Problems of Education in the 21st Century

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Contents, Vol. 48, PEC, 2012

10-22

Authors: Eyvind Elstad

The Programme for International Student Achievement (PISA) has become the most influential comparative assessment in our time, as PISA has induced media debate and triggered reform measures in the education systems of several countries. The programme has caused shockwaves in the educational landscape in Norway, and led to a reorganisation of educational policies. This research sought, first, to explore press coverage and debate intensity in Norwegian newspapers in the wake of PISA releases, and second, to discuss the use of media strategies among Norwegian officeholders to investigate how the media portray cases in which they are involved. Blame management is an example of how officeholders can attempt to avoid blame or displace it onto political opponents. Using their media responses as data, the nature and value of blame management were analysed in relation to a game theoretical framework. Patterns and themes emerging from the data were described quantitatively and qualitatively, and illustrated by direct quotations from political and bureaucratic officeholders. It is important to gain a better understanding of the dynamics in media coverage of educational matters, and how participants in the game use strategic tools. This study contributes to the understanding of the media’s shaping of education policies and debates. The significance of the media and the media strategies in use suggest that educational research should expand its perspectives towards how the media influences public opinion on educational quality.

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Authors: Monica Gather Thurler, Olivier Maulini

With the stated aim of reducing inequities in the access to knowledge, most school systems have been reviewing and standardizing their curricula, emphasizing inclusion, strengthening school autonomy and parental involvement, introducing tertiary training of teachers and principals, and increasing institutional initiatives aiming to enhance teaching effectiveness. This contribution argues on behalf of empirical evidence, obtained by the observation of teachers’ and school practices which has been conducted during by the Geneva Research Laboratory, that these sorts of change strategies will not produce the desired impact unless they are combined with specific innovative actions aiming at a) thorough reorganization of work in schools, and (b) making actors and citizens change their attitudes concerning the possible ways of encouraging pupils to learn. The conclusion insists on the need to give professionals the opportunity to thoroughly reconsider the means by which they will be able to move on from bureaucratically founded, rigid and locked in towards a flexible working organization. This change strategy includes reflection on the principles of organization that guide teaching activities and/or on the new learning settings, which make possible new ways of learning.

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Authors: Benjamin C. Kipkulei, Micah C. Chepchieng, Mary J. Chepchieng, Lydia M. Boitt

The girl child participation in primary school level of education has become a real concern in all nations of the World particularly in the developing countries of the Sub-Saharan Africa, Kenya included. Girl child education worldwide provides benefits to the family and the society at large thus factors affecting it should be addressed for the sake of human and societal development. The objective of the study was to establish the factors affecting girls’ participation in primary schools in Kenya. Specifically, the study investigated the effect socio-economic, socio-cultural and school -based factors have on a girl-child’s participation in primary school education in Kenya. In some parts of Kenya, there is low girls’ participation in primary school education thus the interest in establishing the factors that may be contributing to this problem. This was considered crucial as Kenya strives to achieve basic Education for All by 2015. The study employed a survey design. 210 girls drawn from primary classes 6, 7 and 8 participated in the study. The simple random technique was used in the selection of the sample. A questionnaire was used to collect data that were analyzed by use of descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages). The findings of the study revealed that socio-economic, socio-cultural and school related factors affect girls’ participation in primary schools in Kenya. In effect, unless these factors are expeditiously addressed, primary school girls will continue to be disadvantaged in the Kenya’s school system. This will frustrate the world’s efforts in attaining basic education for all by 2015. The study therefore recommended that the Ministry of Education in Kenya should create awareness to all education stakeholders on the importance of girl child education in the country. It was also recommended that a large scale study involving sub-Saharan Africa developing nations experiencing low girls' participation in education be carried out to falsify or corroborate the findings.

81-90

Authors: Diana Liepa, Aija Dudkina, Maruta Sile

Our dynamic life brings changes not only into our daily life, but in thinking and the way to work and to learn as well. We have to be faster and more flexible in order to develop our professional, social and civic competencies. Education helps to develop the attitudes, skills and knowledge necessary to make informed decisions for the benefit of themselves and others, now and in the future, and to act upon these decisions. That is why teachers have to find the best ways in acquiring professional competencies and in developing their individual qualities. The teacher’s role in the educational process has always been vital. Especial significance is being attached to the teacher’s personality and professional growth, the teacher’s satisfaction with the life in general and their abilities’ conformity to the demands of the profession. The teacher’s satisfaction serves as a motivation factor in order to advance the educator’s professional competence (high mastery). The teacher’s as a professional’s advancement is closely connected with his personality development. The human’s personality in general influences positively the professional adaptation, promotes professional creativity, safeguards from professional obsoleteness. The teacher’s personality maintains the professional expertise, promotes professional competences’ advancement. There are relationships between aspects of teacher’s well-being and student’s learning, job performance or other aspects of teaching effectiveness. The teacher’s well-being influences the effectiveness of student’s learning.

107-116

Authors: Aneta Mechi, Margarita Sanchez-Mazas

The current survey tests the effects of social comparison distance on investment in learning. The social comparison is known to have two directions: upward and downward. It is hypothesized that, apart from these two directions, there are two distances: moderate and extreme. These distances are supposed to have an impact on the learning investment (when students will strive) or the disinvestment (when they will not make a great effort). Globally, students seem to put more effort in the case of moderate-distance conditions than in the case of extreme-distance conditions. However, the effect of distance is different according to the achievement goals reported by participants (interaction between comparison distance and achievement goals): the participants with performance goals strive more in the moderate-distance condition, whereas those with mastery goals seem to put a quite stable effort regardless of the distance. Implications in educational settings are discussed.

127-134

Authors: Edmond Rapti, Theodhori Karaj

The purpose of this study is to identify the Albanian university students’ ethnic distance and the negative ethnic stereotypes compared with other ethnic groups in the Balkans. In addition, the study aims at determining the relationship between the ethnic distance and negative ethnic stereotypes. The sample of this study consists of 600 students selected at random in seven Albanian public universities. The instruments used in this study are a seven item ethnic distance scale for measuring the ethnic distance and a ten item scale for measuring ethnic stereotypes. The ethnic distance scale reliability coefficient is 0.76. The reliability coefficient for the ethnic stereotypes scale varies from 0.84 to 0.90. The descriptive statistics (mean - comparison) is used to describe the level of ethnic distance and ethnic stereotypes...Pearson Product-moment Correlations are used to identify the intensity and orientation of the relation between the ethnic distance and stereotyped attitudes. The study findings indicate that Albanian university students manifest high levels of ethnic stereotypes and ethnic distance compared with other Balkan ethnic groups, especially Serbs and Greeks. In line with the other research, the findings of the present study indicate that there is a positive relationship between the ethnic distance and negative ethnic stereotypes.

148-156

Authors: Y. Gürcan Ültanır

As of 2004-2005 school year, principles of constructivism have been adopted to a great extent in the education system of Turkey. In the present study, the lessons were video recorded in order to observe the activities to develop the transfer skills used in problem solving by the students attending 4th and 5th grades of elementary schools in Tarsus province of Icel in Southeast Anatolian Region. Moreover, lessons were also video recorded in order to observe the problem solving behaviors of the 6th grade Turkish students attending Turkish language lessons given by a Turkish teacher in Linden province of Hannover in Germany. The lessons given in Linden and Tarsus were compared in terms of “environment and process” through tables. It was concluded that the environmental conditions existing in the elementary school in Southeast Anatolian Region are not suitable for constructivist applications and here, it was observed that direct instruction model was continuously in use. On the other hand, at the school in the Linden region, while transfer skills necessary for real life are being developed, “asking question and discussion” behaviors are also gained.

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End page, Vol. 48, 2012, PEC

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Contents, Vol. 47, 2012, PEC

6-15

Authors: Andrea C. Burrows, Mike Borowczak, Timothy F. Slater, J. Chris Haynes

Is the field of computer science and engineering a strict discipline or an art form? The answer is both. Computer science and engineering concepts are typically found almost exclusively in collegiate engineering and technology programs. Given its importance across the 21st Century workforce, arguably these concepts should be taught at all pre-collegiate grade levels. This study, specifically focused on pre-collegiate teachers’ increased confidence and subsequent use of robotics, indicates that designed professional development (PD) focused on simple computer programming approaches (e.g. LEGO MindStorm® kits) can propel pre-collegiate teachers to integrate new, challenging computer controlled robotics into their instruction. Surveys, content knowledge quizzes, and artifacts show teachers readily developed sufficient confidence and knowledge in producing lessons embedded with computer programming and robotics. Targeted classroom-ready instruction and modifiable computer programs appear to enhance pre-collegiate teacher knowledge of and confidence in robotics use. Considering overall self-rankings and content, pre-collegiate teacher pre-post scores increased. With these results, the authors argue why approaching computer science as both a strict science and art form is essential in PD.

27-39

Authors: Maria de los Ángeles Fanaro, Maria Rita Otero, Marcelo Arlego

The goal of this proposal is to teach the basic aspects of light from the point of view of quantum mechanics at high school level. To this end, we have adapted Feynman´s Path Integral Method of Quantum Mechanics. This is a continuation of previous works where we considered the quantum behaviour of matter. The situations were to promote the conceptualization of the electron as a quantum system, the probabilistic function and the transition quantum–classic. Now, the goal is to build a new proposal to teach the behaviour of the light from an actual vision and from a unified model: the quantum mechanics, from the reconstruction of a reference that also uses the approach Path Integrals of Richard Feynman. It is adapted for secondary school students using vectors and sums, and it is inserted in a problems context about the light. Careful and accurate language is used, avoiding terms like photon or expressions like particles of light or wave-particle duality, because these ideas could present obstacles to understanding key aspects of quantum theory. This proposal is an alternative to avoid historical approaches commonly used so far and it is being implemented in two groups of students in secondary school (15-16 years old).

50-68

Authors: Sudgasame Jantaraweragul, Noy S. Kay

The basic research dilemma of the present study relates to the assumption that every individual can learn, not based on a personal innate intelligence but what and how a person learns to acquire intelligence. The investigation involved developing an instrument to detect the trait of basic knowledge through knowing factors that form a student’s knowledge preference. Furthermore, the study attempted to analyze the association between knowledge preference and the student’s nurturing culture and environmental influential factors. The assessment of tacit knowledge is to gain information that has been influent student’s learning formally or informally. Student early characteristics of the knowledge learning preference can be derived from different sources of knowing, for instance, the biological heredity procession in family, language, thinking process, perception, and frames of thought. A test named the Knowledge Preference Test was developed, and it consisted of 50 items. It statistically received a reliability coefficient of 0.91. The study participants included 2 017 secondary school students in Thailand. The study found significant association patterns among knowledge preference, student biological and cultural status, and some areas of student achievement.

91-99

Authors: Tarja Kröger

Studies on boundary crossing and boundary objects emphasize that boundaries carry potential for learning. However, it is not explicated how the craft could be used as a boundary in multi- and intercultural education. This research describes a case of using craft as a boundary to facilitate multi- and intercultural education. It first gives an overview on the Multi- and Intercultural Craft course including a theoretical part that was organized through a virtual platform, Moodle. The course included also a practical part, a project, where Finnish, exchange students and a group of immigrants from Burma met in the context of craft. The students (n = 14) were asked to write reflective essays about the course. In the qualitative analysis of essays, their learning experiences that appeared in the data, were examined. Three aspects of learning experiences were identified: first a cognitive aspect, which is about increased knowledge; second an affective aspect, which focuses on changing attitudes; and the third an interactive aspect, which is concerned with how to get on with people from different cultures.

110-125

Authors: Joana Paulin Romanowski, Pura Oliver Martins, Simone Manosso Cartaxo

The research focuses on the reformulation of undergraduate courses in universities in the state of Parana, Brazil. The research problem arises in the context of reformulations in the courses of teacher formation, the undergraduate courses encouraged by the demands of current educational policies for these courses, with the following questions: What changes to current policies of teacher education were produced in the organization of undergraduate courses? The overall objective was to analyze the reformulations of the undergraduate courses in relation to established priorities and the implications to the professional development of teachers indicating the tensions caused in this process and to indicate alternatives that contribute to the improvement of basic teacher education. The methodology of the study considers the assumptions of the theory as practice of expression, performs the analysis of educational legislation, organization of curriculum matrices of undergraduate courses at universities in the State of Parana and includes interviews with coordinators and teachers from the course. Results show that the courses differ in the composition of the curriculum matrices in each of the institutions examined, as for example: the organization of the curriculum regarding the disciplines that are part of it; sorting the disciplines; the number of hours of each discipline; the design of the training process; the apprenticeship supervision processes. This means that the tensions and priorities generated at each university in the constitution of the identity of the undergraduate courses are disparate from the proceedings in which these courses are instituted because of the institutional clashes priorities. The performed reformulations extend the amount of teaching time for teaching practice, starting from the first year of the course, in the form of professional practice and in the final years the completion of supervised practice. However, the university remains far removed from the elementary school, the academic disciplines do not articulate these practices. It is noteworthy that the undergraduate courses in Brazil have been the subject of debates and proposals, since the 1.980s.

144-151

Authors: Hustana Maria Vargas

The professional aspect of teacher education is in the core of a more general context of teachers’ work. One of the most marking issues of this work’s conditions, as cause and consequence of many problems, is its insertion in a career framework. At which point of this framework are teaching careers? What consequences for the teaching work may be anticipated from this relative position of teaching in the general career framework? Let us examine this situation from the Brazilian viewpoint. To discuss this subject, a study that deals with career hierarchy in higher education, the socioeconomic profile of undergraduates of some careers related to teacher formation and the position of these careers in the Brazilian university context was conducted. Socioeconomic data were obtained from national microdata of undergraduate students in a time series from 2000 to 2008. The investigation concluded that there is a strong internal hierarchy among careers in Brazil, revealing its effects in symbolic, intra institutional, employment, salary, and corporate terms. This scenario has persisted over time, without the entry of new profiles in teaching careers, traditionally addressed to low-income students.

165-177

Authors: Stephen Wambugu Maina, John Gowland-Mwangi, Dave Boselie

The Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA), through its extension workers, has been educating tea producers on good agricultural practices using Farmer Field Schools (FFS). Information on training cost and benefits of running a tea-based FFS in Kenya were not readily available. Such information would enable tea stakeholders to develop a strategy for up-scaling FFS. This study sought to determine and describe the cost and benefits of running a tea-based FFS among small-scale farmers in the Rift Valley. The study used a Cross-Sectional research design to collect data from 514 small-scale tea growers drawn randomly from KTDA factories. A questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.92α was used after validation by extension experts. Face-to-Face interviews and a stakeholders’ workshop were used for triangulation purposes. Data were analyzed qualitatively and reported using descriptive statistics. The results indicated that training a farmer in a tea-based FFS in a year costs Ksh 6,076/= (US$71). The training gave farmers skills to improve their tea husbandry, yields, level of empowerment and leadership skills. The researchers concluded that training tea farmers in FFSs was cheap, sustainable and effective in changing their behavior. Stakeholders in the tea-value chain should increase funding and use of FFS in training tea farmers.

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Contents, Vol. 46, PEC, 2012

7-14

Authors: Boris Aberšek, Janez Bregant

From the experience of recent years it seems clear that the existing educational system, as a whole, is perceived as an ailing system that fails to meet the needs of a major portion of the society it serves. Every aspect of the educational process must be studied and reconsidered in the light of new and different societal expectations. In the last decades we started with one school reform after the other, but it looks now that these changes had no positive impact whatsoever. Even worse, the school system was damaged afterwards. In this paper we will explore some possibilities how to improve it without facing these consequences. The main idea is, as a result of our latest research, that mathematical methods for describing and simulating could be very useful for predicting and simulating school systems without using a long term and complex empirical experimentation. The paper introduces the correlation between the dynamical mathematical calculus and the educational school system and elaborates to some extent the basic idea of using the former to predict the latter.

22-27

Authors: Martin Bílek, Pavel Cyrus, Ivana Šimonová

The paper describes starting point of so called ”Educational Informatics“ as one of the Educational Cybernetics approaches, and example of research results of theory called as „human thinking economy“ application in the field of science and technical education is provided. Educational informatics is based on so-called educational theory of signs (educational semiotics) developed by M. Lansky which provides great support to the process setting the basis of branch didactics in learner’s cognitive capacity. This approach contents the psycho-structural model of processing information explaining the route of information which is to be processed. It starts with registering it by sense organs (sensory perception), followed by aware perception (apperception) and operating it, i.e. the entire processing the information including storing it in the memory. Within this process various functions are activated, both when the memory stores (associates) the information and effectors (performing organs) are activated. This psycho-structural model synthesizes both behavioural approach (stimulus - "black box" - reaction) and the humanistic psychology approach based on the introspective analysis. A similar model was provided for the chemistry didactics by Johnstone, too. This psycho-structural model also distinguishes certain cornerstones (i.e. model of operations) of human perception and learning, i.e. stimuli – perception filter – working space within the memory (operational memory) – long-term memory which influences the accommodator (adaptor, i.e. the apparatus for directing attention or reduction the apperception). It differs from cybernetic pedagogy as it does not apply the “hard“ quantitative approach to expressing the content of single parts of the psycho-structural model (in bits) but divides the learning content into several mastered parts (operations) called “pieces“ which the learner must run in the operational memory. This method is called “chunking“, i.e. composing, stratifying, layering information in the memory) and was applying in our research their selected results are presented in the second part of the paper. The research project results were based on analyse of teacher’s predictive evaluation of items in didactic test. Results of a comparative study of reception of pictures in the test items by so called experts (having a certain level of knowledge of the presented subject matter, i.e. teachers) and so called non-specialists (who have minimum knowledge in the area learned, i.e. learners) are added. In concerned research were analyzed the prognosis of chemistry teaching students (experts) in learners succeeding in the didactic test items with or without picture parts. Results show that future teachers overestimate the role of picture materials on positive responses of learners in didactics test.

36-42

Authors: Kosta Dolenc, Boris Aberšek

A human being perceives the world spatially, he detects and properly processes distances, size of objects, their shapes and all that is linked to our perceptions of the world. Humans' sensors provide the information about the world around and brain translates this information into thoughts, into ideas. The whole process is completely natural. In the past, due to technological limitations, the human attempted to generalize these ideas and convert them into a form so that he could "record" it on a flat medium, like on paper for example, and because of that he consequently had to develop the ability to "read” these records. The term spatial perception was introduced and after that it was established that not everyone has it. To possess spatial perception an abstract way of thinking and higher cognitive abilities are needed. This paper presents an integration of design, three dimensional (3D) modeling and visualization program SketchUp in Design and technology curriculum into Slovenian primary schools. Emphasis is given to the analysis of the past and current condition and situation and on the incorporation of the program into the primary school curriculum. With the strategy assigned in such a way, the abilities that are connected with technological activities are strengthened, spatial intelligence is developed and assimilated. With such an approach two of the key European competences: 1. Mathematical competence and 2. Basic competences in science and technology and digital literacy, are acquired and reinforced.

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Authors: Milena Kerndl, Metka Kordigel Aberšek

In recent years metacognition has emerged as a major focus of research interest in cognitive psychology. There has been a growing recognition that metacognition or self awareness including awareness of ourselves as learners helps us to learn more effectively. Also metacognition on self awareness of readers helps the reader to reconstruct a deeper understanding of a text, he is reading. Different kind of texts needs different reading strategies and consequently different ways of metacognitive thinking, which have to be developed in the frame of school curriculum. Literature curriculum should in this context develop reader’s reception metacognition. The article draws upon research currently being undertaken in Slovene schools on teachers’ competence to develop the readers’ reception metacognition of children as readers in schools. It presents the results of the study, where the lack of knowledge about reader’s reception metacognition and the lack of knowledge about the strategies for developing reader’s reception metacognition were established. The article also presents the results of teachers training course for developing reader’s reception metacognition on teacher’s competence for developing reader’s reception metacognition.

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Authors: Metka Kordigel Aberšek

Neuroscience has proved a malleable nature of our brain. The way of thinking is changing lifelong and not only in early childhood. New media as television, video games, and the Internet change students’ cognitive skills. New visual-spatial skills, such as iconic representation and spatial visualization are developed. But parallel to these changes new weaknesses occur. Those are in higher-order cognitive processes, as abstract vocabulary, mindfulness, reflection, inductive problem solving, critical thinking, and imagination (Greefield, 2009). Those are the reasons why reading curriculum in contemporary educational system should focus on two groups of aims: deep online reading and linear literature reading. By deep reading is meant the sophisticated processes that propel comprehension and that include inferential and deductive reasoning, analogical skills, critical analysis, reflection, and insight. By linear literature reading is meant primarily reading of fiction, which develops the imagination, inductive analysis, critical and abstract thinking

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Authors: Marjan Krašna, Tomaž Bratina, Branko Kaučič

A decade of experience with e-learning material production gives significant trends overview. From the perspective of ICT evolution this means very long time. E-learning is always closely coupled to ICT but with the distinction - it always lags behind the advancement in ICT. Among many unknown issues one thing is certain – e-learning permanently changes. From the past experiences prediction of immediate future e-learning is possible but the prediction for longer time is less accurate. In the article chronological e-learning achievements and their connections are presented in order to give an overview of trends in e-learning in Slovenia. But despite of the detailed past knowledge fundamental prediction error of e-learning future developments was made. Today's hot topics are not better e-learning materials, not even broad application of interactive boards but e-testing. Possible immediate future of e-learning is therefore application of intelligent e-testing systems. Intelligent computer assisted testing (CAT) is not the new topic in e-learning. It is object of many researches but it is not suitable for teachers. It is way too complicated for teachers to apply it successfully in their work. E-learning development process for intelligent computer assisted test production that suits teachers' competences is prepared and explained in the article.

101-108

Authors: Dragica Pešaković

Subjects such as design and technology are in Slovenian primary schools based on students' creativity and discovery and consequently by preparing students to participate in the technical field. As we know, the creative ability is a spontaneity of expression and other creative skills, which can be motivated or hindered by the teachers. Through testing we can get to the image of the actual state of the creative abilities of students. Therefore, a special instrumentation and methodology were developed, which could achieve that the test conditions were equal for all participants. The purpose of this study was to examine the state-level of technical creative skills of students with the help of a modelled test of creativity. In the verbal part we valued the originality, flexibility and fluency. In non-verbal part we valued originality, flexibility and elaboration. Each element of technical creativity was evaluated through a detailed criterion and benchmark points. The results, which will be presented in the article confirms that students who express a higher level of creativity are more effective in learning. The survey shows that the creativity of students depends on a number of factors, including sex - girls are more creative than boys, and from age - older people are more creative. Students expressed a low level of overall creativity. We can speak about creativity expressed specifically in this test, which can serve for comparison purposes only, not to describe the overall situation. There can be many reasons, but this can already be the subject of other research and another following study.

116-122

Authors: Brigita Polanec, Srečko Glodež, Boris Aberšek

The present work gives methods on how available information can be presented to as many people as possible in a way that will allow them to assimilate that knowledge. The most appropriate forms of education for the concrete target group are included in informal education. Informal education is divided into informal general education and informal education for the profession or for the professional work. The fact, regarding the method of giving information, has to be considered that people differ from each other, and in accordance with this, it makes a difference as to how they perceive certain information. Regarding this, the forms and methods of education have to be adapted to different types of people. Elements such as people's levels of concentration, motivation, non-linear receipt of information, stability of information and obtaining of knowledge are looked at more closely. The rapid development of science and new technology brings with it many opportunities for those who are learning on the one hand, and for those who are working on programs for education on the other hand. Information technology has also led to the development of various educational methods; one of them is the method of e-learning. This paper will discuss the mechanism of informal education called microtraining. The concept of micro training provides information in short bursts (about 15 to 20 minutes long), concisely and in an interesting way. Knowledge has become the main product of micro training in specific fields.

131-137

Authors: Andrej Šafhalter, Srečko Glodež, Karin Bakračevič Vukman

The research was carried out in 2011 among 22 pupils from 14 – 15years old. The purpose of the pilot study was to determine the influence of 3D modeling on the spatial visualization of pupils, as well as the gender difference in the spatial visualization of the tested pupils and the progress of this visualization in individual genders. In addition, it tried to determine whether the sensory style of the pupils, visual, auditory or kinesthetic, influences spatial perception and the development of spatial visualization. Pupils were divided into two groups, the test group and the control group. Pupils in the test group attended a 3D modeling extra-curricular activity for twelve teaching hours in the second evaluation period of the 2010/2011 school year. Spatial visualization was determined with a modified spatial visualization test, namely before the extra-curricular activity and afterwards. The modified test consisted of different spatial visualization tests: PSVT: R, MCT, MRT, DAT: SR, and tests of rotation within a plane. For 3D modeling exercises pupils used the open-source software Google SketchUp. None of the tested pupils have encountered the mentioned software before. After a second testing, the test group showed greater progress in solving spatial visualization tasks in comparison with the control group, while gender differences were minimal. The results of the spatial visualization test were also compared with the sensory style of pupils, which was filled out by all the pupils included in the study. In the 2011/2012 school year a broader study is underway, involving almost two hundred pupils of various elementary schools in Slovenia.

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End page, Vol. 46, PEC, 2012

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Contents, Vol. 45, PEC, 2012

10-18

Authors: Petr Emanovský, Bronislava Štěpánková

The quality of science education is a very contemporary didactic topic at present. Improving the quality of this education is unthinkable without a quality science teacher training at universities and other educational institutions. Some innovation of contents and organization of the study programme for future science teachers was realized within the ESF project "Professional science teacher training for careers in a competitive environment" at Faculty of Science of Palacký University in Olomouc, Czech Republic. The project focuses on improving the training of teachers of all science branches in connection with the growing needs of the current competitive labour market. One of the main aims of the project leading to this improvement was the creation of new and innovated subjects oriented to teaching practice. A research focused on finding benefits of the new subjects for students was realized within the project. The objective of the research was to investigate the difference between students’ expectations and real benefits of the subjects. The research results were very useful as a feedback for a subsequent modification of the study programs. Some particular examples of the process and results of the research are described in the paper.

27-39

Authors: Vincentas Lamanauskas, Violeta Šlekienė, Loreta Ragulienė

Over the latter decade a rapid development of information communication technologies has been going on in various directions. Technological possibilities have increased very significantly (Lamanauskas, 2011). The development of internet and technologies related with it has been extremely fast. A lot of internet service providers have appeared in the market, their number still continues to grow. The internet connection methods are changing - from the ordinary usage of phone line modems (dial - up) to broadband internet technology (DSL) and cable TV internet nets. It can be asserted, that over the mentioned period Web 1.0 internet (static, used for getting information) has been changed to Web 2.0 internet (social). The internet diaries, social portals, technologies allowing live communication on the internet (Internet Relay Chat, IRC), talk programme Windows Live Messenger (MSN), ICQ forums and other have occurred and are spreading. With the appearance of “Skype”, the internet telephony has acquired a qualitatively new characteristic and practically has become a daily routine. Thus, today a consumer can create his profile on the internet, can make friends, communicate in the interest groups and so on. It can be stated, that every human being contributes in his own way to the internet and at the same time to ICT development, in general. It is obvious, that together with technological problems also arise social internet problems. Social networking websites are closely related with economical, psychological, educational, paleological and other aspects. There is a shortage of researches grounding socio-educational social network aspects. It is important to know not only how much time the consumers spend surfing the net, but how much of this time is allotted for communicating in social networking websites, which of them are the most popular and why, how the respondents evaluate social networking website functions, what in general they know about them, what advantages, disadvantages and threats they discern. Finally, it is important to find out whether the usage of social networking websites improves information – communication abilities in some way.

51-62

Authors: Iheanyi N. Okwakpam, Ikechi O. Okwakpam

The study was a case study design aimed at determining the causes and levels of truancy among secondary school students, using Rivers State, Nigeria. The research sample consisted of 105 teachers and was purposefully sampled. Four research questions and one hypothesis were posed, formulated and tested respectively. A structured questionnaire was developed, validated and administered to the respondents selected for the study. T-test, standard deviation and mean were used to analyze the data collected. The results indicated that there is a significant difference between family background and student factor. The implication of this is that the student’s family background contributes greatly to the student’s level of truancy. Hence, the null hypothesis was rejected. Based on the findings, some recommendations were made towards the reducing the level of truancy among secondary school students.

73-80

Authors: Edmond Rapti, Theodhori Karaj

The purpose of this descriptive-correlation study was to describe the overall level of job satisfaction, also relationships among job satisfaction, demographic characteristics and school characteristics for teachers in the basic education system in Albania. For this purpose a survey was conducted for 1000 basic education teachers randomly selected in 40 schools representing different regions in Albania. The questionnaire was composed of items which measured demographic and school characteristics. Job Satisfaction Index (Bayfield and Roth’s, 1951) was used to measure the overall job satisfaction. The reliability coefficient of this scale was 0.85. The research data was analyzed by Correlation and descriptive analysis, Kruskall – Wallis Test and Mann-Whitney Test. The findings indicated that the basic education teachers in Albania were moderately satisfied with their job and some of the demographic and school characteristics (age, tenure, teacher level of education and school size) were negligibly related to overall teacher’s job satisfaction.

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Contents, Vol. 44, PEC, 2012

10-19

Authors: Nada Denona Bogović, Saša Čegar

In the past decades, in all the world schools and faculties of economics, it was taught that the main objective of economic policy is to ensure continuous economic growth. However, for reasons of limited absorption capacity of the environment and increasing reduction of the original ecosystems, models of economic growth are in opposition to the basic ecological principles. This is primarily the consequence of learning and applying the conventional economic paradigm which disregards the relationship between economy and environment. Therefore, the authors of this paper, proceeding from the correlation between economy and environment from the aspect of fundamental natural laws, analysed the basic determinants of the strong sustainability paradigm which implies that natural capital resources should be maintained in the constant flow of time. The research also includes analysis of the correlation between specific economic and ecological challenges of sustainable development in global regions. The authors concluded that sustainable economy may exist only in the sustainable symbiosis with the natural system. Taking into account the complex relationship between nature, society, technology and economy, the authors concluded the paper with the proposition of concrete guidelines for a reform of economic education, in accordance with the concept of strong sustainability.

29-42

Authors: İsmail Yüksel, Melek Alemdar

Integration of Information and Communication Technologies into education has recently been one of the most challenging issues in educational improvement and recovery plan of Turkish government. Immediately before the implementation of Fatih Project (Action for Increasing Opportunities and Improving Technology), it is important to have a look at the insights of teachers. In this study, it was aimed to find out the level of background knowledge about the usage of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and the integration of ICT in education process by today’s teachers. So as to find the answers to this question, the study was designed in quantitative research model as a survey research in cross-sectional survey design. The work group included 172 teachers who works in MNE schools. The data were collected through ‘ICT Integration in Education’ questionnaire. In the analysis of data; descriptive statistics, t-tests and Anova tests were used. And as a result, the study showed that current initiatives with ICT need further investigation for a successful implementation of ICT usage.

53-63

Authors: Francisco Manuel Morales Rodríguez

The aim of this study is presenting the structure and fundamental characteristics of a Mixed Experience Program Training and Employment whose overall objective was to introduce teenagers who live in rural areas by providing training activities necessary for this. This study provides an assessment of the impact and satisfaction of certain educational activities has had on the students participating in this program as protagonists of the teaching/ learning. Participants were 40 students, aged between 16 and 24 years old in rural areas of the province of Málaga, without previous employment and without qualification. The data show that the program has been a successful experience that has helped to facilitate labour insertion of participating pupils. The data show positive attitudes in students towards the use of new technologies like the Internet to facilitate their learning and that most of the activities they have been very satisfactory.

72-80

Authors: Luis Martín Sobrado Fernández, Cristina Ceinos Sanz, Miguel Angel Nogueira Pérez

At present, the transformations in the use and management of the technological tools in the overall society and particularly in Guidance are developed so quickly, that there is the concern of creating training systems, which offer opportunities to update the ICT competences in Counselors, as the use of such resources turns into a strategic worry of the training long life politics (European Life Long Learning). In this context, the Project –ICT-Skills 2: ICT Tools and training for E-practitioners- is framed, with the aim of designing an e-Counselor professional profile, including the strategic competences with respect to Guidance training and teaching. These competences have to be shared in a transnational level with enough flexibility to be adapted to several contexts. The different stages and tasks were made under the cooperation of the social organizations (which come from Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain and Romania), offering, as a result, the design of a training profile and a number of tools (self-assessment resources and an e-portfolio) logical for the Counselors professional development with and for ICT, being, likewise, a starting point for the development of future services in e-Guidance.

92-100

Authors: Gurcan Ultanir, Emel Ültanır

The purpose of this study is to determine what kind of reform will be provided by the General Directorate of Lifelong Learning, which was reconstructed in 2011, in their education policy based on theories of adult education in Public Education Centers such as “adult educator qualifications”, “content formation”, selection of methodology in teaching courses” and “achievement evaluation”. This research has questioned some dimensions of education programs, in the Ministry of Education with some of the provinces of Ankara and Mersin Public Education Centers. Open ended question survey was applied to collect the data. The result of the research shows that the content of the program comes from the center as a modular program. There is no training center for adult educators in Turkey. Teachers coming from different academic ranks and instructors specialised in their fields give courses in these institutions. Their teaching methods are compatible with pedagogy. Test type exams are applied. Moreover, like the other newly EU participant countries, Turkey has accepted Life Long Learning programs without preliminary preparations.

113-122

Authors: Natalja Malceva-Zamkovaja, Mare Müürsepp, Maia Muldma

Cultural identity appears to be one of the highest values of contemporary society, accepted as the priority of contemporary and sustainable education. As a result of general globalization the school changes into the multicultural institution. Inasmuch as the topic of textbooks could support the formation of children's socio-cultural identity, the focus of the study would be the analysis of texts in primary school textbooks. The authors of the article studied the textbooks in Estonia and textbooks of neighbourhood countries Finland, Latvia and Czech Republic. The material of textbooks is analyzed on the axis 'your own – another' (supporting the belonging to your own culture vs opened to the international influences). There the analysis is carried out, how much the folklore of one's own nation and other nations is presented in language and music textbooks. The methodology of the study includes content analysis and source analysis. Remarkable differences in the choice of texts in textbooks of different countries will be pointed out as a result. There are countries which textbooks include the texts tending to support the formation of national identity only. Besides with these are the countries which textbooks from the early school years pay attention on the values of cultural diversity and formation of empathy towards other cultures. Comparative analysis of the text choice in textbooks of different countries and publishers leads to unexpected paradoxes of logic of formation of socio-cultural identity in primary school age.