Problems of Education in the 21st Century

421

Authors: Editorial Board

Problems of Education in the 21st Century, ISSN 1822-7864 (Print) ISSN 2538-7111 (Online) Vol. 81, No. 4, 2023

431-448

Authors: Gunel A. Alasgarova

It is crucial to examine the alignment of different exam results conducted by various organizations to improve the quality of assessment. The research used a document analysis method with recent, publicly available national and international reports addressing the research question. The following main question was examined through the document analysis: What exams have the highest correlation and are more trustworthy in Azerbaijan for short and long-term outcomes? The data were analyzed to discover any statistical comparisons of university admission exams with the 9th and 11th grade SEC exams, school grades, and other assessments. Research shows that the State Examination Center’s exams align with its own evaluations and international assessment (OECD). They can be considered methodologically rigorous, providing a more valid yardstick for measuring student knowledge and achievement. Overall, exams by the SEC had a high correlation coefficient compared to Higher Education Institutions’ assessments. As more and more international students want to pursue their education in Azerbaijan, these findings can be valuable for their decision-making and tertiary level.

462-480

Authors: Çağla Gür, Başak Eser

This study was conducted within the scope of the Positive Schools Project to shed light on teachers' perspectives on reflecting positive thinking in their own branches and practices in the teaching environment. Twenty-four teachers who received training within the scope of the project and agreed to participate in the study voluntarily were included in the study. Phenomenology was used as the research design. The content analysis was used to analyze the data obtained through interviews during the research process. Based on the results of the analyses performed, tables describing the themes, sub-themes, and codes were created, and explanations representing the views of the teachers were provided. The findings of the study revealed that teachers from all levels of education, from pre-school to upper secondary school, think that there is a need for activities on positive thinking and that they can transfer the understanding of positive thinking to their branches. When the views of teachers on the need for activities to be developed within the scope of positive thinking for their students were examined, the themes of difficulties in adaptation to school, the trauma process, and the need for effective communication-interaction emerged. Teachers suggested activities for self-awareness, unity awareness, and awareness of contribution within the scope of positive thinking in schools. In addition to the views of teachers on positive thinking, the study points to some negative situations that teachers have observed in their students. These negative situations include dysfunctional self-confidence, dissatisfaction with possessions, non-functional goals or goals for saving the day, and difficulties in purposeful planning.

501-516

Authors: G. S. Prakasha, Rituparna Chakraborty, S. Thirumalesha, C. S. Gururaja, T. Yolila Sangtam, Keneivi-u Rhatsu, Grace Maria Jochan

Education in the 21st century has become more technology integrated, and the shift from conventional modalities of teaching to technology-assisted teaching methodologies accelerated during the pandemic years. The current study employed a qualitative research design (n=12) to explore this shift and the expectations of these novel teaching modalities from both facilitator and learner perspectives in urban higher education settings in India. An inductive thematic analysis of the qualitative data revealed that there is a significant gap in lecturers’ and students’ definitions and expectations of smart learning environments. The themes that emerged from the data were bifurcated into lecturer and student perspectives on smart learning environments and included innovative nature, novelty and complexity, student excitement, and limitations of content. Based on the findings, lecturer and student expectations of SLE platforms had points of convergence and divergence which are unique to the socio-cultural positions of the participants. The current study argues the need to devise methods to improve the efficacy of SLEs in developing economies.

531-546

Authors: Tiia Rüütmann

The aim of this research is to give an overview of the psycho-didactical model of Engineering Pedagogy, as the basis of effective STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts (Design), Mathematics) teaching and instructional design. Attributes of engineering graduates and basic skills of 21st century graduates are presented. The competency model of Engineering Educators by the International Society for Engineering Pedagogy (IGIP) is introduced. Micro-credentials pedagogical continuing education programme for STEAM teachers and engineering educators is presented, ensuring the acquisition of competencies for effective STEAM teaching. Learning activity as a system with a large number of elements is introduced, which under certain conditions can also become subsystems, being interconnected, with integrative properties and with the function of achieving certain specific goals. A Psycho-Didactical Model of Engineering Pedagogy is introduced as the basis for a toolbox of effective teaching STEAM.

563-566

Authors: Editorial Board

Problems of Education in the 21st Century, ISSN 1822-7864 (Print) ISSN 2538-7111 (Online) Vol. 81, No. 4, 2023