Problems of Education in the 21st Century

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Authors: Editorial Board

Cover page, Vol. 52, 2013, PEC

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Authors: Mirosław Kowalski, Ewa Kowalska

Subjectivity today is commonly referred to as a necessary condition of education. Regardless of the world-view option, of social, or religious doctrine which determines the ideological layer of the education, the problem of the subjectivity is functioning as the crucial element of the design and implementation of the educational activities. At least in individual presentations it is differently understood, nobody is already contradicting its being. With reference to the introduction – what is the subjectivity? Undoubtedly, it relates to the fundamental values of a human who is able to accept or not outside influences. Within this particular value the subjectivity is constituted (Kowalski, Falcman, 2010). Modern ideas of education suffer from lack of the paradigmatic continuity, they commit the sin of inconsistency. Apart from the philosophical perspective of anthropology, they do not define their subjects. They constitute themselves as a methodical concept: they grow out of the technological rationality and they cross out a model of communicational rationality. The growth of educational praxeology knowledge actualises itself in isolation from the basic consideration. Inconsistency and ambiguity of ontological assumptions replaced with the indications on epistemology multiplies axiological dilemmas.

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Authors: Andrejs Geske, Ireta Cekse

Civic skills, knowledge and attitudes are the elements forming the citizenship concept. How do they suit multicultural societies? What are the mutual links among civic attitudes, knowledge and skills of different ethnic groups? The aim of the research is to establish the model of students’ civic competence and to find out factors which explain the influence of civic achievements on civic attitudes. IEA (the International Association for the Evolution of Educational Achievement) ICCS 2009 (the International Civic and Citizenship Studies 2009) are used for the analysis. SEM (Structural Equation Modelling) is used for data processing. The authors used multi-modelling to compare Latvian and Estonian majority and minority sample groups. The results indicate that the level of civic knowledge and skills influences civic attitudes of Estonian and Latvian students. Students with a higher level of civic knowledge and skills have a more pronounced sense of global belonging and ability to adjust and live a multicultural society. The civic knowledge of Estonian students with the Estonian language of instruction influences most essentially the civic attitudes and a sense of belonging to Europe. Latvian students with the Russian language of instruction have the least influence on the mentioned factors.

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Authors: Diana Liepa, Inta Ratniece

In the fields of science and education transnational cooperation has become particularly relevant for developing of contemporary conceptions in education and science. As the first step in such cooperation has been the Bologna process, started on June 19, 1999, when 29 Ministers of European countries signed the Bologna Declaration. The Bologna Declaration promotes education and cooperation being the fundamentals of a peaceful and a democratic society. The European dimension is characterized by student mobility and cooperation between educational institutions in European study programmes. The significance of communication and foreign language acquisition skills is gradually increasing (Bologna Declaration, 1999). A strategic goal for the European Union is to develop the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world capable of sustainable economic growth with a wider variety and better jobs and greater social cohesion. All citizens of European Union countries require foreign language skills, because these skills provide citizens with the opportunity to make use of the free movement to work or to study at one of the EU member states and as such they stimulate the development of a European labour market. As an EU member state, Latvia participates in this process. Improvements should be achieved in teacher education by implementing innovations in the study process.

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Authors: Kim I. Mallalieu, Candice V. Sankarsingh

The critical role of fisheries to food security and coastal livelihoods, as well as its impact on dwindling marine resources, motivate an examination of the degree to which education and training needs in the fisheries sector are met. This paper investigates the specific case of Trinidad and Tobago small scale fishers, a particularly vulnerable population whose livelihoods are bidirectionally linked to sustainable development. The challenges of declining fish stocks, increasing market prices and the fierce competition presented by technology-based fishing techniques, present a persuasive case for context-appropriate education and training for Trinidad and Tobago small scale fisherfolk. Research was conducted to examine the training needs of these fisherfolk, as articulated by key industry stakeholders, including the fishers themselves; and to set these needs off against available training provisions. A reconciliation strategy for education and training was developed to respond to the needs of the industry as well as to the Caribbean priorities of sustainable development and fisheries management.

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Authors: Francisco Manuel Morales Rodríguez

The European Higher Education Area involves major changes in the teaching-learning process for the acquisition of transversal skills, such as social and citizens. It establishes a need for active methods, learning and so to develop in students the ability to make decisions and learn independently, reflective and critical promoting these skills. Considering the importance of a program, training in values and ethics of solidarity that joins the university curriculum (educational innovation program, PIE10-127), we performed a comparative study on ethical issues in college students before and after of their application the program and an evaluation of effectiveness of different active methodologies to promote solidarity skills acquisition, and its impact on performance. Participants in this study were 4103 university students, aged 18 and 57, of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Málaga (2010-2012). The results show an increase in the acquisition of skills solidarity, following the implementation of the program and that the methodologies employed active, positive impact on academic performance. The relevant conclusion obtained, points to the need to reinforce and develop these values solidarity actions in college.

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Authors: Agneta Simeonsdotter Svensson

The overall objective of the study is to investigate whether the understanding of animals and their living conditions is a way for child’s emphatic ability. One interesting question is in what way children show that they are developing empathy. Do children show some change in the way they talk about animals and their living conditions? How is this change revealed? The theoretical basis of this study is based on Martin Hoffman's research (2000) which emphasizes the importance of learning and of encouraging empathy in children. The study design is qualitative and was conducted using conversations with child participants, notes, photographs and video recordings of the children working with the teaching material "cat picture" and dog picture". The participants comprised of 52 children aged between 3-5 years, divided into a main group and a control group with 26 children, 12 girls and 14 boys in each group. The results show that there is a difference in the two testing occasions between the main group and the control group. As the main group were given opportunities to think and reflect and work with the material, ideas about thoughts on ethical issues could emerge and developed further. Sustainable development must begin with the children. This is the best investment that any society can make.

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Authors: Margarita Gavrilina, Oksana Filina

This article is devoted to strategy named "dialogue with the text" for development of text and culturological knowledge and abilities of pupils of schools of the ethnic minorities of Latvia. Formulating the problem of research, authors focus attention on the reasons of difficulties which are experienced by pupils of diaspora perceiving the implied levels of the text. The authors of article emphasize, that necessity of the decision of this problem is caused first of all by an insufficient level of a Russian cultural knowledge and a culturological lexicon. Russian pupils lived in Latvia don’t know the realities and values of the Russian culture. The authors researched the problem in real educational process. The methodology of research is based on strategy “dialogue with the text". The authors of paper have analysed the reasons why this strategy effectively “works” in the described pedagogical conditions. In the center of the authors attention are the didactic methods and receptions which promote to form the textual competence of pupils.As an illustration authors give detailed description of their own experiment. In the article authors tell about diagnostics of text and culturological knowledge and abilities of pupils. This diagnostics includes questioning, group research and the standardized composition. The main results of the diagnostics are given in tables and in description of speech behavior of the pupils. In the final part of the article the authors draws the reader’s attention to the the analysis of the actual points of view in modern pedagogics on the problem of reading. In conclusion authors point out that productive text activity allows to expand a culturological outlook of diaspora pupils, and also purposefully and successfully to improve dialogue, communicative and textual abilities of the pupils. Besides the authors of the article emphasize the integrative role of text activity of the pupils wich promotes education humanitarization.