Problems of Education in the 21st Century

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Authors: Editorial Board

Cover page, Vol. 80, No. 2, 2022, PEC

238-241

Authors: Margaret Kit Yok Chan

Education research trends are related to the style of types or their directions conditioned by social demand or the specificity of cultural changes at a given time and place (Potyrala, 2020). Accordingly, educational tendencies are of certain regularities with outlines in the development of ideas related to education and upbringing showing perspectives that can be predicted by describing models, planning research on future processes, as well as taking preventive measures. Before the turn of the century, the education research was delving on the evolution of traditional face-to-face education towards digital education with the advancement of the technologies in developing 21st century students coming from the alpha, Y and Z generations. Trilling and Fadel (2009) foresaw the 21st century student need learning traditionally school subjects with contemporary content themes to be combined with the 21st century skills.

256-272

Authors: Ora Alkan, Talma Kushnir, Nitza Davidovitch

The research literature on leisure indicates that it is perceived differently by sector and culture. In Israel, one’s affiliation with religious or non-religious groups affects one’s perception of leisure and its legitimacy. The common activities of religious and secular people include studies in general, and Torah study in particular, as activities carried out by choice and for pleasure. In this research Torah study is considered in its wide meaning, as including all traditional Jewish texts. The research sought to try and understand various characteristics of people who study Torah as a leisure activity and to illuminate aspects rarely addressed in the academic literature, mainly students' perception of study efforts, importance of studies, the contribution of studies and satisfaction with studies. The sample included 234 respondents divided into three groups: Torah students (56) who were studying in a hevruta (collaborative) format, Torah students (50) who were studying a course by participating in lectures, and a control group (128) who were studying other theoretical topics by participating in lectures. The findings of this research indicate that Torah study nowadays takes place not only as an obligation but rather also as an elective activity in formal courses and hevruta study groups – an activity that transcends the religious dimension and involves a choice and pleasure for all learners. Additionally, Torah students perceived their studies as having greater contribution, more important and more satisfying than students of non-Torah subjects. The method of study (collaborative vs lectures) did not affect these perceptions. The findings may have applied implications beneficial to society in general. The research findings illuminate the potential of Torah study as a leisure activity and its capacity to unite various sectors in Israeli society.

289-303

Authors: Valentin Cosmin Blândul, Adela Bradea

Self-assessment in the school environment can be defined as the students’ ability to make valuable judgements about their own academic performance, either by reference to the teacher’s educational goals, previous academic results, or the academic performance of other colleagues. The formation of such self-assessment skills is strongly influenced by a number of internal and external psycho-pedagogical factors, including chronological age, motivation for learning, level of cognitive development, perceived self-efficacy, the teacher's teaching style, the social status of the student's family, their group affiliation, etc. Starting from this point, the purpose of the present research was the analysis of the students’ degree of awareness of the role of perceived self-efficacy in the formation of objective didactic self-evaluation skills. The research sample consisted of 108 students, currently attending the Psycho-Pedagogy and Methodology Study Program courses at the University of Oradea and Emanuel University of Oradea, Romania. The research methodology was targeted at requesting these students to self-assess their performance in a subject of the afore-stated study program, respectively administering a scale for measuring personal self-efficacy. The results showed that most of the students tended to either evaluate themselves objectively or under-evaluate themselves, against the backdrop of a high level of perceived self-efficacy, respectively of superior academic performance.

324-338

Authors: İsmail Karakuş, Figen Kılıç

The adaptation of the teachers to the digital age, the integration of their digital skills into the learning and teaching processes, their digital awareness, competencies and fluency constitute an important problem which is within the scope of lifelong learning.The aim of the present study is to examine the digital profiles of pre-service teachers within the framework of universal education principles and online learning theories during the pandemic period. To serve for this purpose, 'digital' profiles of pre-service teachers, who prepare individuals for the digital society, are going to be investigated. Furthermore, their digital awareness, competence and fluency levels are going to be highlighted, and the concepts are going to be discussed in the light of current developments that are under the effects of the pandemic. Thus, the level of relationship between the concepts are going to be underlined to offer solutions to current digital problems. As for the procedure, the study used relational screening model on 539 pre-service teachers. According to the results, digital awareness, competence and fluency levels of pre-service teachers were high. There is a positive, moderate and significant relationship between digital awareness and digital fluency; similarly, there is a positive, high level and significant relationship between digital fluency and digital competence. At this point, digital awareness and competence explained 62% of the variation in digital fluency. Via the present study, it is possible to note down that the concepts of digital awareness, digital competence and digital fluency might be explained thoroughly. Hence, the present study is expected to contribute to the literature and all stakeholders related to education.

353-370

Authors: Astrid K Northrup, PE, Andrea C. Burrows, Timothy F. Slater

Like much of the world, the United States is rapidly implementing the teaching of computer science into both primary and secondary school curricula. Uncovering what challenges U.S. schools in general—and rural U.S. schools in the unique environment of more mountainous regions of the U.S. in particular—face in implementing new curricula is not well established in the scholarly literature base. If reform advocates are able to anticipate implementation challenges, they might be more effective in facilitating needed changes. In response, the overarching research question is addressed: What are the challenges of delivering multi-age computer science in the rural, mountain regions of the western U.S.? This two-phase research project first identifies the anticipated challenges to implementing the curriculum by curriculum designers (Phase 1), and then goes on to compare those anticipated challenges to those identified by classroom teachers after completing a teacher training program (Phase 2). Thirteen teachers completed the training program in May and July of 2021, and five were selected to be interviewed. Transcripts of the interviews were analyzed in open, axial, and selective coding to identify recurrent and dominant themes. First, a qualitative methodology through the lens of the constructivist theory was used. Then, conventional narrative inquiry methods were employed to investigate the narratives using thematic analysis. The Phase 1 concerns of adhering to curriculum standards and using appropriate programming languages were contrasted to the Phase 2 themes of the future importance of coding for all students, confidence in pedagogy, the difficulty of coding, and issues of approval and safety. The results of this study serve as a bridge between the mandates created by education leaders and the actual experiences of the participating teachers tasked with delivering the curriculum.

388

Authors: Editorial Board

End page, Vol. 80, No. 2, 2022, PEC