Educational Ideas Research Articles

Evaluating STEAM-competence of prospective natural science teachers

Introduction. The article studies the problem of developing STEAM competence in undergraduates pursuing their first degree in natural science education. The authors justify the necessity of introducing the discipline called ‘STEAM-approach in natural science education’ into the curriculum. The purpose of the article is to assess the readiness of future teachers of natural science subjects to implement STEAM education. Materials and Methods. The research methodology follows integrative, complex and contextual principles and the essential ideas of STEAM education aimed at the formation of STEAM-competencies in future natural science teachers. The authors summarized existing approaches to identifying key competencies, developed the structure of STEAM competence and designed the syllabus for ‘STEAM approach in natural science education’ discipline. The academic discipline ‘STEAM approach in natural science education’ was integrated in the curriculum of ‘Biology and Geography’ undergraduate programme and tested in the educational process. Final evaluating procedures which assessed the level of developing the components of STEAM competence included the comparative analysis of data obtained by means of questionnaires of teachers and students and the comparative assessment of some components of the STEAM competence in the control and experimental groups. Experimental work was conducted in secondary education settings in the Republic of Belarus and in the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Belarusian State Pedagogical University named after Maxim Tank. The study involved 33 natural science teachers and 70 undergraduates doing their first degrees in the Faculty of Natural Sciences at BSPU named after Maxim Tank. The methods of theoretical analysis, comparison, questionnaire, testing, and statistical data processing were used in the study. Results. In the course of the research, the need for the formation of STEAM competence in future teachers of natural science subjects is substantiated; a system of their preparation for the implementation of STEAM education is developed and justified. The results of experimental work confirm that the effectiveness of training future natural science teachers to implement STEAM approach is determined by academic disciplines, which involve students in STEAM education. Conclusions. The results obtained prove the effectiveness of developing STEAM competence in future natural science teachers by means of targeted method training provided at the first stage of higher education. Teaching ‘STEAM approach in natural science education’ discipline as one of the elements of future teachers’ method preparation for implementing STEAM education contributes to the improvement of their STEAM competence.

Konsep Pendidikan Islam Perspektif KH. Hasyim Asy’ari dan KH. Ahmad Dahlan

Islamic education is basically a step in the right direction. This improvement, which has occurred since the Prophet Muhammad SAW lived until recently, was the result of completed direction from Allah. Numerous Muslim academic experts have focused their attention on Islamic education and have produced numerous publications in this area. K.H. Ahmad Dahlan placed Muslims at the center of science, while K.H. Hasyim Asy`ari prioritized religious education over general education. K.H. Ahmad Dahlan presented two ideas regarding the outcomes of Islamic education: the creation of intellectual ulama and the intellectual ulama itself. According to K.H. Hasyim Asy`ari and K.H. Ahmad Dahlan, the idea of Islamic education is highly helpful in expanding Islamic education in this nation and can result in Muslims who are whole and true to their nature. Furthermore, it is a very good idea to implement in this country since the concept they developed can help shape a progressive society or pupils who can meet the problems of this globalized period

Popularization of academic knowledge in the university media using the example of publications of the newspapers “Leninets” and “Pedagogical University”

The article presents the results of the analysis of publications in the newspapers of Moscow Pedagogical State University dedicated to the academic school of Professor T. A. Ladyzhenskaya for the 1980–2010s. This topic is especially relevant in 2023, which is declared the year of the teacher and mentor in Russia. T. A. Ladyzhenskaya is just such a mentor for teachers of the USSR and modern Russia. The article for the first time examines and lists all publications of the newspapers “Leninets” and “Pedagogical University”, which reflect the pedagogical ideas of Taisa Alekseevna Ladyzhenskaya, and also explores the popularization of academic knowledge in the university press. It is noted that largely due to the informal, recreational, journalistic presentation of materials, the audience perceives academic information better. The attention of readers is attracted by the genres themselves (reportage, interview, essay).

Authentic STEM education through modelling: an international Delphi study

BackgroundThe literature asserts that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education needs to be authentic. Although models and modelling provide a basis from which to increase authenticity by bridging the STEM disciplines, the idea of authentic STEM education remains challenging to define. In response, the aim of this study is to identify consensus on significant elements of authentic STEM education through models and modelling. Views were gathered anonymously over three rounds of questions with an expert panel. Responses were subjected to a multimethod analysis that pursued identification, consensus, and stability in the panel’s revealed propositions and themes around authentic STEM education through modelling.ResultsThe panel reached high consensus concerning the potential of STEM education to support learning across traditional subject borders through authentic problem solving. The panel also consented that modelling is indispensable for achieving real-world relevance in STEM education, and that model-based integrated STEM education approaches provide opportunities for authentic problem solving. Furthermore, results showed that integrating individual STEM subjects during teaching, in terms of including disciplinary knowledge and skills, requires specialised competence. Here, technology and engineering subjects tended to implicitly underpin communicated teaching activities aimed at STEM integration.Conclusions and implicationsThe panellists stress that STEM disciplines should be taught collaboratively at the same time as they are not in favour of STEM as a subject of its own but rather as a cooperation that maintains the integrity of each individual subject. Many respondents mentioned integrated STEM projects that included modelling and engineering design, although they were not specifically labelled as engineering projects. Thus, real-world STEM education scenarios are often viewed as being primarily technology and engineering based. The panel responses also implicate a need for multiple definitions of authenticity for different educational levels because a great deal of uncertainty surrounding authenticity seems to originate from the concept implying different meanings for different STEM audiences. These international Delphi findings can potentially inform integrated STEM classroom interventions, teacher education development, educational resource and curriculum design.

Hanna Wentlandtowa (1906–1994) – Woman-Soldier, Promoter of Education, Precursor of Health Education and Health Promotion

The article presents the professional, social, and academic profile of Hanna Wentlandtowa. Her work centred around the idea of spreading education and culture, which she pursued from the interwar period to the 1980s. As an ardent patriot, she served in the structures of the Home Army during World War II. Wentlandtowa’s achievements in the field of hygiene and health education are part of the development of the modern concept of health education.

Beyond the Classroom: A Case Study on the Relationship Between Education as a Public Good, Social Justice and Critical Pedagogy

The idea of education being a transformative force is central to the discourse of education. But with the evolution of societies at a rapid pace, the idea of education being a ‘public good’ stands challenged and needs to be further analysed in relation to contemporary societies. This article argues that the understanding of public goods stemming from the discipline of economics is inadequate to define the needs of the contemporary education systems. The article highlights that the idea/element of ‘social justice’ is central to understand the concept of education as a ‘public good’, and even though Indian policies on education have an element of social justice, the practice of it needs reimagining. Building on evidence from the ‘Bihar Mentorship Project’, which was an action research project at the Centre for Budget and Policy Studies, Bengaluru, the article establishes that ‘critical pedagogy’ can become a vital tool to actualise the idea of social justice in education systems and, hence, is at the core of imagining education as a ‘public good’.

Research on the Innovative Path of Student Management in Universities-Based on the Perspective of Medical Intern Mentoring System

Universities are important professional talent training bases in China. Promoting the reform and innovation of student management in universities is a solid foundation and strong guarantee for cultivating talents of the new era who possess both moral integrity and talent, and are fully developed. Currently, the traditional management of college students lags behind, teachers lack enthusiasm for teaching, and students lack the ability to learn independently. In order to improve the level of student management and the quality of clinical internship teaching, this article focuses on the opportunities and challenges faced by university student management work, always adhering to the logical mainline of high-quality talent cultivation, and starting from the research background, existing problems, influencing factors, and countermeasures of the internship supervisor system, constructing a student-centered clinical teaching concept and establishing a diversified teaching quality evaluation system. It’s important to standardize the rules and regulations of the mentor system, innovate teaching ideas, improve the assessment and incentive mechanism of the mentor system for medical interns, continuously improve the hospital teaching system, establish a suitable teaching management system, enhance the effectiveness of university student management work, and serve the cultivation of high-quality talents.

Research on the Mechanism of Dual Integration and Promotion of Confucian Moral Education Thought and College Students’ Civic Education Based on Data Fusion Model

Abstract This paper uses Data fusion technology to integrate Confucian moral education with Civic Education. Different information sources are detected, and their parameter states are estimated using a weighted estimation algorithm. Principal component analysis is used to linearly transform the original information and calculate the weight values of the main feature vectors. The trust function is established using the D-S combination theory to achieve the fusion of knowledge structures. The results show that the average access rate of the teaching platform constructed based on data fusion reached 89.2% per week, and the average number of platform hits was around 716 per week. It shows that the integration of Confucian moral education ideas has enriched the content of Civic Education for college students and realized the teaching mechanism of double integration and double promotion.

Learners’ cognitive processing problems during comprehension as a basis for L2 listening research

Second language (L2) learners often experience challenges when they listen. This is due to limitations in their ability to recognise words in streams of speech, apply their knowledge of L2 vocabulary and grammar to process the input, and construct an interpretation that is reasonably complete by using their prior and contextual knowledge. In this paper I consider the importance of identifying learners' cognitive processing problems and why it should be a basis or rationale for conducting L2 listening research. I do this by reviewing ideas discussed in my 2000 System paper which reported a study on L2 learners' real-time cognitive problems during perceptual processing, parsing and utilisation, and proposed pedagogical ideas for developing skills and strategies for overcoming these problems. These early findings on learners' real-time listening problems have lent support to the need for investigating how internal factors might impinge on cognitive processes and pedagogical interventions that may help to improve learners' cognitive processing. I offer suggestions for expanding the scope of research on learners' listening difficulties and distilling new questions from some current lines of inquiry. I also recommend that L2 researchers work with researchers in areas such as neuroscience to adopt new tools and methods for investigating learners’ cognitive processes.

The relationship of exercise and cancer-related fatigue in patients with advanced liver cancer: a cross-sectional study

There is increasing interest in understanding exercise as a potential treatment for cancer-related fatigue (CRF); however, rarely research has been conducted on more aggressive cancers with short survival, such as liver cancer. The purpose of this study was to provide educational ideas for insufficient exercise and provide clues for the design of effective and safe exercise intervention programs with high compliance in patients of advanced liver cancer in the future. Participants were recruited from a tertiary cancer hospital using convenience sampling. All participants were asked to complete self-report questionnaires that assessed their medical and demographic variables, exercise habits and CRF during their hospitalization in the interventional department. Spearman’s correlation analysis and Nonparametric test was used to explore correlations between exercise subgroups and CRF. The Baron and Kenny’s Approach was used to investigate the mediating effect of exercise index between P-EX and CRF. 207 out of 255 participants were enrolled in this study, with an average age of 55.4 years. The CRF score was 33 (28, 36), and 93.2% had insufficient exercise. Exercise frequency (≥ 3 Times/week) (Z = 4.34, p = 0.037) and maintaining exercise trend (Z = 15.85, p = 0.001) had a positive effect on CRF. P-EX had a great impact on exercise index and affecting CRF directly. Participants in the study showed serious fatigue and insufficient exercise. Exercise education can be initiated earlier, particularly those without regular exercise experience. Sustained light exercise, compliant with exercise habits and interests, three times a week may be a practical way to reduce the risk of CRF in advanced liver cancer.

The value of a modern science museum

The modern science museum is not merely a collection of historical artefacts and exhibits from the natural world depicting physical, chemical and biological phenomena. It is also a science center, which creates a space for learning about and understanding science mainly through interactive exhibits. Working with interactive exhibits can play an important role in the educational process of young people interested in science. It can provide an opportunity to actively engage in making observations, analyze information and draw conclusions, in an enjoyable setting. The incorporation of these ideas in science education is reflected in the commonly used phrases, “learning science by doing science” and “science is fun”. 
 
 At a time when developing an educational system relevant for Sri Lanka in the 21st century is being discussed at various levels of policy making, undue importance is given sometimes to changing syllabi and course contents. In keeping with world-wide trends, a more important aspect of reforms should be to shift the focus from curriculum-based teacher directed education, to one that is curiosity driven, student centred active learning, particularly in the early years. In catalyzing this shift, the access to modern science museums can play a major role. It will be difficult for a school to provide children with the experience they can have in a science centre functioning within a science museum. In addition to exhibits, the museum will provide for an information system including a library and also other resources such as an auditorium for public lectures, films and demonstrations. The learning experience in a science museum is often a social experience, shared by family, friends and other visitors to the museum.
 
 Thus, science museums will also serve to spread scientific knowledge and the culture of science among the general population which will help in creating an informed population, better able to take rational decisions on issues facing society.

An analysis of the applicability of integrating Confucian moral education ideas into the Civic Education of college students under the perspective of cultural communication

Abstract This paper firstly constructs the mutual mechanism between the characteristics of Confucian moral education thought, and college students’ Civic Education and the influence mechanism of college students’ psychological characteristics on the integration of Confucian moral education thought. Then a logistic regression model of the integration of Confucian moral education into Civic Education was established, and data collection, pre-processing, missing data processing and parameter estimation steps were carried out. Finally, the results of the application of Confucian moral education thought in Civic Education were analyzed, including the analysis of the factors influencing the integration effect and the analysis of the results of psycho-social cognitive factors on the optimization of moral education strategies. The results show that the interaction coefficients of the three regression models of the exposure to Confucian moral education ideas and the effect of ideological and political education dissemination among college students are 0.7325, 0.4817, and 0.3885, respectively, and the coefficients of the interaction terms are all significant at the level of 0.05. The research in this paper has some reference value for promoting the development of moral education and the transmission of cultural values.

William Wordsworth, Charlotte Mason and contemporary primary school education

ABSTRACT The hundredth anniversary of the death of a once famous educator, Charlotte Mason, has stimulated renewed interest and research in her philosophy and her practice in primary education, particularly since this was based on the enjoyment, interests and self-motivation of young children. This paper traces the influence of educational ideas in the poetry of William Wordsworth (1770–1850). On the philosophy of nineteenth-century educator, Charlotte Mason (1842–1823). First, there are brief biographies of Wordsworth and Mason. Then the paper explores similarities in their refreshing ideas about the nature of childhood, how children learn, learning outdoors, the need for children to have time to explore independently and the importance of a rich vocabulary and good literature. Many of their beliefs are still threatened by rigid curricula, frequent testing and inspections to enforce compliance, which they contested. In conclusion, examples are given of current practice illustrating how the philosophy of Wordsworth and Mason is relevant and how it can be interpreted today.

The system of continuous design education in Ukraine in the context of higher education modernization

Continuous education is characterized by a constantly evolving complex of innovative pedagogical knowledge presented in the context of modernizing higher education in Ukraine. It has determined the relevance of the proposed research. The article aims to establish the effectiveness of introducing a range of educational components of continuous design education into pedagogical courses, perceived as innovations in education, to identify the problems of motivation and integration of the idea of continuous design education into the professional activities of educators. Several planning aspects of education modernization have been identified (attitude of educators towards innovation, anxious use of innovation in design education, external difficulties in introducing innovation in continuous education, innovative pedagogical practices, and readiness for modernization of design education in the higher education space). The study conducted comprehensive research, applying the method of pedagogical experiment. Surveys, observation, and experimental methods were used to diagnose the effectiveness of modernizing design education among educators in this field. The central hypothesis is that continuous courses in design education and self-education activities related to innovations in university education actively contribute to the popularization of continuous education in creative sectors of the national economy and anticipate their integration into the teaching activities of higher education staff. This research proves that programs of continuous training of specialists in design education and educational courses associated with innovation are effective and make it possible to use innovation in their professional practice. Further perspective is to investigate the development of continuous education in the territory of Ukrainian higher education.

Study on Open Financing Models of Small and Medium-Sized Internet Education Enterprises

Small and medium-sized Internet education enterprises have faced financing difficulties and expensive financing due to their small size, low assets and lack of collateral. The development of the Internet, big data and sharing economy provides new ideas for small and medium-sized Internet education enterprises to alleviate financing difficulties. This paper combines the traditional financing model with the internet financing model to construct an open financing model for small and medium-sized internet education enterprises, which has the characteristics of multi-subject participation, openness, high efficiency, omni-directionality, resource integration, etc., and is able to effectively solve the information asymmetry, reduce the financing risk, and improve the efficiency of financing faced in the financing process. The conclusion of the study provides a reference for solving the financing constraints of small and medium-sized Internet education enterprises, which is conducive to promoting the growth of small and medium-sized Internet education enterprises.

Rethinking Teaching Strategies: Considerations for Promoting Equity, Diversity, And Inclusion

Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) significantly enhance educational opportunities for all learners and prepare socially and economically inclusive societies. Classrooms are increasingly diverse as difference is an essential part of human life, in the past, current, and future. The ideas of teaching for diversity, equity, and inclusion complement each other and enhance educational opportunities for all pupils when simultaneously engaged. This study examines primary school teachers’ views on their continuous professional development (CPD) needs to ensure all pupils are supported for quality education. Studies implemented mainly focus on the perspectives and beliefs of mainstream or special education teachers about inclusive education. Yet, teachers' voices about their own CPD needs to improve their inclusive practice remained overlooked. This study, therefore, adopts a qualitative approach where 76 respondents were purposely sampled from five national schools in Malaysia. Semi-structured interviews of focus groups and individuals were implemented; with 10 classroom observations executed before the individual interviews. Data were analysed thematically using qualitative analysis software. The study shows that teachers view CPD as a strategy to drive change and improve teachers’ practice as professionals and effective CPD activities focus on addressing the belief and knowledge of teachers in improving their teaching strategies to tackle all pupils. This article provides a useful guide for school leaders in planning, implementing, and culture the CPD activities. Infusing EDI in CPD is essential for promoting an inclusive learning environment and is conducive to ensuring that all pupils could achieve their optimum potential with teachers’ enhanced teaching strategies.

Designing Patient-Centered Health Education Materials for Radiation Dermatitis in Breast Cancer Patients: A Pilot Study and Single-Center Clinical Trial.

For breast cancer patients receiving radiotherapy (RT), radiation dermatitis is the most commonly experienced discomfort. However, patients usually do not participate in the design of health education materials regarding radiation dermatitis. We designed a pilot study to investigate the unmet need of breast cancer patients who would be receiving RT at our department and created a patient-centered educational video. We initiated a single-arm clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the video in improving patient and their family's knowledge of radiation dermatitis, alleviating their anxiety, and helping patients improve self-care skills during RT course. The pilot study was executed in a radiation oncology department of a tertiary medical center in Taiwan. We designed a questionnaire to explore new breast cancer patients' idea of a comprehensive pre-RT health education. Enrolled patients would fill out an electronic questionnaire during their first visit at our outpatient clinic. They were asked to select at most two of the following items they considered most important for pre-RT health education: (1) The mechanism behind RT; (2) Self-care skills for irradiated skin; (3) Activities to be avoided during RT course; (4) The toxicity grading of radiation dermatitis. Given the above information, we created a 4-minute video set in a clinical scenario of a patient receiving pre-RT health education from a nurse. A single-arm clinical trial (IRB approval number: CMUH111-REC2-121) is currently recruiting. The video was launched on YouTube (Link: https://youtu.be/O1uTXpS_ed0) to give patients easy access to the video. Enrolled patients would complete Skindex-16 survey (translated into Chinese) at 3 timepoints: during their first visit at our clinic, in the middle of RT course, and at the first post-RT follow-up visit. Cronbach's alpha test was applied to determine the internal consistency of the questionnaires. The pilot study included 19 patients with an average age of 46.6 (range: 34 to 69) years old. All patients' primary language was Chinese Mandarin. Most patients (84%) received at least secondary education. We found by surprise that RTOG skin toxicity grading was considered very important for most patients (79%), while less than half (42%) found the mechanism behind RT important. The internal validity of the Chinese version of Skindex-16 was good (Cronbach's alpha score = 0.87). For the recruiting trial, we have enrolled 10 patients and planned to close the trial upon enrolling 50 participants. The study result should be available before August 2023. We suggest to actively involve patients in designing health education materials for patient-centered care. Toxicity grading of radiation dermatitis should be included in pre-RT health education for breast cancer patients. Whether the educational video helps reduce patients' anxiety and the incidence of severe radiation dermatitis will soon be answered by our ongoing clinical trial.

Ideological and political education integrated into educational psychology on schizophrenia of college students

BackgroundThe development of educational psychology provides new ideas for ideological and political education in colleges and universities.Subjects and MethodsThe study selected students with schizophrenia in a university as the research objects and randomly divided them into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group adopted the ideological and political education in colleges and universities integrated with the idea of educational psychology, while the control group adopted the traditional ideological and political education in colleges and universities. The Minnesota Multiple Personality Inventory (MMPI) was used to calculate schizophrenia symptom scores, and statistical software SAS was used for data analysis and comparison.ResultsOver the course of six months, the schizophrenia score scale in the control group changed from 65 to 63, while the schizophrenia score scale in the experimental group changed from 67 to 58. In the experimental group, the symptoms of patients with schizophrenia were significantly relieved (P<0.05). The experimental results show that the application of educational psychology to ideological and political education in colleges and universities has a significant impact on college students with schizophrenia.ConclusionsThe application of educational psychology in ideological and political teaching in colleges and universities has obvious positive effects on college students with schizophrenia, and provides a potential treatment method. The results of this study provide a reference for ideological and political teaching in colleges and universities and the alleviation of schizophrenia symptoms.AcknowledgementHenan medical science and technology research project (No.LHGJ20200150).

The Fundamental Concept of Islamic Education Perspective K.H. Hasyim Asy'ari

The basic concept of Islamic education has emerged along with the emergence of Islam in the world. The Qur'an as a source of knowledge became a different motivator for Muslim intellectuals in the Middle age, so Islam developed rapidly in the century. Along the times, many basic concepts of Islamic education were born; one was from K.H Hasyim Asy'ari: a Kiai and a big figure in the freedom fight. By referring to the Qur'an and Hadith, he emphasized that the basis of Islamic education aims to create perfect humans. He described the concept of Islamic education clearly in several of his books. This study uses a qualitative method of library research, which aims to describe the basic idea of Islamic education from the perspective of K.H Hasyim Asy'ari, which is widely revealed in several of his books, one of them is Adabul 'Alim wa Muta'allim. Library research is the study research that utilizes library data as a data source. Thus, to find out in detail his concept of education, which is focused on not only religious education such as the study of the interpretation of the Qur'an, hadith, ushuluddin, books of the madhhab fiqh, nahwu, Musharraf, and material that discusses Sufism but also studies general, adapted to the times.

The aid of new ideas of legal education in the treatment of SAD in college students

BackgroundSocial anxiety disorder is a common psychological problem in college students, affecting their social function and quality of life. The current therapeutic methods mainly include psychotherapy and drug therapy, which have some limitations while obtaining certain curative effects.Subjects and MethodsA total of 200 college students diagnosed with social anxiety disorder were selected and assessed by the Stanford Acute Stress Response Questionnaire and 3-minute Disorder Assessment Scale. SPSS 23.0 was used for data analysis.ResultsThe results showed that the social anxiety symptoms were significantly reduced in the college students who received the new concept of legal education-assisted therapy. Before treatment, participants’ social anxiety scores averaged 6.2 (s=1.4), which dropped to 3.8 (s=1.2) after treatment. Similarly, scores of anxiety levels were significantly lower, with average scores of 24.6 (s=3.7) before treatment and 14.2 (s=2.8) after treatment. In addition, the participants’ social functioning improved significantly. Before treatment, participants reported social functioning scores of 55.8 (s=6.2) on average, which improved to 78.4 (s=5.1) after treatment. This indicates that the new concept of legal education has a significant promoting effect on improving college students’ social ability and mental health.ConclusionsIt is found that the new concept of legal education plays an important auxiliary role in the treatment of college students’ social anxiety disorder. It improves the mental health and social ability of college students by reducing anxiety and improving social function.