Problems of Education in the 21st Century

313

Authors: Editorial Board

Contents, Vol. 77, No. 3, PEC, 2019

317-337

Authors: Lotta Anderson, Gunvie Möllås, Lisbeth Ohlsson

The aim of the research was to explore how 55 Swedish independent schools, directed at (or limited to) students in need of special support (SNSS), describe their organisation, work and visions. The empirical data of the research consisted of the schools’ website presentations, which were processed and analysed in consecutive steps. The results showed that the students’ complicated school- and life situations were often combined with disabilities mainly in the neuropsychiatric field. The majority of the schools (76%) practiced both schooling and methods for treatment and care, differentiating their role from the mainstream track. Neuropsychiatric and psychological perspectives had a significant influence, reflected in how the schools describe their daily routines, therapeutic methods of treatment and access to specific categories of staff. Small groups, individual instruction and competent staff were described as specific features. Teaching content and didactic aspects were seldom highlighted. The focus on the websites was on socialisation and subjectification while qualification, i.e. knowledge development, had a more limited role. The study points to a need for further research exploring daily pedagogical practice in more depth and calls for a greater focus on student perspectives. Consequences for learning contexts are discussed in the concluding part of the article. The specialist role, the independent schools in the present study tended to take on are most urgent issues to discuss in an educational context striving for equity and inclusive learning environments.

349-363

Authors: Citra Kurniawan, Punaji Setyosari, Waras Kamdi, Saida Ulfa

The purpose of this research was to build a classification model and to measure the correlation of self-efficacy with visual-verbal preferences using data mining methods. This research used the J48 classifier and linear projection method as an approach to see patterns of data distribution between self-efficacy and visual-verbal preferences. The measurement of the correlation of engineering students' self-efficacy with visual-verbal preferences using the data mining method approach gets the result that self-efficacy does not correlate with visual-verbal preferences. However, engineering students' self-efficacy influences the achievement of initial learning outcomes. Visual-verbal preference is more influenced by students' interest in images so it can be concluded that self-efficacy affects the initial results of learning but does not have a correlation with visual-verbal preferences. The results of the decision tree provide the results that are easily understood and present a correlation between self-efficacy and visual-verbal preferences in a visual form.

379-395

Authors: Natalia M. Mezhennaya, Oleg V. Pugachev

This research presents the analysis of image of the popular program packages: CAS (Computer Algebra Systems) Matlab, Mathcad, Mathematica, and the spreadsheet ‘Microsoft Excel’ among students of engineering specializations studying in Bauman Moscow State Technical University (BMSTU). The research has explored perception of program packages by all students (N=164), and by male students (N=110) and female students (N=54) separately. Image of the program packages, convenience of their interfaces, usage scenarios, and applicability for solution of tasks of certain types have been explored via questioning the students. Moreover, the students assessed likelihood of using the programs in the future. It was established that all the program packages under consideration can be successfully used in the process of education, but some of them (Matlab and Mathematica) require additional lessons to learn their interface and peculiarities. Gender differences in perception of the program packages do not determine the education outcomes. The differences of perception of the programs are mainly caused by their popularity and the students’ skills of using certain programs. The following gender differences have been detected: in the female students’ sample, the programs Mathcad and Excel are leading, Matlab is performed a little worse; Matlab is associated with the statement “difficult / inconvenient interface”. In the male students’ sample, the three programs Matlab, Mathcad, and Microsoft Excel got nearly equal grades. Female students estimate future usage of Microsoft Excel higher than male students do. The CAS Mathematica takes the lowest places for both samples; as a possible cause of such result, it has been found that Mathematica is not widespread as compared to the other programs under consideration.

410-423

Authors: Lindelani Mnguni

Science is generally expected to respond to students and societal needs by adopting student and social accountability principles. Therefore, school science curricula are revised regularly to address emerging socio-economic, political, and scientific issues. Similarly, the National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement of South Africa was introduced to foster a student and social accountable education that adopts relevant curriculum ideologies. Partly, it attempts to equip students with relevant skills and knowledge related to emerging societal challenges such as HIV/AIDS. The aim of the present research, therefore, was to determine the extent to which the curriculum is student and social accountable concerning HIV/AIDS. The current research explored the extent to which HIV/AIDS knowledge was presented in the CAPS Life Sciences curriculum and selected textbooks, and how curriculum ideologies informed this presentation of HIV/AIDS knowledge. Data were collected from the Life Sciences CAPS document and selected textbooks. Results revealed several HIV/AIDS-related topics, which were taught in Life Sciences. While the literature suggests that the citizenship-centered ideology is most relevant for student and social accountability, the present study found that the Life Sciences curriculum adopted a predominantly discipline-centered ideology. It is concluded that Life Sciences may not provide students with HIV/AIDS-related skills and knowledge required in a student and socially accountable curriculum.

437-448

Authors: Eva Stranovská, Anikó Ficzere, Silvia Hvozdíková, Beáta Hockicková

This research focusses on the analysis of learning experience. Together with the other factors of motivational structure: Intrinsic motivation, Personal goals, Attractivity of foreign language community, and Worries about learning, it creates motivational profile of foreign language (FL) learners. The analysis is based on the theoretical concept of foreign language motivational self-system by Dörnyei. The research aim was to find out the perception of learning experience and the level of its dependence on the category of the Associations with the expression “German” in the selected categories. Moreover, it was to find out the differences in perception of learning experience, motivational structure, and the length of foreign language studying. The research sample consisted of German FL learners from six different lower-secondary schools within Slovakia. Motivational Structure Questionnaire was used as a research tool to obtain the research data. The data were processed by the selected quantitative and qualitative research methods. The research results supported ambivalence of learning experience. The statistical significance was found in the two categories: the category of Negative emotions related to the category negative perception of educational situation, and the category of German speaking countries related to the higher level of motivation in the factor of learning experience. Furthermore, significant relations were found between the factor of learning experience and the factors of the ideal self of the motivational structure and the length of studying a foreign language. The results in the qualitative part of the research opened up a possible intervention steps towards foreign language motivation reinforcement.