Importance Of Non-formal Education Research Articles

DEVELOPMENT OF DIGITAL COMPETENCE OF YOUNGER SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE CONDITIONS OF INFORMAL EDUCATION

Martial law conditions do not create favorable conditions for the education and development of children, but at the same time encourage the search for innovative tools. Temporal challenges determine the need to develop digital competence in younger schoolchildren. Modern society increasingly uses digital technologies in various aspects of life, including education and communication. In addition, the ability to use digital resources is also determined by the requirements for the professional skills of a modern teacher, because today mastering the basics of computer literacy is the basis of educational activity. The importance of non-formal education in the digital competence formation, especially in summer camps, increases. The article presents the authors’ practical experience in the development of digital skills of school-aged children in the summer camp «IT for Kids», which was organized by the NGO «Megasocium» in cooperation with the Center for Information Technologies of Uzhhorod National University with the support of the international humanitarian organization «People in Need Slovakia». Educational content included the basics of computer literacy, cyber security, internet safety, media literacy, programming and robotics. The main educational research goals: determination of key aspects of digital competence, approbation of pedagogical tools effective in the conditions of a military conflict; analysis of scientific research and European practices; assessment of the effectiveness of the application of these methods and approaches in the educational process; designing further work on the development of IT competence in conditions of non-formal education; outlining prospects and opportunities for digital skills developing of school-age children vis summer camps.

Deinstitutionalization of education in the context of a global professional shift

The aim of the work is to analyze the processes of transformation of modern education towards its deinstitutionalization under the influence of changes in the professional structure of the labor market. A global professional shift towards new professions emerging in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is considered as a modern trend, resulting in an increase in the role and importance of informal and informal education, accompanied by an increase in demand for online education. The main objectives of the study are to determine the current trends in the development of formal continuing education in the Russian Federation in comparison with the trends in the development of informal online education.Materials and methods. The analysis used the results of sociological research, statistical data reflecting the processes in the field of continuing professional education, the involvement of the adult population in continuing education, the demand for online education platforms in Russia, as well as expert opinions, analytical and informational materials, bibliographic sources. Secondary analysis and interpretation of the results of sociological surveys, systematization and classification of theoretical and factual materials used, methods of statistical analysis were used.Results. The study revealed that under the influence of the fourth industrial revolution, a global professional shift is taking place in the labor market, leading to a significant acceleration of the processes of de-institutionalization of vocational education, expressed in a significant increase in the role and importance of non-formal education in meeting the educational needs of citizens and networking of the educational process. The spread of informal online education leads to the blurring of the institutional boundaries of education as a traditional social institution. The list and content of additional vocational education (AVE) programs mostly reflect the traditional range of professions and are poorly transformed under the influence of a global professional shift. This determines the low level of involvement of the adult population in continuing formal education, and the flow of demand for additional education to the informal sector in the conditions of rapid development of online education. The risks of deinstitutionalization of vocational education are its dysfunctions, going beyond traditional functions, the emergence of new functions, which leads to the loss of «their place» by educational institutions and a decrease in the importance of traditional university education.Conclusion. The fourth industrial Revolution, provoking a global professional shift, leads to an increase in the importance of informal and informative online education. Changing the professional sphere requires accelerated development of a flexible, barrier-free, rapidly responding to these changes in the environment of advanced education, which becomes a constantly ongoing process immersed in an online environment. Its openness, integration with professional practice, networking and digitalization are becoming the most significant characteristics. Ecosystem educational spaces are becoming promising, forming both around educational organizations and around students, which indicates the continuation of the processes of deinstitutionalization of vocational education in the future.

Qalification assessment practices: new possibilities and constraints

Introduction. The transformation of the educational system and the labour market determines the need for objective procedures for independent assessment of qualifications that meet the needs of all stakeholders. The need to overcome the qualification gap is becoming more acute, and it is necessary to change the configuration of connections and relationships in the process of qualifications assessment, which determines the relevance of the current research.Aim. The present publication is aimed to analyse social processes related to the development of practices for evaluating qualifications obtained in both formal and non-formal education in Russia.Methodology and research methods. The methodological framework of the research is based on the principles of the activity approach and the concept of structuration, in which the practice of qualifications assessment is viewed as a combination of social relations between individual and collective actors in the space of social and labour relations. Data collection and analysis was carried out using a qualitative methodology of the sociological approach. A semi-formal interview was selected as the method of expert survey. Twenty-four experts from various sectors of the economy (Moscow, Ekaterinburg and Tyumen) took part in the interviews.Results and scientific novelty. The possibilities and constraints of existing practices for qualifications assessment were identified: assessment centres, qualification assessment centres, internal certification, professional evaluation of working professions within the framework of the “WorldSkills” programme in Russia. The analysis of international experience is presented. Based on expert assessments, it was established that practices specific to the industrial model of the economy prevail in Russia. Thus, the infrastructure and regulatory field were established for the development of new practices of independent qualification assessment. However, the main participants of the process are not involved enough in mutual interaction. The primary sector of the economy hinders the development of the high-technology manufacturing industry and the employers who are interested in creating a competency framework. According to experts, the importance of non-formal education in the development of relevant competencies is increasing, and new mechanisms for qualifications assessment obtained in both formal and informal training are required. The authors presented the cases, which illustrate new configurations of participants’ relationships, when independent assessment of qualifications is integrated with the formal educational system at the stage of state final certification, ensuring the interrelated procedures. The article reveals the contradictions, which are manifested in the interaction between applicants/employees, employers and the state. It is concluded that such contradictions affect the institutional mechanisms for the formation of a national system of independent qualification assessment.Practical significance. The analysis of alternative models for qualifications assessment revealed the interests of different stakeholders involved in this process, the possibility of using “hybrid” forms of qualifications assessment, as well as a number of contradictions related to regulatory, functional and institutional features. The results of the study can be useful for managers of educational institutions and employers to synchronise the processes for mutual assessment of qualifications. As a result, recommendations for the development of an independent qualification assessment system in Russia are proposed, and the prospects for further research are outlined.

The utility of non-formal education in addressing the school dropout phenomenon : a case study of Asifundeni Secondary School in Makonde District Zimbabwe

The study sought to explore students' views on the utility of non-formal education in addressing the school dropout phenomenon at secondary school level. Qualitative research approach was adopted and a case study design was utilised. The population consisted of all the students in the non-formal programme at the school from which a sample of 11 students (2 male and 9 female) was selected through purposive stratified sampling technique. Data were gathered through structured in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Non-formal education was seen to address the school dropout phenomenon by providing school drop outs with an opportunity to continue their education and hence becomes a form of empowerment. A number of challenges such as lack of adequate tuition in some subjects, lack of conducive learning environment as well as negative perception of non-formal education held by pupils in the formal stream and community members were identified. The study recommends that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should review the staffing situation in schools to ensure the availability of teachers in the various subjects in the non-formal stream. Schools should make an effort to provide appropriate learning facilities for students in the nonformal stream. Furthermore, schools should conscientise their communities on the importance of non-formal education.

Researching non-formal religious education: The example of the European study on confirmation work

This article discusses the need for researching non-formal religious education as a neglected field of empirical research in religious education. By describing the growing awareness of the theological and educational meaning and importance of non-formal education and by reviewing the literature on research in religious education which appears to be focused somewhat one-sidedly on the formal context of the school and of the school subject of Religious Education, the author creates a background for the presentation of current research on confirmation work in Europe. The author gives an overview on a more than 10-year-long project on confirmation work in nine European countries, with an emphasis on the research design, methods, and main results. The experiences from this project are then discussed from the perspective of research on non-formal religious education. Finally, the author considers implications of this research for religious education and practical theology in general.

The Situation of Lifelong Education in Turkey

The life of individual’s after formal education, to acquire the knowledge and skills that our time require for the people who didn’t get the formal education can be possible through non-formal education. Therefore, the importance of non-formal education has begun more and more important recently. The aim of this research is to examine the condition of public education centers, to identify the problems and find solutions to them. In this research, priority, the conditions of public education centers have been identified. Also, the structures of the courses and trainees and their distribution across the country, the courses and their features, the features of the trainers who have worked in these courses have been analyzed. Secondly; the problems of public education and the issue of how can these problems be solved emphasized.

Neformaliojo ugdymo svarba pozityviajai socializacijai

SummaryRecently, numerous discussions about the importance of informal teaching in Lithuania have emerged. Nonetheless, various researches and the practical situation reveal the poor variety of out-of-class activities for children and provides for non-formal teaching activities that dissatisfy schoolchildren needs. The objectives of this research were to disclose the theoretical background of the non-formal teaching in the positive socialization, to determine what are the exact preconditions of a successful establishment of the nonformal teaching process for children, and to point out the improvement possibilities of non-formal teaching. Scholars emphasize the importance of non-formal teaching for creativeness and the important activities that influence the values and a positive socialization of a person. To organize qualitative leisure time activities of children and their motivation, participation are essential pedagogical issues in Lithuania and other countries. The objective of the present research was to expose the importance of non-formal education for the positive socialization of children.The conclusion of the research:When speaking about the conception of non-formal education, it is important to acknowledge that the informal teaching is oriented on the development of professional skills and improving personality. The nonformal education provides a young person with a possibility of expressing himself in a field where he or she is capable to improve individual potency, find appealing ways of spending leisure time, to acquire new competencies.The examined references and the undertaken study revealed that positive personality establishment is highly influenced by family, the culture of school, the informal peer, (the pattern) of adults and friends behaviour, where the informal education takes a place in such formation too. Well organized informal teaching of children and teenagers is an essential condition for socialization of a new peer and most effective crime prevention.– Both parties of respondents (herein, teachers and parents) equally agree on a fact that the process o informal teaching positively influences a child’s personality development. The majority of the respondents confirm that during participation in the informal teaching process, social, personal and educational competencies are developed.– Questioned parents and teachers approve that during the participation in such informal teaching activities such students’ (children) capabilities as self-sufficiency, self-confidence, responsibility and attentiveness are developed. According to the opinion of the respondents, the activity of informal teaching fosters their busyness, motivates them to take a part in their favourite activity, helps pupils to positively socialize in a society and expose children personal skills.– Concerning the problems arisen in the informal teaching, both parties claimed there is shortage of kids’ clubs, they also mentioned the financing difficulties and deficiency of desirable kids’ clubs.Key words: non-formal education, non-formal education of children, positive socialization.