Peculiarities of the First Year University Students’ Motivation for Learning in Samples of Riga and Smolensk

The demand for tertiary education among young people is growing worldwide. However, in the first months of the studies, freshmen face increasing difficulties, which sometimes negatively affect their learning motivation. For the successful pedagogical process, teachers need to study the motivation of students of the first study year, monitor it and take into account its peculiarities while developing learning materials and choosing educational strategies. The article presents the results of an international study of freshmen’s motivation. The study aim to compare the motivation of the first-year students at the universities of Riga and Smolensk, to identify prevailing motives and to assess the impact of the psychological atmosphere in the student group on their motivation. In the survey carried out in December 2019, 129 students from two universities in Riga (Latvia) and Smolensk (Russia) participated. The tools for collecting information were the technique of diagnostics of learning motivation by 7 content scales and the technique of measuring the psychological climate in the collective by 10 bipolar scales. For data processing, descriptive statistics, analysis of statistical indicators, and Spearman correlation analysis were used. In both national samples, professional motives for learning prevail over other motives, while prestige motives and avoidance motives take the penultimate and last place relatively. The importance of other groups of learning motives is assessed somewhat differently. For the Smolensk sample of students it was found out that their motivation to learn depends on the psychological atmosphere in the group, especially on the overall atmosphere of success in the group. However a similar correlation has not been revealed in the survey of the Riga sample of students. The study shows that a few months after the start of studying, the first-year students’ overall motivation has not dropped below the critical level. However, for more successful training, it could and should be improved. Some ways to increase freshmen’s motivation for learning are proposed in the article.

The Independence of Primary School Students in Learning Music at a Distance during Covid-19 Pandemic

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the primary school students were forced to study at a distance of two and a half months starting from mid-March 2020. There was a situation where students had to learn music independently more than they had done so far. The study aims to determine 2nd and 3rd grade students’ perspectives on independent distance learning of music during the Covid-19 pandemic. To achieve the aim of the study, previous researches on this issue were analysed, as well as an empirical study was carried out. The study involved 105 (N=105) primary school students in grades 2-3 and occurred in the second term of the 2019/2020 school year in a public primary school located in Riga. A questionnaire consisting of 20 statements was conducted to determine students’ perspectives on music distance learning independently. The twenty statements were divided into four groups: students’ independence, provision of technical aids, difficulties and attitude. The study revealed that the students’ skills to find and complete the tasks that are given by the teacher in the E-class are at a middle level. The students assessed their ability to learn to sing songs and perform music listening tasks independently at a high level. The students mostly used computers or mobile phones when they learned music at a distance. However, the majority of students faced a lack of technical aids. The study found out that complete music listening task was the easiest for the students, but a little harder was learning to sing songs. The most difficult part of learning for students was to complete a writing task because the possibility of printing it was limited. The students rated their attitude towards music distance learning independently at a middle level. Many students missed the presence of their teachers and longed for social activities in the classroom. The study concluded that there is a significant difference between 2nd and 3rd grade students’ skills to find independently the tasks sent by the teacher. Moreover, the 3rd grade students wanted to learn music independently at a distance more than the 2nd grade students did. The study provides evidence-based data on primary school students’ readiness to learn music independently at a distance.

Development of E-Learning in a Modern Technical University

The article is devoted to the increasing role and prospects for the development of e-learning in modern transformation of higher polytechnic education. In the context of preventing the spread of coronavirus infection COVID-19 and the transition of universities to various forms of distance education, this issue is of particular relevance. The aim of the study is to assess the process of introducing e-learning into the educational process of higher technical educational institutions in Russia. The methodological basis of the work was the analytical and systematic approach to the study of the object of research using methods of data systematization, evaluative analysis and forecasting, as well as logical generalization. The authors come to the conclusion that the introduction of e-learning in technical universities in Russia until recently played a supporting role in the reorganization and optimization of the processes of training engineering personnel. The development of e-learning helped to reduce the costs of the educational process, reduce the number of employees, as well as solve the problem of the classroom fund. An important role in the development of e-learning was played by the desire to increase the rating indicators. The desire to expand non-budgetary sources of funding for modern technical universities and the possibility of implementing new learning models were only additional incentives for expanding the e-learning system. The results of this study can be used in further studying the digitalization of higher education and assessing the prospects for the development of professional training in Russia.

Applicability of Stoic Philosophy to Character Education

Character education requires an interdisciplinary approach of education, philosophy, and psychology. Philosophical school of Stoicism is well positioned to be used as an underpinning philosophical theory to reinforce and fortify the effectiveness of character education, as it resembles both virtue-based approach and shares virtues with those promoted by character education. The article contains an example of Latvia’s government regulations and approach to virtue-based character education. The aim of a study is to explore how Stoic philosophy can be instrumental for educators implementing a character education approach within school education. The study was conducted using qualitative research methods, by analysing sources of Stoicism and applying them to contemporary concepts and understanding of character education. The results of the study consist of the identified seven key insights how Stoic philosophy can make a valuable contribution, supplemented by recommendations for each key insight in a form of conclusion. Stoic philosophy emphasises teaching through context, role models, and through Stoicism itself, based on an assumption of a sustained process. Since character education in schools is a growing movement, today’s educators can draw ideas directly from these findings, as well as approaching character education through a lens of Stoicism.

What is Crafts Entrepreneurship? The Development of its Definition Through Entrepreneurs` and Consumers` Perceptions

Defining craft entrepreneurship has been a challenge for many scholars and researchers in different countries. Not only because of the multidimensional nature of entrepreneurship, but also because of the differences in national regulations setting boundaries for each sector of the economy. Thus, in some countries, craft is a part of the Creative Industries, but in others it is considered as an independent sector of the economy. Understanding what craft is and how craft products can be differentiated and defined has also been a daunting task. Thus, consolidating theoretical knowledge on entrepreneurship and craft entrepreneurship gained from the literature with the results of an empirical study carried out among craft entrepreneurs and consumers of craft products, this study aims to conceptualize craft entrepreneurship and to develop propositions for the definition of craft entrepreneurship by integrating the meaning attributed to craft entrepreneurship and its specifics by craft entrepreneurs with the perception and meaning assigned to craft products and services by consumers. This study applies qualitative methodology and data gathered using semi-structured interviews and open-ended survey questions. 20 craft entrepreneurs represent a perspective of entrepreneurs about entrepreneurship and its specifics in the craft sector, whereas 445 consumers reflect the opinion of the general public about craft and craft-related products. The results of the study indicate that craft entrepreneurship is undoubtedly connected to handmade products, national traditions, small ventures and craft markets and fairs, where craft entrepreneurs commercialize their produce. Although numerous scholars have already attempted to conceptualize craft entrepreneurship theoretically, the contribution of this study is in its integrated application of theoretical and empirical data reflecting the perspectives of entrepreneurs and consumers.

Corpus in Translation Classroom: A Case Study of Translating Economic Terms

The article deals with the role of corpus in translation and translation studies. The paper focuses on different aspects which should be taken into consideration when compiling a representative corpus. The researchers focus on the role the corpus of professional texts plays when choosing translation equivalents for terms, including just created and not yet registered in terminological dictionaries. The aim of the research is to elaborate the approach to the use of corpus material in the course of translation in specialized and professional fields, with particular attention to some aspects of translation competence development. The analysis based on the comparative, definitional and contextual methods proved that parallel text corpora provide professional experts, as well as students of translation, with reliable knowledge of linguistic units functioning and semantic meaning actualization within certain contexts in the Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) domain. The studies have shown that a comparative statistical analysis of a corpus of professional texts might be recommended when looking for an adequate equivalent for a term. The scope of application of the methodology suggested is not confined to certain terminological systems or fields of knowledge. The translation competence development that includes compiling text corpora and making adequate choices by students dealing with appropriate instructions on the part of the teacher, as the task concerns with high level of knowledge acquisition as refers to both linguistic and translation expertise.

“Conflict of Goals” as a Barrier for Effective Use of Visual Models in Primary Math Education

The formation of the ability to solve non-trivial life problems is one of the tasks of school education in the context of achieving sustainable development goals. In the process of teaching mathematics, one of the most effective ways to find solutions to problems is modelling – a teaching method that not only helps students to consciously assimilate mathematical content, but also forms the basis for selfstudy throughout life. Visual models, which reflect the essential characteristics of mathematical concepts by pictorial means, play a special role in the process of initial teaching of mathematics. Teachers can use active and passive techniques for working with visual models in mathematics lessons, which differ in the degree of children’s participation in building a visual model. The main goal of this article is to identify which techniques teachers prefer working with visual models in practice in mathematics lessons. To achieve this goal, the questionnaire method, the multi-criteria assessment method, and the moderation method were applied. This article presents the results of a study devoted to identifying teachers’ preferred methods of working with visual models when conducting mathematics lessons, identifying their theoretical ideas about the value of each group of techniques, as well as establishing the reasons for the revealed discrepancy between the practical preferences of teachers and their theoretical ideas.

Further Education as an Integrative Pivot of Lifelong Learning

this study is focused on analysing further education as an integrative pivot of lifelong learning. Modern universities are currently undergoing changes in terms of transformation into entrepreneurial units aimed at commercialization of educational services including further educational programs. The topicality of the research is stipulated by the global urge to stay competitive in the saturated educational services market due to the increasing number of institutions both state and private rendering educational services. The aim of the study is to reveal the needs for further education of representatives among young and academic audiences and devise a course syllabus within further educational programs relevant to the detected requirements of potential listeners. The authors put forward a hypothesis suggesting that there are courses whose unique selling points might be attractive to learners. The results obtained through the questionnaires demonstrated that students and academic staff envision an ideal course to meet all their educational needs in a different way which gives momentum to reconsider the format of rendering educational services and recompose further educational programs making them client-friendly in terms of duration, group size, location, range of courses available and flexibility regarding program contents. The results of the study are of significance due to the fact that further educational programs will be far more susceptible to the needs and requirements of the target audience possessing such features as adjustability, flexibility and modularity.

Applying a Metaphorical Method in Career Counselling

The present paper presents the research results on the role of choosing the metaphorical method for career counselling. The research aims to analyse the results of applying the metaphorical method in career counselling. An analysis of relevant theories and the results of an assignment completed by students of professional education institutions was performed to achieve the aim. The study involved 19 students aged 18-30. The research found that metaphors stimulate the imagination of young individuals and allow them to creatively approach career investigation by using their potential for a complex understanding of career-related phenomena and thinking about their career development. The research results could contribute to the understanding of the role of applying metaphorical methods in career counselling and give an idea of young individuals’ creativity and imagination in connection with their career development. Career counsellors, teachers as career counsellors and personnel selection specialists could use the findings in their career counselling practice.