Levels Of Educational Achievement Research Articles

CRITICAL THINKING OF IT TEACHERS AS IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF THEIR PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE

The article analyzes the role of critical thinking in professional growth, proves that critical thinking is an integral part of the professional competencies of future computer science teachers, an important component of modern higher education. The definition of the concept of critical thinking is clarified and presented in the author's interpretation as a type of thinking and evaluation activity, which is manifested in special skills that are formed in the process of professional training, and which are necessary for the effective solution of professional problems. The study outlines the principles of development of critical thinking and identifies four stages of development of critical thinking of future computer science teachers. The author of the article emphasizes the observance of certain pedagogical conditions in the process of forming students' critical thinking: taking into account age, level of educational achievements, available life experience. It was found that the basis of critical thinking is such qualities of the mind as curiosity, flexibility, depth, discipline, organization of mental activity, critical thinking, which must be developed in the future specialist. Based on the analysis of scientific sources and practical developments, it is proved that critical thinking is the key to the productive professional activity of future teachers in ensuring compliance with the requirements for mandatory learning outcomes of students in the field of informatics, self-improvement, reflection.

Greening education at the university in the socio–economic and pedagogical areas of training

Socio–economic processes have accelerated in the information society, technological cycles are not 20–30 years, as before, but 3–5, which radically changes the tasks of professional training of personnel of all levels and specialties. The problem of environmental education has now gone beyond national boundaries and acquired international importance. Domestic pedagogy should more actively introduce scientific developments and achievements into educational practice, in particular, through new special courses, technologies for the formation of ecological thinking, consciousness, and culture of university students, using modern psychological and pedagogical approaches. The intellectual potential of a country determines its place and role in the international arena. Today, the cost of this product in the economic exchange of developed countries is close to the value of the mass of commodities, therefore, domestic education should become a priority, widespread field of activity in the state, and environmental education – the most prestigious, most powerful basis for active and vital research in various areas: social , technical, medical, pedagogical, economic. Practical and theoretical contributions to the world education and science system can raise the level of national environmental and educational achievements to a prominent place in the world.

The Association Between Mode of Delivery and Later Educational Outcomes

IntroductionCaesarean section (C-section) is becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide. It can be a life-saving intervention when medical complications arise, but may cause adverse consequences for the mothers when it is not medically necessary. The upwards trend of C-section is becoming a general concern as it might be associated with a wide range of child outcomes such as immune diseases, respiratory diseases and developmental problems. One underlying mechanism of such association is through gut microbiota. Mode of delivery is a signification factor which determines the gut bacterial environment in early days of life. Gut microbiota can impact cognitive development via microbiota gut brain axis.
 Objectives and ApproachThis study investigated the association between mode of delivery and later educational outcomes of the children, using linked data from New Zealand Integrated Data Infrastructure. The participants consisted of children born in New Zealand between 1Jan1996 and 31Dec1998. All birth information were retrieved from Department of Internal Affairs and were linked to Ministry of Health data to obtain delivery methods from mothers’ diagnosis records. Once delivery modes were identified, the data was then linked to records from Ministry of Education to obtain children’s educational outcomes at secondary school. Three outcome variables were chosen: University Entrance, Highest Endorsement Level and National Certificate of Educational Achievement Level 2 Percentile Score.
 ResultsThe results have shown that C-section and assisted vaginal delivery were associated with better secondary school educational achievement, comparing to unassisted vaginal delivery. The results persisted after adjusting for sociodemographic factors such as household income, maternal education and deprivation index; infant factors such as birth weight, gestational age and ethnicity. However, when within family variation was further controlled for in the sibling fixed effects analysis, C-section was no longer associated with improved educational achievement.
 Conclusion / ImplicationsThis indicated that the impact of delivery mode might be negligible on later educational achievement.

Understanding caregiver profiles of older adults reporting cognitive decline: A descriptive study from North India

AbstractBackgroundAs India gets closer to an expected 7.6 million dementia cases by 2030, families are tasked with care‐giving in the absence of affordable healthcare and adequate health systems. Those most impacted include elderly caregivers, and are mostly female spouses of persons with dementia. With transitions from joint family systems to more nuclear structures due to urbanization and migration, understanding characteristics of family caregivers will be critical to developing adequate support systems and enabling better home‐based care in urban areas.MethodScreening camps were conducted in 8 locations across a North Indian urban area over 7 months, including a government hospital, communities, and senior centers. Assessment measures involved a brief cognitive assessment and screening for mental health, neurological, and preexisting medical issues. Sociodemographic information was collected from the accompanying family member. Both caregiver and the person reporting cognitive complaints were provided information about dementia symptoms with referrals to neurologists, psychiatrists or medical professionals based on screening results.ResultA total of 194 persons (112 men, 82 women) were screened after reporting subjective cognitive decline; on evaluation, 4% and 5% had symptoms indicative of dementia and definite cognitive decline, respectively. Findings also indicated that 58% of participants also had symptoms of depression and anxiety, causing concern for caregivers. Majority of participants were accompanied by a family member and only 7 participants lived on their own. Sociodemographic information was collected for a total of 187 caregivers (58% women, 42% men). 67% of caregivers were aged 55 years and above, indicative of caregivers themselves ageing whilst having to take care of an aging relative; 33% were aged 20‐34 years. 97% were immediate family members taking on primary care‐giving responsibilities (51% wives, 26% husbands, 16% sons, 4% daughters) indicating high risk for caregiver burden. More than 75% of those surveyed were educated above high school, indicating rising levels of educational achievement in urban areas. 35% of caregivers were homemakers and women, highlighting necessity for low‐cost or cost‐effective models of home‐based care services.ConclusionHealth systems and support mechanisms for the elderly are underdeveloped in India and require effective home‐based care models taking into consideration caregiver characteristics.

Survey of Attitudes on Personal Protection Interventions against COVID-19 Including MMR Vaccination and Future Anti-COVID Vaccines

An electronic survey was conducted in October, 2020 among individuals primarily age 60 and older regarding their degree of confidence of deriving personal protection from 8 different anti-COVID interventions - social isolation, lockdowns, avoiding restaurants, taking MMR vaccine, wearing masks when indoors with others, avoiding hotels, avoiding commercial air travel, and using the first future specific anti-COVID vaccine. Responses were received from 135 persons from many different U.S. regions and 5 foreign countries. Respondents were generally individuals with very high levels of education and personal achievement. Results demonstrated wide diversity of responses regarding each of these interventions. None were strongly supported by a majority of respondents, but those receiving the largest proportions of strong support were social isolation (41%), wearing masks indoors (41%), and using the first anti-COVID vaccine (41%). MMR (Measles-Mumps-Rubella) vaccination was viewed much more positively than negatively but had the highest proportion of individuals who felt they had insufficient data to formulate an opinion. The largest number of strong negative assessments were toward lockdowns (37%). We speculate that the wide variation in perception of possible benefits from the surveyed interventions, most of which have been widely practiced by or imposed upon millions of individuals, in this highly accomplished older population at increased personal risk from COVID-19 reflects the current absence of rigorous scientific proof of the efficacy of any these interventions, and the continuation of the epidemic despite the widespread utilization of most of them.

ВИВЧЕННЯ ЯКОСТІ МАТЕМАТИЧНОГО РОЗВИТКУ ДІТЕЙ СТАРШОГО ДОШКІЛЬНОГО ВІКУ

In the article the author highlights and argues some approaches of modern native and foreign scientists and the results of her own pedagogical experience to the study of the quality of logical and mathematical development of preschool age children. In the context of this issue, the structure and content of the diagnostic methodology, the construction, organization and maintenance of the process of controlling and assessing the quality of mathematical knowledge and children's skills are considered. The author characterizes the structure of the diagnostic methodology and distinguishes in it the relevant directions: 1) study of the level of educational achievements of the child, accumulation of actual data that will reflect the following components: motivational, informational and procedural; 2) study of the influence of organizational and pedagogical conditions created by the tutor during the conduct of classes in mathematics and other pedagogical activities, on the quality of mathematical development of children, through purposeful observation and analysis of its results; 3) study of the methodological guidance of mathematical development of children in pre-school institutions, through the analysis of pedagogical documentation. Therefore, the diagnostic methodology includes: monitoring the activity of children in situations where they independently and adequately use mathematical knowledge and appropriate skills; individual conversations with children and their performance of respective tasks; questionnaire of teachers and study of pedagogical documentation, which presents the ways of methodological guidance for the development of professional skills of teachers in pre-school institutions. The results of the research work of the author of the article indicate that the quality of mathematical development is a relative characteristic of both the educational process as a whole and the development of the individual child. An important characteristic of mathematical development of the baby is the elementary mathematical competence, which involves the presence of knowledge about the number, shape, size, space, time, as well as the ability to apply this knowledge in different situations in life; detection of children independence, self-esteem, self-control, positive attitude to mathematical reality, cognitive interest, etc. These indicators will give the teacher the opportunity to evaluate the quality of mathematical development of the child, to build on this basis, individual development programs for each baby. Key words: mathematical development, quality of mathematical knowledge and skills; diagnostic technique.

Training Future Pharmacists for Professional Activity in the Process of Studying the Chemical Disciplines Block in the System of College and Medical Academy

The article reveals the essence of the concepts of «professional activity» and «training for professional activity» and approaches to their interpretation in modern scientific research. The general definition of «professional activity» is given; we define this notion in our study as a systematic human activity of a specialist in a particular field, who has special training, definite responsibilities and professional tasks should be performed to meet its own needs and to develop a socially significant product, or to provide high quality services. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the importance of students-pharmacists training for future professional activity during the study of the block of chemical disciplines at all stages of degree education in the system of college and medical academy. The authors` understanding of approaches in training for professional activity in the system of college and medical academy is shown; the professional activity is developed by the formation of chemical competence due to organization of chemical disciplines trainings which as much as possible model real industrial situations for a worker of pharmaceutical branch. The article presents some results of an anonymous questionnaire about organization of the chemical disciplines block distance learning in the educational platform «Moodle», they confirm the key role of a teacher in the educational process and recognize the prerogative of live communication over the virtual one. A number of measures have been identified to help to train future pharmacists for their professional activities, they include: adjusting the curriculum, adding professional topics to the curricula of chemical disciplines, adding a lot of laboratory and practical work lessons that simulate the professional activity of a pharmaceutical worker, expanding the base of tasks and situational tasks, coordination of the system of interdisciplinary relations, creation of information support didactic complex for the block of chemical disciplines training. There is emphasized the special role of information and communication technologies in the chemical disciplines block teaching while the pharmacists training for a professional activity. The directions of further researches are defined; they are directed on studying approaches to the organization and functioning of the home chemical laboratory which could be in use of talented students and its influence on a level of educational achievements in the chemical disciplines block learning, the formation of the future pharmaceutical branch workers professional identity and approaches to their choice of individual educational trajectories. The study used data from psychological and pedagogical sources and from scientific research. The comparative method of analysis is applied.

The impact of the introduction of bilingual learning on sixth grade educational achievement levels.

Bilingualism was implemented in the Community of Madrid (Spain) more than ten years ago, through the incorporation of the English language in the teaching methods of certain schools. Since that time, various research projects have been carried out, with the objective of comparing the academic performance of students in bilingual schools with those in non-bilingual schools. The present paper makes use of primary education data from the Department of Education and Research for the Community of Madrid in an effort to analyze whether or not bilingualism results in the relative improvement of educational outcomes achieved in primary schools in the Region of Madrid, in Spain. More specifically, the data used is from sixth grade classrooms, given that, generally speaking, in this grade all schools give a standardized test which measures academic performance in Math, Science and Technology, Spanish Language Arts and English Language Arts. Our assessment makes use of a multinomial logit model, and includes the most common variables found in the research on the determination of educational outcomes (variables related to whether or not schools are bilingual, which is the main focus of this paper), as well as other less common variables considered to be relevant. These include absenteeism, satisfaction levels among families and students, and the percentage of students in second chance programs. The results show that bilingualism does not lower children performance in the subjects taught in English or in the subjects taught in Spanish. Academic performance in Mathematics, Science and Technology, and Spanish Language Arts is similar with respect to those schools which are not bilingual. However, results in English are significantly higher in bilingual schools when compared to non-bilingual schools.

ВИКОРИСТАННЯ ІНТЕРАКТИВНОЇ ПЛАТФОРМИ MOZAIK ЯК ОБ’ЄКТА НАВЧАЛЬНОЇ ВЗАЄМОДІЇ МІЖ УЧАСНИКАМИ ОСВІТНЬОГО ПРОЦЕСУ

The article characterizes the Mozaik interactive platform and its main components – mozaBook and mozaWeb, which are used by lecturers-philologists to give classes on the Ukrainian language to undergraduate students whose specialization is "Secondary Education" (educational program "Ukrainian Language and Literature. World Literature"). The possibilities of use of the software at different stages of educational process have been described. The didactic functions of the use of the mentioned resources in the process of teaching the disciplines “Practicum on the Ukrainian language” and “Methodology of teaching the Ukrainian language” have been outlined. The mozaBook software has been analyzed as a social object which provides pedagogical interaction of scientific methodology of rational-logical thinking with emotional and imaginative presentation and perception of information. The possibilities of mozaBook and mozaWeb have been used to improve the perception and acquisition of scientific information and to increase the level of educational achievements. The authors have analyzed the expediency of using e-textbooks, media library, software for attaching information of various types and use of mozaBook tools (“Spelling and grammar”, “Parts of speech”, “Dictionary cards”, “Language games”, “Questionnaire”, “Decoding”, “Tests”) while explaining and illustrating theoretical material, summarizing and systematizing material that has already been learned. It has been shown that the Mozaik interactive platform and its components make the classes more informative, compact, emotionally attractive, mobile and multifunctional.

EVALUATION OF PEDAGOGICAL ACTIVITY OF TEACHERS OF THE GENERAL SECONDARY EDUCATION AS AN ELEMENT OF THE INTERNAL QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM

Abstract. The Law of Ukraine “On Education” provides for the establishment of an internal quality assurance system for education, which in particular may include criteria, rules and procedures for evaluating pedagogical activity. Therefore, a topical issue is the development of a number of internal documents that regulate both the internal audit processes in general and the objective evaluation of pedagogical activity both during the period of certification and within the operational monitoring of educational activities.
 To a certain extent the requirements for pedagogical activity, some means of its assessment, an indicative list of activities that are subject to study, defined by the current regulatory documents, in particular, the Model provisions about certification of pedagogical staff. This provision provides for the study of pedagogical activity while attending classes, taking into account the level of educational achievement of students, studying pedagogical documentation, analysis of the methodological work of the teacher, etc. It is envisaged to evaluate the employee's performance of their duties, professional and personal qualities (initiative, competence, organization, etc.). Instead, the mechanism for assessing such different areas of educational activity is determined by each institution on its own, which leads to significant differences between the requirements for a specialist of a certain category in different institutions of general secondary education.
 The Draft Law of Ukraine "On Complete General Secondary Education" defines the existence of an internal quality assurance system in educational institutions, which is formed by the educational institution taking into account the methodological recommendations developed by the State Service for Quality of Education of Ukraine. These recommendations include, in particular, the evaluation of areas such as the effectiveness of planning pedagogical activities, the use of modern educational approaches to the organization of the educational process, the system of professional development, cooperation with participants in the educational process, compliance with academic integrity and more. These relatively new criteria require significant changes in the internal system of assessment of pedagogical activity, necessitating the development of appropriate tools and mechanisms.
 The article examines the level of research of the identified problem and emphasizes the need to create a standardized procedure for evaluating pedagogical activity in the institution of general secondary education (ZSSO). Certain approaches and tools, in particular qualimetric models, are proposed to evaluate the pedagogical performance of general secondary education staff.

Reasons for home educating in Australia: who and why?

ABSTRACT Home education is a legal educational option in Australia that continues to rise in popularity. This paper summarises the demographics and influences upon the decision to home educate of 385 home education families from Australia, representing 676 children who were home educated at the time of questionnaire completion. The research suggests female caregivers with higher levels of educational achievement than the general population predominantly coordinate home education. Some families eschewed mainstream education for philosophical reasons whilst others home educated due to perceived necessity. However, characteristic of both groups was the belief that the current education system was unable to provide a learning environment that would meet the educational and psychosocial needs of their children. This was not specific to a particular population of students but included those who were gifted children, or those who had a mental health or neurodevelopmental disorder such as autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities, intellectual disability and/or impairment in vision and hearing. This has clear implications for policy and resourcing, including in-service teacher training. It also raises questions in relation to the provision of funding for families who home educate their children.

Homelessness among Indigenous peoples in Canada: The impacts of child welfare involvement and educational achievement

Existing evidence suggests that child welfare involvement has a deleterious impact on Indigenous peoples in Canada in terms of increasing their risk of becoming a visible or hidden homeless individual. Visible homelessness is generally understood as those individuals found sleeping in parks, cars, shelters, or on the streets and other locales such as in abandoned buildings or under bridges. Whereas the hidden homeless are those who find interim accommodations with friends, family members, and acquaintances. Although in saying this, many of the visible homelessness scenarios can also be considered hidden. Regardless, all situations of homelessness reflect uncertainty, lack of safety, and an increased vulnerability to abuse and exploitation. The pathways to homelessness are rooted in structural deficits in the society, which are multiplicative and intersectional in nature. They include housing affordability, oppression, conditions of physical and mental well-being, employment and employability, as well as family support and community connection. On the other hand, the greater the educational achievement experienced by Indigenous peoples the less the risk of being subjected to homelessness.The premise of this paper is that Indigenous peoples are multiplicatively oppressed and that these intersecting sites of oppression increase the risk of Indigenous peoples in Canada becoming homelessness. Hypotheses were tested using the 2014 panel of Canada’s General Social Survey, including 1081 Indigenous peoples and 23,052 non-Indigenous white participants. Indigenous identity, involvement in the child welfare system, and level of educational achievement were all significantly associated with experiences of hidden and visible homelessness, p < .001. As hypothesized, the odds associated with being involved in the child welfare system (odds ratio [OR] = 4.15) were stronger than that associated with identifying as Indigenous (OR = 1.47). As predicted, achieving a university education served as a protection against becoming homelessness (OR = 0.27). The hypothesized relationship between ethnicity and child welfare system involvement interaction was not observed. However, Indigenous participants (7.1%) were nearly four times as likely to have been involved with the child welfare system than were non-Indigenous white people (1.9%). Thus, at the population level, Indigenous peoples are at far greater risk of having been involved in the child welfare system, and consequently experiencing homelessness than non-Indigenous peoples. Of note, the hypothesized ethnicity by educational attainment interaction was observed. Among white people in Canada, a university education likely prevents most (83%) of visible homelessness otherwise experienced by those who did not complete high school (OR = 0.17) and prevents a significant amount (18%) of hidden homelessness. Startlingly, no such prevention was associated with completion of university among Indigenous peoples in Canada. Implications and future research needs are discussed.

상태 변화와 열에너지 개념에 관한 중학생의 성취수준별 특징

In this study, we investigated middle school students’ concepts of educational achievement levels in the unit of phase change and thermal energy. For this study, we asked the students to solve multiple choice items which consisted of phase changes and thermal energy concepts, and to write down the reason why they selected them as answers. Basic concepts and typical misconceptions of phase changes and thermal energy concepts were appeared commonly in each achievement level. We could also extract the features of their understandings in each educational achievement level by analyzing the participating students’ answers.&#x0D; In case of understanding level, there was a tendency to explain with the concepts of different units or to interpret the information of given data, and to give reasons for them at the level of excellence. At the basic level, there was a tendency to present only some of the explanations due to an inaccurate understanding of the concepts involved. In the case of misconceptions, some students turned out to inaccurately understand the concepts of upper level curriculum at the level of excellence. On the other hand, there were students at the basic level who simply misunderstood the relationship among variables without understanding the dependence of the two variables. The results of this study would contribute to preparing science teaching materials according to students’ each achievement level in the future.

استخدام معلمي العلوم بالمرحلة الإبتدائية للتقويم القائم على الأداء وعلاقته ببعض مخرجات التعلم لدى تلاميذهم

هدف البحث الحالي إلى معرفة مدى ممارسة معلمي العلوم بالمرحلة الإبتدائية للتقويم القائم على الأداء وعلاقته ببعض مخرجات التعلم (التحصيل الدراسي- حب الاستطلاع) لدي تلاميذهم. ولتحقيق ذلک تم استخدام المنهج الوصفي, وتم إعداد أدوات البحث المتمثلة في استبانة , وبطاقة ملاحظة لمعلمي العلوم وتطبيقها على عينة مکونة من (48) معلما ومعلمة, وأيضا اختبار تحصيلي , ومقياس حب استطلاع وتطبيقها على عينة مکونة من (480) تلميذا وتلميذة من تلاميذ الصف السادس الإبتدائي بمدارس تابعة لإدارات (الجمالية - ميت سلسيل - غرب المنصورة - بلقاس) التعليمية بمحافظة الدقهلية, وأسفرت النتائج عن أن المعلمين يمارسون التقويم القائم على الأداء بدرجة کبيرة, وأن مستوى التحصيل الدراسي وحب الاستطلاع لدى تلاميذ المعلمين الذين يستخدمون التقويم القائم على الأداء کان أفضل بدرجة کبيرة من مستوي التحصيل الدراسي وحب الاستطلاع لدى تلاميذ المعلمين الذين يستخدمون التقويم القائم على الأداء بدرجة متوسطة ومنخفضة. The Use of primary stage Science teachers to performance-based- assessment and its relationship with some of their students, learning outcomes Abstract: The aim of the current research is to know the extent of the use of the primary stage science teachers to performance-based-assessment and its relationship with some of their students, learning outcomes (academic achievement - curiosity). To achieve that, the descriptive method was used, and the research tools of a questionnaire and a note for science teachers were prepared, these tools were applied on a sample of (48) teachers, as well as an achievement test, a measure of curiosity were applied to a sample of (480) students. The sixth primary schools in the departments of (Elgamaliya - Mitt Salsil - West Mansoura - Belqas) educational Dakahlia Governorate, The results showed that teachers practiced performance-based assessment to a large extent, and that the level of academic achievement and curiosity of students of teachers using the performance-based assessment was significantly better than the level of educational achievement and curiosity of students of teachers using the performance-based assessment medium and low.

Особливості впливу композиції тесту з біології на результативні показники тестування старшокласників

The article presents the results of an experimental study of the features of the impact on the performance of testing of high school students of the composition of tests, the internal structure of which is determined by the different order of placement of test tasks, and the profile specialization of students of grade 10. The study was conducted using two parallel variants of test tasks, unified in content and complexity. The test structures differed in the order in which the tasks were placed: a) increasing the level of complexity of the test tasks, b) according to the logic of the subject of study. The experimental study at the educational level of the senior grades of secondary school showed that the effective indicator of the level of educational achievement of students using tests, structured according to the logic of the subject of study, is not statistically different from the result obtained when using tests, the structure of which provides consistent tasks, but are significantly dependent on the profile specialization of high school students. Two-factor variance analysis showed that, in general, the influence of the factor "test composition" on the performance of the test is 0.65%, while the influence of the factor "specialization" is 92.7%.The first conclusion allows the authors, in the process of creating the tests, to avoid the need to assess the complexity of the test tasks, which is, in most cases, subjective. Dependence of performance indicators of tests on specialization indicates that tests of different configuration act their main function - to determine the level of academic achievement of high school students in that part of the academic subject that is determined to be evaluated by the content and complexity of the test. Structuring the test according to the logic of the study of the subject, in our opinion, has several advantages: a) the optional subjective assessment of the relative complexity of the test task, b) helps the student to learn the logic of the studied fragment.The paper describes in detail the methodology of the study, the basic formulas on the basis of which the main characteristics of the objects of study were calculated.

Formation of the level of ability of future teachers of geography to the assessment of aesthetic landscapes

The article analyzes the formation of levels of ability of future geography teachers to the assessment of aesthetic landscapes. The relevance of the study of the problem of preparing future geography teachers for the aesthetic assessment of landscapes, as a condition for attracting the younger generation to the cultural heritage of society, is substantiated. Thus, the process of forming the readiness of future teachers of geography to assessment aesthetic landscapes involves taking into account the professional requirements and the set of available intellectual and psychological qualities of the individual necessary for the implementation of aesthetic education of students, the formation of love for their native land, the development of ecological culture. It is noted that on the basis of the analysis of educational achievement levels, criteria have been developed for characterizing the readiness levels of future geography teachers for the assessment of aesthetic landscapes. Each individual criterion may have a system of indicators that are observable and act as characteristic, intensive, qualitative criteria for identifying the criterion. In this regard, the readiness of future geography teachers to assessment aesthetic landscapes involves the formation of content, activity and value components that are closely related since they have a single purpose. Based on the analysis of scientific literary sources and the study of advanced pedagogical experience, it is determined that the essence of the readiness of future geography teachers to assessment aesthetic landscapes as a complex multilevel personal formation that arises on the basis of a combination of the system of specific geographic knowledge acquired, skills and abilities, synergistic geographical thinking, values and establishes a fundamental condition for the successful study of geography, environmental education, aesthetic education of students. The study substantiates such equal readiness of future geography teachers to the assessment of aesthetic landscapes: elemental, reproductive, reconstructive and creative.

Pedagogical techniques of Earth remote sensing data application into modern school practice

The article dwells upon the Earth remote sensing data as one of the basic directions of Geo-Information Science, a unique source of information on processes and phenomena occurring in almost all spheres of the Earth geographic shell (atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, etc.). The authors argue that the use of aerospace images by means of the information and communication technologies involvement in the learning process allows not only to increase the information context value of learning, but also contributes to the formation of students’ cognitive interest in such disciplines as geography, biology, history, physics, computer science, etc. It has been grounded that remote sensing data form students’ spatial, temporal and qualitative concepts, sensory support for the perception, knowledge and explanation of the specifics of objects and phenomena of geographical reality, which, in its turn, provides an increase in the level of educational achievements. The techniques of aerospace images application into the modern school practice have been analyzed and illustrated in the examples: from using them as visual aids, to realization of practical and research orientation of training on the basis of remote sensing data. Particular attention is paid to the practical component of the Earth remote sensing implementation into the modern school practice with the help of information and communication technologies.

The effectiveness of Nurture Groups in improving outcomes for young children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties in primary schools: An evaluation of Nurture Group provision in Northern Ireland

Concerns have grown regarding the increased prevalence of social, emotional and behavioural difficulties observed in young children in primary school settings. Contributory factors are multiple and varied but one consistent emphasis has been on the negative effects of children’s poor attachments with significant others which, due to contextual factors, may not have developed sufficiently. Some groups of children are more at risk of not developing strong attachments, particularly children in care whose ‘pre-care’ and ‘in care’ experiences make it more likely that their attachments will have been adversely impacted. Reflecting this increasing concern, there has been a growth of school-based interventions that aim to strengthen attachments in order that children can develop social and emotional skills; thus enabling them to be better placed to access learning opportunities and reach levels of educational achievement and attainment similar to their peers. One such intervention is Nurture Groups, modelled on attachment theory. Nurture Group provision is a short-term, schools-based intervention targeted at individual children beginning school who are already displaying social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. This article reports the findings of one of the first larger-scale evaluations of the effectiveness of Nurture Group provision in improving outcomes of children, and the first to explore the differential effects of Nurture Groups in relation to school-, pupil- and programme-level characteristics. The evaluation used a non-random control group design, involving a total sample of 384 children, aged 5–6 years, from 30 Nurture Group schools and a further 14 matched schools with no Nurture Group provision in Northern Ireland. The trial found effect sizes ranging in magnitude from g = 0.528 to 1.352 for a range of social, emotional and behavioural outcomes, using the Boxall Profile and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. However, no evidence of effects was found for academic outcomes. The article discusses the implications for policy and practice of the findings.

Urban Poverty and Its Determinants in Debre Markos City: A Household Level Analysis

This study is aimed at examining the extent of urban household poverty using the FGT approach and the national poverty line as a reference. The data were collected from a representative of 316 sample households drawn from each respective kebeles using a combination of simple random sampling and systematic sampling techniques. The findings of the study showed that, the proportion of the poor people is estimated to be 46.8% indicating that almost half of the people in the study area were unable to meet the monthly per adult equivalent consumption expenditure of 315 ETB. The national HICES survey result shows that the poor urban households require only 7.3 % and 8 % of expenditure per capita to reach the poverty line at national and regional level. However, the result of this study showed that in the study area there is a requirement of 34.4% to escape from the poor category. The poverty severity index was also 37.4% in the study area while it was 2.9% and 3.2% at national level and in the region. Therefore, one of the policy implications of this study is that the ongoing national and local governments’ policy intervention should target these 37.4% of the poorest of the poor. The estimation result of the logit model also showed that, level of educational achievements, and household income was negatively and significantly correlated with the probability of being poor at 10% and 1% significance level respectively. Whereas, the variables that were positively and significantly correlated with the probability of being poor were larger family size, unemployment, not owning a house, and household health status/disease at 1%, 10%, 10%, and 1% level of significance respectively . Keywords: Urban poverty, Poverty headcount, Poverty gap, Poverty severity, Logit Model, Debre Markos. DOI : 10.7176/JPID/51-01 Publication date: November 30 th 2019

An Empirically Based Typology of Alcohol Users in a Community Sample Using Latent Class Analysis

Background: Different classification models have been proposed to explain the heterogeneity of alcohol-related problems in general populations. Such models suggest quantitatively or qualitatively different symptom endorsement characteristics between subgroups of alcohol drinkers. Objectives: The present study aimed to identify homogenous subgroups of drinkers in a general population sample in addition to examining the relationship between the subgroups and psychopathological symptoms. Method: Data of past-year alcohol users (n = 1,520) were analyzed from the nationally representative sample of the National Survey on Addiction Problems in Hungary 2015. Latent class analysis (LCA) was conducted to identify subgroups of drinkers based on the dichotomous indicator items of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test questionnaire. Multinomial logistic regression and multiple comparisons were performed to explore the relationship between latent classes and socio-demographical variables and psychopathological symptoms. Results: LCA suggested a 3-class model: “Light alcohol drinkers” (71.6%), “Alcohol drinkers with low risk of dependence” (19.3%), and “Alcohol drinkers with severe dependence symptoms” (9.1%). More severe subgroups showed significantly higher level of anxiety, depression, hostility, obsessive-compulsivity, interpersonal sensitivity, and psychiatric or alcohol use disorder-related treatment involvement. Male gender, younger age, lower level of educational achievement, and earlier onset of the first alcoholic drink were associated with membership of more severe subgroups. Conclusions: The present results indicated that severity-based subgroups of drinkers can be discriminated. Approximately 9% of the alcohol users showed severe symptoms of alcohol dependence. The present data also supported the association between more severe forms of alcohol consumption, and internalizing and externalizing characteristics. Although the 2 at-risk classes of alcohol drinkers did not differ in terms of alcohol consumption-related measures, they were distinguished by the level of harmful consequences due to alcohol use, psychopathological symptoms and psychiatric treatment history.