Social exclusion of older people in rural areas during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Karelia

The article discusses the issue of social exclusion of elderly people in rural areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. The author relies on the concept that defines social exclusion as a mechanism for separating a certain group of people from an integral community. Using the example of several respondents, the article examines the effects that social exclusion of elderly people creates in rural areas, as well as possible ways of their adaptation that can minimise it. The empirical basis of the work is collected by the author 20 semi-structured interviews with elderly people living in rural areas in the Republic of Karelia and 20 diaries of their observations. When analysing interviews and diaries, a thematic method was used. The main result of the study is the identification of various fears and characteristics of the perception of social exclusion as a condition associated with changes in the habitual everyday life, as well as the lifestyle of respondents due to isolation. The main conclusion highlights the various fears presented in the perceptions of social exclusion by elderly people associated with changes in the usual everyday life due to isolation. The study also identifies the most effective ways for adaptation of elderly people to minimise their social exclusion: expanding communication with neighbours, translating communication into digital format. The data obtained by the author also allow us to draw a conclusion about changes in the sociological consideration of ageing. It becomes not a state of inclusiveness and activity, integration of elderly people into society, as modern concepts and approaches denote it (for example, the concept of active longevity), but a state that is primarily determined by physical weakness. The need for isolation, as well as limitation of activity, is becoming a forced measure that negatively affects older people and the characteristics of their perception of their age and the situation of a pandemic. This work contributes to the latest research into the understanding of ageing in the context of forced social exclusion in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Decellularised extracellular matrix decorated PCL PolyHIPE scaffolds for enhanced cellular activity, integration and angiogenesis

Wound healing involves complex series of events where cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions play a key role. Wounding can be simple such as the loss of the epithelial integrity...

Changes in the Electrical Activity of the Brain in the Alpha and Theta Bands during Prayer and Meditation

Focused attention meditation (FAM) is a category of meditation based on an EEG pattern, which helps the wandering mind to focus on a particular object. It seems that prayer may, in certain respects, be similar to FAM. It is believed that emotional experience correlates mainly with theta, but also with selective alpha, with internalized attention correlating mainly with the synchronous activity of theta and alpha. The vast majority of studies indicate a possible impact of transcendence in meditation on the alpha wave in EEG. No such reports are available for prayer. Seventeen women and nineteen men aged 27–64 years with at least five years of intensive meditation/prayer experience were recruited to participate in the study. We identified the two largest groups which remained in the meditation trend originating from the Buddhist system (14 people) (Buddhist meditators) and in the Christian-based faith (15 people) (Christian meditators). EEG signal was recorded with open eyes, closed eyes, during meditation/prayer, and relaxation. After the EEG recording, an examination was conducted using the Scale of Spiritual Transcendence. Buddhist meditators exhibited a statistically significantly higher theta amplitude at Cz during meditation compared to relaxation. Meanwhile, spiritual openness favored a higher theta amplitude at Pz during relaxation. Our study did not reveal statistically significant differences in frontal areas with regard to alpha and theta, which was often indicated in previous studies. It seems necessary to analyze more closely the midline activity in terms of dispersed neural activity integration.

Jogos educativos como agente facilitador no processo de aprendizagem de Química

Este trabalho é um relato de experiência sobre o uso de jogos educativos como facilitador do processo de ensino e de aprendizagem em Química, que teve como objetivo despertar o interesse dos estudantes e encontrar alternativas capazes de ajudá-los a compreender as transformações Químicas que ocorrem no mundo de forma abrangente e integrada. Para tanto, discentes dos cursos técnicos integrados e superiores do Instituto Federal de Minas Gerais – Campus Bambuí elaboraram jogos educativos abordando conceitos de Química. Uma banca de jurados, composta por servidores de diversas áreas do Instituto, avaliou de forma criteriosa os jogos educativos. Ao final, os estudantes responderam um questionário, para avaliar de forma qualitativa a percepção dos mesmos, quanto ao aprendizado dos conceitos abordados e dificuldades durante o processo. Observou-se que a elaboração dos jogos educativos contribuiu para o aprendizado dos conteúdos abordados e mostrou-se importante para estimular as relações cognitivas, afetivas e sociais dos estudantes. Palavras-chave: Atividade lúdica. Integração. Ferramenta pedagógica. Educational games as a facilitating agent in the chemistry learning process Abstract This work is an experience report on the use of educational games as a facilitator of the teaching and learning process in Chemistry, which aimed to arouse the interest of students and find alternatives capable of helping them to understand the chemical transformations that occur in the world in a comprehensive and integrated way. In order to achieve this, students from integrated technical courses and college at the Federal Institute of Minas Gerais - Campus Bambuí developed educational games addressing Chemistry concepts. A panel of judges, composed of colleagues from different areas of the Institute, carefully, evaluated the educational games. At the end, students answered a questionnaire to qualitatively assess their perception, regarding the learning of the concepts addressed and difficulties during the process. It was observed that the elaboration of educational games contributed to the learning of the contents covered and proved to be important to stimulate students' cognitive, affective and social relationships. Keywords: Ludic activity. Integration. Pedagogical tool.

The role of integrated offline/online social activity and social identification in Facebook citizenship behaviour formation

PurposeDrawing on social identity theory and prosocial behaviour research, this study explores how people's integration of their offline and online social activities through Facebook cultivates their Facebook citizenship behaviour (FCB). It also offers further insight into the underlying mechanism of offline and online social activity integration - FCB relation by investigating people's social identification with their offline and online social groups as possible mediators.Design/methodology/approachBased on social identity theory (SIT) literature, community citizenship behaviour and offline-online social activity integration through Facebook, we developed a conceptual model, which was empirically tested using data from 308 Facebook usersFindingsThe results confirm that the participants' offline-online social activity integration via Facebook is positively linked to their FCB. Further, the integration of offline and online social activity through Facebook positively affects how a person identifies with their offline and online social groups, which in turn causes them to display FCB. In addition, offline/online social identification mediates the integration – FCB relation.Practical implicationsIn practice, it is interesting to see people's tendency towards altruistic behaviours within groups they like to associate themselves with. Those who share their Facebook network with their offline friends can use such network to seek help and support.Originality/valueFrom a theoretical perspective, unlike past research, this study examines how individuals' offline-online social activity integration via Facebook helps them associate with groups. In addition, this study investigates social identification from an offline and online perspective.

DIDACTIC ESSENCE OF THE CONCEPT OF «APPROACH»: GENESIS, INTERPRETATION, FUNCTIONALITY, HIERARCHY, CLASSIFICATION

Content creation of such components of didactic tools as paradigm, approach, principle, method, means, form, etc. is a long process, accompanied by the mutual influences of one concept to another. These mutual influences led to the identification of concepts or the differentiation of their content. In the course of the research it was found out that mutual influences were also characteristic for forming the content of the concept of "approach". On the basis of the analysis of philosophical, pedagogical, psychological and vocabulary sources, it was found that the process of isolation of the scientific approach as opposed to the extra-curricular approaches and approaches of theism and deism was revealed on the content of the concept "approach". The process of forming the content of the concept "approach" included: identification of the concepts "method" and "approach"; interpreting the latter using the words "method", "means" or based on one of them. It is proved that the interpretation of the content of the concept "approach" with the use of the concept "method" or "means" impedes the understanding of its content and hierarchical arrangement among the components of didactic tools. As a result of the research, the concepts "method" and "approach" are delineated, morphological, lexical, structural, functional and axiomatic factors that influence the hierarchy of the components of didactic instruments are defined. A hierarchical ordering of the components of the didactic instruments concerning the organizing the educational process of students is also carried out. The definition of the concept "approach" is formulated by distinguishing the general and the partial in its content. The general is constructed on the basis of the phrase "a way of setting a strategic direction", and partly based on the characteristics of a particular approach, in particular axiological, valeological, humanistic, gender, activity, diagnostic, research, differentiated, hermetic, eco-differentiative, information, individual, communicative, complex, cultural and historical, cultural, personally oriented, synergistic, environmental, technological, holistic, value and approaches "optimization of learning", "inter-activity integration", "humanitarian education", "dyadic basis". The approaches are classified according to the orientation of their use.

Theoretical and methodological foundations of work with student chorus group in the context of modernization of art education

The article investigates the actual problems of modern pedagogical science — students training in arrangement of students’ vocal and choral work at school. It examines basic theoretical and methodological approaches to the solution of contemporary problems of vocal and choral works and future music teacher training in the context of modern requirements for higher art education. It determines the complex of functions, methods and means of students training in arrangement of students’ vocal and choral work. The main approaches to organization of vocal and choral musical activity that are considered by us are the following: humanistic, aesthetic, culture studying, communicative, reflexive, creative, and projectoriented. Implementation of communicative and creative approaches to music teacher training encourage him to implement wide creative types of work and collective art in the process of education, which contributes to development of spiritual needs in performance and other types of musical and performance activity. Theoretical and methodical instruments mentioned above has become the basis of creative activities of the student choir “Gaudeamus” of the Institute of Art of Kyiv Borys Grinchenko University (conductor — Svitlana Ryabinko, accompanist — Oksana Bichkova). Pedagogical conditions for future music teachers training are developed for effective management of students’ vocal and choral activity, as follows: orientation of methods and forms of organization of informative and practical activity of students to understanding the specifics of vocal and choral work with students, motivation for personal creative self-realization in vocal and choral activity, integration of received knowledge, skills and abilities from different areas of art to pedagogical choral and vocal work at school.