Sustainability is becoming an integral part of vocational schools since schools are called to respond to the environmental crises and unsustainability issues in the community as well as to an ...unsustainable economic development. Vocational schools have to play a significant role is re-orienting students’ frames of reference towards sustainability for a well-being of the Earth.
The aim of the article is to explore teachers’ views on their gains of integrating sustainability and the use of sustainability pedagogies as a result of participation in three years long international project. The article reflects on teachers’ efforts of reorienting the curriculum of a vocational school towards sustainability within the framework of the international Erasmus+ project
(MetESD), led by Vechta University.
The article presents small-scale qualitative research that reveals the views of teacher education (TE) experts from different geographical regions of Europe on teacher education admission criteria ...(TEA) today and in the future world. This exploration would open the international debate on the future need to reinvent the TE, TEA, and rethink the qualities of the TE candidates in a sustainable TE framework for the wide diversity of European countries. Data were collected from ten experts using a qualitative questionnaire with eight open questions, including one multiple choice question. Inductive and deductive qualitative content analysis was performed on the qualitative data collected. This study gives voice to professionals in TE and TEA, allowing them to express concerns, perspectives, and visions of current and future TE and TEA. In light of the cultural, social, political, and educational context in several European countries, the findings illustrate the scope of similar and unique discourses that are considered crucial in educational politics and decision making on the national, regional and pan-European scale.
Overcoming the challenges of Covid-19, every person at an educational institution has faced changes in the workplace environment from working time, scope and content to the transformation of ...psychological, emotional and physical relationships. The attractiveness factors of workplace environment are essential in thinking of, developing and accepting sustainable attitude, sustainable education and sustainable development in everyday life. The aim of the article is to present the results of the research on the attractiveness factors of workplace environment and organizational culture of educational institutions from the point of view of teachers and heads of educational institutions, evaluating them in the context of sustainable development of education, based on theoretical analysis of literature sources and empirical research. Quantitative research method – survey – was used in the study. 97 participants (teachers (n=84) and heads of educational institutions (n=13)) from different educational institutions of one of the biggest cities in Latvia, Daugavpils, took part in the study. The data were processed in accordance with research ethics and personal data protection, visualized on the basis of numerical data units.
The gained data indicate that the most important factors for the attractiveness of the workplace environment for both teachers and heads of educational institutions are relationships, work fit and security. Respondent groups cite ‘responsibility’ and ‘location’ as the least important factors in making the workplace environment attractive. Workplace attractiveness factors are a combination of workplace environment and organizational culture, and they are interrelated concepts. The results of the study show that both teachers and heads of educational institutions value an innovative culture in the organization that is characterized by the following statements: ‘willing to take risks, a result-oriented, creative, stimulating, challenging’ and they appreciate a supportive culture in the organization that is characterized by the statements ‘willing to cooperate, encouraging and sociable, recognizing personal freedom’. There are statistically significant differences in opinions on the attractiveness of the workplace environment (such as ‘contribution’, ‘recognition’, ‘innovation’ and ‘responsibility’) among teachers and heads of educational institutions.
The need to focus on a transdisciplinary approach in education for sustainable development (EDS) has been reflected in research and especially action research as a possible solution, which can open a ...new perspective for understanding and interpretation of the complex phenomenon of sustainability as well as for developing new open continuing education programmes by integrating research and learning activities in the context of open transdisciplinary research.
The content structure of the article: (1) it describes the experience that has evolved at one faculty and its subordinate scientific institute and has been proposed to be used within the entire institution; (2) it generalises issues arising from the extensive experience, which in action research manifest themselves as issues relating to the appropriate perspective choice in terms of sustainability, approaches that in education make it possible to understand the sustainability phenomenon, as well as features that help identify sustainability at different levels. Well-known cases in the history of science, philosophy of science, and systems development research have been used to highlight the relationship among the dynamic interaction of complex problems that can systematically appear as sustainable or unsustainable. Therefore, the article provides insight into a specific relationship among science development, integration and Anthropocene phenomena with sustainability / non-sustainability phenomena and their interaction; (3) it offers the experience necessary for the creation of participatory action research ideas and research base to expand the cooperation of university and its graduates using a stakeholder approach and connecting it with a transdisciplinary research framework, which envisages an activity around the sustainability phenomenon and its deep relationship to the openness for the evolution of sustainability consciousness as concerns individuals and societies; (4) it describes the first three activities of the first phase of the undertaken action research, which allowed determining the participants’ motivation to take part in the action research, identifying participants’ attitude and understanding sustainability and Anthropocene phenomena, as well as establishing a strategic vision of open transdisciplinary framework benefits and opportunities through participatory action research to develop open evolutionary study programs for continuing education, which would extend and deepen the cooperation of university and its graduates for social innovation creation and achieving quality education for sustainable development by reorienting the society and education towards sustainability and sustainable development.
The present article aims at establishing an open transdisciplinary research framework, which is necessary for undertaking action research, and outlining a strategic vision for developing continuing education programs in the participatory action research that will help reorient continuing education to sustainable development.
Civic participation, initiative and interest in current events can bridge the alienation felt towards national and municipal institutions, thereby enabling individuals to improve their quality of ...life and contribute to all-round sustainable development of their resident state. This paper reports on a participatory action research study into civic initiatives for securitability involving novice teachers and youngsters from the Latgale region of Latvia. Research participants evaluated national planning documents, enhanced their knowledge and devised civic initiatives to improve the quality of life. Focus group discussions and reasoned argumentative essays were employed to establish how novice teachers (n = 40) and youngsters (n = 58) make sense of the concept of ‘human securitability’. Data analysis was accomplished by qualitative content analysis. The action research exposed an initial understanding of novice teachers and youngsters regarding the human securitability and the possibilities of improving the quality of life. Moreover, this study provided an environment for the research participants to deepen their understanding of said phenomena and participate in educational events envisioning practical engagement with securitability and civic initiatives. The action research study created initiatives for the development of civic securitability and the participation in setting developmental goals.
Doctoral students, being researchers to be, play a significant role in the sustainable development of society. At present doctoral students are expected to achieve a certain result, and in order to ...attain it, adequate research competencies are needed. This article can be considered as the analysis of one stage of a pilot study, in which the structure of doctoral students’ research competencies are set, and the development tendencies can be acquired in the context of qualification and research competence theories. With the existing range of competency theories, the authors emphasize an approach, where competences are oriented at a definite aim- to obtain the degree of doctor of sciences, being the most acceptable for research competence analysis. In the pilot study doctoral students at Daugavpils University (Latvia) and candidates for a scientific degree (N-64) were questioned, who completed a self—assessment of research activity competencies. Three competency groups were identified: informative, communicative and instrumental. In order to assess the effect of support of the ESF (European Structural Funds) Project “Support to the implementation of Daugavpils University doctoral studies” in the improvement of research competences, the competence groups identified were analyzed like are/are not in the context of the ESF Project. Conclusions depict the strong and weak sides of doctoral students’ research potential, as well as the most significant research activity competences of the researcher to be.
Usage of online resources has become a necessity in the daily lives of students, academics, researchers, teachers and all others who have grasped the potential of the virtual environment. The present ...study aims to appraise doctoral students’ competences, knowledge and skills of using contemporary information technologies and online resources for research purposes. Findings from a survey of 93 doctoral students and degree candidates suggest that procurement of quantitative information for research purposes from online resources tends to be viewed as a theoretical possibility rather than an established practice. Doctoral students appear to lack essential knowledge, skills, awareness and competence to make use of online facilities for dissemination of their research results or for active participation in professional online communities.
Substantial changes in the Latvian education system have meant a shift from the traditional to the humanistic paradigm. This fundamental transformation notwithstanding, the learner's experience still ...tends to be undervalued, hence the need to re-examine the value placed on an individual learner in the context of sustainable development. The present article aims to reflect on university students’ views about their core life values from a temporal perspective. This qualitative study draws on content analysis of fifty-six essays on the perception of family by bachelor programme students in a regional university of Latvia. Insights from these data are supported by findings from focus group interviews with full-time students taking the courses “Family Pedagogy” and “Social Pedagogy” (N=111). The conclusions highlight the importance of evaluating each learner's knowledge, skills and experience which transforms into self-experience and ultimately enables individuals to set more sustainable aims for their own learning.
Innovation sustainability in promotional research of doctoral students in social sciences Bolgzda, I., Daugavpils Univ. (Latvia). Inst. of Sustainable Education; Olehnovica, E., Daugavpils Univ. (Latvia). Inst. of Sustainable Education
Rural Environment. Education. Personality. (REEP). Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference (Latvia),
2013
6/2013
Journal Article
Doctoral students, like future scientists to be, are involved into the processes, which are based on a triad: knowledge, research and innovation. This condition makes us assess interrelated issues on ...the characteristics of innovation and doctoral students’ innovative potential to create this innovation. The article addresses the content analysis of the definition of research innovation and characterizes the innovation specificity in social sciences. Considering the types of the assessment of innovation, the emphasis is put on the quality of research innovation, choosing sustainability signs like quality indicators: contextuality, value-orientation, process management and systems of the resource use. Interviewing the doctoral students in social sciences (N=6), the questions dealt with innovation, sustainability in innovation and the environment promoting the innovative research. The novelty set in doctoral students’ promotion work in social sciences is, in its turn, analyzed in the context of sustainability (N=16). Results of study depict the doctoral students’ views on innovation and its sustainability is exposed in their promotional studies.
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