Problems of Education in the 21st Century

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Authors: Editorial Board

Contents, Vol. 76, No. 1, 2018

7-20

Authors: Barbara Baschiera, Sara Santini, Marco Socci

The current generation of young Italians leaving education have never entered the labour market with more years of schooling and higher levels of academic certifications as now. Nevertheless, they are losing out in the struggle for employment. It is a paradox experienced not only across Europe and poses questions about whether young people are being trained efficiently for twenty-first century employment. Nowadays employers require that young people possess skills-oriented learning that emphasises adaptability and preparedness for change. Italian Education systems, however, have not been responsive in this way. The intergenerational education approach may be an effective method for covering the mismatch between provided education and competences required on the labour market. Experienced older entrepreneurs may give young people Not in Employment, Education, or Training (NEETs) the confidence and intellectual resources to deal with the problems they will encounter through professional life, creating new spaces of autonomy and responsibility. Two focus-groups and questionnaires with 15 NEETs and 15 qualitative interviews and questionnaires to 50+ entrepreneurs were carried out in five European countries, Italy included, to understand how an entrepreneur could help youth to start their own business. Results from Italy demonstrate that to spread a culture of entrepreneurship, senior entrepreneurs are required to strengthen NEETs’ confidence, initiative and courage, the ability to take risks and to invest in the future. Considering Lev Vygotsky’s cognitive and social development theory as applied to intergenerational learning seniors need to act as a trigger to promote NEETs’ entrepreneurial attitudes, capabilities and aspirations for life.

29-42

Authors: Nitza Davidovitch, Roman Yavich

The purpose of the current research was to explore the impact of tablet use for various subjects in Israeli schools on students' perception of learning processes in the cognitive and affective dimensions. For this purpose, 122 ninth and tenth grade students from the Boyar School in Jerusalem completed an online questionnaire. The main hypotheses were that a difference would be found between STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and non-STEM subjects in the weight attributed to the cognitive dimension of tablet use, as well as in the weight attributed to the affective dimension of tablet use. These hypotheses were not confirmed. In contrast, the hypothesis concerning gender differences in the weight attributed to cognitive and affective dimensions was partially confirmed. Males attributed more weight than female adolescents to both the cognitive and affective dimensions of tablet use. A possible explanation of the findings is the male inclination towards STEM subjects that include more cognitive use of learning. In future studies, it is advisable to utilize a larger sample and to thoroughly explore gender differences regarding this topic.

58-68

Authors: Stanisława Nazaruk, Joanna Waszczuk, Joanna Marchel, Helena Kowaluk-Nikitin, Anna Klim-Klimaszewska

Taking into account the psychophysical development of a young person, a child in particular, attention should be paid to forming certain habits related to physical activity, health, nutrition, hygiene, and aesthetics during the preschool period as such habits will be of utmost importance in his/ her adult life. Physical activity of children affects various health parameters both today and in the future. Specialists draw attention to the correlation between physical activity and the development of the musculoskeletal system, body posture, the nervous, respiratory and vegetative systems. The lack of physical activity may result in cardiovascular diseases or obesity. These are just some of the reasons for which people need physical activity in their lives. Bearing in mind the lack of research on this issue, it was decided to conduct research on the physical activity of children (210 students) aged 4-6 attending selected kindergartens located in the town of Biała Podlaska, Poland. The level of physical activity of children was measured with the use of special devices, so called actigraph units (accelerometers in Polish). Due to a small size of this wrist-watch-like device, movements of children or their participation in games and different forms of activities in kindergarten were not hampered. On the basis of the collected data, statistical analysis was performed. Non-parametric statistical tests were used in order to identify the relationship between variables of the physical activity level and sex, age and weight of a child. Data analysis revealed statistically significant differences between the level of physical activity and some personal characteristics. The research conclusions, which will be helpful in providing effective education in the field of physical activity, were made available to kindergartens.

87-99

Authors: André Machado Rodrigues, Cristiano Rodrigues de Mattos

There is a growing understanding that teacher education should not be handled either exclusively by the University or in School settings. Nevertheless, the issues on how to foster a fruitful partnership between these two different institutions remains an open and challenging point. The practicum is a critical point in the pre-service teacher’s development, usually because it is the first time they have to face the concrete professional issues, which they only had a partial view of as students. This research is a year-long inquiry on practicum in the Physics teaching program developed in the Institute of Physics at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. Drawing on cultural-historical activity theory, contradiction is used as an explanatory principle to examine change and development in the practitioners’ activity. Therefore, the research includes in the analytical framework the contradictions and the processes of overcoming it. Examples are provided in which there is little control therefore demanding extra efforts but makes room for active participation. The data analysis indicates that the source of agency and activities transformation is precisely a contradictory process, which might be overlooked. The pre-service teachers’ agency is shaped by contradictory process within the activity – practicum - rather than aligned forces pushing it toward autonomy, student sensitiveness or professional identity.

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Authors: Editorial Board

End page, Vol. 76, No. 1, 2018