Motive for Social Justice and Students Activism at University Level

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 172-184
Author(s):  
Eleonora Serafimovska ◽  
Marijana Markovikj

Abstract Student organizations exist to protect the rights and interests of their members. Therefore, if they are organized into representative student governments, students can be a very influential agent who shapes the policy of higher education, and build themselves as democratic force in the society. The purpose of this study conducted by Institute for Sociological, Political and Juridical Research (ISPJR), Skopje was to consider student activism at university level in light of social justice motive. The data show that components of social justice motive influence the activism in Student Organization but also certainly proved that educational system of the country has serious omissions and errors in developing responsible and active youth and the country has to invest in its students because good student organization, in addition to exercising rights, freedoms and needs, and engaging in improving students’ standard and their well-being, means investing in an active, efficient, motivated and democratic youth.

Author(s):  
A. V. Kudryashova ◽  

The paper analyzes CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) as a teaching method contributing to training competitive specialists in demand both in the Russian and international labor markets. CLIL has become popular in the Russian system of higher education while insufficient understanding of the conditions for its effective implementation in our country often leads to unsuccessful foreign experience adoption. The paper aims to study the specifics of the Russian educational system and its potential as a platform for CLIL implementation. The foreign practices and CLIL-methodology are analyzed with the objective to identify a number of didactic principles and key factors affecting the choice of a model and form of CLIL for a particular educational paradigm. The specificity of the Russian educational system is analyzed from the standpoint of the obstacles to CLIL implementation. Based on the results of the study, it is determined that CLIL implementation in Russia is possible. However, this methodology should be adapted to the Russian reality. The author suggests an adaptation mechanism that implies the following measures: approving CLIL at the university level, establishing interaction between the university and businesses to jointly develop a training plan, creating a team of CLIL-methodology developers at the university level, providing conditions for professional retraining of subject teachers in CLIL methodology, establishing interaction between subject teachers and linguists for the development of CLIL-courses.


Author(s):  
Sharif Abu Karsh

The sudden effect of the corona pandemic in many nations has seriously harmed the physical, social, and mental well-being and the global economy. Higher education is the bedrock of every nation that the Pandemic has ravaged. The entire educational system has unexpectedly moved to digital, creating a serious challenge for both students and teachers to adapt to. Is it a challenge, a boon, or a bane for counties in the MENA region to have their higher education systems turned upside down? The complexities of online education will be discussed in this report. The study employed qualitative techniques, which were accomplished through desktop review. The result indicates that eLearning is both boon and bane on higher education in countries in the MENA region. As a result, we can conclude that the eLearning education system should be geared up, and internet accessibility in the MENA region should be strengthened.


2013 ◽  
Vol 94 (238) ◽  
pp. 661-676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Alberto Torres ◽  

There are many definitions of globalization, or perhaps more accurately, there are many globalizations. Discussing the four faces of globalization - globalization from above, globalization from below, the globalization of human rights, and the globalization of the war against terrorism - and their impacts on education and learning, this article offers an analysis of neoliberal globalization and how "competition-based reforms" affected educational policy in K-12 and higher education. These reforms are characterized by efforts to create measurable performance standards through extensive standardized testing (the new standards and accountability movement), introduction of new teaching and learning methods leading to the expectation of better performance at low cost (e.g., universalization of textbooks), and improvements in the selection and training of teachers. Competition-based reforms in higher education tend to adopt a vocational orientation and to reflect the point of view that colleges and universities exist largely to serve the economic well-being of a society. Privatization is the final major reform effort linked to neoliberal globalization and perhaps the most dominant. As an alternative, the article provides insights into the possibilities of employing the concept of marginality as a central construct for a model of transformative social justice learning. Following the inspiration of Paulo Freire, I argue that transformative social justice learning is a social, political and pedagogical practice which will take place when people reach a deeper, richer, more textured and nuanced understanding of themselves and their world.


2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara Shefer ◽  
Anna Strebel ◽  
Sisa Ngabaza ◽  
Lindsay Clowes

Transformation efforts in South African higher education have been under increased scrutiny in recent years, especially following the last years of student activism and calls for decolonization of universities. This article presents data from a participatory photovoice study in which a group of students reflect on their experiences of feeling safe and unsafe at an urban-based historically disadvantaged university. Findings highlight the way in which historical inequalities on the basis of social identities of race, class, and gender, among others, continue to shape experiences, both materially and social-psychologically, in South African higher education. However, and of particular relevance in thinking about a socially just university, participants speak about the value of diversity in facilitating their sense of both material and subjective safety. Thus, a diverse classroom and one that acknowledges and recognizes students across diversities, is experienced as a space of comfort, belonging and safety. Drawing on feminist work on social justice, we argue the importance of lecturer sensitivity and reflexivity to their own practices, as well as the value of social justice pedagogies that not only focus on issues of diversity and equality but also destabilize dominant forms of didactic pedagogy, and engage students’ diverse experiences and perceptions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-20
Author(s):  
Inna Yeung

Choice of profession is a social phenomenon that every person has to face in life. Numerous studies convince us that not only the well-being of a person depends on the chosen work, but also his attitude to himself and life in general, therefore, the right and timely professional choice is very important. Research about factors of career self-determination of students of higher education institutions in Ukraine shows that self-determination is an important factor in the socialization of young person, and the factors that determine students' career choices become an actual problem of nowadays. The present study involved full-time and part-time students of Institute of Philology and Mass Communications of Open International University of Human Development "Ukraine" in order to examine the factors of career self-determination of students of higher education institutions (N=189). Diagnostic factors of career self-determination of students studying in the third and fourth year were carried out using the author's questionnaire. Processing of obtained data was carried out using the Excel 2010 program; factorial and comparative analysis were applied. Results of the study showed that initial stage of career self-determination falls down on the third and fourth studying year at the university, when an image of future career and career orientations begin to form. At the same time, the content of career self-determination in this period is contradictory and uncertain, therefore, the implementation of pedagogical support of this process among students is effective.


JCSCORE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 54-85
Author(s):  
Victoria K. Malaney ◽  
Kendra Danowski

This paper presents an overview of multiracial student organizing and organizations on college campuses. The authors address common challenges that multiracial student organizations face in higher education, how student affairs staff can challenge institutional practices that perpetuate monoracism, and how to support and empower mixed race students to effectively develop strong leadership skills. Several recommendations for working through political and administrative hurdles are also provided.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (11) ◽  
pp. 56-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. V. Lyalyuk ◽  
O. R. Tuchina

Educational system is the most important social institution, which provides the development of a personality and frames his/her worldview and the conception of subjective well-being. Despite the large number of studies on the issue of psychological and pedagogical security of educational environment, the sphere of higher education still remains underexplored. The available empiric material has not received sufficient methodological justification and conceptualization. This article aims to provide the conceptualization of the risk category as applied to the educational environment of a higher education institution, as well as empiric investigation of the risks within the educational environment as viewed by applicants and students.Materials and methods. 213 applicants and 547 students of the Kuban State Technological University took part in the survey. The following investigation methods were used: expert assessment, interview, questioning, content analysis, analysis of means method, cluster analysis and factor analysis.Investigation results. Comparative examination of the manifestation degree of risks within the educational environment as viewed by applicants and students of higher education institution showed significant differences in the assessment of risk by these groups of respondents. From the point of view of applicants, the main risks are connected with social and psychological aspects of the educational environment of a higher education institution, relations within student groups and interaction with teachers, as well as with the issues related to the educational management and leisure arrangement. As viewed by the students, the risks within the educational environment include external and social and psychological risk factors, motivating risks and risks arising from the learning process organization and management and the related issues. Applicants’ notion of the risks within the educational environment of a higher education institution was mainly influenced by information they received from media and by the opinion of their relatives and age mates.Consideration and conclusions. It was proved that the applicants’ idea of the risks within the educational environment of a higher education institution is determined by the opinion of people they know personally, however it changes during the process of studying in higher education institution and acquiring their own experience of being within the environment. The investigation results allow creating a model of psychological and pedagogical security within the educational environment of a higher education institution. This model makes it possible to forecast main risks of the educational environment, their development, and evolvement and find solution to them. 


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