The Press as a Resource for Promoting Sustainability Competencies in Teacher Training: The Case of SDG 7

Given the seriousness of the socio-environmental situation we are facing, this study aims to contribute to the involvement of teachers in education for sustainability through the use of non-formal education, particularly the press. The main objectives of the present study are to analyse the use of the press in science education, as well as the design, implementation and evaluation of tools aimed at teachers and trainee researchers in order to encourage and promote attention to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and more specifically SDG 7 (clean and affordable energy for all) in science education. The proposals are carried out using a constructivist methodology in sessions structured in small collaborative groups. The initial results show that attention to the press is still insufficient, but that, nevertheless, the strategies designed contribute to raising awareness of the importance of SDG 7 and to the classroom treatment of the energy issue among the participants in the study who attend a Master’s degree program in secondary education teacher training (specialising in physics and chemistry) and a Master’s degree program in research in specific didactics (specialising in experimental sciences).

Faculty Perspectives on the Master’s Degree in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to examine music education faculty members’ perceptions of the master’s degree in music education (MME). A total of 76 music teacher educators completed a researcher-designed survey instrument. Participants believed their MME students’ top four motivations for pursuing MME degrees were to become a better teacher, to gain a higher salary, to create a possible pathway to doctoral study in the future, and to gain academic stimulation through graduate level coursework. Faculty also indicated the MME degree was focused on both teaching/pedagogy and research. Participants explained that their students primarily learn about research through reading and discussing research articles in class, and that their students learn about pedagogy primarily from reading pedagogical articles and reflecting on personal teaching videos. In addition, participants presented various opinions regarding the purpose of MME degrees. Implications for music teacher educators are discussed.

Designing a Master's program in speech therapy education in the context of interaction with stakeholders

Introduction. The relevance of the study is due to the need to match the requirements of stakeholders to the level of preparedness of a graduate of a master's degree. The purpose of the research. The research is aimed at the development and scientific substantiation of the master's degree program in the field of speech therapy support for persons with communication disorders of various categories in terms of interaction with stakeholders. Methodology and research methods. The Master's program is based on the principles and provisions of practice-oriented and competence-based approaches that ensure the formation of students ' professional competencies and practical skills in solving real professional problems, both in practical classes and during industrial practice on the basis of stakeholders. The research used methods of design, content analysis, questionnaires, mathematical statistics (descriptive statistics, factor analysis). The results. The mechanism of designing the master's degree program is based on the inclusion of stakeholders in the process of forming professional competencies of graduates, the development of its structure, content and areas of implementation (educational process, scientific work, practice, final qualification work, career guidance). The conducted research with the participation of stakeholders (56 people: speech therapists, speech pathologists, psychologists, rehabilitologists, managers) allowed us to determine the four-factor structure of knowledge, skills and labor actions (professional competencies) necessary for a speech therapist when working with people with communication disorders of various categories: ability to plan and implement the content of correctional and developmental classes (percentage of dispersion – 29.4); the ability to design an adapted basic general education program and a special individual development program (percentage of dispersion – 24.5); the ability to implement speech therapy support in the rehabilitation work system (percentage of dispersion – 18.9); the ability to plan and conduct applied scientific research in education, including the diagnosis of persons with communication disorders of various categories (percentage of dispersion – 7.8). Practical significance. The results obtained can be used by the heads of universities focused on the development of interaction with stakeholders, can help to encourage the introduction of practices and strategies that take into account the influence of stakeholders in the development of management decisions and the organization of effective training of teachers in the master's program. They may be of interest to speech therapists-practitioners, scientific supervisors of master's programs.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT FAMILY PENSION, FAMILY EMOLUMENT AND PROPORTIONALITY OF THE BENEFIT

Family pension entitlement applies to children up to the age of 25. If the subject has reached this age in the last year of studies in a higher school, family pension entitlement extends until the end of studies. The problem is the interpretation of the phrase ‘in the last year of studies in a higher school’. It is unknown whether its meaning is limited only to the higher education (up to master’s degree) or whether it covers all forms of studies conducted by a higher school. Extending the meaning of this phrase shall cause the category of children entitled to the family pension to enlarge significantly, because entitled shall be those children who are students as well as those who take up postgraduate or doctoral studies. Such an interpretation seems to go too far. The conditions for acquiring the right to a family emolument after the deceased performing the profession of the judge also need to be specified.

Development of the Methodological Support for Future Social Sphere Specialists Bilingual Training

This article shows the structure and content of the methodological support for future social sphere specialists' bilingual training, developed by the Department of Social Technologies of the Zhytomyr Ivan Franko State University. To implement the principle of integrity, designing a system of bilingual professional training for future social sphere specialists, the process of bilingual teaching at the university was divided into stages: covering stage (I-IV semesters of studying), additional stage (V-VIII semesters of studying), parity stage (I-II semesters of master’s degree), evolutionary stage (III semester of master’s degree). Teaching materials have been developed to each of these stages that are generally formed a package of teaching materials for bilingual training of social sphere future specialists, featuring by variety, complexity, meeting the educational program of social sphere specialists training, covering all learning activities of students in bilingual teaching. It was proved that bilingual education is a necessary part of modern teaching system in higher educational institutions, which requires further studying and development from the scientific and methodological points of view. The key to successful implementation of bilingual training in the educational process must be carefully designed methodological support, which is the main component of the whole process of training in modern university. Implementation of bilingual training within university will provide conscious attitude of future social sphere specialist to the profession and expand opportunities for adaptation of future specialist in different social, informational, scientific realities.

An Uphill Battle: Academic Librarians and the Barriers to Scholarship

Some academic librarians within Pennsylvania and across the United States have been granted faculty status by their institutions. With this status comes the expectation that librarians will contribute scholarship to their discipline. However, with many librarians holding only a master’s degree, there is the likelihood that they lack the requisite skills to engage in research. On top of this, multiple studies have shown that librarians feel they lack the time to pursue scholarship on top of their typical job duties. This commentary discusses how these barriers create stress for librarians, hurts their scholarly pursuits, and how the current culture in academia may play a role in it.

EMI and Intercultural Competence at University of Alcalá: The case of the Master's Degree in Teacher Training

The use of English as a Medium of Instruction to teach subjects other than English is widely spread across European higher education institutions. The University of Alcalá has been working on the implementation of English-Medium Instruction (EMI) for decades now. The internationalisation process accounts for the increasing number of studies both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels taught in English. The response of international students has been positive considering the University of Alcalá one of their favourite Spanish destinations. The interaction of local and foreign students evidences the need to raise awareness towards the intercultural competence as part of the Master’s Degree in Teacher Training, so that learners will feel comfortable in a different language and culture and contribute significantly not only to the labour market but also to dialogue and living together. In this article, the authors report on how this is done in one of the compulsory courses of this specific Master’s Degree: Complementary Training in English Studies.

How to Become a Biostatistician: A study guide of Master's Degree in BioStatistics

Introduction: The aim of this study was to design of the study guide for the Master of BioStatistics program. Methods: In order to develop the study guide, the literature was reviewed and the first draft of the study guide was compiled using the opinions of experts. Then the face and content validity of the index was assessed from the perspective of the faculty members of Biostatistics across the country through electronic survey. Result: The present study guide includes a review of course titles, learning objectives and outcomes, educational prerequisites, a schedule of learning strategies, learning opportunities, assessment, and more resources for study. These titles are summarized in the present text. The face and content validity index were reported to be 87% and 92%, respectively. Conclusion: It seems that access to the study guide at the beginning of a master's degree in Biostatistics can put the learner on a better learning path, and the need to develop a unified study guide at the national level can be beneficial for the learners.