NUGSE Research in Education Journal. (2017) Volume 2. Issue 2
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Item Open Access Welcome letter from the editor(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education, 2017-12) Montgomery, D. PhilipThe journal issue in front of you marks the fourth issue of NUGSE Research in Education. The authors, peer reviewers, and editors who have worked to keep this project growing and thriving understand too well the difficulty and messiness of writing—and yet they persist...Item Open Access Student Experiences: A Critical Reflection of the M.Sc. in Educational Leadership Blended-Learning Program(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education, 2017-12) Ogay, SvetlanaProliferation of digital technologies and massification of education gave a breath of fresh air to conventional education and triggered a wave of innovative approaches to teaching and learning. Who would imagine a decade ago that it is now possible to ‘attend’ classes without leaving your apartment or to interact with experts from across the world without leaving your desk? Yet, as distance learning with massive open online courses and learning platforms such as EdX and Coursera started evolving, this has become a widespread phenomenon that made education more accessible. Given the competitive labor market, we are constantly striving to develop both personally and professionally, and blended learning programs enable us to do so. There is likely no “one-fits-all” approach to learning, and, certainly, the blended-learning mode bears both benefits and drawbacks. I want to share some thoughts about NUGSE’s blended-learning program as well as a few hints of how to effectively avoid or surmount possible challenges. Students enrolled or considering enrolling in graduate studies, faculty who work with students in these various modes, and administrators who support these programs may all benefit from understanding the student experience a bit better.Item Open Access Teacher Identity in the Context of Current School Reforms in Kazakhstan(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education, 2017-12) Khegay, YuliyaKazakhstan is currently experiencing tremendous reforms in secondary education trying on best practices and experiences borrowed from abroad. Important figures at this stage are Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools (NIS) created to implement new approaches to teaching, learning and managing the school. The problem is that the major focus is given to the reforms themselves while the voices of those who actually enact them are usually ignored. This qualitative interview-based study aims at exploring the complex phenomenon of teacher identity in its relation to the present school reforms from NIS teachers’ perspective. The results of the study provide an insight on how teachers understand their professional identity within four dimensions: personal, social, professional and emotional, and how these are affected by different aspects of educational changes. The major findings have revealed that teaching-related aspect of school reforms has a mostly positive effect on teacher identity, whereas the administrative aspect tends to have a mostly negative influence.Item Open Access Teachers’ Experiences of Using CLIL in Kazakh Language Classrooms(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education, 2017-12) Kakenov, RuslanThis paper investigates teachers’ experiences of teaching the content and language simultaneously by using the Content and Language-Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach when delivering social science subjects, such as Geography, History of Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan in the Modern World and Law Essentials in Kazakh as a second language of instruction. This qualitative study has revealed that challenges teachers face in CLIL classrooms included the language proficiency of students and the lack of teaching materials. Teachers incorporated some strategies according to the CLIL approach, vocabulary teaching, and usage of Russian in order to explain key notions and concepts. Finding and adapting resources for CLIL lessons lay an extra burden on teachers. The development of CLIL teaching materials will likely relieve teachers’ workload and enhance the quality and consistency of the materials.Item Open Access Critical Response: “Teaching Approaches: Theory and Practice” by Olessya Akimenko(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education, 2017-12) Ivatov, SerikIn her article published by NUGSE Research in Education in December 2016, Akimenko discusses the theoretical understandings of teacher-centred and student-centred approaches, and examines these theories with regard to teaching approaches in Kazakhstan. Teaching approaches have been studied very well abroad so that they can be considered as old chestnuts. However, Kazakhstan will likely benefit greatly from a comparison of teaching approaches in international and Kazakhstani practices. If we study international practices, we will get better understanding of our own. In addition, comparative research may help us to discover which teaching approaches are beneficial and how best to implement them. I agree with the author’s position that Kazakhstani teachers should take advantage of teaching approaches from international practice; however, she does not manage to accomplish all her goals set in the article.Item Open Access Student Experiences: Traditional Face-to-Face Full-Time Studying at NUGSE(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education, 2017-12) Ippolitova, Mariya; Baidaly, Fariza; Memetova, Lenera; Temirbekova, AsselThe choice of a learning mode is very important for a student applying to the Master’s program. But when the choice is made students face other challenges they could not anticipate. Brochures and websites can tell a lot about the courses, teaching staff, and different requirements, but usually it is not enough for the first-year student who has a thousand questions about small but troubling details of the studying process. In this way, the experience of the current students is invaluable as they know what kind of concerns new students may have and how to deal with them. In this work, four second-year Master’s students share some insights about the full-time learning mode at Nazarbayev University, its peculiarities, benefits and drawbacks, and suggest some pieces of advice for those who struggle with the studying.Item Open Access An Exercise in Argumentative Writing: Arguing Both Sides of an Issue(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education, 2017-12) Chsherbakov, AndreyLatinisation of the Kazakh alphabet is well under way. The President has signed the Law; a working version of the new script has been approved; and responsible state agencies have been appointed. However, the reform continues to generate heated debates in the media, on social networks, and in the old-fashioned offline (kitchen) conversations...Item Open Access “Kazakhs should speak Kazakh”: Language Policy Realization in Urban Kazakh Families(Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education, 2017-12) Amantay, Assem; Myrzabayeva, Aigerim; Karabay, AkmaralThe Kazakh government’s after-independence language policy of “Kazakhization” has had a positive impact on the revitalization of Kazakh as an official language. The research shows that the urban Kazakh people tend to support the policy of their indigenous language revitalization, but when it comes to language use at home, the Kazakh language is not extensively used in this context (Smagulova, 2008, 2011). Informed by Spolsky’s framework of language policy, this small-scale research of four urban Kazakh families examined parental ideologies towards the Kazakh language revitalization and the actual linguistic practices and the management strategies used in the home. This study revealed that while all four Kazakh families admitted the significance of the Kazakh language and supported the idea of its revitalization in the country, their language choices and efforts to maintain Kazakh vary from family to family. The findings offer new insights for researchers, policymakers, parents, and educators interested in understanding the revitalization of the Kazakh language.