Modern Russian University Research Articles

Student Educational Experience and Its Place in the Modern Educational Paradigm: FEFU Case

The development of the project on creating world-class campuses in Russia heated debates on the topic of the university campus and the educational experience of students. Although it has become extremely relevant, but it remains understudied. This research is aimed at the formation of an understanding of the educational paradigm of modern Russian universities as well as the investigation of the relationship between the university space and the educational experience of students using the example of the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU), which is a unique case among Russian universities due to its exceptional location and infrastructure. Building on the concept of Beckers and his colleagues’ theory "Purpose - Process - Place," a deductive analysis of 39 semi-structured interviews with FEFU students collected in 2022 was carried out. The study showed that higher education is undergoing a transition from a traditional behavioristic approach to social constructivism, which is manifested in the request for greater freedom in choosing not only what students should study, but when and how. The results of the study show that the educational process has moved beyond the classroom, and the educational environment has become an integral part of the educational experience of students. The results suggest that students have a need not only for learning spaces, but also for places where they can restore their resources. Thus, green spaces on the campus and an embankment with access to the water area have a favorable effect on the emotional state of students. At the same time co-workings and coffee shops can foster more productive learning. However, the location of the campus, its isolation from the mainland and its own rules of behavior and communication, forms in some students the perception of the campus as a “luxury prison” with a comfortable infrastructure but difficult to escape from. This is especially felt during the exams, when the emotional overload of students reaches peak points. The results can be useful for Russian universities participating in the project on creating world-class campuses and for researchers who study the educational environment.

Специфика психологической безопасности преподавателей российских университетов в современных условиях

<p>The article clarifies the concept of “psychological safety” taking into account the specifics of modern Russian universities. The foundation of such security is the self-esteem of the teacher, who is capable of realizing the highest meanings of his profession even under unfavorable conditions and with disrespectful attitude towards himself. A generalized model of possible factors and risks influencing psychological safety is proposed, among which not only traditionally unfavorable factors are highlighted, but also overly favorable ones, which can lead to excessive “calmness” of the teacher and reduce his creative activity. A typology of possible risks to psychological well-being is proposed, which presupposes the teacher’s readiness for retrospective, situational and prospective reflection of his work. Options for preventing risks to psychological well-being are also considered, based on the teacher’s willingness to make a reasonable compromise when dubious directives are followed if they do not threaten self-esteem and at the same time there are opportunities for more decent work.</p>

Prospects for the Formation of Russian-Centric Model of Higher Education

Russian higher education, experiencing the influence of both objective processes (transition to the information society and knowledge economy, globalization, internationalization, increasing environmental ventures, changes in the geopolitical situation) and internal transformations (change of political guidelines, exit from the Bologna system, return to value-based educational paradigm) is being modified again today. The article is devoted to the study of the prospects for the formation of a new Russian-centric model as the basis for transforming Russia into a new global educational center based on an effective balance of traditional and innovative educational technologies, repositioning Russia in the global context, including in the educational sphere, the development of new formats of international cooperation in the field of education with the predominance of Russian educational practices. The paper presents the results of a study of current scientific and expert discourse on the state of Russian higher education, identifying the drivers of the formation of a Russian-centric educational model. The article summarizes the nature and types of educational technologies used in modern domestic higher education, assesses the quality of teaching in modern Russian universities, as well as the need for foreign citizens to obtain higher education in the Russian Federation based on pilot surveys of Russian and foreign students conducted by the author. Conclusions are drawn about the positive prospects for creating a Russian-centric model based on the high standards of Russian higher education, the fundamental traditions of teaching in Russian higher education, taking into account the introduction of the latest educational innovations, as well as the high demand from foreign students and applicants for obtaining Russian universities’ diplomas.

Прогнозирование стагнации профессионально-личностного развития специалистов на основе информационной стресс-интолерантности

The article is devoted to the study of the problems of forecasting the stagnation of professional and personal development of future representatives of law enforcement agencies and doctors based on an assessment of information stress tolerance. The following methods were used: expert survey and psychological testing (questionnaire for assessing the severity of stagnation of professional and personal development; methodology for diagnosing information stress tolerance). The sample consisted of 298 people (students of the Tver State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, cadets of the Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Prince A. Nevsky and the Moscow University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia named after V.Ya. Kikot, police officers). It is shown that the stagnation of professional and personal development of specialists is largely determined by such a personal factor as information stress tolerance, which includes «Information activity», «Information skepticism», «Information illegibility», «Sensitivity to information stress», «Generalization of stressful information», «Stress regulation of behavior», «The intensity of the value conflict under stress». In the absence of trends towards stagnation in development among students of modern Russian universities, some features of its determination have been established. Thus, students (future doctors) are distinguished by an increased and sustained desire to obtain personally significant information and information sensitivity. At the same time, under the influence of intensive informational and psychological influence, both students and cadets do not have a revision of interests, motives and goals of life, i.e. students «live an ordinary life». Linear regression models for assessing «Stagnation of professional and personal development», «Loss of motivation for self-realization», «Awareness of stagnation in work» based on particular indicators of information stress non tolerance of specialists are proposed and tested. The approach makes it possible to improve the methods of psychological prevention and support of specialists in terms of overcoming stagnation phenomena at the personal level, as well as countering negative informational and psychological influence.

Individual-psychological features of patriotism and value orientations of Russian students

The subject of the study is individual-psychological features of patriotism and value orientations of Russian students. The authors consider patriotism in the context of A.I. Krupnov's system-functional approach. In this case, patriotism acts as a personality property consisting of eight components. Each of the components is represented by harmonic and anharmonic variable. The features of the relationship between patriotism and personality factors and the structure of value orientations are investigated in detail. The authors used the form test of patriotism research "Patriogram" (S. I. Kudinov, A. V. Potemkin); Five-factor personality questionnaire NEO FFI (Costa, McCray) in the adaptation of M. V. Bodunov and S. D. Biryukov; Diagnostic personality questionnaire NEO FFI (Costa, McCray). D. Biryukov; Diagnostics of the real structure of value orientations of personality (S. S. Bubnova). An important result of the study is the revealed statistically reliable features of Russian students' patriotism, as well as the correlations of this property with personality factors and value orientations. The obtained results make it possible to say that patriotism of students of modern Russian universities is characterized by socially significant orientation, aenergy, stenichnost, internality, sociocentricity, meaningfulness and dominant difficulties of operational content in the process of realization of this property of personality. It is also revealed that conscientiousness, openness to experience and extraversion are important personality factors that facilitate the process of student's manifestation of patriotism. In turn, neuroticism aggravates operational and personality difficulties accompanying the realization of patriotism. It was revealed that the values of love and health are interrelated with a stable and emotionally positive manifestation of patriotism, and the value in recognition and respect correlates with sociocentric motivation in the context of the realization of this personality property.

ВОСПИТАНИЕ КАК МИССИЯ СОВРЕМЕННОГО РОССИЙСКОГО УНИВЕРСИТЕТА

The study is devoted to the role of educational work in the activities of a modern Russian university. The author examines this issue through the prism of the concept of the “third mission” of universities. Having considered the main scientific approaches to the definition of education and the “third mission” of universities using methods of socio-­philosophical analysis, the author identifies the interrelationships between these pheno­mena. The paper evaluates the normative and methodological docu­ments on the implementation of educational work in educational institutions of higher education, presents the practical experience of leading universities in Russia, identifies the main trends in the development of educational work in Russian universities. The social effects of educational work at universities for the regional economy and the public sphere are also considered.

«Третья миссия» университета в контексте взаимодействия академического сообщества и НКО-сектора

The article actualizes the problem of the “third mission” of universities. Referring to the relevant foreign and domestic scientific works, the author considers the definition of the “third mission” and proposes to dwell on the peculiarities of the realization of the “third mission” by Russian universities — the social orientation of domestic universities and the interaction with the NPO-sector, the refusal of commercial understanding of the “third mission”. As part of the development of the scientific concept of the “third mission” of universities, an attempt is made to justify the need to include in its third element (“social component / social involvement of the university”) an additional criterion — the development and introduction in the curricula of modern Russian universities of courses/subjects aimed at studying various forms of social activity of citizens (whether it is volunteer activity or participation in the work of public organizations). In the author’s opinion, it is the presence of this indicator in the work of modern universities that will allow to consider the concept of the “third mission” more complete, comprehensive, and accomplished. The theoretical material of the article is diluted by practice: using sociological methods of research, the author conducted a survey of full-time and part-time university students who studied the course “Sociology of NPO”. The results of the study are characterized by relevance and scientific novelty, implemented in university courses to promote harmonious interaction between the academic and NPO-community, and, consequently, the successful implementation of the ‘third mission’ of universities.

Institutional Models of Scientific Mentoring for Russian University Students: Organizational and Managerial Aspects

The article aims at characterizing the institutional models of Russian university students’ scientific mentoring in the context of managing research activities. The institutional practices of scientific mentoring are an effective way to make an early academic career, to involve and retain talented students in the field of research and development, to popularize and strengthen the social status of science. Meanwhile, the traditional institutional forms existing in Russian universities should be developed and renewed. In addition, some practices of scientific mentoring are informal, which means that they do not have organizational support and conditions for reproduction. We focus on scientific mentoring for students of the first and second levels of higher education (bachelors, specialists, master students), who are considered as a «reserve» of the community of scientific youth. Our conclusions are based on the data of a sociological study carried out in 2023. Therein, we used methods of systematic analysis of scientific literature, of Russian and foreign universities’ websites content. The study included an online survey of 3032 students of Russian universities. The theoretical task is to substantiate the features of scientific mentoring as a scientific and educational institution. We highlight the institutional features and functions of scientific mentoring. Based on empirical data, we present the content of scientific mentoring institutional models, which have developed in modern foreign and Russian universities. The online survey of students showed their involvement in research activities, motivation for it, and the level of their scientific activity. The results of our research can be used in practice – to develop and improve scientific mentoring programs in Russian universities. The paper in general is the first attempt to interpret scientific mentoring from the standpoint of an institutional approach. We summarize the Soviet experience of scientific mentoring, as well as its modern institutional practices in foreign and Russian universities.

Research Culture of Russian University Students

The article is devoted to the summarizing results of the sociological study of the re- search culture of students (February-April 2023, n=3,032 people). The aim of the article was to iden- tify its features and contradictions in the conditions of modern Russian universities. The productivity of the theoretical and methodological framework for studying this problem, developed on the basis of L.N. Kogan’s approach, is argued. The article proposes to consider the research culture as a way of developing the essential forces of students and to identify its structural elements such as cognitive, axiological and praxeological. In accordance with the theoretical and methodological approach, the characteristic of the research culture of students is given. The results of the survey allowed us to conclude that the majority of students have an interest in science and scientific knowledge as values, and at the same time – about the formation of a critical assessment of the risks that research produces among students who are active in scientific terms. The problem areas of students’ research competencies that prevent the “seamless” integration of student and “adult” science, including meth- odological and organizational ones, have been identified. Such problematic features of the praxe- ological block of students’ research culture as their low involvement in publication practices and tol- erance to unethical research practices are shown. The significant influence of teachers and scientific mentors performing activating and socializing functions on the formation of the research culture of students is substantiated. The practical significance of the research lies in a comprehensive under- standing of the state of the research culture of students of Russian universities, identifying factors that influence (positively or negatively) its formation and development. On this basis, it is possible to develop scientifically based programs for the academic development of students, especially in terms of its scientific track.

Academic Motivation of Modern Students: The Experience of Cluster Analysis

The article is devoted to the study of academic motivation of students of modern Russian universities. The introduction reveals theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of academic motivation, shows the practice of analyzing this phenomenon. The main part of the article presents the results of a sociological study in order to typologize modern students depending on the prevailing orientation of academic motivation. The empirical basis of the study was a questionnaire survey conducted in 2022 in several Moscow universities. Based on the provisions of the theory of self-determination, the authors investigate the structure of the educational motivation of the interviewed students and demonstrate the prevailing motives for visiting the university. Based on the results of cluster analysis, three groups of students are distinguished depending on the severity of intrinsic or extrinsic motivation and the cluster profile of the selected groups is analyzed. Using the criteria of nonparametric statistics, the differences of three cluster groups differentiated by gender and course of study are demonstrated. In the context of cluster affiliation, an assessment of professional choice is shown and the willingness of the interviewed students to change their specialty in the future is revealed. It is concluded that a negative attitude towards professional choice and readiness for retraining is most characteristic of students who demonstrate extrinsic motivation of an introjected and external type. In conclusion, the applied aspect of the empirical analysis of academic motivation is noted and the prospects for the development of this topic are emphasized

The Year of Science and Technology in Russia as a Factor in Promoting University Brands on the Online Media

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared 2021 to be the Year of Science and Technology. It was intended to popularize science and increase the prestige of the profession of a scientist. Universities have become one of the main active actors in holding the Year of Science and Technology in Russia. The article examined the media activity of universities associated with the Year of Science and Technology, analyzed newsworthy events and identified the most prominent brands of universities in this context. The media posted the most publications about universities and the Year of Science and Technology in February and December 2021. It was the beginning and the end of the theme year. The study showed that universities actually used the news related to the Year of Science and Technology in their work. At the same time, the leading positions in the information field were hold by the traditional leaders of the media activity ratings (Lomonosov Moscow State University, HSE University, Kazan Federal University). News about famous people who supported measures that were important for all science received the biggest media coverage. The results of the study can be used by modern Russian universities to plan a communication strategy.

Pedagogical conditions for the formation of creative independence of art and pedagogical university students in China and Russia: comparative analysis

Creative independence of art students is one of the most important conditions for successful study and further employment in modern art education in the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China. The purpose of this publication is to identify those organizational-pedagogical, psychological-pedagogical and didactic conditions in modern Russian and Chinese art universities that activate the creative independence of students. In Russia, they are more focused on stimulating the ability of students to perform educational activities independently of teachers. In China, the main focus is on independence in the creative search of students. The analysis shows that the formation of creative independence in the educational process in pedagogical universities of Russia and China in the conditions of personality-oriented learning allows students to improve both visual abilities and skills of a future teacher-artist through complexes of creative tasks or projects and participation in exhibition projects. The preparation of curricula with an emphasis on the independent work of students is a priority direction of development in such educational institutions, which is focused on the creative and research activities of students, but within the framework of certain educational tasks. The latter do not restrict the freedom of students, but, on the contrary, are those "difficulties" that provoke independence in plastic and meaningful solutions in creative works.

Values in education and modern university

The article is devoted to the analysis of the value-worldview aspect of modern university education. The “mass university” of the last quarter of the 20th — early 21st centuries, which set itself the underestimated task of “providing educational services” for the formation of a society of “qualified consumers”, practically ignored the classical experience of transferring knowledge associated with the spiritual education of the personality of an intellectual, the formation of his worldview. The Fundamentals of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values, put into effect in 2022 by the Decree of the President of Russia, require overcoming this defect of the modern educational paradigm and bringing its parameters to adequate traditions and modern realities of the social norm. The authors of the article dedicate that in accordance with the list of the main traditional Russian values given in the documents of the strategic development of Russia, it is necessary to portray the image of a university graduate in the middle of the 21st century as a highly qualified specialist with critical thinking, historical memory and a broad cultural horizon. For this, among other things, it is necessary to solve an interdisciplinary task: to bring the most important value and worldview concepts into the normative system, to make the list generally understandable and generally accepted for all participants in the processes of education and upbringing. This should be work involving specialists in various fields of knowledge, including philologists, lawyers, educators, philosophers, cultural and political scientists, sociologists and, no doubt, theologians. The theology of Christianity and other traditional religions ads the deepest and most complete source of value worldview. Therefore, according to the authors of the article, basic theological principles should become a necessary element of education in a modern Russian university.

Ключевые ориентиры образовательной политики в условиях построения новой модели высшего образования

The author examines the main aspects of the modern university activity related to the transformation of the educational system and current socio-cultural conditions of society. Possible strategies for organizing the educational process in a modern Russian university were formulated based on the integration of existing developments in higher education man­agement. These strategies create conditions for responding to the educational needs of young people, taking into account the value orientations of the youth community. The proposed solu­tions are based on the principles of interdisciplinarity, integration of science and education, flexibility, and adaptability. A model for designing and developing educational programs in the context of higher education transformation is described.

METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES OF HIGHER EDUCATION TEACHERS

Purpose. The article is devoted to the description of methodical approaches and techniques, ways to develop professional competencies of teachers to improve the quality of the educational process in modern Russian universities.
 Methodology. The main methods of research were the following: theoretical analysis (analyzing psycho-pedagogical and methodological literature, researching educational and methodological materials), empirical research (observation during the teachers’ class visits, filling out the class attendance checklist).
 Results. The main result of the article was a description of the basic principles of basic methodological training of teachers of higher education using modern educational technologies.
 Practical implications. The results of the research can be applied to the training of teaching staff and scientific-pedagogical workers, as well as in the field of additional professional education of teachers at Russian universities.

Modern Russian University Image in the Mirror of Opinions of Lecturers and Students (on the Example of the Financial University)

The paper reveals the image of a modern Russian university through the prism of the opinions of the two key participants in the educational process: lecturers and students, and highlights the principal components of the corporate culture that form their ideas about it. The demand for higher education among the younger generation is again rapidly declining. There are quite a few reasons for this trend: these are the increasing complexity of final exams, the reduction in the number of state-funded places in more popular fields, and the necessity of quick entering the labor market. Corporate culture plays an important role and forms the basic list of attitudes and, with the accordance, the work of an educational institution should be organized. The educational process allows all participants and ex-participants to form a certain perception of the educational institution among the rest of the public. Existing problems in the external environment, in particular the pre-existing perception of the brand, have a significant impact on the corporate culture of the university.

“Positive Agency Theory” in Explaining Social and Labor Relations in The Academic Sphere

In this article, the authors propose to consider the possibility of using the “positive agency theory” to explain the mechanism of decision-making by key subjects of social and labor relations using cases of the academic sphere. The interest of the authors in the academic field is due to the development of research in the field of increasing the efficiency of the return on the use of human capital in modern Russian universities. In the first part of the article, the authors consider the main approaches to the analysis of the essence of social and labor relations and, on this basis, offer its comprehensive definition. The central place in the article is devoted to the comparison of “normative agency theory (principal-agent)” and “positive agency theory”; highlighting the features of the positive theory of agency relations and substantiating with its help the process of choosing by the subjects of social and labor relations of one or another type of contracts. The authors pay considerable attention to the characteristics of the factors influencing the choice of the preferred type of contracts – contracts based on behavior, or contracts based on results. Enrichment of the theoretical and methodological apparatus that explains the formation and development of social and labor relations not only with the help of traditional approaches, but also through the achievements of the “positive agency theory”, allows a deeper analysis of the possible causes of inefficient behavior of academic workers in the changing and multitasking environment for the development of modern universities.

Эффективное противодействие коррупции как конкурентное преимущество современного вуза

The subject area of the article is the improvement of the competitive position of a modern Russian university due to such an important component of its image in the educational services market as an organization that effectively counteracts corruption by its own staff. The solution of this problem is provided by the introduction of new technologies implemented by the joint forces of the two headquarters instances represented by the personnel service and the security service. The thesis is argued that the degree of protection from the threat of corruption on the part of both the teaching staff and other officials can be legitimately considered as an additional competitive advantage of any subject of the national higher education or, accordingly, its competitive disadvantage. Possible forms of corruption actions by various categories of employees of an educational institution are specified. Threats to its reputational and property security are determined in case of insufficiently effective counteraction to corruption. The dangers and opportunities associated with the use of various anti-corruption measures already proposed by specialists in the researched field of ensuring personnel security in the field of higher professional education are analyzed. Innovations in personnel work are proposed and argued, which can significantly reduce the likelihood of corrupt actions on the part of teachers and managers of the university. The first of them involves the use of technology based on a collegial approach to assessing the knowledge of the student being examined. The second innovation is aimed at a sharp tightening of control over the “anti-corruption stability” of teachers by the security service of the university. The third innovation applies only to the activities of top managers of the university and their direct subordinates, who are authorized to prepare for the conclusion of any transactions that potentially have a corruption component, and is based on the mechanism of individual bonuses. Finally, the introduction of the fourth innovation should ensure that the faculty members and other university staff are fully aware of the composition of corrupt practices and possible sanctions if they are detected.

Legitimation of University in Modern Culture

The authors propose to consider university as a significant cultural topos. The significance of the topos is provided by the narrative integrated in it. It reflects the values and inscribes the university into the current cultural situation. The authors give several historical examples to support their thesis that this narrative is a response to external cultural challenges. The current situation is rife with such challenges, and therefore, the creation of a legitimizing narrative for the university turns out to be quite problematic. The authors study the influence of such factors as massification of education, media communication, social, demographic changes, etc. Examples of modern Russian and foreign universities demonstrate self-legitimization process of the university and show its visual part. The universities represent their own position, history and current values by creating their own visual code. The authors adduce as examples modern universities’ websites with the visual images that are presented on their title pages. Based on this material, the authors draw a conclusion about the main modern strategies of self-legitimation of the university as positioning on the scales: tradition and innovation, loyalty to the government and independence from it, history and community.

Features of Professional Individuality of Chinese Students in Russian Art Universities

The article provides a comparative analysis of the role of the professional personality of the future artist-teacher in the professional education of China and Russia in order to build an effective process of training Chinese specialists in Russian universities. In accordance with this , the Russian and Chinese interpretation of the concepts is given: "professional individuality" and "individual educational route". The subject of the study is the study of the role of the development of an educational route in the process of training artistic personnel. The hypothesis of the study is that in order to successfully achieve pedagogical goals in working with Chinese students, it is necessary to take into account the options for building individual educational routes in Chinese universities. It also substantiates the need for drawing up educational routes in art universities, taking into account the ethnocultural and ethnopsychological characteristics of Chinese-speaking students, which is the key to the development of individuality in the profession and subsequent adaptation to the realities of their native country. Similar studies have not been undertaken in Russian before in relation to students from China studying in a modern Russian university specializing in artistic specialties. These materials can be used in the preparation of curricula and educational programs in art and pedagogical universities of Russia, taken into account in further studies of the adaptation of foreign students.