Romanian Education System Research Articles

Valuing the educational changes in the Romanian educational system

Abstract
 
 This research aims to provide an insight into the level of assumption regarding the responsibility of implementing and promoting the educational changes in the Romanian educational system. The diagnosis highlights the need to build an organizational identity, the need for professionalizing the human resources and the orientation towards social values. This research was conducted on a representative sample of teachers in the pre-university education system in the South-East of Romania. It allowed an analysis of the changing phenomenon (of the educational reforms) using scientific methods to obtain information regarding the attitude of the human resource in the educational system towards the educational reform dimensions. This strategy can be considered a support to make the leap to an active portance against educational changes. The respondents realized that, in order to put into practice this goal, the school must activate its mechanisms of strategic management which are meant to lead the educational actors towards a continuously engagement in the development and reconstruction process of school and professionalizing the teaching career.
 Keywords: Education, diagnosis, school, reforms.

Message from editor

Message from Editor
 Dear Readers,
 It is a great honor for us to publish seventh volume, second issue of Global Journal of Psychology Research: New Trends and Issues (GJPR). 
 Global Journal of Psychology Research: New Trends and Issues welcomes original empirical investigations and comprehensive literature review articles focusing on psychological issues and related disciplines. The mission of the journal is to publish articles of professional interest for members of psychology. The scope of the journal includes, but is not limited to; the following major areas of psychology science including clinical psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology, experimental psychology, industrial and organizational psychology, traffic psychology, forensic psychology, psychometric psychology, sports psychology, health psychology, educational psychology, media psychology and neuroscience psychology.
 Articles focusing on loneliness levels of college students, trauma in cultural contexts, relationships between violent video games and cognition, Turkish adaptation and validation of Spielberger’s State Anger Subscale, writing skill difficulties for 'beginner' learners of the Arabic Language, valuing the educational changes in the Romanian educational system, relationship between gender and socio-economic level factors with psychological disorders in adolescents in Turkey and changing spatial belongings among migrants’ generations are included in this issue. The topics of the next issue will be different. You can make sure that we will be trying to serve you with our journal with a rich knowledge in which different kinds of topics are discussed in 2017 Volume.
 A total number of twenty (20) manuscripts were submitted for this issue and each paper has been subjected to double-blind peer review process by the reviewers specialized in the related field. At the end of the review process, a total number of eight (8) high quality research papers were selected and accepted for publication.
 We present many thanks to all the contributors who helped us to publish this issue.
 
 Best regards,
 
 Prof. Dr. Tulay Bozkurt 
 
 Editor – in Chief

The engaging Romanian teachers in a 3D feedback process

This article presents a comparative overview regarding pupil’s perceptions about quality of the educational act. Some of the key topics that are taken into consideration are the culture of learning environment, the expectations, the confidence and the feelings about the school’s climate. The research is a specific practice within Teach for Romania organization that comes as an innovation method in the Romanian educational system and only applies to teachers of TFR.

The Outcomes of the Romanian Educational System and Economic Indicators

Abstract The paper highlights some important correlations between the outcomes of the Romanian educational system and certain key indicators concerning the Romanian economy. The indicators are selected on the basis of the logic correlations and considering the limits of available data. The time-lag models were used because the macroeconomic effects of the factorial indicators considered as determinants on dependent variables cannot be usually detected in the same year. The results allowed interesting discussions concerning the Romanian education system and its funding-related evolutions in the last decade.

Vulnerabilities and Threats to Human Security Generated by an Ineffective Educational System

Abstract The present trend towards globalization has led to people changing their views on possible threats to their existence. Nowadays, we witness a diversification of vulnerabilities and threats to human security, as well as a progressive reduction of our resilience. The article attempts to correlate the 5 dimensions of national security, as identified by the Copenhagen School of Security, with the problems of the Romanian educational system, explaining how these problems can become threats to the security of Romanian citizens. It offers an overview of the problems of the Romanian educational system, and the threats and vulnerabilities derived from them towards human security. It also suggests solutions to problems and indicators for monitoring progress.

The Future of Distance Learning for Theological Education in Romania

Romanian education system is in constant change, trying to distance itself from the communist approach to education, but also in fast integration with our contemporary new pedagogical methods. In the opinion of some observers especially careful on education, the changes that have occurred in the nearly 27 years since the fall communism in Romania has been too slow. Others believe that in these 27 years has made radical changes Romanian education. A kind of jumps from modern approaches to postmodern approaches, from traditional education methods in education, using innovative pedagogical methods almost most. Distance education has found its place in education specific legislation in 1995, but the first program of distance learning in higher education was launched in the academic year 1998–1999. In theology, the situation was even more different in that it was only in 2005 launched the first distance learning program in the field of theology. This article aims to evaluate and demonstrate that the distance education in theology is the only possible path of development, thus ensuring the future for training religious ministers in Romania.

Adequacy in Education and Normative School Choice

In this paper I make a contribution to three distinct, but deeply interwoven subjects. Firstly, I argue that, at the level of ideal theory, the distribution of educational goods should follow a sufficientarian pattern and that the evaluative space of children’s advantage should be inspired by the capability approach (although with an important twist). Secondly, the paper is delving into the more policy-oriented debates on the desirability of school choice. I argue that, given the non-ideal circumstances in which decision makers have to act, giving parents the opportunity to choose the school for their children is a sine qua non condition for even approaching the ideals of sufficientarian justice. Lastly, I move the discussion on more empirical grounds, advancing a criticism of the Romanian educational legislation. I argue that the sufficiency-constrained school choice system that I envision could solve some of the problems that the Romanian educational system faces today.

School Mediators in the Romanian Education System. A Discussion on Their Role in Addressing Educational Inequalities

Abstract Based on findings from the project ‘Socio-graphic mapping of the Roma Communities in Romania for a community-level monitoring of changes with regard to Roma integration’, the article analyses the role of school mediators in influencing school practices for the reduction of the inequalities Roma students face within the education system. This study investigates the school mediators’ perception of causes and solutions for the difficulties Roma students face within the education system, while keeping in mind the current legislation and the public discourse on Roma. In order to gain a comprehensive understanding, we also investigate school mediators’ perception towards their work, as well as the manner they evaluate collaboration with colleagues, Roma families and other local stakeholders. Our findings illustrate that the school mediator carries out a multitude of tasks sometimes only partly related to the field of school mediation. At the same time, school mediators engage in a type of public discourse with regard to Roma which highlights individual responsibility and merits as solutions in order to overcome disadvantage. With regard to work satisfaction, although school mediators are poorly trained and they deal with a difficult and high amount of work, they report being highly satisfied with some aspects of their work.

English

This article is just an attempt to deeper penetrate the complex phenomenon of changes in the Romanian high educational system. This paper emphasizes the role of the emotional intelligence as a key element of changes in education. Emotional intelligence is one of the most important tools to realize a better intercultural communication in universities. Young people need motivation, confidence, trust and a better inter-cultural communication. Culture is a key point of international higher education and it plays a critical role for learners, teachers and students in the ongoing process of nowadays changes. Studies and researches about emotional intelligence and culture are important and current because they strongly influence organizational behavior. This study suggests reconsidering cultural elements and emotional intelligence as important behavioral factors in higher education. Culture influences educational practices, communication, relations between individuals and institutionalized groups. The objectives of the present study, respectively identifying the role of emotional intelligence in a better inter-cultural communication in Romanian universities have been achieved. The research covers the period October 2013 – October 2014 and the sample investigated is made up of 374 respondents, learners, teachers and students from 24 universities. The results, in conjunction with others, may be used in international comparisons and for better understanding of emotional intelligence and inter-cultural communication.

The Development of the Teachers’ Competences and Abilities Concerning the Educational Mentoring of the Disabled

In this paper, we will present some important aspects regarding the design and implementation of a project which generates significant results in the life-long learning of the teachers from all levels of the Romanian education system. The project is part of the priority axis: “The development of human resources in education and professional training”. The general objective aims to improve the e-learning interactive methods and the activity with the disabled in order to use them also within the didactic activity, to improve the results of the educational process as well as to increase the disabled access to education.

Improving Teamwork Skills of the Students by Extra Curricular Activities

Abstract Teamwork skills become increasingly a pre-requisite for employment success. All employers want to recruit graduates who are able to cooperate, share ideas and knowledge, solve problems, quickly adapt to new situation and work in teams. Romanian educational system is mainly based on the individual study, but it has to adapt to this request. The paper presents two different extra curricular activities that were organized in University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Faculty of Power Engineering, in order to develop these skills on the students. The students had to work together two weeks to develop a project, but in one of them they worked without having to physically be together at all times, by using the internet as the main communication method. Both events involved students or young graduates from different countries. The Romanian students never had an experience like these before, they were very enthusiastic and they really appreciated the skills and knowledge gained in these events.

The Elephant in the Room or Updating the Teaching Profession

Being a teacher today in a global and dynamic Romanian society is a real challenge. School needs time to adapt and requires a good educational system to deliver satisfactory results. We have just learnt to assume our guilt and responsibility for the present state of affairs of the Romanian educational system, an attitude which is visible, although not recognizable. This paper talks about current problems of the Romanian educational system that result in an increasing number of poorly prepared students. We argue, as many authors do, that investment in teacher selection and preparation is the most efficient strategy that could be adopted in terms of the relationship cost-benefit.

Exploring the students’ perceptions regarding unethical practices in the Romanian educational system

This paper examines the students’ perceptions regarding unethical practices in the Romanian educational system. This research topic is highly sensitive, because it is about teachers’ deviations from norms and malpractices. The aims of our research are: to investigate the perceptions of Romanian students on the weight of unethical practices by comparison with appropriate pedagogical practices; to analyse the perception of students on the hierarchy of unethical practices; to draw comparisons between the respective perceptions regarding unethical practices by taking into account three variables (level of instruction, gender and residential status). The data was collected from a sample of 452 Romanian university and high-school students. The instrument we have used was a questionnaire, designed specifically for this purpose. The concept of unethical practices was operationalized into several categories of indicators: indicators of teaching practices, assessment practices indicators, indicators of relationship management and of teacher public behaviour. The results reveal several findings: (1) Romanian students are quite critical regarding the evaluation of their teachers’ morality. (2) Favouritism and discrimination in assessment are perceived as the most frequent unethical practice. (3) High-school students are more critical than university students, boys are more critical than girls and those from the urban residence are more critical than those from the rural residence in terms of appreciating the morality of their teachers.

The Power of the Three Words and One Acronym: OER vs OER: Subtitle: I’m not an Ogre of the Enchanted Realm (of cyberspace). I’m an Omnipresent Educational Rescuer (because I use the OER!)

The present paper describes the Romanian initiatives related to Open Educational Resources (OER). We start from a national report developed by the first author under the umbrella of the European project POERUP, based on a documentary and a field work research. Although the aim of this paper is to focus on the state of the art of OER in the Romanian education system, our goals are to promote a background of research about the use of OER in universities; to contribute to a better knowledge of teachers’ and students’ perception and practices on the use of OER in academic life; to suggest key aspects and make suggestions on how to integrate OER in the HE area. The Romanian Report can be found here: http://poerup.referata.com/wiki/Romania. For more information about the POERUP project see http://poerup.referata.com.

Competitiveness and Research-Oriented Teaching in Romanian Universities: The Neo-Liberal Transformation of the Higher Education System

Abstract This paper focuses on the recent neo-liberal transformation in the Romanian education system and analyzes the genealogy of a new form of academic governance that has been implemented in higher education institutions in the past decade. It examines the role quality indicators and supplementary funding have played in the gradual embedding and naturalization of neo-liberal disciplinary reforms in universities and the specific quality enhancement policies that aimed at increasing the productivity of academic workers by stimulating the competition among them. The main argument of the paper is that in order to understand the extensive academic management based on scientometrics and recurrent evaluation of academics we need to look at the structural mechanisms that have shaped higher education institutions in accordance with market rules and at the generalization of competitiveness throughout the system in the context of budget cuts and decreasing resources allocated to education.

Educational Actors’ Involvement in the Democratization Process of the Romanian Education System

The present study aimed to assess the educational actors’ attitude (students and teachers) from the pre-university educational system. This investigation, analysis of attitudes and behaviours of both teachers and students, is required because of the numerous implemented in the educational system. Research analyses revealed a tendency changes to conserve traditional aspects among teachers over the age of 45, and a positive implementation of these reforms among actors under 45 years old. It was a real challenge to analyse this path of reform implementation from its exposure to its materialization

Changing and Restructuring of the Romanian Education System

Romanian society has begun an accelerated phase change of social, economic and educational structures. Educational changes in Romania have produced various joints concerning the mechanism of change. Educational reforms, which were supposed to change ideas, had the slowest rate of evolution. Some of the reasons are the presence of different age groups in the education system and individual differences. Changing conditions were crucial and fostered the changing factors. It was nice to see that the internalization was possible even though this mechanism of change is extremely complex.

Critical Analysis of Higher Education Structure, Financial Policies, Revenue Sources and Expenditures. Study Case: Romania

World is changing, higher education system is changing. Development of Romanian education system in the context of globalization is essential in many areas: education, research, management. Globalization and emerging knowledge-based society manifests through us the force fields that transform universities both in structure and in their functionality. The financial resources of universities are finite and their entrepreneurial capacity will be very important for their future. To appreciate the financial role played by various actors within the higher education system, it is crucial to understand the organizational structure of the system.

The Importance of Knowing and Applying of the Professional Legislation and Ethics in the Management of Educational Institutions to Combat Corruption

In some European countries, including Romania, affected by negative economic developments, education tends to be placed in a lower category of priorities. Corruption, ever more present after the 90s, began to be relatively recently present in the attention of the law enforcement institutions at all levels of the educational activity. Two of the methods of preventing and combating it are the knowledge of professional legislation and of the ethics in the Romanian educational system. We try to analyze some elements of educational management directly related to fighting intra-institutional corruption. We also approach specific legislative provisions to combat corruption ending with the presentation of such a concrete case.

Teachers Burnout in Relation with Their Emotional Intelligence and Personality Traits

Burnout as a work-related syndrome is a major problem which most of the professionals need to cope with. The present challenges of Romanian educational system consist in real premises for teachers to experience burnout. The study intend to figure out the existence of the burnout syndrome in teachers and to bring out the relation between it and other internal factors such as emotional intelligence and personality traits. The results bring out a picture of the burnout in Romanian teachers, the main internal factors that influence it.