European Journal of Contemporary Education

285-296

Authors: Elena Y. Barakina, Anna V. Popova, Svetlana S. Gorokhova, Angela S. Voskovskaya

The current stage of society development is very closely related to the digitalization of all spheres of public life without exception. Education in this regard should become the starting point or the basis for the competent and conscious application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, neural networks, and other cyber-physical systems based on AI, as well as robots and robotics objects. Digitalization in education is promoted by economic, social and structural prerequisites. The introduction of these technologies provides new opportunities to improve the educational process, but at the same time the application of these technologies faces some risks, the identification of negative consequences of which is delayed. The aim of the article is to provide the ways for the development of legal regulation of AI, robots and robotics objects in education. The study considers the experience of different countries in the implementation of AI technologies in the educational process, provides the opinions of international UNESCO experts, Russian and foreign researchers. According to the results of the research, three main directions of the relationship between the development of AI technologies and education are identified: 1) training with the help of AI technologies; 2) scientific and practical research of AI and its technologies; 3) training qualified specialists to work with AI in the process of obtaining secondary and higher education. The factors that hinder the implementation of these technologies, as well as the risks of negative consequences of their use in the form of violations of the students’ rights are revealed. Findings and proposals for each of the identified areas are formulated.

308-323

Authors: Benjamín Navarro Domínguez, José Antonio Cerrada Nogales, Manuel Tomás Abad Robles, Francisco Javier Giménez Fuentes-Guerra

In today's society, values are already an important part of any social and educational project. Physical activity and sport are excellent instruments to promote the conveyance of values resulting in personal and social development. However, an increasing number of authors state that the mere practice of physical activity in itself does not develop morality. The aims of this study were: 1) to conduct a systematic review of the effects of those research studies related to fair play where intervention programmes were implemented; 2) to describe and review these interventions. For this purpose, a systematic search was undertaken, in accordance with the PRISMA Declaration guidelines, in the Web of Science, Scopus, and SportDiscus databases. A total of 13 studies which met the inclusion criteria were selected. The results showed that the Sport Education Model, with the implementation of a fair play system, obtained a statistically significant increase in the level of respect for social conventions, respect for rules and referees, full commitment, and respect for opponents. On the other hand, the application of the Personal and Social Responsibility model led to improvements in fair play, rough play and the importance of winning. The main practical application of this systematic review is to help teachers and coaches in the development of fair play, as well as to identify those methodologies which provide the best results for the development of fair play in students and athletes during the sports training stage.

338-357

Authors: Arturo García-Santillán, Esmeralda Mexicano-Fernández, Violetta S. Molchanova

The purpose of the study is to determine the degree of Internet addiction in engineering students. It takes as a theoretical reference the scale proposed by Young (1998), which establish the criteria and ranges of addiction. The instrument is in Likert format with responses ranging from 1 (rarely) to 5 (always). The participants were 306 students of the Engineering career enrolled in the different school grades of the Technological Institute of Tierra Blanca, Veracruz in the 2020−2021 school year. For data analysis, the statistical technique of exploratory factor analysis with extraction of principal components and Varimax rotation is used. In addition, for instruments designed with Likert scales, it is necessary to use the Polychoric Correlation matrices for factor analysis (Richaud, 2005; Ogasawaras, 2011). The main findings are: a factorial structure of six factors was obtained, which explains 63.1 % of the total variance and is in accordance with Young's proposal (1998), however the indicators are integrated differently in each factor. The level of internet addiction of the students does not fall within the normal range; the highest percentage is mild, which does not generate an alert in which immediate attention should be paid. It was also found that there is no difference in internet addiction in relation to gender.

375-394

Authors: Algis Junevicius, Ona Juneviciene, Gabriele Cepeliauskaite, Rasa Daugeliene

Global economic and social challenges in the World require fundamental changes in quality assurance in higher education institutions at the national and international level. Higher education institutions are encouraged to adjust study programs, which would meet the current requirements and needs of the labor market and individuals. Integrated curriculum is one of the measures, which could transform traditional educational paradigm and contribute to higher quality and relevance of learning and teaching. Therefore, this article addresses development and implementation issues of the integrated curriculum with the aim to provide the concept of integrated study program and discuss the opportunities for its application in educational institutions. The theoretical part of the paper gives a brief review of the meaning of the concept of integrated curriculum, the basis for development of such study programs and the connection of such curriculum with requirements of the labor market. Accordingly, the practical part presents the findings of empirical research about the implementation of integrated curricula in Kaunas University of Applied Sciences. The results of the study revealed integrated curriculum meets the students’ expectations when the assessment of such programs is ensured constantly.

409-427

Authors: Marina A. Maznichenko, Nataliya I. Neskoromnykh, Anastasiya N. Platonova, Anvar M. Mamadaliev

This paper aims to substantiate that working with gifted children may require pedagogues to adapt scholarly-theoretical knowledge to the individual characteristics and special educational needs of such children, which may require employing both traditional, i.e. scholarly (e.g., scholarly and instructional literature and information obtained in advanced training courses), and non-traditional, i.e. extra-scholarly (e.g., personal experience and intuition, colleagues’ experience and best practices from innovative pedagogues, folklore and folk pedagogy, works of literature and films about school and gifted children, spiritual-moral norms and values, and pedagogical mythology), forms of pedagogical information. The findings from a survey by questionnaire conducted by the authors revealed that in organizing their work with gifted children most pedagogues tend to rely on the exchange of experience with their colleagues (64.1 %) and reflection about their own pedagogical experience (38.5 %). It was found that 48.2 % tend to gain relevant knowledge through reading scholarly and instructional literature, and 33.3 % tend to do so through taking advanced training courses. Only 15.4 % of respondents were found to invoke pedagogical conceptualization of literary works and films about gifted children. At the same time, 70 % of respondents were found to believe that watching and conducting pedagogical analysis of films about gifted children can be of help to the pedagogue in building interaction with the gifted child. The paper explores the potential of motion pictures as a non-traditional form of pedagogical information relating to working with gifted children, which implies the possibility of invoking scholarly conceptualization of films with the aim of resolving the kind of objectives for working with gifted children for which there have yet to be produced scientifically rational pedagogical solutions and which require invoking pedagogical knowledge that content-wise is not scientifically conceptual and form-wise is not present in scholarly texts but is capable of functioning as a possible solution to achieve them. The work highlights the following key objectives: adjusting one’s professional position in working with gifted children; adapting scholarly-theoretical knowledge on pedagogy and psychology to the individual characteristics of and the specific conditions of teaching and educating gifted children; making moral assessments of one’s pedagogical actions in respect of gifted children; seeking to overcome difficulties in understanding and conceptualizing scholarly-theoretical knowledge; seeking to resolve various psychological issues (e.g., fears and anxiety, emotional exhaustion and frustration, psychological trauma, and animus toward a particular gifted child); seeking to resolve difficulties in engaging in reflection about one’s pedagogical actions. The authors employed problem analysis and expert assessment to select 12 domestic and foreign motion pictures that address relevant issues in working with gifted children and look at problems and difficulties that gifted children may experience. Only less than a third of the respondents were found to be familiar with these movies (2.6 to 35.9 %). The exception is the film ‘Scarecrow’. This may be associated with the fact that the launch of this movie was a significant event for the majority of Russians. The rest of the films, both Russian and foreign, which focus on equally important issues in working with gifted children, were found to have been overlooked by the participating pedagogues (e.g., ‘The Jester’, ‘Schedule for the Day After Tomorrow’, ‘When I Will Become a Giant’ (Russia), ‘Gifted’, ‘Little Man Tate’ (USA), ‘Billy Elliot’ (UK), ‘Vitus’ (Switzerland), ‘The Little Prince’ (France and Italy), and ‘Little Stars on Earth’ (India)). The findings suggest the need to engage future and practicing teachers in purposeful work involving the scholarly-pedagogical conceptualization of motion pictures and works of literature about gifted children and their problems in school and the mastering of relevant techniques for employing the results of such conceptualization in working with gifted children. The paper highlights the following key aspects of organizing this kind of work: criteria for selecting movies, methods for individual analysis of movies, organization of group discussions, and creation of collections of films focusing on various issues in working with gifted children. The insights from the research reported in this paper can be used by higher education institutions focused on the training of future pedagogues, curriculum developers in institutions of general learning and supplementary learning for children, and pedagogues working with gifted children.

438-449

Authors: Huong Thi Phama, Phuong Vu Nguyen

The study examines the impact of the AUN-QA assessment at the programme level on quality improvement from the students’ perspective. Data was collected through a survey questionnaire distributed to 439 participating students in the third and final years of the three programmes from three universities that were assessed and recognised by AUN-QA in 2018 and 2019. The findings indicate very positive changes observed by students during the AUN-QA assessment process at the programme level. Most students observed changes in curriculum design and development, teaching methods, student assessment methods, equipment and facilities, and research while few students observed changes in academic staff, support staff, and student support services. These changes appeared to be attributed to the adaptation of the OBE approach by the universities in this study as well as the requirements of the AUN-QA for programme assessment. However, the study also shows a difference in the students’ self-reported evaluation or observation of changes at the three universities. It is suggested that further studies should be conducted using more direct methods of measuring changes such as direct assessment of student learning for evaluating the impacts of external QA. Another research applying a qualitative approach (such as interview) could provide more in-depth information on the impacts of AUN-QA assessment from the students’ perspectives.

462-475

Authors: Elena V. Soboleva, Tatyana N. Suvorova, Svetlana V. Zenkina, Mikhail I. Bocharov

The problem that the given paper aims to solve is associated with the need to resolve the contradiction between the requirements of the digital economy for a high level of computational thinking of specialists of the future and an insufficiently developed methodological base for training graduates that meets these requirements. The purpose of the research is to theoretically prove and experimentally verify the need for the use of gamification technology in training of specialists of the future to form computational thinking skills which are most in demand in the digital society. The research methodology includes the analysis and generalization of scientific works on the problem of determining the phenomenon of computational thinking, the use of digital gamification resources in training, and clarifying the requirements for training of highly qualified specialists of the future. The HTML 5 language was used as a software tool. The pedagogical experiment is presented on the example of the assessment of changes in the levels of skills that make up the essence of computational thinking. Results. The paper clarifies the concept of computational thinking and describes the directions of educational and cognitive activity based on the gamification principles which most effectively form computational thinking. The authors formulate didactic principles for the inclusion of computer games to foster students’ cognitive activity, support professional self-determination, and develop systematic and critical thinking. Specific materials are proposed to improve the methods, tools, and organizational forms of the training focused on the formation of computational thinking as the basis for the supra-professional skills of specialists of the future. In the end, conclusions are made which confirm that the included educational and cognitive activities on game designing in the training of highly qualified specialists of the future fosters the formation of computational thinking skills.

485-495

Authors: Olga L. Voroshilova, Olga V. Chernyshova

Nowadays inclusive education is developing in Russian society. A great contribution to the study of the problem of teaching children and teenagers with disabilities was made by the following scientists: L.S. Vygotsky, L.P. Grigorieva, V.V. Davydov, A.I. Kaplan, A.N. Leontiev, A.V. Petrovsky, D.B. Elkonin, etc. Special conditions are created for the education of students with disabilities and with disabilities at the Southwest State University. The University has established a Center for Supporting Inclusive Education. In 2015, a program was developed to create an accessible environment for the disabled and low-mobility groups of the population at the university facilities. At the first stage, a pilot study was conducted, a survey of university teachers and students in order to identify the problems of teaching students with disabilities at the university. From 2018 to 2020, there was organized and conducted a research of the socio-psychological aspects of teaching students of four groups of Southwest State University, including those with disabilities. The aim of the study was to study the impact of a set of psychological and pedagogical measures for the development of social adaptation of students with disabilities and with disabilities on the psychological qualities and personal characteristics of young men and women. The conducted research revealed the following: students of gr. JR-81 «b» and gr. FL-81 «b» (experimental groups) have higher indicators of the development of sociability, communication skills, high educational motivation, more adequate self-esteem, professional inclinations than boys and girls gr. GO-81 «b» and gr. KF-81 «b» (control groups). The empirical data were processed using standard methods of mathematical statistics.

509-516

Authors: Aleksandr А. Cherkasov, Sergei N. Bratanovskii, Marina A. Ponomareva, Ludmila G. Zimovets

The paper reviews the system of popular education in Denmark in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Emphasis is made on the conservative and liberal trends in European education. Scientific and specialized literature on the research topic was used as materials. Methodological basis of the study consisted of the traditional historiography principles, historicism, scientific objectivity and consistency. Methods used in the course of work are as follows: comparative method. It enabled a comparison of the Danish popular education system with similar experiences in other countries. It also helped identify general European trends in education and highlight local features. In conclusion, the authors note that Denmark’s system of popular education experienced a dynamic transformational journey in the 19th and early 20th centuries. This period marked ups and downs, such as confrontation among followers of the liberal and conservative concepts in European pedagogy, which culminated in productive activity based on regional conditions. An important note should be made that Denmark was very close to the Russian Empire in areas related to popular education, because both countries were dominated by the German pedagogical system and were about to introduce universal primary education.

529-545

Authors: Timur A. Magsumov, Teymur E. Zulfugarzade, Mikhail B. Kolotkov, Sergei B. Zinkovskii

This work analyzes the system of public education in Baku Governorate in the period between the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century. This part of the work examines the timeframe 1849–1900, i.e. the period from the creation of the governorate to the beginning of the 20th century. The key source used in putting this work together is the annual Reports on Educational Institutions in the Caucasus Educational District, which provide data on the region’s schools under the purview of the Ministry of Public Education. Wide use was made of the statistical method. The authors researched the reports for statistical data on the following: the types of the region’s educational institutions, the number of schools in the region, the region’s library holdings, and the region’s student body (information related to student demographics, including ethnicity, religion, social estate, and gender). The use of the statistical method helped identify some of the key distinctive characteristics of the development of the system of public education in Baku Governorate in the period 1849–1900. The authors’ conclusion is that the system of public education in Baku Governorate had markedly distinct characteristics. Above all, this was the case with its private educational institutions, which played an important role in the development of its public education system. By the year 1900, Baku Governorate had in place an entire network of public and private educational institutions, which included six gymnasia, seven lower educational institutions, and 113 primary schools. Gender-wise, girls comprised just 31% of the region’s total student body, which at the time was quite characteristic of areas with a large Muslim population.