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THE ESSENCE OF THE CONCEPT "EDUCATION QUALITY"
The article is focused on the analysis of the components which comprise the meaning of the concept "education quality" regarded from the position of the speaker, place and time of speaking about it. It is assumed that the analysis of this concept should be based on distinct definition of the situational context and its components which constitute the meanings of the notion. This approach will make it possible for the educational community to come to an agreement in solving such complex issues, as what in fact education quality is, and how it may be improved.
Keywords
education quality, situational context, the structure of the concept, chronotope, the parties engaged
AUTHORS
Natalya A. Kloktunova,
Candidate of Sciences in Sociology, Head of Department of Pedagogy, Education Technologies and Professional Communication, Saratov State Medical University n.a. V.I. Razumovsky, Saratov 112, st. Big Cossack, Saratov, 410012, Russia pedagog.sgmu@mail.ru
Yulia V. Bykova,
Lecturer of Department of Pedagogy, Education Technologies and Professional Communication, Saratov State Medical University n.a. V.I. Razumovsky, Saratov 112, st. Big Cossack, Saratov, 410012, Russia bykova77.77@mail.ru
Zylfiya E. Kudasheva,
Lecturer of Department of Pedagogy, Education Technologies and Professional Communication, Saratov State Medical University n.a. V.I. Razumovsky, Saratov 112, st. Big Cossack, Saratov, 410012, Russia zulfam05@mail.ru
Tatyana V. Rodionova,
Senior Teacher of Foreign Languages' Department, Saratov State Medical University n.a. V.I. Razumovsky, Saratov 112, st. Big Cossack, Saratov, 410012, Russia rodionova.tvsar@yandex. ru
Yuliya A. Tepeeva,
Senior Teacher of Foreign Languages' Department, Saratov State Medical University n.a. V.I. Razumovsky, Saratov 112, st. Big Cossack, Saratov, 410012, Russia tepeeva87@yandex.ru
1. Introduction
In order to provide efficient functioning of any social system, their initiators must understand the meaning of its each constituent unit. Words and their meanings are the basis on which all social systems created by man for direct interaction are formed. Consequently, the expected results cannot be achieved without competent usage of the language as the mediation means for transmitting thoughts and ideas.
Education is a complexly functioning social mechanism which has been specially constructed for transmitting ideas and meanings (translation of new ideas about the essence and regularities in the progress of natural and social reality to the subject of education, as well as comprehension of this knowledge by him). To our opinion, it is essential to review the basic notions of education, one of which is a widely common and most disputable term - "education quality" (Rodionova, 2013; Veretel'nikova, 2016).
2. Methodological Framework
In order to make a full-fledged dialogue between the individuals engaged in educational activities possible, and to avoid speculation and sophistry, it is necessary to analyze in detail the meaning of the notion in a certain situational context. And here arises the first difficulty - the context: what exactly will be considered as the context?
1. A great number of people discussing the problem of education quality. All of us have the idea about the quality, but our ideas are different; that is why it should be defined from whose viewpoint we analyze education quality: from the viewpoint of students, their parents, teachers, administration of the educational establishment, employers, state or society, or the entire mankind (Sheshneva, 2003; Barsukova, 2019)? Of course, each of the above mentioned social groups, with its own priorities and values, is satisfied with corresponding meanings of the notion under consideration; and due to that the concept has gained a well-pronounced hierarchical structure (Chuprova, 2014).
From the teacher's viewpoint, education quality may imply: intellectual potentials, applied capabilities which students gain during classes; resoures which the teacher uses to achieve certain pedagogical aims; opportunities of advanced training provided by the educational establishment.
From the student's viewpoint, it is important, for example, how interesting and simple it is for him to study (i.e., educational technologies applied by the teacher, interactions with the teacher based on mutual understanding) (Barsukova, 2019); what opportunities he will have to find a good job (Venig, 2011). Students themselves differ in age, which is implied in the concept "education throughout the entire lifespan". Requirements to quality are known to rise with the growth of demands. Hence, the older is the person and the higher is his level of self-consciousness, the more is the number of certain requirements which he can assert for the education he gets (Peshchersky, 2013).
From the viewpoint of the administration, education quality is, first of all, the achievement of planned indices which provide functioning of the educational establishment (fulfillment and over-fulfillment of normative requirements).
From the state's viewpoint, the primarily important meaning of the notion "education quality" is the effectiveness and competibility of the national economy.
From the society's viewpoint, the most significant criteria appear to be the availability of education for various population groups, principles of applicants' selection for enrolling to educational establishments (Sheshneva 2005, Barsukova, 2017), development of ethnic and moral norms and values in the students (Prisacariu, 2016), intentions for preservation of cultural heritage of the nation, and of ethnic self-determination of the person.
From the mankind's viewpoint, it is more appropriate to speak about some philosophical comprehension of the notion "education quality".
However, all the above mentioned representations of the concept "education quality" have a specific dependence upon the context, for instance - upon the national-geographical context.
2. National-geographical context. In different countries, not only the systems of education are different, but their own priorities which form citizens' personality and their orientation in values also differ. Let us analyze several differently constructed systems of education.
In Singapore students take the first places in international researches of education quality because the government provides maximal support to the system of education, thus raising its value in the minds of the population. At the initial levels, education is compulsory and free of charge; and parents are responsible for their chindren's school attendance. The central principle in education is meritocracy: the higher is the level of
the student's mental faculties (average, particular, exceptional), the more opportunities he has to achieve success. Much attention is also paid to teaching quality; teacher's profession is considered respected and profitable, and it is not easy to enter the corresponding higher school. The country recognizes linguistic and cultural pluralism, education is conducted in two languages - national and English. Traditional grounds for building the educational system are rather stable; besides, it is oriented onto the international labor market. The main purpose is to create the environment which stimulates the individual's motivation for education throughout his entire lifespan. Consequently, from the state's viewpoint, qualitative education is education throughout the entire lifespan, during which the person gains both professional capabilities (in accordance with his abilities and skills) and significant general cultural training.
One of the peculiarities of educational system in Japan is critical competition since the university diploma is the guarantee of further successful life. There exists a strict students' selection for each new level of education carried out by means of extremely difficult exams (usually in the form of written tests), which differentiate the students according to their capabilities and determine their probable future professions. Moreover, senior school and university education is always paid. It means that in order to enter the university, it is necessary not only that the child has certain mental faculties but also that his parents can afford to pay for his education. The purpose of education in Japan is formation of qualified specialists capable to support economical and social development of the country.
In Chinese Republic education is financed by the government; that is why it is free of charge and compulsory for the citizens. The level of the population's literacy is rather high; education is characterized by a very well pronounced ideological underlying theme. Education in educational establishments and "public education" are equally significant. Hence, from the state's viewpoint, qualitative education is such education which forms competent citizens of the country who support common ideals.
Thus, educational systems are different in different countries, and this fact poses a certain impact on the citizens' manner of thinking. However, neither the subject nor the place defines completely the meaning of the notion "education quality". That is why it is very important to analyze the next component of the notion - historical time.
3. Historical time interval of existence of the educational system. Time dictates priorities and requirements (the paradigm of the person's manner of thinking); that is why it is necessary to have the idea about evolution in meanings of words and notions within different time intervals.
For illustration, let us analyze university gradation suggested by Bill Ridings in his book "University in ruins". By the author's opinion, in western countries during different time periods, the notion of university had different connotations (the evaluation is given from the viewpoint of a Canadian teacher):
a) University of mind (the period from the middle of XVIII up to the end of XVIII century). According to Kant, that university model had to be governed by mind and any outside intervention (including that from the state) was unacceptable. The principal orientation and essence of such an institution was intellectual activity; the basic subject was an individual researcher, and one of its functions was production of technical specialists;
b) University of culture (the period from the beginning of XIX up to the middle of XX century). That university model already implied in itself close interactions with the state which formed its social order - citizens' culturing, the latter contributing to transition of their natural characters and temperaments into the rational state by means of mastering the rules of thinking, and also (and it is not less important) developing and legally regulating their national self-consciousness;
c) University of perfection, excellence or quality (the period from the middle of XX up to the beginning of XXI century). This university model is characterized by orientation to the values posed by the modern or post-modern epoches. The author emphasizes that contemporary university is more likely post-historical than post-modern, i.e. this institution, having lost its ideological content, is more likely a simulator of what it has initially been - the project of historical development, strengthening and spreading the ideas of mind and/or national culture. There takes place commercialization of the idea of university, and appears a new purpose - to attract financial means, for which achievement the university has to be efficient, i.e. it must meet certain indices/criteria. The notion "education quality" acquires a different, economical tint (how does the student justify the financial expenditures spent on his education, what useful for the market will he be able to do?), i.e. the routine consumer logic is quite obvious. B. Ridings has also set very urgent and important questions concerning the legal basis for the criteria which have been chosen in order to evaluate education quality: the mark got by the student - as the main criterion of education quality; a degree received by the person - as the criterion of the best master of teaching; the amount of financial means which function at the university -as the criterion of its "excellence", etc. (Ridings, 2010).
3. Results
The relevance of Bill Ridings' classification of universities as the institution of western culture may be evidenced by a wide response of readers to his book. Nevertheless, it is this book that illustrates that within each historical period there is a certain set of values which has pre-determined not only such a notion as university, but also its basic orientation; and this certainly produces a direct influence on interpretation of the notion "education quality".
The second difficilty is as follows: all the above mentioned facts have characterized "quality of the educational system" rather than "education quality", i.e. family education, self-education, education in informal organizations, etc. have not been taken into consideration. Besides, there has neither been discussed the transition from the pedagogical system "man - man" to the pedagogical system "man - machine", which also sets philosophical questions and certain practical problems as to how educational interactions should be built and, correspondingly, how the final results of education should be evaluated.
The third difficulty concerns the issue, how all regarded aspects (the speaker's personality, chronotope, informal aspect of education, modern forms of organizing the educational process) should be considered in the development of some universal definition. Obviously, it should be done by means of its simplification. There may be no regular norm, as such, of education quality; having been designed for a certain context, it requires to be permanently revised (and this, probably, explains permanent revision of educational standards in Russia), and it should be oriented not only onto the final results but also onto provision of adaptability, opportunities of an independent choice within the process itself (Kloktunova, 2018).
In case globalization does not finally "wash out" the boundaries between the countries, adopted traditions, national mentality and individuality, pluralism in interpretation of the concept "education quality" will always remain possible. To our opinion, it is the principal basis both for understanding the functioning system of education in general, and for determining and adequate understanding its qualitative aspects.
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PECULIARITIES OF ADAPTATION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS TO STUDYING IN A MULTICULTURAL EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT OF RUSSIAN UNIVERSITY
The authors reveal that international students experience difficulties in the process of socio-psychological adaptation to study in the multicultural educational environment of a Russian university. It is shown that the socio-psychological adaptation of international students is a complex, dynamic and multilateral process of restructuring the motivational sphere, complex of existing skills and abilities to interact with subjects of the educational en^ronment; its optimal characteristics are associated with medium-low indicators of the level of anxiety and a realistic level of self-esteem and aspirations, which allows the student to satisfy relevant social and cognitive needs and realize the goals and objectives of training. The study reveals personal qualities and socio-psychological characteristics having the most significant impact on the process of socio-psychological adaptation of international students to study at the Russian university: self-esteem, motivation, anxiety, type of thinking, level of communicative inclinations, psychological climate of the teaching staff, as well as a new unusual learning system.
