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The process of humanization, placing a person at the heart of learning and teaching, has become a key movement in education to meet the requirements of the 21st century. In this regard, designing innovations to serve the human needs first is essential. Personalized learning (PL), being an example of a human-centric innovation, is a promising methodology that leads to positive student's outcomes. However, it has not found ts way in the practical implementation and has become a topic for heated debates among different stakeholders. This study investigates PL at the secondary education level underpinned by a digital platform. The PL integration is analyzed from the perspective of teacher practice (TP) which integrates the digital platform built on the PL methodology. In accordance with the thematic analysis of the interviews and the developed matrix of indicators for TP, PL has found its realization in four scenarios. In order to construct the scenarios, the study involves 24 semi-structured interviews with secondary school teachers. Prior to the interviewing, the participants were categorized in nine profiles due to the survey results of NorBa (traditionalconstructivist beliefs) and technology readiness index (TRI). The results indicate that TP embraces four scenarios of the PL integration. The study outlines personalized learning as one of the scenarios, partial personalization (individualization and differentiation), non-personalized TP (traditionalism), and TP without digital platform embedding.

Higher education is immersed in unpredictable environments and is facing challenges during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. It needs to adapt to external changes constantly, especially to the level of development of science and technology as the most important component of education courses for future engineers are facing development difficulties within achieving their goals as the core of higher education. Curriculum serves as basis for realization of goals of higher education and curriculum for future engineers needs updating. The paper analyzes dilemma of updating of higher education curriculum for future engineers within its content and structure. During the learning process students participated in curriculum renewal and accelerated the upgrading of curriculum content and structure. Finishing the course, students conducted reflection, improved their understanding during the reflection process continuously that helped them to develop the habit of lifelong learning. The authors propose to expand teaching methods for the courses, to adapt engineering courses to the needs of economic development during the COVID-19 pandemic, to strengthen students' interaction and participation, to supply multiple participation in curriculum "customization" countermeasures to update higher education curriculum for future engineers.

Using the pull-and-push model as a main theoretical framework, this qualitative interview-based study explores the changes in STEM students' intentions to pursue international mobility in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war and the factors related to students' mobility decisions in the context of geopolitical tensions. The findings suggest that in situations with military conflict, STEM students are 'pulled' and 'pushed' to make decisions under the influence of the factors located both on the receiving and domestic sides, and the decisions of whether to pursue international mobility were primarily driven by safety, financial, and social tension concerns. The study's findings offer some theoretical and practical implications of the changes in student mobility in the context of war conflict for higher education institutions internationally.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has significantly impacted the outbound student mobility of Russian students. This paper highlights and explains the positive role virtual student mobility can play in shaping and sustaining the international education aspirations of Russian students amidst the entangled geopolitical and financial crises. Drawing upon the Aspirations-Capabilities framework of migration, the notion of mobility capital, and different states of (im)mobility, the study analyses 16 semi-structured, in-depth interviews conducted with Russian students who participated in various forms of virtual mobility in 2020-2023. The findings reveal that virtual mobility can bolster Russian students' capacity to aspire to international studies despite the mobility-suppressing climate by acting as a 'rite of passage' en route to international education, increasing language confidence, and challenging media portrayals of hostility towards Russian students. The richness of the virtual mobility experience in terms of communication with foreign teachers and students plays a key role in activating this affordance.

The war in Ukraine has affected the internationalization of higher education in Kyrgyzstan in a number of ways, some unique to Kyrgyzstan and some paralleling effects in other countries. This reflective essay, drawing on four theoretical frameworks, with a focus on examining the actors involved, and informed by personal communications and participant observations, suggests that further research is needed on a number of Kyrgyzstan-specific topics. Moreover, the presence in Kyrgyzstan's capital of two internationalized universities with connections to opposing side in the conflict -- the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University and the American University in Central Asia -- puts forth the notion that post-World War II assumptions about internationalization contributing to mutual understanding were developed in specific contexts. The complexity of the forms internationalization takes now implies that the comparative and international education field might benefit from some broader rethinking about the rationales for and effects of internationalization.

This paper explores the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on Russia's academic sector, relying on the limited evidence available. The invasion has triggered an academic exodus from Russia, with both immediate and far-reaching consequences. These consequences range from the interruption of ongoing research projects and the termination of international collaborations to the emergence of an intellectual void, raising concerns about the future of academic pursuits in Russia. Conventional models for understanding academic mobility, which primarily focus on professional and economic incentives, prove inadequate in accounting for the complexities introduced by geopolitical strife, international sanctions, and curtailed academic freedoms. This paper calls for an interdisciplinary approach incorporating perspectives from political science, sociology, and international relations for a richer understanding of academic migration in conflict-affected settings. The Russia-Ukraine war serves as an important case study, shedding light on the vulnerabilities of academic sectors, even in the aggressor country where the physical conflict is not occurring, and offering broader insights for the field of academic mobility.

Foreign language anxiety (FLA), whose impact is often negative on learners' cognitive processing, happens when a learner pursues a foreign language as a non-native speaker. This study aimed to investigate anxiety in learning English as a foreign language and its influence on learners' cognitive processes. The sample comprised graduate and undergraduate students of RUDN university (n=306 respondents), who were asked to fill up an adapted Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale. The data was analyzed through SPSS v.20 and descriptive statistics were drawn. The findings indicate a statistically important anxiety influence on language performance among university students in classroom settings. Interestingly, the findings also confirmed that foreign language anxiety negatively affects cognitive processing in learning the English language. The study also identified some important affective factors with regard to English language classrooms. These findings would provide useful insights in the domain of foreign language anxiety while taking cognitive dimensions of students' classroom environments. The study also contributes to language education, teaching and learning of English as foreign language, educational psychology, and cognitive sciences. The study recommends to provide more exposure to the learners about the target language to reduce anxiety. Future studies should consider socio-biographical variables such as gender, socioeconomic status, educational background, and age differences as significant variables for a more comprehensive analysis of foreign language anxiety.

Virtual reality (VR) is used across the educational spectrum (higher education, high school, primary school, and even pre-school); however, primary school teachers' perceptions of using VR in their classrooms require further research. A brief review of the literature of 100 existing articles related to teaching within the primary school context was conducted. The articles were obtained by performing a word search within Google Scholar, with the keywords 'virtual reality primary school teachers 2018 - 2023'. Teachers indicated both hesitance and enthusiasm for incorporating VR. The findings of this study indicated that only a low number of articles (n = 11) addressed VR and primary school teachers, compared to the total number of articles reviewed (n=100). Researching VR and teaching assists in supporting the wider fringe aspects of e-learning practices, such as VR. It advances the compass of e-learning knowledge by integrating immersive learning tools into the primary school classroom.

As newspapers follow editorial work, the author's identity remains in the background. Hence, newspapers' discursive features should be studied from textual perspectives to understand the social dimension of the messages produced in such texts. What is more, pragmatically, the text as a whole and its separate language units with their structural elements require careful attention. Thus, this paper aims to analyze onomastic metaphors as one of the structural-stylistic types functioning in the language of newspapers. We analyzed the Moskovskij Komsomolets, Arguments and Facts, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, and Izvestia during our analysis, with specific attention paid to the proper names as the binding elements with their substantial and semantic functions. Our results suggest that certain metaphorical language uses appear repetitively in the texts.

Scholars as exemplars and their linked eponyms play a significant role in education. Since the discovery of the periodic law in 1869, perceptions of Mendeleev and his eponyms may have shifted. With the aim of assessing the historical and current portrayal of Mendeleev and his eponyms in chemistry textbooks and on the Internet, content analysis of textbooks, including Soviet and contemporary Russian (11) and Ukrainian (16), was conducted. Additionally, an Internet search in 7 languages was conducted to assess the prevalence of Mendeleevian eponyms online. Primary Mendeleevian eponyms are predominantly utilized in the Russian segment of the Internet. While Mendeleev's portrayal held significance in mid-20th-century Soviet chemistry textbooks, his presence has dwindled in current Russian and Ukrainian textbooks. This decline is attributed to the obsolescence of associated chemical realities, the disputed priority of Mendeleev, and an ambiguous attitude towards him. The implications of this decline include loss of historical context, reduced memorization aids, impact on critical thinking, disruption of continuity, and reduced humanism in education. The research underscores the importance of a balanced and inclusive approach to science education, recognizing contributions from scientists of diverse backgrounds and perspectives, and highlights the interconnected nature of science education and international relations.

As humanity reaches the 5.0 industrial revolution, education plays a critical role in boosting the quality of human resources. This paper reports bibliometric research on emerging TiP during 1993-2022 in the educational field to analyse its development on any level of education during the last three decades. This study employed a Scopus database. The findings are that the trend of TiP publication in educational fields has tended to increase every year during the past three decades and conference paper became the most published document type, the USA is the country which produces the most publications; "Students" being the most occurrences keyword and total link strength. The publication of the TiP is ranked to the Quartile 1, which implies that a publication with the cited performance is a publication with credibility because the publisher has a good reputation. Researchers can find the topics most relevant to other metadata sources such as Web of Science, Publish, and Perish.

The article discusses the organization of the educational process of railway university students in the target programs. A successful educational process will be effective if the training provided to students of the transport university is of an acceptable quality, which will lead to a high demand for a specialist. When participating in targeted training programs, the learning process can be optimized and structured within the educational framework, thereby placing emphasis on acquiring the necessary knowledge for future professional endeavors. The objective of the article was to examine how the minor program in the Mathematics discipline for students in targeted programs enhances their professional motivation. We propose to consider the characteristics of training in targeted programs by examining the training of students in the specialty 23.05.04 "Electric power supply of railways" at the Samara State University of Railway Transport. We believe that one way to organize the mathematical training of students in targeted programs is to use professionally oriented tasks. As the objective of the study pertains to the issues of specialized university education in the field of mathematics, the paper presents a task that is geared towards professionals for students enrolled in the targeted programs of this particular field. Furthermore, this approach to the study of mathematics yields a comprehensive understanding of one's professional pursuits, implying that the integration of the educational process is essential in the preparation of a railway transport specialist. The evaluation of the proposed methodology for the instruction of students in the targeted programs has demonstrated its efficacy.

This study aims to create a comprehensive bibliometric map of published scientific articles on e-learning in mathematics education (ME). We used Web of Science (WoS) database to analyzed 341 articles published by 1018 authors representing 79 countries between 2012 and 2022. In this context, we examined scientific articles in terms of scientific production, network analysis, trend topics, thematic change, and conceptual structure. Bibliometric analysis was performed in the study. According to findings, the number of published articles differ according to the years, but the number of citations is constantly increasing. Albano, and Dello Iacono are the most prolific authors. The most productive institutions are Salerno and Black Sea Technical Universities. China, USA, and Russia lead the countries of the corresponding authors. According to the network analysis, the journals of Computers & Education and Computers in Human Behavior form strong links. The most used keywords are students, technology, and mathematics. The pandemic, COVID, reality, and process are trend topic titles. It determined that the best size reduction obtained in the conceptual analysis constituted approximately 31% of the total variability. We presented some suggestions based on the findings obtained at the end of the research.

The proliferation of technology and the heightened significance of e-learning in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic transformed the perspectives and attitudes of educational stakeholders toward educational technology. The objective of this research was to explore the attitudes of higher education students toward e-learning. Data collection was conducted via a questionnaire. The findings demonstrated that the key benefit of e-learning, as reported by a substantial majority (77.0%) of participants, is the convenience of studying from home. This is closely followed by the advantage of learning at one's own pace, as 69.4% of respondents expressed. A considerable proportion (58.8%) highlighted the comfort factor associated with e-learning, along with the cost-saving aspect of reduced expenses on accommodation and transportation. Other advantages included the ability to access course materials remotely (57.6%) option to record meetings online (51.1%), regarding disadvantages of e-learning, the majority (59.4%) of respondents indicated that e-learning limits interaction with others, followed by social isolation (44.1%), lack of self-discipline (43.5%), internet problems (43.5%). The results showed that elearning was perceived to be less effective compared to conventional face-to-face learning. Also, we showed that, in general, there is no significant relationship between socio-demographic variables and attitudes toward e-learning. Only a few significant relationships were found regarding demographic variables on attitudes. We made educational implications for the next studies on our results.

Throughout the history of classical music piano, various schools have emerged, often named after cities such as London, Vienna, and Hamburg. Today, it is widely accepted that there are three major piano schools: the French, German, and Russian schools. This study briefly mentions the history of Russian classical music and the development of the piano school in the country. It explores the individuals who played a significant role in this process and the techniques they employed in piano education. The main objective of the study is to determine the development of the piano school in Russia, the key influencers in this process, and the techniques used in piano education. The study employed a literature review and semi-structured interviews. As a result of the study it can be said that many important artists and teachers, especially Anton and Nicolai Rubinstein, created a classical music culture and tradition in Russia. Piano education based on a solid foundation, combined with the musical talent of the Russian nation, has enabled Russia to become one of the leading countries in piano performance today.

One of the main objectives of international large-scale assessments is to make comparisons between different countries, education policies, education systems, or subgroups. One of the main criteria for making comparisons between different groups is to ensure measurement invariance. The purpose of this study was to test the measurement invariance of the mathematics intrinsic motivation scale across 14 countries. For this purpose, the "students like learning mathematics" scale, which measures intrinsic motivation for mathematics, was included in the TIMSS 2019 cycle. The study sample consisted of a total of 152992 students, 70192 4th grade and 82800 8th grade students from 14 different countries participating in the TIMSS 2019 cycle. Measurement invariance was tested with Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis (MG-CFA) and Alignment Method. The mathematics intrinsic motivation scale provides only configural invariance according to MG-CFA at the 4th grade level, whereas the scale provides approximate invariance according to the alignment method. At the 8th grade level, the scale provides configural and metric invariance according to MG-CFA, whereas the scale provides approximate invariance according to the alignment method. The results indicate that the mathematics intrinsic motivation scale provides approximate measurement invariance at both grade levels and that comparisons can be made between the scores of the identified countries.

Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between political discussions and ideological composition in the classroom. Design: The effects of class patriotism and within-class differences in it are analysed using the Russian data from the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study. Findings: Students in more patriotic and like-minded classes perceive the classroom climate as more open, but it does not change its effect on knowledge. There is a negative relationship between ideological diversity and civic knowledge. These effects in Russia are neither unique nor the strongest among the ICCS participants. The reality of an open classroom might be far from the idealised notion of balanced deliberation, and its diversity remains a challenge rather than an opportunity. Research limitations and implications: The study makes no claims about the directionality of the relationships due to their correlational nature. More research is needed on the quality of reasoning in social studies classrooms in times of polarisation and political turmoil.

Purpose: Following globalisation, a rich literature on global citizenship education developed (Akkari & Maleq 2020; Goren & Yemini 2017). However, recent developments in international politics prompt us to ask whether global citizenship education gives young people a grasp of the international world. We argue that global citizenship education theory must be supplemented because it does not provide much guidance to help young people understand international politics properly. Design/methodology/approach: We discuss how theories of global citizenship education conceptualise international conflicts and how three theories on international politics offer supplementary conceptions and perspectives. Findings: Global citizenship education should be supplemented with theories of international politics. Research limitations/implications: Our analysis only indicates some implications for global citizenship education, and further research on the didactical implications is required. Practical implications: Global citizenship education must rely on a wider set of theories to prepare the students for understanding global issues.

Purpose: This study investigates teachers' professional judgement about Russia's war on Ukraine as an unplanned, controversial classroom issue. Design: It employs 26 interviews with Russian teachers collected during the invasion's first month. Findings: The analysis identifies six situations and five teaching approaches that emerged in response to these, with varying degrees of student voice and political commitment. The inclusion of student voice is limited by perceived student passivity, lack of skill, and political disagreement with students. Satisfaction with the status quo, lack of social status, and fear of harming students were obstacles to pursuing political commitment. Research implications: By exploring the dynamics of depoliticisation in the classroom, this article adds to the literature on the co-construction of authoritarianism in Russia. It also highlights practices of resistance and 'everyday politics' stemming from teacher professionalism as a function of individual and structural factors.

Purpose: The research aimed to critically analyse the changes that have occurred in the core curricula of general education in Poland following the Russo--Ukrainian war from the perspective of the securitisation process. Methodology: The research involved analysing 366 texts spanning various genres. These texts were produced by both securitising actors and recipients of the change. The research employed content analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis, following the approaches of Ruth Wodak and Martin Reisigl. Findings: The research revealed that the securitising actors advocating for changes in the core curricula have been identified as a threat directly linked to the war in Ukraine. However, the discourse surrounding these changes also exhibited several features that indicate a hidden political dimension. Further, the analysis emphasised the use of 'ministryplaining' towards the audience involved in education, who formulate critical remarks.

The praxis article is devoted to the study of educational cartoon as an interactive method of teaching legal disciplines. The purpose of the article is to argue the usefulness of this methodology for the educational process (e.g., the development of critical thinking, increasing the activity of students when discussing educational tasks on the basis of cartoons, clarification of complex terms), to improve the image of the university (use of educational cartoons in universities during the week of the Faculty of Law), and explain how we assessed the effectiveness of this methodology through quantitative and qualitative methods. While it is a new approach in Russian Law schools, we draw attention to the universality of this methodology; as educational cartoons can be used in schools and across different university departments, and to the specificity of modeling of educational tasks in law, by providing specific examples of such educational tasks. We propose three variants of development of educational cartoons for the educational process at law faculties: (1) placing an order for special production of educational cartoons; (2) use of fragments of already existing cartoons; and (3) creation by the teacher of oral tasks on the motives of national fairy tales. The results of our research substantiate that the greatest effect of the proposed methodology can give only in the case of using for the preparation of educational cartoons national content, which is closest to the culture and mentality of students of a particular university.

The Western-style internationalisation of Russian universities, which guided the evolution of the country's higher education sector for over three decades, has been challenged by Western sanctions following the 2022 Russian 'Special military operation in Ukraine'. The authors show through the prism of constructivist theory how the norm on the internationalisation of higher education characterised by the strive for Westernised world-class universities was adopted and then came to unravel in Russia. A qualitative case study based on 42 expert interviews and an analysis of political discourse and legal documents reveals how the key features of the internationalisation of Russian universities are being challenged. The authors contribute to the expert literature the notion of 'norm reversal', defined as the process whereby an institutionalised and internalised international norm is 'cancelled' in a specific country. The paper shows that the reversal in Russian higher education, which was initially 'circumstantial' is becoming 'intentional', with legal documents being drawn up to accelerate and claim ownership of it.

As schools in Russia become more inclusive for students with special educational needs (SEN), there is a scarcity of research on stakeholders' perspectives. Parents are one of the main actors in education, who possess valuable knowledge about their children and can represent their children's needs in a vicarious manner. This study gives voice to the parents of children with SEN and offers parents' perspectives on the liaison between families and schools. The article focuses on the experience of two families with children with special educational needs (namely, Autistic Spectrum Disorder and intellectual disability). Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and questionnaires and analysed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The main findings demonstrate that parents' expertise is sometimes neglected and marginalized for different reasons and the school system in Russia is rigid and not able to adjust its approaches to different learners as well as address and allay parents' concerns. Lack of direct interaction blocks the pathway for compromises and mutual understanding. In the parents' view, teachers act on their own assumptions which are oftentimes emotionally loaded and not clearly articulated for the parents. However, parents believe that all the actors of the educational process, that is, teachers, learners and parents, would benefit if teacher-parent relationships involved a more sensitive and attentive attitude towards each other's requirements and wishes, providing opportunities for negotiating and discussing arguable issues. The paper demonstrates two cases of misunderstanding between teachers and parents and offers implications for practice in teacher education, policy-making and social work.

Worldwide, research reports increasing proportions of nontraditional doctoral students including those who return to a doctorate after a short or prolonged gap (indirect-pathway students (IPS)). However, studies lack knowledge about background, motivation, educational experience, and outcomes of IPS and differences between them and direct-pathway students (DPS) in regard to these characteristics. Our research aims to fill this gap using data from a survey of doctoral students at Russian universities (N = 5007). We compare three groups of students: DPS, interrupters (IPS with a less than 5-year gap), and returners (IPS with a longer gap). The analysis shows that returners stand out from the other two groups of students: they more frequently study part-time, have a full-time job, are married and have children, and enter doctoral programs with their own specific topic of dissertation. During their studying, returners less frequently interact with their supervisors and face a bigger amount of problems related to lack of academic skills, problems with knowledge of a foreign language, and family duties and the need to combine studying with work. At the same time, such students are more satisfied with their programs, develop more skills during their doctoral journeys, less often have difficulties with their supervisors or want to withdraw, and demonstrate a higher level of publication activity. We conclude that the master-apprentice model of doctoral education, elements of which are still highly widespread in Russia, could be more suitable for these students. Our findings raise questions about the necessity of doctoral programs' diversification.

Purpose: Previously, Lancaster and Camarata (2019) showed that the continuum/spectrum model of the developmental language disorder (DLD) best explained the high heterogeneity of symptoms in children with DLD. We hypothesize that the continuum/spectrum approach can include not only children with DLD but also typically developing (TD) children with different timelines and patterns of language acquisition. This model can explain individual language profiles and deficits in children. Method: We assessed language abilities in a group of Russian-speaking children with DLD aged 4-7 years (n = 53) and their age- and gender-matched peers without speech and language diagnoses (n = 53, TD). We evaluated the children's performance at four language levels in production and comprehension domains, using 11 subtests of the standardized language assessment for Russian: Russian Child Language Assessment Battery (RuCLAB). Using the k-means cluster method and RuCLAB scores, we obtained two clusters of children and analyzed their language performance in individual subtests. Results: The analysis revealed that the two clusters of children both included DLD and TD participants: Group 1, with higher test scores (TD = 45, DLD = 24 children), and Group 2, with lower scores (TD = 8, DLD = 29). Children from Group 1 mostly had lower scores at one of the language levels, whereas those from Group 2 struggled at several language levels. Furthermore, children with DLD from both groups tended to be more sensitive to linguistic features such as word length, noun case, and sentence reversibility compared to TD children. Conclusions: The presence of two mixed groups shows that children with diagnosed DLD could perform on par with TD children, whereas some younger TD children could perform similarly to children with DLD. Our findings support the continuum/spectrum model: Linguistic skills in preschool children are a continuum, varying from high to poor skills at all language levels in comprehension and production. To describe a child's language profile, the tasks assessing all language levels should be used.

Recent evidence suggests that not many studies on technology-supported cross-cultural learning considered creating authentic, immersive learning environments and addressing the language barrier in communication among representatives of different cultures which are very critical matters in the field. The present study attempted to address this gap. To this end, we designed the cross-cultural learning activity supported by 360-degree video technology and artificial intelligence-based translation tool. Eleven students from China and thirteen students from Russia participated in the activity. They used 360-degree video technology to create virtual reality (VR) cultural content which enabled authentic, immersive cross-cultural learning experiences. They also used AI-based translation technology to bridge the language barrier when communicating and exchanging culture-related information with each other in their native language. With such learning activity, we aimed to facilitate cross-cultural knowledge and attitudes of the participants. We used the convergent mixed methods design, i.e. both qualitative and quantitative data were collected, related and interpreted in response to the research questions. Personal meaning maps (PMMs) were used to measure knowledge of the students in three aspects (i.e. categories of cross-cultural knowledge, number of related and unrelated concepts, and emerged concepts) before and after the activity. We compared PMM outcomes obtained before the learning activity with those obtained after the activity using a statistical method in order to explore cross-cultural knowledge development. In addition, development in cross-cultural knowledge of the students after participating in the learning activity was explored based on the qualitative data. That is, content of 360-degree videos was analyzed and such qualitative findings were used to support the results of the statistical test. Next, cross-cultural attitudes development was explored in four aspects (i.e. interest, curiosity, openness, and respect) using interviews. Finally, participants' perceptions of the technological support were also researched. The results showed that the cross-cultural learning activity supported by technologies were beneficial for knowledge and attitudes development. More specifically, the activity helped the students acquire cross-cultural knowledge in eight categories. The number of related concepts significantly increased whereas the number of unrelated concepts significantly decreased because of the activity. The students were able to identify, compare and contrast cultural differences, and they maintained an open and respectful attitude toward the culture of their partners after the study; they lacked such knowledge and abilities prior to the study. Finally, the participants positively perceived the technological support. Based on the results, it is suggested that educators and researchers employ 360-degree video and translation technologies in their design of learning activities when focusing on cross-cultural knowledge and attitudes development. Such approach was found to be beneficial to facilitate learning outcomes as authentic and immersive cross-cultural learning environments were created and the language barrier was addressed. The study makes the following contributions: (1) we designed the learning activity supported by 360-degree video and translation technologies to create authentic and immersive cross-cultural learning environments in which the language barrier was addressed, (2) we tested the feasibility of the learning activity supported by technology to facilitate cross-cultural knowledge and attitudes of the participants, and (3) we explored the accuracy rate of translation technology and perceptions of students regarding the learning activity supported by technology. The authenticity of the present study lies in the creation of the technology-supported cross-cultural learning environment in which the students had authentic and immersive learning experiences and were able to communicate with each other without any language barriers.

This article discusses how the critique of the monopoly of Western liberal thought through the decolonisation movement that was intended to increase the number of voices heard has been co-opted by nationalist politics in India and Russia. The debates in higher education in these countries reflect current key questions on the nature of the Indian and Russian nations--both under respective nationalist governments--where both are advocating a cutting off from Western modernity. Using Mignolo's concept of "de-linking" that was intended to raise up non-Western ways of thinking, the article shows that India and Russia have adapted and simplified decolonial discourse to reject "Western-influenced" critiques of development, inequality, and authoritarianism. Under political pressure from these authoritarian regimes, universities have helped to embed repressive majoritarian politics through anti-Western rhetoric disguised as de-linking, enabling democratic backsliding by discrediting opposition. This is done to protect a new identity based upon state conceptions of traditional values, paradoxically erasing minority voices that do not fit neatly into the unified national narrative. When universities are branded as Western agents for being critical of local traditions and schools of thought, the space for critical thinking and democratic debate is ultimately removed, leaving those who oppose Putin and Modi with no safe way to engage with political discourse, and this actually undermines the intentions of decolonial philosophy.

The globalization of contemporary education is ensured by the incorporation of cutting-edge pedagogical techniques and active learning technologies, such as case-method technology, into the teaching and learning process as a whole. The primary objective of this research endeavour was to assess the efficacy of the case method when employed in the integration of virtual reality technologies into the educational process for students pursuing technical disciplines, with a particular focus on enhancing their academic and professional proficiencies. The sample included 286 National Research Mordovia State University n.a. N.P. Ogarev University third-year students who were enrolled full-time. The first group was trained using traditional teaching methods, while the second group attended virtual reality courses in the context of the case method. To assess the level of thinking and creativity, the Jerome Bruner questionnaire was used. Academic achievement was measured using a five-point scale. The study revealed that when comparing the groups using classical teaching methods and the case method with the help of virtual reality technology, students' learning achievements do not differ (p>0.05); the average scores are 3.88 ± 0.75 and 4.16 ± 0.62 respectively; however, there was a tendency for an increase in the total score in the group where virtual reality was used. A case-method technology study in the context of virtual reality among engineering students revealed a connection between academic achievement and object, visual, iconic, symbolic thinking and creativity: the higher the basic type of thinking, the higher the academic achievement. This research paves the way for introducing case-method technology into higher technical education. Educators can use existing refinements and create full-fledged courses for some topics on the use of virtual reality software.

Nationwide large-scale assessments (NLSA)--an example of cross-border policy mobility--manifest a proliferating means of governing formal schooling. In the Russian context, NLSA takes the form of a compulsory graduation examination called the Unified State Examinations (USE). In this article, we explore how a mobile policy instrument of the NLSA participates in the relational processes of time- and space-making in a particular federated context of Russia, and how this process intertwines with and is shaped by the presence of multiple time zones. We argue that NLSA is an instrument of time that attempts to achieve centralization of the complex federated structure of the Russian Federation. Yet, the work of the NLSA is not a smooth process in a country characterized by territorial vastness, a complex federated structure, and the existence of multiple time zones. Guided by the theory of logistical power and sociological perspectives on time, as well as empirical insights, we show how the time zones need to be tamed in order for the NLSA to exercise its centralizing role. Discursively, the time zone is introduced and publicly discussed to symbolically characterize Russia and justify political actions or their outcomes. Bureaucratically, the desire for simultaneity and synchronicity takes the form of a meticulous ordering of a sequence of actions through prescriptive documentation that regulates the NLSA. Technologically, synchronicity, simultaneity, and instantaneousness rely on and engender an expanding national infrastructure that mediates social relations and the processes of conducting the NLSA, cutting across the time zones and federal units. Based on this analysis, we propose that scholarship on policy mobility and education policy sociology at large could benefit from examining the relationship between time and education policy and governance in four intertwined ways: the time of policy, context as time, policy instruments as instruments of time, and time in policy instruments.

Background/purpose: The concept of "blended learning" was taken by Russian education from abroad. However, under the new conditions, the authors' original idea of combining different forms of learning has been transformed into a mixture of online and offline learning. This study aims to analyze the factors that led to the transformation of this concept in Russian research papers and the practice of teaching in universities. The observation method was necessary to describe how the term is applied and to draw conclusions about how it is understood by teachers. Materials/methods: The study is based on the comparative method, which includes a selection, description, and analysis of different interpretations of the studied concept in more than 90 Russian and foreign scientific publications. The results of the analysis are presented in diagrams, allowing consolidating a new point of view on the subject of research. Results: The study showed that Russian researchers understand "blended learning" as a combination of online and offline lessons, while the true meaning of the term is the combination of electronic learning tools with traditional face-to-face tools that can be used both synchronously and asynchronously. Conclusion: Prospects for the use of blended learning in Russian universities lie in the understanding that it is a special form of learning process, in which students interact either with a teacher or with an electronic learning resource, depending on what helps to achieve the learning objectives most effectively. This requires the development of new educational technology based on innovative software.

South African higher education policies have since 1997 called for the expansion of research collaboration with the African continent and Global South. In this article, the authors' analysed South Africa's international research collaboration trends and patterns during the 2012-2021 period. Focusing on co-authored scholarly publications, the authors' analysed bibliometric data from Scopus, highlighting the countries South African public universities have collaborated and produced knowledge with, and the parts of the world they have neglected in the past decade. The findings highlight the growth of South Africa's international research collaboration and the expansion of the number of countries universities collaborate with. While the past decade has seen a growth in research collaboration with Brazil, Russia, India, China and Nigeria, South African universities continue to be largely Eurocentric and prioritise collaboration with the Global North while sidelining research collaboration with the African continent and Global South. Contribution: The findings presented in this article contribute to an understanding of South Africa's international research collaboration footprint during 2012-2021 and highlight which parts of the world should be prioritised by universities in the expansion of research collaboration in the future.

Learning in the digital age is a pervasive idea that encompasses all aspects of a person's life, including work and leisure. As a result of the development of new teaching and learning tools, an increasing number of students are acquiring knowledge on the Internet- connected to the Internet. Therefore, all citizens must develop digital literacy as a lifelong learning skill. Studies have been conducted on students' digital skills in higher education institutions. In this context, this study aimed to investigate the skills of college students. The participants were students from a university in the Kazan region of Russia who volunteered to participate. Three hundred and eighty students completed the questionnaire online. The scale consists of a total of 25 questions and six dimensions. Since our independent variables are binary values, we applied the Bayesian t-test. We obtained the values of the Bayes factor (BF10) for each dimension and the total scale. In general, students' digital skills are well-developed. However, it was found that creating and using digital information requires fewer skills than in other areas. The hypothesis that there is no difference based on student gender was supported to a higher degree but not to a very high degree. The hypothesis that there is no difference based on students' fields of study was supported to a greater extent, but only to a moderate extent.

On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which is now in its second year. The invasion disrupted higher education institutions across the country and forced both staff and students to adapt to the new reality. This article focuses on the experiences of university students to understand how their educational process was impacted by the invasion. The research data comprise written testimonies from 81 students at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Thematic analysis of the data resulted in three themes: organisation of studies by the university; self-organisation of studies; and personal experiences. The article concludes that the invasion shifted the educational process online; however, students are often prevented from accessing the virtual classrooms due to constant air raids, power outages and connectivity issues with the internet, thus leading students towards more self-studying.

The role of context in cloze tests has long been seen as both a benefit as well as a complication in their usefulness as a measure of second language comprehension (Brown, 2013). Passage cohesion, in particular, would seem to have a relevant and important effect on the degree to which cloze items function and the interpretability of performances (Brown, 1983; Dastjerdi & Talebinezhad, 2006; Oller & Jonz, 1994). With recent evidence showing that cloze items can require examinees to access information at both the sentence and passage level (Trace, 2020), it's worthwhile to now look back and examine the relationship between aspects of passage cohesion--referential cohesion, semantic overlap, and incidence of conjunctives--and item difficulty by classification. The current study draws upon a large pool of cloze test passages and items (k = 377) originally used by Brown (1993) along with automated text analysis of cohesion ("Coh-Metrix," McNamara et al., 2014) to examine the impact of passage cohesion on item function. Correlations, factor analysis, and linear regression point to clear though minimal differences for both sentential and intersentential items as they relate to aspects of passage cohesion, the results of which may inform future test design and interpretation of cloze performance.

This study aims to compare how students perceive and use social media networks (SMNs) in both Omani and Russian higher education institutions. An extensive literature survey was conducted through which the content of the questionnaire was compiled in English, validated for its content, clarity and accuracy by Russian and Omani reviewers and then translated. Data was collected from 837 undergraduate Russian and Omani students using online Google Forms. The results indicate a moderate level of SMNs use in both Higher Education Institution (HEIs) contexts with cross-platform mobile applications at the top of list of the SMNs used by both groups for social connections and multimedia sharing. The overall perceptions towards SMNs seem to be neutral among Russian and Omani students followed by positive perceptions. The study recommends that teachers in both countries provide 'attractive' academic content through a social and multimedia design approach.

This study aimed to explore the impact of different dimensions of communication skills, namely competence (COMP), self-esteem (SELF), social communication challenge (SCC), and listening-speaking (LI-S) on the utilization of information and communication technology (ICT) for student support (SS) and instructional design (ID). This study implemented inferential statistical methods to explore the impact of different dimensions of communication skills on the utilization of ICT among pre-service teachers. A sample of 324 pre-service teachers from Kazan Federal University was examined, utilizing validated scales adapted to the Russian context, with data analyzed using structural equation modeling to identify complex relationships between variables and to ascertain potential differences according to gender and department. The results demonstrated a significant positive relationship between participants' perceived COMP in communication skills and their information and communication technology competencies (ICTCs), both in SS and ID. This suggests the need for targeted training to enhance educators' communication competencies for optimal ICT utilization. Conversely, SELF and LI-S communication skills did not significantly influence ICTCs, indicating that these elements do not necessarily result in more effective ICT use in educational contexts. However, handling SCCs was positively associated with ICTCs in ID but not for SS, indicating a nuanced relationship between different communication skills and areas of ICT utilization. The study findings provide implications for professional development programs and underline the importance of certain dimensions of communication skills in leveraging ICT in education. Further research is recommended to verify these findings across different populations and educational settings.

The research is focused on the emerging practices of digital photojournalism in war contexts, in relation to the use of user-generated content from social networks. The focal point is the coverage of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict by the two main online newspapers of the belligerent countries: Ukrayinska Pravda and Rossiyskaya Gazeta. From the analysis of an initial sample of 7,194 articles (6,646 Ukrainian and 548 Russian), published during the first semester of the war, the preferred type of graphic content and the degree of presence of images from the different social platforms will be determined. Likewise, the article offers a theoretical innovation on the current state of the routine of war digital photojournalism, introducing the definition of the concept of "false collective source" due to the appropriation of mechanisms of collective intelligence for potential propaganda purposes. The informative use of the social web has generated a transition from "gatekeeping" to "gatewatching" that makes it necessary to review the state of the art to avoid a possible instrumentalization of the role of users. Finally, a decalogue is proposed to combat digital illiteracy and identify new appropriation practices, by distinguishing the use of the social web as an information source versus its use as a mere distribution channel.

Communication style refers to the distinct ways individuals exhibit verbal, paraverbal, and nonverbal communication patterns in social interactions. It involves receiving, interpreting, and delivering feedback and messages. Factors like culture and personality affect communication styles, and tools like communication styles inventory (CSI) help evaluate and improve individuals' communication skills. Cultural differences significantly impact communication styles, so it's important to adapt and validate measurement instruments for diverse cultural settings, such as adapting CSI for the Russian context. This study aims to adapt CSI for use in the Russian context. The research follows a quantitative approach, collecting data from 407 undergraduate and graduate students across different universities. CSI is a questionnaire assessing six distinct communication patterns with 96 items. The researchers conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to examine CSI's validity and reliability in the Russian context. The analyses yielded an eight-factor model explaining 59.5% of the total variance. Although two factors from the original scale were preserved, other factors were newly named. The confirmatory factor analysis tested the relationship between the original sub-dimensions and the new dimensions, resulting in a better-adapted model with significant relationships between items and factors. The findings indicate the scale's suitability for different cultures and sample groups, supporting its validity and reliability. Further research should adapt the scale to other cultures and utilize it in studies in the Russian context.

Globalization has significantly affected the internationalization of higher education, technological advancements, and the development of intercultural competence. In the contemporary landscape, both educators and students find themselves compelled to enhance their linguistic and cultural proficiency through the utilization of digital and online teaching tools. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the progression of students' linguocultural competence and unveil institutional impediments and challenges encountered during the implementation of at-home internationalization. The study involved the participation of thirty students from Kazakhstan and an additional thirty students from Tatarstan, Russia, who engaged in a virtual student mobility program facilitated by Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda University and Naberezhnye Chelny State Pedagogical University. Zoom was utilized as the platform to facilitate collaboration between the universities. The research adopted a qualitative approach, employing interviews to assess the effectiveness of the internationalization at-home program. Following the program, there was a noteworthy enhancement in the linguocultural competence of third-year students from the Foreign Languages Department. The interviews also brought to light the principal obstacles encountered by universities when implementing domestic internationalization. Through the sharing of their personal experiences, participants highlighted issues such as limited resources, a deficiency in institutional support, and students' discomfort with collaborative work involving foreign peers. The improvement in linguistic and cultural skills was attributed to collaborative lessons and intercultural interactions, affirming the efficacy of the internationalization at-home program, as indicated by positive outcomes.

The paper examines the degree of digitalization of Academic Writing and Information Literacy (hereafter AW & IL) course in the countries of the post-Soviet era. Numerous research demonstrated that digital transformation has taken place toward the teaching of AW & IL in most of the developed countries and beyond, yet little is studied about the digitalization in countries of the former Soviet Union that have passed a long way to align their education with the globe. Keeping up with the four main categories of digitalization, the paper will look at its application as a part of curriculum development, assessment, students' competency, and university maintenance. The paper employs a phenomenological approach confirmed through the qualitative analysis of 18 in-depth interviews conducted with AW & IL instructors from nine countries. The study revealed that recently AW & IL course has moved through partial digitalization, providing that the university stakeholders do not exert any necessary support.

In this study, the effect of using on-screen calculators on eighth grade students' performance on two TIMSS 2019 Problem Solving and Inquiry Tasks items considered as examples of technology-enhanced items administered on computers was examined. For this purpose, three logistic regression models were run where the dependent variables were giving a correct response to the items and the independent variables were mathematics achievement and on-screen calculator use. The data of student from 12 countries and 4 benchmarking participants were analyzed and some comparisons were made based on the analyses. The results indicate that using on-screen calculators is positively associated with higher odds of giving correct responses for both items above and beyond students' mathematics achievement scores. The results of this study promote the inclusion of on-screen calculator as a digital tool in technology-enhanced items that require problem solving.

In this article I discuss an approach to teaching about the Russian war in Ukraine that uses the war as a focal point for teaching about topics in comparative politics and international relations. I discuss the pedagogical advantages for political science teaching, including meeting the interests of students, introducing students to theories in political science, and re-centering courses on the region away from Russia. I then discuss how the various political science topics and research questions are related to the war, and I conclude with a section on assignments and methods for student engagement that work well with this type of course.

In this article, I argue that critical junctures -- defined as sudden turning points in the historic trajectory of countries, institutions, and other units of analysis -- provide a propitious lens to teach the war in Ukraine. By analyzing the influence of this war on energy security in Europe and the world, its impact on public opinion on NATO membership in nonaligned countries, or the war's potential to change great power politics, to name a few examples, students of political science can determine themselves, if the war amounts to a critical juncture. In doing so, they not only learn how to apply a rather complex theory to a real-world scenario, they also learn how the discipline of political science operates.

Events of recent years both in the United States and around the globe have highlighted the fragility of democracy. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has prompted educators to seek evidence-based civic engagement methods for helping students understand the invasion and its implications. This paper offers a set of recommendations on how to teach the war in Ukraine through the lens of civic engagement education. Over the years, a sizeable body of scholarship has developed addressing the critical role civic education plays in safeguarding democracy and producing effective pedagogical approaches for instilling democratic knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Using this scholarship as a starting point, this paper offers recommendations on how educators in a variety of settings and across disciplines might modify these civic learning models to address the war in Ukraine. Based on my experience as a scholar-practitioner-educator at an institute of politics focused primarily on American democracy, I also offer suggestions on how to integrate teaching the war in Ukraine using these practices to enhance appreciation of civic engagement and the role of the citizen.

Purpose: This study introduces a non-orthodox approach to the dominant policy-based approaches to graduate employability through contextualizing international students' everyday experiences within their educational and wider structural contexts of the labour market. Design/methodology/approach: The study used narrative frames to collect data from 180 international students from China, Hong Kong, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Nepal at a New Zealand tertiary institution. Narrative frames as a research tool in educational contexts are used to ellicit the experiences of individuals in the form of a story as participants reflect on their experience. The frames use sentence starters to draw responses from participants about their experiences (Barkhuizen and Wette, 2008). Findings: This study argues that, through a socialization process, international students develop identities that fit an ever-changing labour market. This process is catalysed by a higher education landscape that produces career-ready subjects capable of appropriating different social spaces that prepare students and graduates to enter the labour market. Further, it argues that graduate employability should be understood as a complex process through which students and graduates socialise themselves through negotiating the socioacademic spaces by (1) familiarising themselves with the dominant workspace norms, (2) positioning themselves as more career-ready individuals, and (3) imagigining employable selves capable of meeting the needs of the job market. Research limitations/implications: This study has limitations. Only one data collection source has been used. It would have been great to use narrative frames along with interviews. In addition, the data would have been stronger if the researcher could have used classroom observations, which could be a future initiative. Practical implications: This study could provide practical insights to tertiary institutions about international students' developing capabilities and identities so they could better prepare themselves for the world of work. Further, this study provides insights about some of the challenges that international students face in tertiary contexts to become career-ready. Hence, educators could employ strategies to better support these learners in their everyday learning spaces. This study also has useful benefits for future and current international students and international graduates regarding what investments they need to make so they can better socialize themselves in their tertiary and workplace practices. Social implications: This study has social implications. It helps international students better understand the social, cultural and academic expectations of their host countries. Therefore, they could better socialize themselves into those practices and contribute more effectively to their academic and workplace communities. The study also helps academic and workplace institutions strategize more effectively to address the social and cultural needs of international graduates. The study also contributes to the social and cultural understanding of the teachers that engage with international students on a daily basis by helping them devise activities that better address these students' and graduates' needs. Originality/value: The study adds theoretical and methodological value to the debates around graduate employability. It includes the voices of 180 students and unravels their day-to-day experiences of capability building and employability development from their own perspectives.

The under-representation of minorities at senior levels in academia has received some research attention in recent years. However, the experience of immigrant women from the former Soviet Union (FSU) in Israeli academia has not been examined. These women are mostly from a generation known as the '1.5 generation' who immigrated to Israel as children. This study focuses on the intersection of immigration and gender that shape the lives and careers of the 1.5 generation women currently employed as senior academics in Israel. Using the theoretical framework of capital, Bourdieu's concepts of cultural and social capital, as well as Borjas' ethnic capital, we analyzed twenty in-depth interviews to examine the perception of these women, their life story, and their professional integration into Israeli academia. We identified two focal points that fostered their success -- (1) the Soviet heritage- selective adoption of ethnic capital, encompassing cultural and social capital of an ethnic group and (2) role models within and outside the family often based on ethnicity. We discuss the obstacles faced by minorities in attempting integration into selective professional guilds.