Present-day Students Research Articles

Effectiveness of the pH Master Application on Acid-Base Concepts as a Digital Alternative to Conventional Laboratory Practices for Enhancing Student Learning Outcomes"

Traditional Chemistry Laboratories, such as acid-base reactions, are hard to demonstrate for present-day students in their lab classes when they need to have the knowledge exchange we had, graduating (and teaching) with mortar boards lined up and ready for weddings. The Evaluation Of The Digital Platform “pH Master” For Enhancing Chemistry Student Performance Through A Virtual Imitation of Traditional Lab Practices The study used Akker's research and development model, including initial studies, product design, testing products, and trials. Validation was done using the Aiken formula by two expert validators and three practitioners for all items with a V value greater than 0.87. Surveys for needs analysis involved 45 students, and the learning effects were assessed with 90 students across three schools. Results Students responded favourably to the pH Master app and perceived ineffable pedagogical value. Most students agreed on the necessity of doing practical activities about what was being learned, and almost all also had trouble understanding study materials specifically related to acids and bases. The results showed a statistically higher mean n-gain value in the experimental group than in control one (0.6622 versus 0.5691) by independent t-test across three schools at p < 0,001 significance level between the two groups. This then confirms that the media created did support student learning. This study highlights the potential of the pH Master app to enhance student learning experience and active involvement in chemical education, which suggests a promising approach towards digitalising conventional practical work.

Teaching the New Generation: Some Critical Concerns

The present-day academic scenario reveals a disturbing trend. Colleges and similar Higher Education Institutions are haunted by innumerable problems arising chiefly from the changed nature and characteristics of students. More than ever before present-day students pose a heterogeneous mix, chiefly segregated into two categories - Those who come with a sense of purpose and intention to study are the first category. The second set is the not-so-interested or serious in studies. They are driven to the institution either as a fulfillment of custom or a result of persuasion from parents or not having any other engagement, or by the sheer notion that sitting through would fetch a degree and getting a degree is a quick way to a job. Barring premier institutes and similar institutions where admission is very competitive, they outnumber others leaving the genuinely interested and strongly motivated students to an obvious minority. These students although take admission, behave indifferently in class, do not obey instructions, do not follow punctuality in attendance, skip classes and examinations, are involved in violence and clashes, indulge in politics, do not pay fees properly and on time, take to drinks and drugs and are disruptive of the positive campus atmosphere. Reared in indisciplined surroundings, achievement orientation, a sense of purpose, and strong life goals are lacking. The task before the teacher is to handle this negative heterogeneity to bring in positive homogeneity. In the modern day, a teacher is expected to be student-friendly for it costs his survival and growth. An unfriendly teacher has no existence in his profession. Battling these innumerable odds, he finds it threatening to wear this suit of idealistic conception. The present study aims to discuss the survival issues of the teachers and what complicates their tasks. The few crucial concerns discussed here are explanatory and not exhaustive.

Edutainment as a Modern English Teaching Technique: a Case Study of Lingua-Socio-Cultural Competence Development of Students Majoring in Interpreting and Translation

The vast majority of present-day students belong to the so-called digital generation, which can be characterized by a number of unique cognitive features formed as a result of the extensive use of digital gadgets and modern technology. New means of interacting with reality and new strategies of cognitive information processing have created a demand for updating the repertoire of traditional teaching techniques. The edutainment technique has the capacity to satisfy this demand. Purpose. This article aims to provide a case study of applying the edutainment technique to develop lingua-socio-cultural competence of the students majoring in interpreting and translation. Methods. The article reviews recent advances in the edutainment technique implementation. The author analyzes the results of the practical application of this technique during English lessons. Results. The case study has shown that the application of the edutainment technique increases the students’ interest in the topic and motivation to study, boosts attention span through the activation of the emotional sphere, and improves the satisfaction from learning. Edutainment also facilitates understanding of complicated, culturally specific topics, helping to develop lingua-socio-cultural competence. While using the edutainment technique, it may be necessary for the teacher to perform the function of an edutainer, i.e., not only provide explanations of cultural contexts but engage students in them. Conclusion. The edutainment technique is beneficial for both the student and the teacher. This technique, by design, satisfies the cognitive preferences of the digital generation as well as the technological requirements of long-distance education, which, after the onset of the pandemic and the war, has become the norm in Ukraine.

The characteristics of physical development of present-day students.

The problem of preserving health of students is of great public importance. In assessing state of health and morphofunctional state of human body, the most important aspect is level of physical development. The purpose of the study is to investigate indices of physical development of students of medical university and to implement their comparative evaluation. The assessment was carried out concerning physical development of students of the Pacific State Medical University (238 girls and 57 boys) in 2020, including anthropometric measurements, calculation of BMI and Pignet index. The factor analysis was performed. It was established that anthropometric indices of male and female students had statistically significant differences. The BMI assessment of students demonstrated that overweight and obesity more often observed in boys, as underweight in girls (p=0,026). The analysis of strength index of students physique established that insufficient development of skeletal muscles, requiring correction, was detected in 58,4% of girls and 33,3% of boys. The factor analysis of complex of factors determined that most completely explained relationship between criteria for physical development of students (p<0,001).

Enhancement of Writing Skills in English of Engineering Students Through Autobiographies — A Literature-Based Approach

This study emphasizes the importance of writing skills in English and analyses from various perspectives the reasons for the present-day students lacking good writing skills in English. The authors insist on reading of autobiographies for better enhancement of writing skills and the insistence is justified appropriately. The paper begins with the importance of writing skills in the present scenario, throws light on literature-based approach and a detailed description of the methodology adopted by the researcher including conduct of a pre-test for the selected students of engineering students from various branches of engineering (at the entry-level), a three-month session on reading of select autobiographies along with language activities for the selected students, and a post-test after reading the autobiographies (at the exit level). The statistical approach paired-t-test and one-way ANOVA have been used to examine the efficiency of the autobiographies that help to improve the writing skills of students in English based on the marks secured in the post-test. A comprehensive input was given on the autobiography reading session by the students selected for the experiment. The performance of the students in the tests bears testimony to the fact that reading of autobiographies remarkably enables learners to enhance their writing skills.

ОCОБЛИВОСТІ ВИКЛАДАННЯ ЛАТИНСЬКОЇ МОВИ МАЙБУТНІМ ФІЛОЛОГАМ

The article considers some aspects of teaching the Latin language to future philologists. Special attention has been paid to the historical aspect of teaching Latin. The differences between teaching Latin and teaching modern languages have been distinguished. It has been stressed that Ukrainian students do not need to obtain all language competencies while learning this course. Among them are philologists, Law students, medical students, etc. The authors pay special attention to training philologists as they are likely to teach the basics of Latin to the students of other majors. There are some problems connected with the study of Latin in the 21st century. For instance, this language is learnt only for one or two semesters in modern Ukrainian institutions of higher education. Therefore, it is impossible to learn a large number of Latin words. So, the authors recommend choosing some frequently used words, as well as some proper nouns. It has been underlined that learning Latin is a complicated activity because of the absence of native speakers and lack of definitive knowledge about the Latin phonetics. It has been mentioned that not so many texts survive from Classical Antiquity and there is only a limited number of post-classical Latin-language texts. This language, like any other one, has changed a lot, so we focus on learning Classical Latin. It was used as a literary standard by writers of the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. But we use the texts adapted for the present-day students. Foe example, the words are spelt separately and the letters u and j are used. In this article the authors have distinguished several clusters of Latin words that are to be learnt. Students are asked to find out the etymology of modern English words that have Latin origin. It has been shown that Latin helps students to get ready for learning other languages. The linguodidactic potential of Latin proverbs has been shown. Besides, the authors have used some mottos of countries, regions and cities. It is suggested to use modern Internet sources including Englishlanguage ones. The article contains an example of a multiple-choice exercise aimed at training grammar skills. The authors assume that learning Latin should be supported with discussions and self-study work presentations. Special attention is paid to motivation of students.

Students Who Orient towards Studying vs. Learning: Teachers’ Perceptions

Many present-day students orient towards outcomes instead of learning. This is leading to failure that affects students, families, the educational system itself, and occupational and financial systems in Spain. Indeed, current data points to an 18.2% university drop-out rate during the first year. The present study seeks to identify teachers’ perceptions of the deficiencies pertaining to study orientations, their involvement in training processes, and student knowledge about the actual state of affairs regarding this topic. The target population for this incidental study was 1769 university lecturers, with a final participating sample of 317. A cross-sectional study was conducted, which was descriptive and inferential in nature. Linear regression was employed to explain variance. Outcomes showed a high degree of homogeneity in teachers’ responses. Outcomes indicate that orientations towards academic learning and study are deemed necessary. Furthermore, such orientations do not prevail due to a lack of teacher engagement, possibly due to a lack of teacher training directed towards managing and balancing class time with monitoring practices. A degree of insufficiency was observed with regards to teacher training for study management, in addition to greater teacher engagement amongst hired teaching staff with indefinite contracts working at public or private institutions, relative to official permanent teaching staff.

Licentious Fictions: Ninjō and the Nineteenth-Century Japanese Novel by Daniel Poch

Reviewed by: Licentious Fictions: Ninjō and the Nineteenth-Century Japanese Novel by Daniel Poch Timothy J. Van Compernolle Licentious Fictions: Ninjō and the Nineteenth-Century Japanese Novel by Daniel Poch. New York: Columbia University Press, 2019. Pp. ix + 290. $65.00 hardcover, $64.99 e-book. An essay I read in graduate school—Peter Kornicki’s “The Survival of Tokugawa Fiction in the Meiji Period,” published forty years ago in this very journal—provided me with my first intimation that early modern Japanese literature was still popular in the modern era.1 It has taken the field considerable time to take seriously and to explore fully the implications of this survival, but the effort to find continuity amid change across the once unbridgeable Tokugawa–Meiji divide has now gained a great deal of traction. Daniel Poch’s Licentious Fictions, a bold, ambitious, and deeply researched monograph, takes a prominent place among these studies. Focusing on the historically specific discourse about ninjō 人情 (lit. human emotion; treated in the book as a form of desire), Poch’s book traces the “narrative practices surrounding ninjō” (p. 4) across a long nineteenth century, from the late Tokugawa era to the final decade of the Meiji period. Its focal points are the literary projects of Kyokutei Bakin 曲亭馬琴 (1767–1848), Tsubouchi Shōyō 坪内逍遥 (1859–1935), and Natsume Sōseki 夏目漱石 (1867–1916). The book details the need to unleash the representation of desire in fiction, as well as the urge to control its unruly aspects, with a didactic framework that legitimizes some expressions of desire while making others illicit. The specifics of these impulses differ depending on the writer and the historical era. Poch’s book is adept at handling the variability and historical specificity of these twin claims on fiction to unleash and control desires. It also convincingly reveals continuity across the entire century. Poch’s attention to historical specificity is evident in chapter 1, which presents a wide-ranging account of the “interlocked historical layers that informed the understanding of ninjō in the nineteenth-century Japanese novel” (p. 29). This historically specific discourse on desire was influenced by the import of vernacular Chinese fiction into [End Page 393] Japan during the early nineteenth century. The canonical example of ninjōbon 人情本, the genre named after ninjō, is Tamenaga Shunsui’s 為永春水 (1790–1844) Shunshoku umegoyomi 春色梅暦 (Spring-color plum calendar; 1832–1833), a long‐form demimonde fiction. As Poch shows, this text and the larger genre it represents played an outsized role in making ninjō almost synonymous with licentiousness in fiction. After this discussion is a chapter on Kyokutei Bakin and his enormous Nansō Satomi hakkenden 南総里見八犬伝 (Eight-dog chronicle of the Nansō Satomi clan; 1814–1842), a canonical example of the yomihon 読 本 (historical romance) genre. Poch shows that the message of kanzen chōaku 勧善懲悪 (reward virtue, punish vice), which is typically portrayed to be a dominating characteristic of Bakin’s fictional world, is merely the didactic framework that surrounds the discourse on ninjō. Bakin uses this framework to legitimize his own fictional project by ameliorating its inherited licentiousness. Poch’s intervention, which places desire at the heart of Bakin’s narrative practice, is thoroughly convincing. His compelling reassessment of one of the world’s longest works of narrative fiction is an achievement worthy of note. Part 2 consists of three compelling chapters. Chapter 3 is another wide-ranging historical account showing how the discourse on “Civilization and Enlightenment” (bunmei kaika 文明開化; p. 90) inflected inherited conceptions of desire. Poch quickly locates the central problem facing Meiji writers: “The ninjōbon, though disqualified as uncivilized, was the only genre well into Meiji that focused primarily on the representation of love and gender relations” (p. 91). Translated Western novels provided a way to go beyond inherited domestic genres, but Poch skillfully shows them to be in dialogue with domestic conceptions of desire. Chapters 4 and 5 respectively show Tsubouchi Shōyō’s effort to frame the inherited discourse on ninjō with Meiji civilizational ideals, in his famous treatise Shōsetsu shinzui 小説真髄 (The essence of the novel; 1885–1886), and the failure (or, at least, limitations) of this project in practice, in Tōsei shosei katagi 当世書生気質 (Characters of present-day students; 1885...

Helping teachers to respond to COVID-19 in the Eastern Caribbean: issues of readiness, equity and care

ABSTRACT Education in the Eastern Caribbean has been heavily influenced by the colonial history of the sub-region. In recent years though, in recognition of the fact that the traditional approaches to teaching and learning are no longer meeting the needs of present-day students, there have been calls for change to more student-friendly ones, with electronic technology playing a significant role. However, the resistance to certain types of devices in the classroom has contributed to the slow uptake of widespread use of electronic technology and the online environment as a mode for teaching and learning. The closure of schools due to the advent of COVID-19 pandemic forced education systems in the region to turn to the online environment to engage students in educational activities. Students, teachers and other education officials had to face their apprehensions and venture into this space for schooling. This paper describes actions taken by the Eastern Caribbean Joint Board of Teacher Education to help teachers cope with this different learning environment, guided by the concepts of teacher readiness, equity relating to access of resources and providing caring support for all affected.

Planning for the Use of Technology in the Education Sector

Traditional teaching environment is becoming obsolete and boring to the present-day students. The reason for this feeling stems from the fact that more engaging and entertaining contents are available and only a click away. The classes also are getting more populated, with many students in developing countries desiring to have certificates and not intending to pursue a career in the field. The researcher proposes a hybrid teaching system, with technology employed in the demonstration and interaction of complex courses. This paper is a part of the preparatory for a technology teaching project. Qualitative analysis is employed to determine the impact of students’ gender and field of study on their acceptance of complex technology in teaching. To test for these, a questionnaire is administered and the responses coded and analyzed. The results show that gender has impact on the students’ acceptance of technology and field of study has relationship with the students’ acceptance of technology in learning. This work contributes to the body of knowledge by providing insight in the planning of education as well as in policy making. Details of the result are presented in the result and discussion section. Keywords: Education, Planning, Technology in Education, Education Policy Journal Reference Format: Olebara, C.C. (2020):: Planning for the Use of Technology in the Education Sector”. Behavioural Informatics, Digital Humanities &amp; Development Journal Vol 6. No. 2. Pp 143-147. SMART Research Group, International Centre for IT &amp; Development (ICITD), Southern University Baton Rouge, LA, USA. © Creative Research Publishers. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22624/AIMS/BHI/V6N2P16

Serine proteases: how did chemists tease out their catalytic mechanism?

Serine proteases are a family of enzymes that degrade a wide range of proteins and play vital roles in a variety of biological processes. Their mechanism of action involves several catalytic strategies that are common in enzymatic catalysis. In this article, we review the catalytic mechanism of serine proteases and how it was elucidated over the years. The artful application of chemical probes to dissect the mechanism of serine proteases provides excellent examples for teaching present-day students and scientists how to solve complex chemical and biological problems through chemical logic.

BIOGRAFIA JĘZYKOWA JAKO PRZYCZYNEK DO REFLEKSJI NAD MOTYWACJĄ DO NAUKI JĘZYKA NIEMIECKIEGO

A language biography is most often a reflection on one’s own linguistic development and therefore can be termed “language autobiography”. In its a broad sense, a language biography may include mother tongue acquisition, yet this article focuses solely on foreign language learning, with a special emphasis on the German language. The article provides insights into factors that motivate learners of German and into changes in these factors over a period of time, including the role of intercultural motivators. A theoretical and methodological introduction is followed by the results of a qualitative study conducted in five Polish institutions of tertiary education on a group of 73 students learning German. The excerpts of biographies quoted provide a picture of motivation as a dynamic process and moreover indicate that as present-day students get older, they are increasingly more thoughtful about their learning.

The Crucible (Czarownice z Salem)

The Crucible (Czarownice z Salem)

ЕМОЦІЙНА СКЛАДОВА ПСИХОЛОГІЧНОГО ЗДОРОВ'Я СУЧАСНОГО СТУДЕНТСТВА: ДО ПОСТАНОВКИ ПРОБЛЕМИ

The investigation of the problem of the emotional component of the present-day students' psychological health is topical in some circumstances. Firstly, the dialectical character of the emotions and feelings correlation, the role of personal feelings in psychological health's general characteristic. The article also elaborates on the necessity of including the spheres of value and motivation into the overall theoretical and methodological context of discussing the outlined problem. The article also presents the results of empiric studies aimed at investigating the internal organization of the notion of psychological health in students of local universities. The results suggest that students give an exceptional value to the motivational dimension of psychological health. Also, the propositions for the future research in the field of psychological health are outlined. The article also provides a sufficient theoretical review of the notion of psychological health in literary sources. The role of quantitative and qualitative emotional characteristics in personal alteration are important nowadays. The idea of the following theoretical constructs such as "psychological resource" and "psychological health" is investigated. Such principal term as students' age period in personal skills development, that is defined as an ability "to operate his/her resources" is analyzed. The fundamental psychological researches confirm the importance of the role of the person emotional readiness in his/her development as an "integrated education" which involves not only the psychological health, but also the mental health and spirituality among other components. Such aspect of the problem is investigated in the context of a behavior-oriented approach, where the components are the following: person action that correlate with the phenomenal-emotional manifestation, that is operationalized as the transition of moral sense in philosophy and spiritual dimension.

In Search of the Greengrocer (Jak vykládat zelináře)

The author reflects on her experience teaching present-day students about life under totalitarianism. Forty years of Communism is a long time; attitudes and opinions matured and shifted—even (if we examine Havel’s essay) those of his greengrocer. And what should be the focus of the teaching: the terror, the heroism, or the everyday business of living? How can one convey the different levels and subtleties of a world that history presents in black and white? The past could disappear in a hazy memory, but young people, once provoked, ask direct and practical questions that do connect the past to the present.

Семейные установки и семейные практики в современной российской студенческой среде

Семейные установки и семейные практики в современной российской студенческой среде

Paulus Teding van Berkhout: The More I Know Him the Less I Understand Him

Historical ideas often appear to show a striking resemblance to modern ones. Yet when one studies them in detail the superficial insight one appears to have in such ideas is destroyed, because then it becomes clear that ordinary looking ideas have existed in entirely different 'orderings of reality'. That is why the more one studies a 17th theorist on public administration; the stranger he gets to the present-day student. The article ends by posing the question whether a similar thing also goes for the cross-cultural study of PA.

Present-day students visions of the citizens role

Present-day students visions of the citizens role

Human Resourcing Challenges of The Smart Grids Deployment Projects in Russia

The article addresses the issue of the causes of human resources gaps for the implementation of projects for the deployment of intelligent electricity grids. The “focus group” research technique used in Tomsk Polytechnic University enabled to identify numerous barriers encountered by present-day engineering students in Russia on the path of their professional development. The barriers explored impede greatly the creation and introduction of state-of-the-art technological systems, Smart Grid being one of them. The elimination of those barriers will accelerate the accomplishment of the Smart Grid project.

СРЕДНЕЕ ОБРАЗОВАНИЕ КАК ПРЕДШЕСТВЕННИК ВЫСШЕГО В СТРОИТЕЛЬНОМ ВУЗЕ В СОВРЕМЕННЫХ УСЛОВИЯХ

The problem of secondary school students´ education is rather urgent nowadays due to the introduction of new education standards in higher educational institutions. The change in the environment of present-day students requires a comprehensive and profound analysis of the current situation. The tasks of education, declared during the contemporary history reforms, in fact lead to degradation processes not only in education itself, but also in society, the concept of «knowledge acquiring» is getting vapid, the methodologies which used to make our education one of the best in the world are getting lost, the continuity between secondary school and higher education is disrupted.