Turinys / Contents

COVER

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Cover page, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2009, SPVK/EPMQ

CONTENTS

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Contents, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2009, SPVK/EPMQ

FROM QUALITY MANAGEMENT TO MANAGING QUALITY: SYSTEMIC APPROACH

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The recently discussed issues of education quality are devoted full attention. The systems of quality control are developed, services are certified etc. All EU countries point to education quality as one of the most important political priorities. Despite the fact it is an excellent idea, the questions of how to ensure adequate education and how to achieve equally ranked education certification in all countries of the European Union arise. We can note that different legal and political documents approved by Lithuanian authorities in one way or another emphasize that ensuring quality education is a priority field. What is quality? This question is not so simple. We can agree with general definition that quality generally refers to a certain degree (level) of excellence. It is obvious that there are at least two main perspectives of defining quality, one from the customer of education services and the other one from the producer (education institution). It is obvious, that the quality aspiration is important not only for the companies which produce products or offer service, but also for education institutions of all levels. The central point is the unders-tanding that quality cannot be bought in the market and is not something beyond institution boundaries. Everything will be determined by awareness that quality in a broad sense is conditioned by the quality of management (administration). Only professional management leads to qualified processes (institution work) whereas the latter ensure high-quality service. Another main point is that education and research belongs together. It is as axiomatic truth. Without high-level research a quality management system seems to be a useless thing. As the understanding of quality may vary, a general agreement on the issue discussing quality is very important at least inside the institution. Quality is differently treated by academic staff, teachers, students, employers, social partners of institution, authorities and society in general. Education is a complex system having different levels, sub-systems etc. that closely correlate and determine one another. Finally, we can notice that the best organizations have a systemic and comprehensive focus on quality.

INFORMAL ADULT EDUCATION IN KEDAINIAI REGION: EXPLICIT LINKS BETWEEN CAREER AND EDUCATION, CAREER CHANGES

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Due to rapid changes in the dynamics of trade market needs, learning and career as life-long processes have become the burning issues of modern society. Knowledge and skills acquired in comprehensive school, college or university cannot guarantee a strong position in the trade market. An important point is the latest information on the situation in different regions of Lithuania. In October - December 2008, a qualitative research was carried out. 29 respondents participated in the survey based on the structural interview providing a possibility of establishing the main conditions for informal adult education including available information, motivation for learning, evaluation in terms of usefulness and an aspect of career changes. Theoretical analysis puts emphasis on the links between informal adult education and career opportunities. Informal education positively determines a further successful development of a personal career. Learning greatly expands the field of individual opportunities and choices and creates preconditions for making a decision on the development of a personal career. The carried out assessment of the situation on informal education in Kedainiai region disclosed that: • all establishments of informal education in Kedainiai region offer a possibility of and create the required conditions for taking part in the process of life-long learning; • a local database of adult education services (training courses, seminars etc.) and organized programmes provided by different institutions has been established; • the problem of financial support (lack and inadequacy of resources necessary to accomplish the mission established by the institutions of informal education) has been noticed. Obvious positive career changes of the learners who attended the institutions of adult informal education in Kedainiai region have been established. The majority of the surveyed participants found personal career changes successful and effective. An assessment of positions (opinions and evaluations) taken by the learners reveals that along the factors having impact on motivation such as aspirations, quality-based orientation and intentions of learning, other factors increasing students’ motivation for learning exist: • wish for conforming to constantly changing situation; • intention to remain competitive in the labour market; • wish for having means of support; • doubtful future possibilities. An analysis of employer’s positions (opinions and evaluations) indicates a positive attitude towards informal employees’ education. In seems to be clear that the prestige of informal adult education is in-creasing and the importance of understanding this phenomenon is gaining more weight in society. An assessment of the executives (opinions and evaluations) of the organizations arranging the sessions of informal teaching discloses that informal learning helps with increasing personal and professional competencies, offers the possibility of self-realization, assists in retaining work places, determines the rise of new professional competencies and ensures successful changes in personal careers.

QUALITY ASSURANCE AT HIGHER NON-UNIVERSITY INSTITUTIONS: REVEALING THE EDUCATORS‘ ATTITUDES

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Lithuania having joined the European Union and seeking the education acquired in Lithuania to be internationally recognized, the necessity emerged to match the education standards with the systems of vocational training in European countries. The project plan (2002-2006) of the development of higher education in Lithuania states that the quality assurance is a top priority. The emphasis is laid on the fact that the quality assurance of higher education should not lack behind the one in the developed European countries. The quality assurance of higher education has been under discussion in the few recent years. How should be the studies organized in order to train students to be able to compete in the labor market of the dynamically developing European countries? To determine the dimensions and standards of the education quality that are common to Lithuanian universities and colleges it is essential to regard the worldwide experience and to apply it in the context of our country. The importance has been laid on the quality assurance at the European universities for the recent 10 years. The subsequent organizations were established in different countries all over the world. A number of the agencies dealing with the quality assurance of higher education started the network partnership. The established Centre for Quality Assessment in higher education plays a major role for imple-menting the external quality assurance policy in universities and colleges of Lithuania by contributing to the development of human resources. The object of this research is to reveal the educators’ attitudes at Marijampolė and Utena colleges towards the establishment of the quality assurance system at college. The research was done in November, 2004 at Marijampole and Utena colleges. There were 120 educator respondents at Marijampole College and 50 respondents at Utena College. 146 of them were lecturers and 24 were the administrative staff. The research done, the conclusions were made that the communities comprising the lecturers as well as the administrative staff of the colleges are concerned about the quality assurance of higher education and studies. The quality of higher non-university studies is being continuously assessed. Moreover, the system of quality assurance is being continuously developed. The educators both at Marijampole and Utena Colleges positively assess their input into the successive performance of the institutions taking an active part in making decisions related to the improvement of the inner system of quality assurance at the institutions.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN UPPER-SECONDARY SCHOOL

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The present school feels lack of qualified and competent staff. The success of school activities de-pends on the competence of teachers as they are responsible for the quality of students’ qualification. Due to the absence of any structure of activities, a teacher plays different roles including the development of individual curricula and improvement of school activities. They also work as advisers on the learning process and professional career, the evaluators of internal audit, launch projects, participate in international events etc. The project concentrates and involves school community, helps teachers with increasing their qualifications and implementing ideas in practice. On the other hand, projects assists in providing possibilities of receiving additional financial support and dealing with complex educational problems. An important point is that projects actively involve teachers.

EFFECTIVE REALIZATION OF CHANGES

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Modern life is distinguished by rapid changes which affect the school as well. The changes which occur at school are usually caused by outer changes or they sometimes occur inside the school. Some of them are purposeful, initiated by the improvement of existing state, some of them occur because of rapid change outside the school and it does not depend on our will. Realization of purposeful changes helps schools to improve their activities and education. The Head of school is one of the main people who are responsible for the effective realization of the changes. The main qualities which should be obtained by the Head of school are: high competence in management, the right choice of realization means, training of the participants, and methodical supervision of the course realizing the changes. We can distinguish such management competences: knowledge (in management, juridical, peda-gogical, and psychological and others), personal qualities, values, attitudes and experience. The level of the management competence will depend upon the Head and his/her ability to join all the parts together in order to achieve the purpose, the development of all the parts and their balance. High management competence helps the Head to predict effective means, to train the participants and supervise the process of realization. Changes at school are realized not only by the Head of school, but by other teachers too. It depends whose work is connected with the changes. Effective realization of the changes depends up on everyone’s contribution. It is very important to explain to all the participants the necessity of the planed change, benefits for school and personally for everyone. The other quite important condition is involving participants into foreseeing measures realizing the changes. So as foreseen changes could be fully realized, the Head has to be systematically interested in successful realization of all the means. The Head has to give help in proper time for those who need it and to keep optimism, rejoice at achievements. Finally we can state that if we want the changes to be effectively realized, it depends up on the Head’s competence in management, the time which is devoted, energy and being ready for the changes and believe in successful end of it.

MANAGING THE QUALITY OF EDUCATIONAL RELATIONS IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS

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At the theoretical level in the XXI century, two different viewpoints about the education of a person still prevail. One of them approves of the education employing tools, that have an impact on a person - the subject there is the teacher and the objects is the pupil. The other ap-proach accentuates interface between two equivalent subjects – the educator and the educated person. The Lithuanian school is being reformed towards the principles of the educational interaction in conformity with conceptual documents. Thus a realistic contraposition of theoretical approaches and raised educational objectives actually exists. Such kind of contraposition exists not only on a theoretical level, but in practice as well. Therefore, it will be always important to research the educational practice and propose means how to consolidate different principles of the educational interaction in the reformed school. That is the importance of the selected topic. In this paper the educational interaction is understood as a dynamical intercourse system between the educator and the educated person. This intercourse involves pedagogical communication, pedagogical information, pedagogical requirement and pedagogical intercourse (Bitinas, 2006, p 47). The aspect of the research is to show how the quality of the educational interaction is being handled theoretically and practically. It is done orienting school practice towards consolidation of the educational interaction that is typical of the humanistic educational paradigm. The basic quality elements of the educational interaction are components of the educational interaction that solidify the objectives of the education and correspond to peculiarities of a relative age range.

THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL AND CULTURAL FACTORS ON A TEACHER

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Introduction. This paper outlines socio – cultural factors which may impact teachers’ decisions and practices regarding instruction. Goal. To examine and assess the working behavior of teachers aiming at identifying the key school cultural factors that influence the effective working behavior. Materials and methods. Theoretical method: studies and analysis of literature sources, empirical method: questionnaire. Results. The four dimensions of school culture collectively exert a strong influence over teacher behavior in a number of ways. Conclusions. Based on what teachers report about their school culture, this study of school culture leads to a better understanding of the people working behaviors towards improving the schools performance.

A SCHOOL GOOD TO BE IN

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Stasė Bučiuvienė, a member of the editorial board of the journal, talks to Jolanta Knyviene, the principal of Vilnius Simonas Daukantas Secondary School. The school was established in 1993 on the initiative of Vilnius Pedagogical University in the premises of the former kindergarten in Lazdynai region. The school was established as the main one, its first name being VPU University School.

END

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End page, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2009, SPVK/EPMQ