Acculturation Scale to Russia for Chinese Students: Development and Psychometric Verification

The topic on diagnosing intercultural adaptation and psychological acculturation to a new socio-cultural environment is relevant in connection with the processes of globalization and, in particular, with the growth of academic mobility in education. Research on this problem are especially relevant for Russian science due to the lack of acculturation scales, which are widely represented in Western and international psychology. In 2019, a research team led by Professor A. Ardila developed the Russian-language Acculturation Scale for Russia (ASR), which was validated on a sample of international university students from 71 countries of the world. The aim of the present study was to adapt the ASR for the Chinese students studying in Russian universities. Chinese students are the largest group of international students from far abroad studying at Russian universities, while many of them experience significant difficulties in adapting to a new socio-cultural environment, as well as in learning the Russian language. In total, the study involved 213 Chinese students (59% - female) studying at Russian universities, of which 93 students (58% - female) completed the Russian-language version of the ASR, and 118 students (61% - female) completed the Chinese version of the ASR, which was designed using the back translation. Both ASR versions were psychometrically tested using Cronbachs and MacDonalds coefficients, as well as bifactorial analysis. The methods of descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon W-test were used to compare the Russian-language and Chinese versions of the ASR. The normalization was carried out by means of non-linear percentile normalization (stanines). As a result, a high consistency of the Russian-language and Chinese versions of the ASR and their equivalence with each other were shown. Both versions can be used to assess the level of acculturation of Chinese students to Russia, while the Chinese version is recommended for the Chinese students who have been living in Russia for less than 1-1.5 years and/or have a poor Russian proficiency.

Unabridged Short Stories by 21st-Century Spanish-Speaking Authors in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language

Introduction. The need to include authentic works of fiction in the foreign language teaching process is obvious, but the selection of texts of the appropriate level at the elementary and intermediate stages of Spanish teaching remains a challenge. Since this phenomenon has not been sufficiently explored, the aim of this article is to present a list of unabridged short stories that correspond to the intermediate level (B1 PCIC) and the results of the study on the benefits of using these stories as a means of stimulating communication skills in the Spanish class. Materials and Methods. To study the problem, a Likert scale questionnaire, oral interviews, and a check of the final work were carried out. The study involved 54 students from three Russian universities and one school where Spanish and English are studied in depth. The collected data were processed by methods of mathematical statistics in Microsoft Office Excel. For the study, 36 short stories by contemporary Hispanic authors were selected and pre and post-reading questions were developed to introduce the topic and stimulate oral speech. Results. Based on the results of the study, it was revealed that the selected stories correspond to the B1 level of the Cervantes Instituteʼs curriculum, and the topics presented in the stories stimulate communication in the class, pushing the fear of making a mistake into the background. Many Spanish teachers introduce unabridged fiction starting at B2 level. This experiment demonstrates the successful use of short stories at an intermediate level of language proficiency. Discussion and Conclusion. The results of the study contribute to the development and improvement of the methodology of teaching Spanish with the use of authentic fiction texts. The materials of the article will be useful for practicing teachers and methodologists of the Spanish language.

A Year after the Outbreak of COVID-19: Applicants’ Perception of Higher Education Quality in the Context of Digitalization and Blended Learning

Introduction. The forced transition of Russian universities to distance learning in 2020 and accelerated digital transformation of educational processes in higher education are the first effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. A key aspect of measuring higher education quality is the perception of its formats by students as university change agents. The aim of the study is to identify the factors that determine the applicants’ positive attitude to learning that includes online elements in the context of the Russian universities’ transition to the blended learning model. Materials and Methods. The empirical base of the research includes the results of an online sociological survey conducted among the applicants for Ural Federal University undergraduate and graduate programmes in 2021. The methods of classification, factor analysis, and coefficients of pair correlations were applied. Additionally, for comparison, data from 2015 for a similar sample (1st year bachelor’s degree students) were used. Results. Positive attitudes towards online and blended learning are gradually increasing. The factor analysis of data from 2021 showed that applicants who support the online and blended learning include: those aspiring for master’s degree upon completing their bachelor’s degree course; those who choose their degree field rationally – men who apply for a state-funded education in any Russian university (including participants of federal contests – ‘Academic Olympics’). The above groups are formed mainly under the influence of external factors. Another group includes those oriented towards self-realization – women who choose their degree field relying on their personal inclinations for a future profession (the influence of internal factors). Discussion and Conclusion. The research results contribute to the development of scientific ideas about the blended learning model and emphasize the value of institutional research based on feedback from university students for making informed management decisions on change. The materials of the paper will be useful when designing the educational process in the Russian universities’ transition to the blended learning model.

The origins of the teaching accounting in russian universities: lecturer and researcher Stepan Usov (1797 – 1859)

The authors of the paper explore the life and professional activity of Stepan Mikhailovich Usov (1797-1859), as well as his views on the theory and practical implementation of new accounting techniques in agriculture. Usov was a talented researcher, an expert in agricultural sciences, political economy, history, and the publisher and editor of a number of Russian magazines. He worked hard all his life to disseminate knowledge about progressive technologies of agronomy and farm bookkeeping. Usov became one of the first lecturers in accounting, which he taught at St. Petersburg University in 1836 and this is in the focus of the study. Based on the Actor–network theory of Bruno Latour (ANT), the authors contribute to the previous literature within biographical studies and accounting education by identifying Usov’s role in the development of Russian accounting as a mediator in the network of educational institutions, which transformed accounting into a university discipline.

Наш вектор развития – выпуск востребованной конкурентоспособной продукции

АО "Зеленоградский нанотехнологический центр" (АО "ЗНТЦ") – предприятие, которое не только активно развивает непростое направление микроэлектронного производства, но и стремится соответствовать в этом самым передовым тенденциям, выстраивая кооперацию с ведущими отечественными вузами и предприятиями для создания полноценных цепочек от разработки ЭКБ до создания аппаратуры с ее использованием. В уходящем году компания проделала большую работу сразу по нескольким направлениям. Это сборка полупроводниковых приборов и интегральных схем, производство электронной компонентной базы по технологии нитрид галлия на кремнии и интегральная фотоника. О достигнутых результатах и наиболее перспективных областях, в которых развивается Зеленоградский наноцентр, рассказывает генеральный директор АО "ЗНТЦ" Анатолий Андреевич Ковалев. The Zelenograd Nanotechnology Center JSC (ZNTC JSC) develops microelectronics manufacturing and also strives to stay inline with the most advanced trends in this matter by arranging cooperation with leading Russian universities. ZNTC implements comprehensive flow from electronic components design to equipment creation based on these components. In this year, the company has reached a new level in semiconductor assembly, GaN-on-Si and integrated photonics manufacturing. Anatoly Kovalev, CEO of ZNTC JSC, tells about the achievements and the most promising growth lines of the company.

Lecturers and Students of Kyiv Higher Institute of People’s Education in the Early 1920s in the Context of the System of Soviet Ideological Control

Since the establishment of the Bolshevik regime, intellectuals as holders of knowledge, ideology and historical experience, were under systematic and constant pressure. Special attention was paid to political control over higher education institutions, particularly in Kyiv. This control concerned reorganization of Ukrainian universities (Russian universities were not reorganised). That is why particular attention should be paid to higher education changes during the early totalitarism period. Kyiv University served as a basis for establishment of Kyiv Higher Institute of People’s Education and other educational institutions. Besides, there was political and ideological purge of teachers and students at the same time. The forms of control over lecturers were detailed questionnaires and reports. Such famous scientists as Hryhoriy Pavlutskiy, Klyment Kvitka, and others were among those lectures. Students were controlled through commissions on political level checks (political registration). Those commissions were the ones that carried out a purge in 1921–1923s. All those actions changed the political and ideological situation in Kyiv Higher Institute of People’s Education.The subject matter of this article is to show forms and methods of control over the lecturers and students in Kyiv Higher Institute of People’s Education. The main sources used in the article are the documents of the fund P-346 (R-346) of the State Archives of Kyiv.

Carpe diem, Alma Mater! The Adaptation experience of university education to the changes in the labour market

In the XXI century, the tourism and hospitality industry has become one of the most dynamic sectors of the world economy. The need to train qualified personnel for this sphere has prompted many Russian universities to start training students in service and tourism-related fields of study. The article summarizes twenty years of experience of Ural Federal University tourism department in improving the educational program “Tourism” in terms of interaction with the professional community. Attention is paid to unique programs of additional education and advanced training for specialists in the field, and the areas of analytical, expert activities, and consulting are considered. Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of interaction with graduates of the department, whose career achievements in tourism and hospitality in no small measure contributed to the promotion of UrFU in the subject ranking QS Hospitality & Leisure Management.

The Mission of Teaching: to the 100th Anniversary of R.B. Nurtazina

The article analyzes the role and significance of R.B. Nurtazina in the development of modern Kazakhstani linguodidactics. The reason for writing the article was the First International Pedagogical Readings School - Teacher - Innovations in the Modern World, held at Pavlodar Pedagogical University from March 1 to March 9, 2021. The co-organizers were Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (RK, Almaty), L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (RK, Nur-Sultan), Peoples Friendship University of Russia (RF, Moscow), Kazakhstan Association of Teachers of the Russian Language and Literature (KAZPRYAL), Kazakhstan Public Association Graduates of Russian Universities, Academy of Childrens Books ALTAIR and a team of scientific educational project Epoch and Personality.

Russian students about learning under the covid-19 pandemic: Resources, opportunities and assessment of the distance learning

The covid-19 pandemic has made the whole world face specific challenges that required urgent decisions on how to organize the work of social institutions, including education, in this new reality. Since March 2020, national education systems all over the world have been adapting their activities to the quarantine measures and have been switching to distance learning. In varying degrees, these changes affected all levels of education - from preschool to higher and postgraduate education. However, the tasks to be solved differed by the level of education. The article presents the results of the comparative analysis of the activities of the Russian higher-educational institutions based on their students estimates - during the forced distance learning in the spring of 2020 and during the planned switch to such a format in the fall of 2020. The article is based on the surveys of the Russian students conducted in June 2020 (N=31423) and February 2021 (N=32358). The study was conducted to test the hypotheses that negative estimates of distance learning and rejection of such a format by many students in the spring of 2020 changed in the fall of 2020. The results of two surveys show that Russian universities have passed through the stage of digital transformation which affected both the resources for organizing the educational process and the competences of the teaching staff. The experience of work in the difficult and unpredictable conditions of the pandemic changed the public opinion from the negative perception of distance learning to understanding and accepting its positive features for the education system and its actors. The introduction of digital technologies is an objective and inevitable process in the development of the educational sphere and the country.