Integration of Education

Introduction. The introduction of project-based learning in Russian universities is characterised by hete­rogeneity associated with different starting opportunities and strategies of its implementation. There is a lack of research on the infrastructure of project-based learning, which prevents us from analysing its effectiveness. The aim of the article is to analyse expert assessments of the infrastructural environment of project-based learning in russian higher education institutions, empirical typology of higher education institutions based on its three components: normative, organisational and informational; to identify the relationship between the features of the infrastructural environment and strategic directions of higher education institution policy in the field of project-based learning.

Materials and Methods. The research methodology is based on the application of the environmental approach. The empirical data were collected from March to April 2024 through the implementation of semi-formalised expert interviews, targeting a specific sample. A total of 65 experts were interviewed, including administrators and organisers of project-based learning from 49 regional Russian universities located in 32 cities across all federal districts of the Russian Federation. The hierarchical clustering algorithm using the intra-group links method was used to group universities according to 13 indicators characterizing the project-based learning infrastructure.

Results. The obtained results allowed us to determine the features of the infrastructure environment of Russian universities. An insufficient level of development of the information infrastructure and limited support for project-based learning at the level of individual institutes and faculties were noted. Three clusters of universities and, accordingly, three models of the infrastructure environment of project-based learning were identified: a model of comprehensive integration of project-based learning into the educational environment of the university, a model of active development of the infrastructure of project-based learning, and a model with developing potential for project-based learning. The study’s findings suggest a direct correlation between the sophistication of infrastructure and the scale of implementation of project-based learning. It is posited that as infrastructure evolves, the scope for implementing a mass approach to pro­ject-based learning at universities increases.

Discussion and Conclusion. The presented typology of universities by the formation of the infrastructure environment is of great importance for generalizing and comparative analysis of the results of project activities. The results and conclusions of the work are useful not only for researchers, but also for managers seeking to develop project-based learning in their universities.

Introduction. The need to create a digital portfolio of schoolchildren achievements is emphasized by parents, school administrators, and representatives of relevant federal agencies. Civil society is capable of offering government authorities various options for digitizing the record of schoolchildren personal achievements, which will accelerate the implementation of the ministry’s plans and increase the system’s conformity to the real needs of the population. The research aim is to develop a conceptual framework for an information system that records personal achievements, based on a comprehensive analysis of the needs of modern society.

Materials and Methods. The research was conducted based on information obtained through purposeful searching and extraction of relevant documents from heterogeneous sources of information. For further processing, text document analysis methods were applied: expert text evaluation, intent analysis, and content analysis. Identification of significant factors was carried out using factor analysis with empirical indicators and descriptive statistics. The results’ were generated using statistical methods of comparing means and statistical visualization.

Results. The list of stakeholders of the system was defined, which included schoolchildren, their pa­rents, employees of educational institutions, state educational structures, universities, secondary vocational schools, as well as organizers of thematic contests and Olympiads. The analysis of students’ achievements was conducted, based on which a set of data relevant for storage in the system was selected. A conclusion was made about the general decrease in the number of achievements with the increase in the age of students. A list of functional requirements for the information system for recording personal achievements of schoolchildren was formed. A concept for creating a full-fledged and fully functional information system, a version of the “digital portfolio of a student” that meets the requirements of all stakeholders, was developed.

Discussion and Conclusion. The proposed information system for recording personal achievements of schoolchildren will enable to shape a student’s educational trajectory, automate the reporting system of general education schools on extracurricular achievements, and also assist universities and secondary vocational educational institutions in career guidance for potential applicants. The practical significance of the article lies in the development of recommendations for creating a system to record the achievements of schoolchildren, including its modules and implementation, which is helpful for teachers and civil servants.

Introduction. Despite the impossibility of overestimating the importance of compliance with academic norms in conducting scientific research, there has been an increase in the diversity and number of academic deviations, and violations of academic ethics have become routine and are not perceived by the university community as a serious problem. The attitude of scientists toward violations of academic ethics and the need to comply with them remains insufficiently studied. The purpose of the study is to determine the importance of compliance with academic ethics standards for researchers at universities in the Northwestern Federal District.

Materials and Methods. The study employed a mixed-methods design, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. Data were collected through five focus groups with postgraduate students from Saint Petersburg universities and an expert online survey of 115 university representatives from the Northwestern Federal District of Russia. Focus groups were organized to familiarize participants with the arguments of young researchers regarding the possibilities of academic deviations. An online survey allowed for quantitative assessments of various positions on the research topic, and the use of scales allowed for a quantitative assessment of qualitative characteristics, in particular the relevance of the problem of academic fraud for universities.

Results. The research hypothesis about the presence of high tolerance for violations of academic ethical norms and a decline in trust in the mechanisms for controlling compliance with these norms was confirmed. Postgraduate students adapt to academic anomie, believing that the requirements of academic ethics in writing dissertations in the humanities and social sciences are very difficult to fulfill. Representatives of educational institutions in the Northwestern Federal District of Russia are willing to justify deviations from academic ethical norms in the presence of objective circumstances. External social control over compliance with academic ethics is recognized as ineffective, due to the impunity of scientists with confirmed plagiarism.

Discussion and Conclusion. The results of the conducted research confirm the dominance of rational and pragmatic expediency in the scientific and pedagogical community today. The norms of academic ethics are declared, but not respected, deviant practices become routine, thereby normalized. According to the respondents, external social control over compliance with academic standards is ineffective, which inevitably leads to an increase in violations of academic ethics. The results of the study confirm the dominance of rational-pragmatic expediency in the scientific and pedagogical community today.

Introduction. The institutionalization of inclusive education defines a new context for considering issues of school-family cooperation, actualizing the tasks of building complementary interaction between teachers of general education organizations and parents of not only children with disabilities but also neuroty­pical learners. Since the optimization of school-parent relationships requires a transition to value-semantic interaction, the basis for interaction between teachers and parents in the context of inclusive education should be the subjective values and meanings that both parties associate with inclusion and which are embodied in their inclusive dispositions. However, the inclusive dispositions of teachers in general education organizations and parents of neurotypical schoolchildren have not yet been the subject of special compara­tive study. The aim of the research is to identify commonalities and specifics in the inclusive dispositions of these participants in inclusive educational relationships.

Materials and Methods. The study involved 759 general education teachers and 701 parents of neuroty­pical learners from seven federal districts of the Russian Federation. Both original and adapted diagnostic tools were employed, including: the authors’ method for assessing teachers’ inclusive self-identification, the Wilczenski Scale for measuring attitudes toward inclusive education, and a questionnaire on professional dispositions.

Results. Against the backdrop of identified reliable shifts in teachers’ assessments of their own inclusive dispositions and their prevalence among most other teachers, as well as in parents’ assessments of the inclusive dispositions of most teachers and ideal teachers, factor analysis reveals a similar latent structure of inclusive dispositions and attitudes towards inclusive education among teachers and parents of neurotypical learners. This similarity extends to the aspect of its comparative acceptability for children with different types of developmental disorders. Despite the differentiating influence of socio-demographic variables, there exists a core set of values and meanings that is common to teachers and parents of neurotypical learners as participants in inclusive educational relationships. It is precisely this zone of commonality in inclusive dispositions that defines the real value-semantic space of their interaction.

Discussion and Conclusion. The research materials may be of interest to administrators and educators in inclusive educational institutions, as well as to representatives of parent advocacy groups, for the purpose of optimizing school–family partnerships in the context of the institutionalization of inclusive education.

Introduction. The growing number of students seeking education overseas influences economies, and the exploration of sociocultural adaptation among international students, with culture shock as an inherent element, is gaining prominence due to nations efforts to improve their competitiveness in attracting international learners. Nevertheless, the issues contributing to culture shock in non-Anglophone countries, including the experience of culture shock among Asian students, have not been adequately addressed in scholarly research. This study aims to examine culture shock experienced by Chinese students studying in Russia.

Materials and Methods. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of descriptions of culture shock made by 82 Chinese students at a Russian university. The results were processed using the R program, applying the chi-square test and Cramer’s V test to observe the independence of variables and their interrelationships. The binomial test, z-test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were also used to test statistical significance within and between groups.

Results. The culture shock intensity level varies depending on the time spent by a student in another culture. Descriptions by students who experienced the intense culture shock are distinguished by the simplicity and specificity of their problem statement. Descriptions of situations that caused low culture shock are formal, reflecting common opinions, stereotypes, and uncertainty in sociocultural adaptation.

Discussion and Conclusion. The study expands and substantiates the conception of culture shock as an integral part of sociocultural adaptation. Although the study refers to Chinese students, the results can be considered when studying the sociocultural adaptation of students of different nationalities.

Introduction. Grant proposal abstracts represent a pivotal academic genre aimed at persuading experts in a specific field of research to fund the proposed projects. Being considered a “behind-the-scenes” genre, it has received little attention in academic discourse analysis and pedagogy. This study addresses this gap by analyzing rhetorical moves employed in grant proposal abstracts with a particular focus on their promotional and persuasive nature.

Materials and Methods. A corpus of 90 successfully funded linguistics grant proposals from the Russian Science Foundation was analyzed. The texts were derived from the official website of the fund. The ana­lysis included a comprehensive procedure of extracting texts and conducting interpretative and quantitative analyses of the rhetorical moves using Matzler’s taxonomy. The corpus was chosen to provide insights into how persuasive and promotional language is used in a funding context.

Results. The analysis revealed a consistent pattern of moves indicative of persuasive language and strategic promotion. The study identified that the most frequent moves found in the corpus were Territory, Goals, and Benefits, which underline the importance of establishing a clear context, articulating research aims, and highlighting the significance and novelty of the proposed research. The most frequent move structure in the corpus was “Territory – Goal – Means – Benefits”, which indicates the conventional approach taken in the abstracts.

Discussion and Conclusion. Through a move analysis of grant proposal abstracts, the present study contributed to a deeper understanding of this persuasive and promotional academic genre. The analysis suggests a strong link between the successful use of specific rhetorical moves and securing funding, with variations in the types of moves identified in 90 abstracts. The findings highlight the persuasive and promotional nature of scientific communication and their implications for pedagogy. Explicit training in move analysis is recommended to improve researchers’ capacity to create convincing proposals.