Intellectual Independence Research Articles

Science literacy in the twenty-first century: informed trust and the competent outsider

ABSTRACT A primary justification of teaching science to all young people is to develop students to become “critical consumers” of science. This worthy goal, however, is hampered by a flawed premise that school science is sufficient to develop intellectual independence. In contrast, we start from the premise that we are all epistemically dependent on the expertise of others. Hence, any science education for all must develop the capabilities to become a “competent outsider” capable of making judgements not of the science itself, but whether the source is credible. Essential to developing such informed epistemic trust are: (1) a basic understanding of the social practices that enable the production of reliable knowledge; and (2) a familiarity with the major explanatory theories and styles of reasoning that guide the work of scientists. These elements provide a framework for the non-expert necessary to interpret and understand the work of scientists and the claims they make. We show how such an education would address three of the four primary aims of science education outlined by Rudolph (2022). To achieve this goal a substantial reduction of existing standards to an essential, but fundamentally different, core is required, while returning significant autonomy to classroom professionals.

EDUCATIONAL AUTONOMY AS AN IMPORTANT PREREQUISITE FOR THE FORMATION OF FUTURE PHDS’ RESEARCH COMPETENCE IN THE CONDITIONS OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES

The trend of student-centred education in higher education institutions imposes new requirements on standards within the achievement of professional competencies. This leads to the popularisation of such a technology as learning autonomy, which requires analysis from the perspective of its application in the ed- ucational space of higher education institutions. The relevance of this research is determined by the necessity to develop skills in future Doctors of Phi- losophy (PhD candidates) to independently plan their learning and research activities within the conditions of postgraduate studies. The resolution of this task is based on the skills of implementing goal-setting, pro- ject planning, and reflection strategies. On the basis of current educational trends, it becomes possible to analyse learning autonomy as an effective way of teaching future PhD candidates to ensure the successful implementation of their future professional and research activities. The purpose of this research is to examine the concept of “learning autonomy” as an effective meth- od of increasing the awareness of future PhD candidates in the process of developing research competence in terms of postgraduate studies. To achieve this goal, the following tasks were formulated: to consider learning autonomy as an effec- tive method of teaching and personal development of future PhD candidates; to analyse the scientific lit- erature on the stated issue and draw parallels between the definitions of “autonomous learning” and “in- dependent work”; to identify the main advantages of learning autonomy in the context of developing re- search competence. To achieve the aforementioned tasks, the following theoretical research methods were applied: the method of deduction, content analysis, formalisation, method of generalisation, and systematisation of the results of the existing studies on the stated issue. Study results. The results of the study revealed that the concept of “learning autonomy” is relevant in the context of modern education. Noting the absence of a unanimously accepted definition of this term in pedagogy, the article examines various interpretations proposed by both foreign and domestic researchers. On the basis of the conducted analysis of definitions, the article incorporates our own understanding of the concept of “learning autonomy”, emphasising its special importance for future PhD candidates with- in the conditions of postgraduate studies for the successful and effective development of research compe- tence.The article characterises the main descriptors that comprise learning autonomy, namely: the ability to set goals, target-oriented execution skills, the ability to self-reflect, intellectual independence, interac- tion and cooperation, self-governance skills, conscious, and effective independent management of learn- ing activities. Relying on practical experience, methods for enhancing learning autonomy have been identified in- cluding problem-based teaching, and partially search, research and project methods. The leading strategies of autonomous learning activities for future PhD candidates were identified as follows: primary and auxil- iary ones. The primary strategies include learning material acquisition strategies, educational-information- al, cognitive, compensatory, creative, and specialised strategies. Auxiliary strategies encompass metacog- nitive and socio-emotional strategies. It has been concluded that the development of such personal qualities as independence and autono- my is a necessary condition for carrying out independent activities, ensuring the success and continuity of the process of professional development of future specialists within the conditions of postgraduate studies, and the development of their research competence.

How supervisors affect students’ academic gains and research ability: An investigation through a qualitative study

A supervisory system is an essential part of higher education and plays a vital role in cultivating the high-level talents needed for high-quality national development and social progress. This study aims to determine how supervisors affect students' academic gains and research ability. This study used a qualitative research method to select 10 postgraduate students and their 7 supervisors for in-depth interviews from May to July 2022. This study aims to address the following questions: 1. What are the modes of supervisor-student communication? 2. What impact do these modes have on students? 3. What factors affect these modes? Three discoveries were made in this study. When supervisors and students communicate only regarding the academic content and students tend to fully follow supervisors' instructions, students obtain more academic output in the short term but lack autonomy. When supervisors and students discuss academic issues and life trifles equally, it helps in promoting students' comprehensive quality. When students do not have much contact with their supervisors and they get along like strangers, it is beneficial to cultivate students' intellectual independence, but students grow slowly. The factors influencing the communication modes include the supervisors' educational philosophy, postgraduate learning attitude, and supervisory system. In conclusion, the three communication modes can coexist together in a group of students led by the same supervisor. Whether a communication mode can promote the growth of students depends on the awakening of the students’ self-awareness, and the supervisory system is the most implicit factor underlying communication.

TƏLİM PROSESİNDƏ YENİYETMƏLƏRDƏ MÜSTƏQİLLİYİN İNKİŞAF ETDİRİLMƏSİ İMKANLARI

Possibilities for Developing Independence in Adolescents During the Training Process Summary The article determines that subject teachers and class teachers must be familiar with the pedagogical and psychological conditions for the development of independence in order to effectively form independence in adolescents, achieve their cognitive independence, educational independence and intellectual independence. Teaching subjects has wide educational and developmental opportunities. Only subject teachers, by revealing these opportunities, organizing and managing the activities of adolescents, can achieve independence in students. The knowledge and information acquired during the training process should be expanded and enriched in various forms of extracurricular activities. After prepared and carried out extracurricular activities, an analysis should be carried out and their results evaluated. Key words: training process, teenager, independent activity, oral and written literature, creative independence

Humanitarian import substitution: Some results and current tasks of the Russian social science

The relevance of the issues under consideration is determined by the recent fundamental social-political transformations associated with the exacerbation of a complex set of cultural, civilizational and, thus, intellectual contradictions between Russia and the West. These contradictions force both the Russian society and the Russian social science to reconsider the results of the last thirty years and to predict future scenarios, including intellectual ones. The article summarizes some results of the development of the Russian social science in the post-Soviet period and discusses (at least invites to a discussion) the possible contours of its further development according to the new logic of social processes. The article considers both the achievements of the Russian social-humanitarian thought in the post-Soviet period and its problems, primarily the loss of intellectual independence due to the uncritical borrowing and dogmatization of many Western intellectual models, some of which were created to understand a different social-cultural reality, and others were initially an intellectual weapon against the USSR (Russia). The author proposes the concept of “humanitarian import substitution” as a possible guideline for further development, which should be implemented on the principle of avoiding extremes: on the one hand, uncritical denial of the generally significant achievements of the Western social science and humanities; on the other hand, dogmatization of the ideas of Russian social scientists. The author considers as a resource for such “substitution” the largely untapped analytical and explanatory potential of the Russian literary tradition that can become a theoretical-methodological basis for many social and humanitarian models and concepts.

Responding to crises in authoritarian environments: Russian think tanks between policy evaluation and state endorsement

AbstractIn the literature on policy advice and analytical communities in democratic settings, think tanks are often assumed to be carriers of new ideas that serve as an informed and independent voice in policy debates. However, how much intellectual independence do think tanks have in authoritarian environments? This article tackles this question in a case study of Russian think tanks' discursive responses to two protracted crises: the COVID‐19 pandemic and climate change. The study employs a combination of deductive and inductive techniques to identify the discursive strategies used by think tank experts in their publications covering the crises. The findings suggest that there are differences in how think tanks communicate crises, which can be attributed to their institutional structures and position vis‐à‐vis the state. In some cases, the think tanks resort to polarization and discreditation of Western governments' crisis response, while openly endorsing the Russian state. In other cases, they engage in rationalization and more neutral analyses of the pandemic and climate change. However, regardless of these differences, they rarely concentrate on domestic challenges. Instead, they geopoliticize the crises, overemphasizing problematic developments elsewhere in the world, thus shifting attention in the public discourse away from domestic emergencies.

Islamisasi Ilmu Dalam Upaya Mengatasi Keterbelakangan Kualitas Umat Islam Di Era Modern

Education is important human progress. Likewise, Islamic education a very important role in determining the quality of life of Muslims. Unfortunately, in this modern era it can felt that Islamic education is lagging behind modern western. According to Al-Faruqi, this is evidenced by existence of identity crisis, loss of economic, political and intellectual independence in Islamic world, existence of sectarianism that focuses on borders, and slow modernization (Ramdhani, 2013 ). There are factors that cause these things, namely: the influence of western science and philosophy, colonialism, lack of Islamic unity, and lack of modernization of Islamic. To overcome these problems, ulama proposed the Islamization of science. This article was created using the SLR method. It aims to integrate Islamic principles and values into field of science and knowledge which involves a process of rethinking, re-evaluating and reconstructing scientific knowledge to enrich the vision and struggle of Islam (Sahide, 2015). The concept of Islamization of Science was introduced by Ismail Raji Al-Faruqi who defined it as an effort to integrate science into the unity of Muslim life with aims to improve the quality of Islamic education, and hoped it can also improve the quality of life of Muslims in this era.

“I Walked Out”: Perambulatory Poetics, Authorial Independence, and Isabella Whitney’s Poetic Voice in A Sweet Nosgay

ABSTRACT The act of walking energizes the formation of Isabella Whitney’s poetic voice in her second volume of verse, A Sweet Nosgay (pub. 1573). Walking out of her house, trespassing in Plat’s garden, and traversing the perimeter of Bedlam are just a few of the striking scenes that depict Whitney’s perambulation. To examine the connection between walking and the formation of her poetic voice, I suggest that Whitney’s walking operates in two distinct registers. Firstly, walking is a thematic concern that exposes her interest in the contours of intellectual independence, the process of artistic production, and the vulnerability occasioned by impecunity. Secondly, walking operates as a form of poetic performativity, figurative of her trajectory towards print publication. This essay expands discussion on Whitney’s mobility, suggesting that perambulatory poetics are a crucial component of her authorial self-presentation in A Sweet Nosgay.

Pedagogy of Responsibility

The following article reconstructs the philosophy of education implicit in Paul Ricœur’s late writings —above all, his “Autonomy and Vulnerability”— to address the current crisis in the humanities. In keeping with Kant and the Bildung tradition, Ricœur reminds us that education aims, above all, at self-formation. In particular, a “pedagogy of responsibility” serves as a bridge between vulnerability and “autonomy”: shorthand in Ricœur’s thought for character, intellectual independence, and moral maturity. Unlike orthodox Kantians, however, Ricœur highlights the indispensable role symbolic representation plays in the cultivation of autonomy, mutual recognition, and three related modes of identity: narrative identity, personal identity, and moral identity. Moreover, we learn this art of identity-formation from sustained study in the humanities (literature, philosophy, history, etc.).

Military Intelligence: Ill-Defined and Understudied

Despite being centrally important, military intelligence remains understudied and undertheorized. This negligence stems partly from its unclear definition and the difficult differentiation between “civilian” and “military” intelligence. The available official definitions serve instrumental purposes rather than compelling lines of reasoning and reflect the complex and heterogeneous structure of national military intelligence architectures. By using classical intelligence studies approaches, it is possible to get a better understanding of the various ways in which military intelligence can be defined. But such an approach must be complemented by an appreciation of five classic points of “bureaucratic contention” that influence how states define the role of military intelligence within their wider Intelligence Community. These are divided mandates, adequate warfighter support, consistency of national intelligence assessments, intellectual independence and rigor within military intelligence, and the optimal organization and integration of military expertise.

“New Humanist” Confucianism: A study of Mei Guangdi of the Xueheng group

Amidst the intellectual tides of the May Fourth Movement, Mei Guangdi (梅光迪, 1890–1945) believed that a “truly modern person” was someone who could maintain their intellectual independence and Confucian flexibility under immense cultural pressure. Because of this, Mei Guangdi took the advice of his mentor Irving Babbitt and supported the study and interpretation of the modernity within core Confucian philosophies to promote the Chinese national essence and absorb new knowledge. Mei Guangdi’s theoretical framework for “New Confucianism” included “exploring Europe’s cultural roots and its reasons for growth” rather than “ridiculously abandoning two thousand years of Chinese history.” With the aid of “folk literature,” he outlined a basic framework of modern cultural transition for “New Confucianism” and a “New Confucian Culture Movement.” In terms of core principles, Mei Guangdi emphasized the “eternal value of Confucianism” while offering new modern interpretations of “ritual.” The transformation of the “New Confucianism Movement” could be seen in how the concept of “gentleman” (junzi) affected societal transformation. More concretely, it influenced how new intellectuals understood citizenship, the responsibilities and roles of scholars, and the development of Confucianism. This article examines how Mei Guangdi used a holistic approach to Confucianism to create proposals for China’s modern cultural transition.

Prioritizing a Continuum of Care for Older Orphan Populations: A Qualitative Study from Two Transitional Centers in Armenia

Previous research in residential childcare institutions (RCI) has focused on youth under the age of eighteen. While reaching the age of majority typically signals the end of compulsory childhood institutionalization, age qualifications may deny ministration to young adults whose adolescence was marked by poverty, trauma, violence, or emotional deprivation. To investigate the need for a seamless transition into young adulthood, we interviewed 12 female residents housed in two “transitional centers” (TC) in Armenia. The respondents, while eager for emotional and fiscal autonomy, perceived their previous RCI as integral to their emotional development and thus recognized the need for ancillary care to prepare them for independent living. These findings suggest that Armenia’s TC offer a critical bridge between adolescence and adulthood, providing an environment within which socially vulnerable young adults can prepare for emotional, financial, and intellectual independence. Countries with significant orphan populations should consider integrating a TC component into their continuum of care model to assure that their most vulnerable children populations receive support throughout young adulthood.

Peran Dinas Sosial dalam Meningkatkan Kemandirian Anak Jalanan Melalui Pelatihan Keterampilan Potong Rambut di Kabupaten Situbondo

This research aims to describe the role of Social Service in improving independence of street kids through haircut training. This research uses a qualitative research approach. The research site is at the Social Service of Situbondo Regency using the purposive area technique. The technique for determining informants is using purposive sampling. Data collection techniques were carried out using interview, observation, and documentation methods. The data collection instrument is the researcher himself who is referred to as the human instrument. The technique of checking the validity of the data uses a credibility test, namely the extension of participation, persistence of observation, triangulation of sources and triangulation of methods. The data analysis technique uses the theory of Miles and Huberman, namely data collection, data reduction, data presentation of data verification. The results of the research conducted indicate that the Department of Social Affairs plays a role as a companion, mentor, coach, and promoter so that they can make changes and increase emotional independence, economic independence, intellectual independence, and social independence in street kids.
 Keywords: The Role of Social Services, Independence, Street Kids.

Higher education and research in the Brexit policy process

ABSTRACT This article on post-Brexit policies for higher education and research suggests that these public policy domains are characterised by their intellectual independence from the state or market. The authors see a legacy of the UK’s historical relationship with the EU in its treatment of the two epistemically linked domains, reflecting institutional differences. UK governments have generally been wary of EU involvement in higher education and supportive of research collaboration. Post-Brexit evidence suggests that the UK has been purposively ‘de-Europeanising’ higher education for the supposed gains of marketised international policy. But the UK is also a victim of its overarching Brexit policy, which risked failing to secure associate status for the UK in the EU’s world famous Horizon Europe science programme. The article explores the question of whether Brexit caused divergence in these sectors or whether it provided the opportunity for the UK government to solidify an already semi-autonomous policy trajectory.

Study of the Cognitive Initiative Formation of the Primary School Students

The article shows various theoretical approaches to the issue of considering the problem of formation of cognitive initiative of younger schoolchildren, defines the concept of “cognitive initiative” of younger schoolchildren, highlights its essential characteristics; among the characteristics are: active and independent striving for practical educational and cognitive activity, readiness for suprasituativity, the ability to make an informed choice. Such a free choice is given to the child in order to determine a motivational and volitional action — the ability to make a personal choice in a non-standard given situation, as well as the defining of a personally significant activity for the child. The younger student appears as a subject of the educational process, a full participant in social relations. Empirical results of identifying the actual level of formation of cognitive initiative in primary grades are presented on the basis of conducted research methods, namely expert assessment of teachers, not included observation and psychological and pedagogical experiment in the author's interpretation “Make your choice”, thanks to specially organized conditions where students can make a free and independent choice in favor of preferred significant practical activity. The results obtained during the interviewing of class teachers helped to determine significant parameters of the manifestation of the cognitive initiative of younger students in the course of educational activities, which are significant characteristics of the very concept of “cognitive initiative” and namely: initiative to answer a given question, difference in intellectual independence in work, initiative and search in the performance of creative tasks, knowledge of logical thinking techniques, perseverance in the performance of difficult tasks, dissatisfaction if forced to interrupt work, return to the verification of the completion of the task, passion in the execution of educational tasks, expressing the joy for their successes, readiness to solve complex problems.

Freedom and Agency in The Second Sex

Freedom and Agency in <i>The Second Sex</i>

Implementation Science in Surgery: Translating Outcomes to Action.

Implementation Science in Surgery: Translating Outcomes to Action.

Correlation Between Professional Identity and Life Orientations Among Students of Creative Fields of Study

What makes the study relevant is the need to make distinctions between approaches to students of creative areas of study. The article provides the results of an empirical study, which determines the status of professional identity among students of creative fields of study and identifies its correlation with life orientations. The authors define the phenomena of professional identity and life orientations in the psychological science; as well as analyze different positions in the psychological science on the age aspect of students and its correspondence with the stages of professional identity. The study was conducted among students of creative directions of the Irkutsk branch of the All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography named after S.A. Gerasimov. 40 people participated in the study: 1st and 2nd-year students of the university majoring in “Drama”, “Producing”, “Directing non-fiction and television films” as well as students of a secondary vocational education majoring in “Animation”. The study revealed high indicators of the premature status of professional identity, which manifests itself in less intellectual independence and vagueness of professional goals; it also affirmed the status of “moratorium” — experiencing a crisis, but making attempts to overcome it. There are direct positive connections between the indicators of the “process of life” and all the statuses of identity, achieved identity and all the indicators of life orientations. The closest connections manifested in the scale “Achieved identity”: where the “locus of self control” rs = 0.80; the “process of life” rs = 0.90; and the “goals of life” rs = 0.80.

No such thing as a free donation? Research funding and conflicts of interest in nuclear weapons policy analysis

Numerous scholars have in recent years concluded that the field of nuclear weapons policy analysis is plagued by widespread self-censorship, conformism, and enduring disconnects between accepted knowledge and available evidence. It has been hypothesized that this tendency is fostered in part by many analysts’ reliance on funding from donors with interests in the perpetuation of the existing nuclear order. In this article, we probe this hypothesis by investigating the financial links between foreign policy think tanks, on the one hand, and nuclear defence contractors and governments that espouse nuclear deterrence strategies, on the other. Relying on semi-structured interviews and a survey of the funding sources of 45 of the world’s top think tanks, we find, first, that effectively all think tanks in the sample accepted funding from nuclear vested interests and, second, that such ‘stakeholder funding’ has real effects on intellectual freedom. Given the widely-held view that democracy relies on intellectual independence, this finding calls for a serious debate about conflicts of interest in foreign policy analysis generally and nuclear policy analysis specifically.

The Effect of Apparent and Intellectual Sustainability Independence on the Credibility Gap of the Accounting Information

This study aims to recognize the sustainability independence of the Jordanian Association of Certified Public Accountants (JACPA/JCPA) and its impact on the credibility gap of the accounting information of companies operating in Jordan. This study demonstrates the effects of the apparent and intellectual sustainability independence on the credibility gap of accounting information. A total of 93 online questionnaires were analyzed using multiple regressions. The results revealed an impact of the apparent independence of the JCPA on the quality of the information credibility gap related to service fees, and no statistically significant impact for both consulting and accounting service fees was found. This study also concludes research regarding the impact of intellectual independence of the JCPA on the information credibility gap regarding the code of professional ethics and the commitment of auditing offices to their customers.