Švietimas: politika, vadyba, kokybė /Education Policy, Management and Quality

55-65

Authors: Vaiva Jucevičiūtė-Bartkevičienė, Vida Palubinskienė

Non-formal education is a promising form of education, which can effectively improve competencies of young people acquired during their studies in schools of higher education. Ethnic culture gains special significance in perceiving our own identity, becoming aware of the national values of other cultures in the context of the globalizing world. The context of this problem exposes questions for the research: how much ethno-cultural music education is important in young people’s life? What motives determine young people’s decision to participate in ethno-cultural music ensemble of non-formal education? What aspects of activities in ethno-cultural musical ensembles emphasize the non-formal education teachers? The aim of the research: to reveal the experience in non-formal ethno-cultural music education accumulated by higher education schools in the neighbouring country – Poland, connected to Lithuania by cultural and historical links. Methods of collecting the research data: The qualitative research was conducted in Wroclaw (Poland) in 2015. A survey (using open-ended type questions) was employed to gather diagnostic information, which was presented in the Polish language. Students (11 informants) who participated in this research provided their written opinions and teachers of non-formal education (2 informants) were interviewed by the researchers. The obtained data were analysed using qualitative content analysis: on the basis of the distinguished keywords, categories were determined, the content of the categories was divided into subcategories, which were further interpreted.

76-85

Authors: Ramune Rimkuviene

Schools in Lithuania appeared in the Europeanization era and were one of the most important parts of this process. Schools have changed over six centuries, they have improved, their number has increased. And now, in the XXIst century the number of schools in Lithuania exceeding one thousand, the school community of Vilnius “Rytas” Progymnasium decided to discover its uniqueness. It is very important for the school to develop a person's personality so that its learners can purposefully achieve their goals and be happy. Our goal is not only to provide education services, but also to strengthen relationships within our community and strive for full respect and tolerance. The school is not an isolated unit, therefore we would like to become a community centre of attraction. Sociable, innovative, aimed to improve and open school – that is the goal of Vilnius “Rytas” Progymnasium. The history, learners’ achievements, teachers’ success, hope and despair of Vilnius “Rytas” Progymnasium are reviewed in this article.

8-18

Authors: Vaiva Jucevičiūtė-Bartkevičienė, Rita Makarskaitė-Petkevičienė

Today great educational prospects are ascribed to non-formal education (Neformaliojo vaikų švietimo koncepcija, 2012; Valstybinė švietimo 2013–2022 m. strategija, 2013). This sphere is gaining more and more significance not only in Lithuania but also in the European Union (9th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth, 2012; Rethinking Education: Investing in Skills for Better Socio-economic Outcomes, 2012). Children’s non-formal education provides opportunities for the new generation to become active members of society and to act successfully there. This form of education is particularly attractive due to the specific conditions: voluntary nature, personal initiative and self-expression. Lithuania has recently launched a new non-formal education funding model, which resulted in introduction of many innovations; therefore, it is very important to find out the latest tendencies in order to increase the efficiency of the process, which would lead to higher quality non-formal education. The aim of the research: to analyse the situation of children’s non-formal education in the aspect of activities’ selection, revealing the attitudes of schoolchildren in regional schools in 1-4 forms. Methods of collecting the research data: the research was carried out analysing theoretical sources and employing quantitative and qualitative research methods. The questionnaire was specially designed for this research and given to children (N=225) who attend activities of non-formal education in regional schools. This research is a part of a scientific research project “Analysis of the Situation of Children’s (6–12 years) Non-formal Education in Province Schools”.

29-37

Authors: Vincentas Lamanauskas

Cathrine Kazunga is a full time student studying PhD in Mathematics Education with University of KwaZulu - Natal. University of KwaZulu-Natal is one of the most reputable institutions in South Africa, among the institutions with mathematics education as their main topics of research activity. She has twelve years of teaching experience in rural and urban secondary schools and ten years tertiary education of learning and teaching experience in Zimbabwe. She is an emerging researcher who has so many peer reviewed publication of three journal publications and four conference proceedings. It is possible to contact her via e-mail: kathytembo@gmail.com

106-117

Authors: Vincentas Lamanauskas, Dalia Augienė

University study period in a certain sense is a successive step to future career heights. In this respect, it is very important for the students to evaluate the appearing possibilities as early as possible, to purposefully get ready for professional activity after the graduation of university studies. On the other hand, the individual career understanding of every student is likely to be different. Career understanding is constantly changing and this change is conditioned by various factors. Career understanding experiences constant change. Nowadays, career is understood not as resolute climbing of the career ladder. Objectively valued work achievements such as high position, scientific and pedagogic degrees, qualification level showing diplomas, certificates become of little value, if a person does not feel satisfied with his life and activity. Career is considered a phenomenon, for which, first of all, the responsibility must take the individual himself. Today, it is not enough to match the individual to his performed job or profession, to orientate him or direct in one or another known beforehand direction. It is necessary for the individual to know himself, and to take action in constructing his unique career, consciously choosing what is most acceptable, suitable for him. The individual, creating his unique career model, can lay emphasis on and regard as important one or the other factors in his career model and have an individual his career phenomenon understanding. Career understanding can also be conditioned by the social processes going on, their importance perception and possible influence on successful career. The environment investigation helps to look more deeply into labour market, into the spheres or organisations where someone wants to work or employ himself. Evaluating this aspect family influence can also be important, the influence of friends, economic, community influence and so on. Therefore, social context significance evaluation can have influence on a career as a phenomenon perception. Thus, the object of the research is the first course university student career understanding. The aim of the research is to analyse career understanding structure. 265 first course students from three Lithuanian universities participated in the research. 38 statement factorial analysis about career understanding was carried out. In fact, career understanding can be defined by 6 main factors: career as a professional achievement (SI=0.80; SD=0.16, career as personal improvement (SI=0.78; SD=0.16), career as self-realisation (SI=0.76; SD=0.15), career as social relations (SI=0.67; SD=0.22), career as leadership (SI=0.65; SD=0.17) and career as social status (SI=0.60; SD=0.20). Students, studying in social and humanitarian science programmes, usually understand career as professional achievement (experience accumulation, rise, progress, going forward, well-performed work, possibility to become one of the best experts in one’s own sphere). A great number of students understand career as personal improvement (inner potential realisation, individual improvement in successfully chosen activity sphere, lifelong lasting teaching and working path, creative aim satisfaction, professional self-expression, goal attainment and ambition satisfaction). A little smaller part of the students understand career as self-realisation (finding a job, which is pleasant to do, work as a calling, improvement in the direction of a chosen activity). Part of the students understand career as social relations, which are made meaningful by social relation development, man’s cultural and moral maturity, strong bonds with community, nation. A small part of students understand career as leadership (power and responsibility growth, free activity choice, managing the group of people). The smallest part of students emphasize social status in career understanding. For the boys, social activity is more important. Therefore, they more often than girls understand career as personal improvement, as self-realisation, as social relations.

127-134

Authors: Liberato Cardellini

Emeritus Professor John Sweller is presently a professor of Education at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. After receiving the Bachelor’s degree in 1969 at the University of Adelaide, he completed a PhD degree at the same university in 1972.The name of John Sweller is associated with the cognitive load theory, an instructional theory based on our knowledge of human cognitive architecture.

59-70

Authors: Chukwuemeka B. Okafor, Samson O. Chukwuedo

Educational policy is a fundamental document that guides the smooth running of any educational programme. If not properly planned, prepared and implemented, such education programme can be run haphazardly without any beneficial outcome. Any policy document that cannot be applied in any educational programme may be described as inadequate. A science or technology based policy should not consider only the advanced level technology in Nigeria but also integrate the lower or indigenous level technology; hence STI policy should not neglect the TVET indigenous technologies since TVET is seen as programme to promote skill acquisition for indigenous and advanced technology in any nation. This study, therefore, investigated the place of TVET programmes in STI policy in Nigeria. The study determined that the place of TVET in STI policy may be described as illusion, mirage or not comprehensive to the public because the policy formulation and implementation appears to neglect the adoption of low level indigenous TVET technologies in Nigeria which an average Nigerian benefits from. Theories and philosophical dicta were presented with respect to policy advocacy for TVET programmes in Nigeria. The place of TVET in STI policy is undefined in Nigeria, hence the need to properly integrate TVET section in STI policy or formulate an independent TVET policy. It is, therefore, recommended that applicable societal values in technology should be considered in STI policy for the realization of the Nigerian vision 20:2020. The STI policy making and implementation process should embrace 90% of the experts in the fields of science, technology, technical and engineering education, else the need for alternative policy for TVET programmes in Nigeria.

83-90

Authors: Rita Makarskaitė-Petkevičienė

The 6th scientific-practical conference “World for a Child: Education Realities and Perspectives“, which was held in Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences on 17-18 September 2015, targeted at debates and fruitful discussions of relevant issues related to early childhood and primary education. The goal of the conference is to present the newest results of research on early childhood and primary education, to enable teachers-practitioners to exchange their accumulated experience, to reflect results of educational activities and to disseminate the good experience. The conference is the space, where actual prerequisites for change in evidence-based early childhood and primary education are created. Moreover, it is a perfect form of professional development. It should be pointed out that different insights acquired during scientific research and diverse experience of teachers-practitioners enabled an in-depth and comprehensive analysis of relevant issues of early childhood and primary education in the conference. For example, the researchers, who analyse the phenomenon of child’s play in the Play Research Laboratory at LEU, presented the trends in the analysed early childhood education through play and put forward practical recommendations about the impact of play on child’s self-regulation; particularly relevant problems of assessment of teaching/learning outcomes, the results of research on learners’ achievements and experience of application of standardised tests were analysed. The expectations for quality of research-based early childhood and primary education were expressed by all the participants in education. The work of the conference was organised in four sections: Integration of education curriculum; Didactic innovations and good practice of early childhood education; Didactic innovations and good practice of primary; Sociocultural contexts of child’s education.

8-26

Authors: Vincentas Lamanauskas, Dalia Augienė

University study period - is not just only professional qualification and certain competence acquisition. At the same time it is a successive step to future career heights. Thus, it is inevitably important that the students evaluated the emerging opportunities as early as possible, purposefully prepared for professional activity after the university study graduation. Since the first study days, the students have to start planning their career, analyzing career questions, that concern them. On the other hand, especially important is every student’s individual career understanding, personal motivation to foresee vision and strategy towards a successful career. Thus, it is obvious, that it is important to analyze the students’ position on their professional career questions. The solution to the mentioned questions requires reliable and adequate information. Researches on university student career problems have remained urgent recently. It is plausible, that analyzing the students’ position on these questions, sufficiently objective primary information is obtained. The empirical research (N= 265), carried out between October and December, 2014 showed that student career understanding is basically adequate, however, understanding differences exist according to the sex factor. Significant differences according to this variable have been also determined, analyzing the students’ position in terms of work value, competence, study influence on the professional career evaluation. The students identify career understanding the least with the fast, successful promotion in service, power and responsibility increase, high social status, managing the group of people. Such understanding is more distinct among the female students than male. For women more than for men is characteristic modern career understanding, while men are apt to understand career as a traditional life path (career trajectory). In general, one can assert, that sex remains a rather important factor, determining different career understanding. In students’ opinion, seeking successful career, interpersonal competencies are most important, i.e. a significantly expressed social interaction need. According to the respondents, the biggest influence on their successful career will have general and special (professional) competencies, acquired during university studies.

45-47

Authors: Judita Stankutė

This is an interview with head Angelė Mizerienė about Veisiejai gymnasium. The gymnasium is situated in Lazdijai district, in southern Lithuania. Veisiejai gymnasium is located on the picturesque shores of Lake Ančia. For the first time the gymnasium is mentioned in written sources in 1777. In 2010 the school received the status of a gymnasium. Currently, it is a comprehensive school, which carries out programs of primary, basic, secondary and supplementary education. The gymnasium pays special attention to children with special educational needs and also for education of gifted and talented pupils.