gap between the two can at times seem large. Many of us are talking about very narrow connection between research and teaching. These voices are too often heard from colleges. But many academicians have got naive ideas about the work of a teacher; their ideas are often too far from the reality. The academicians often hold the concepts about an ideal class, where all the pupils are engaged in the teaching content; they do not consider the discipline sustaining.

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Authors: Michela Freddano, Paolo Diana

The research examines the role of using ICT to raise students’ achievement in Italian technical and professional schools. The hypothesis developed in this research is that students who obtain better learning results are those students who use ICT more than those students who are low performers. Data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2009 by OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) have been analyzed. The relationship between using ICT at school and students’ digital skills and attitudes has been analyzed by comparing the lowest performers and strong performers in reading literacy in Italian technical and professional schools. Results show that in Italian technical and professional schools, strong performers in reading literacy in PISA 2009 are more capable to do tasks at computer than low performers; however reading online and using ICT have greater positive effects towards achievement among low performers.

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Authors: Beatrice M. Mburugu, Micah C. Chepchieng, Teresa C. Kattam

In Kenya, orphanhood has risen and affected many children among them primary school pupils. A parent’s death may affect children’s psychological well being. There is a close coherence between children’s psychological well-beings and their interpersonal relationships. Children who have poor psychological well-being are likely to be withdrawn, experience low self-esteem and have poor adaptations to human functioning and life experiences. These conditions affect their relations with others hence become deviants. A literature gap exists in Kenya on orphanhood’s effect children’s relations with other pupils thus motivating the authors to come up with such a study. Thus, the objective of the study was to establish the influence of orphanhood on pupils’ interpersonal relationships in public primary schools by comparing the mean scores in pupils’ interpersonal relationships between the orphaned and the non-orphaned pupils. Also, establish whether gender differences exist in interpersonal relationships between the orphaned pupils. Causal-Comparative research design was considered appropriate for the study because of the comparison of groups. A sample of 110 pupils (55 orphaned and 55 non-orphaned) drawn from 10 primary schools was involved in the study. The pupils were drawn from primary classes 6 and 7. The sample was selected by using purposive and stratified random sampling procedures. A questionnaire was used to collect data which was analyzed by use of independent sample t-test. The study established that orphanhood has a significant effect on interpersonal relationships among pupils in primary schools in Kenya. It was also established that significant gender differences exist in the effect that orphanhood exert on pupils; with boys being more affected than the girls. From the findings, it is evident that absence of parents negatively affect the interpersonal skills of children particularly the boy-child. Such children need counseling interventions to counter these effects. It is therefore recommended that school counselors, teachers and school administrators in Kenya should assist orphaned pupils cope with the loss of their parents by offering psychological and social support to them. This is because the poor interpersonal relationships of orphaned pupils may affect various aspects of their lives that include academics and discipline among others.

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Authors: Mervi Raudsaar, Merike Kaseorg

This article presents the results of a pilot research how the entrepreneurship is perceived by the participants of entrepreneurship courses. Also we have researched their previous (entrepreneurial) background and its relevance on enabling market entrance. We had two target groups: self financed students of Open University and participants in entrepreneurship course financed by European Social Foundation. Lifelong learning is a socio-personal process as we associate our thoughts and actions to our earlier experiences but on the same time revising that experience. The aim of this article is to explore how to teach entrepreneurship in lifelong learning process and to explore it in participants’ perspective. In empirical part authors used questionnaire with 77 statements with persons being admitted to some entrepreneurship courses. The respondents were asked to express their opinion on a five-point Likert scale. The data has been discussed in the context of the related literature. We discuss what learning methods are most effective - to learn about, for or through/within entrepreneurship (Hyrsky & Kyrö, 2005; Gibb, 1999; Hytti & O’Corman, 2004, Rae, 2004).

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Authors: Janis Gedrovics, Inese Urpena

The use of computer as an important educational tool throughout the world is increasing with every year and Latvian schools is no exception. Currently there are some important topical issues in pedagogy, as well as in school ergonomics: student’s work posture, time spent at the computer, health friendly work organization on the computer, etc. This paper presents a pilot survey data collected in grade 5-12 (a total of 507 respondents) in several Latvian schools in the school year 2010/2011. Computer usage among school children more deviates to the side of the computer use as a tool for entertainment, thereby reducing the proportion of computer use for educational purposes. However, the total time spent on the computer is likely to increase, therefore, it is especially important to obtain high level ergonomic culture skills as a necessary condition for health friendly work organization at the computer.

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Authors: Editorial Board

End page, Vol. 49, 2012, PEC