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Purpose: This article examines the use of English medium instruction (EMI) for teaching Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) by non-native speakers with a focus on multilingual classrooms. It also explores teachers' positive and negative beliefs about using EMI in classroom settings for JFL instruction. Methods and procedure: 274 non-native Japanese language teachers from around the world (57 countries) voluntarily participated in a survey, answering a questionnaire on Google Forms and Jotform. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed. The research instrument was piloted before the main study and was found to be effective and adequate to elicit the desired data. The research questions aimed to identify whether there were any relationships between the use of EMI and the multilingual classroom. Findings: The results showed a clear correlation between the extensive use of EMI and the multilingual character of JFL classrooms. Translanguaging turned out to be a common practice adopted by non-native Japanese teachers regardless of the primary language of instruction. The article concludes that EMI can be a valuable tool for JFL instruction in multilingual classrooms. Based on the investigation of the teachers' beliefs, the results showed a changing positive attitude towards English employed in JFL classrooms. Implications for research and practice: The findings can be used to further investigate EMI in JFL instructional practices in multilingual classrooms, improve the quality of JFL instruction and facilitate the integration of multilingual education into foreign language teaching. Future research can explore the effectiveness of EMI in different JFL contexts and investigate the impact of EMI on students' language learning outcomes.

This research aims to investigate the correlation between the academic performance of migrant students and their cultural integration within the context of international education. Additionally, it seeks to identify an optimal acculturation strategy that enhances the academic outcomes of migrant students and explores the influence of VR technology-based learning on acculturation and academic performance. The study conducted an online survey among 1032 participants from China, Vietnam, Mongolia, Turkmenistan (studying at RUDN University in Moscow, Russian Federation), and Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan (studying at Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University in Yelabuga, Russian Federation), forming the primary sample (N = 400). The research utilized Berry's 2D acculturation model (2005) and Schwartz's questionnaire (1992) to assess acculturation strategies. A virtual reality experiment involved 100 students using Oculus Rift and Rhino-Unity technology. Academic performance, acculturation, and stress levels were measured post-virtual excursions. The SL-ASIA (26-item) and ILS (31-item) surveys assessed acculturation levels and stress. The research identified integration as the most effective acculturation strategy (35%), fostering improved academic performance, expanded cultural boundaries, and the development of global cultural capital. Analyzing the relationship between academic performance and acculturation tendencies revealed that the majority of students with "Excellent" (49%) and "Good" (59%) grades exhibited a high level of integration. Those with "Satisfactory" grades showed a tendency towards marginalization (32%). In the realm of cultural education through virtual reality technology, the study demonstrated that immersive VR learning environments can enhance academic performance, reduce psychological and acculturation stress, and multiply adaptive resources essential for acculturation in a new culture. Although the abstract highlights the research objectives, it requires modification for grammatical correctness. Additionally, the methodology for data collection and analysis needs to be explicitly mentioned for clarity.

The purpose of this study is to compare the attitudes of Turkmenistanian and Turkish university students towards environmental ethics approaches and their naturalistic intelligence (NI) field. In addition, it was investigated whether there is a gender difference in environmental ethics levels in both countries students'. Environmental Ethics Attitude Scale (EEAS) and Multiple Intelligence Areas Inventory were applied to the students. A total of 172 Turkish and 103 Turkmenistanian university students participated. A significant difference between the mean scores of Turkish and Turkmenistanian was observed in all four categories of environmental ethics [Anthropocentric, Ecocentric, Ecofeminism, Teocentric]. The analyses conducted to test gender differences showed that there was not a significant difference between male and female Turkmenistanian students' EAA mean scores. Comparison of NI levels of students from both countries suggested that Turkish students' NI levels were "developed" and Turkmenistanian students' NI levels were "moderately developed". The research findings were considered for both countries students'. [Note: The year shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct citation for this article is v9 n1 p1-15 2023.]

Education curricula are programs that include topics for students' academic achievement and individual development. Geography curricula cover many subjects such as physical, human, economic and environmental issues. In this study, the economic geography contents of Turkey and Turkmenistan high school geography curricula were compared in the study. Firstly, the content of 10th, 11th and 12th grades in the geography programs of both countries was investigated and evaluated. The study is qualitative in nature as it is mainly based on document analysis. Economic geography topics in geography programs according to grade levels were examined and the similarities and differences between the economic geography subjects in the geography programs of both countries were determined. In both countries, economic geography subjects are included in the 12-year compulsory education, especially after the 10th grade. Moreover, both programs include economic geography topics from a local to global scale.

With the development of computer and internet technologies, new media has become indispensable to daily life in the digital age. The concept of public opinion, which is at the centre of many research topics in the field of communication, has also interacted with new media in this context. Thus, new media tools have begun to be seen as critical elements in the processes of public opinion formation. This study aims to investigate how new media affects public opinion formation processes in the Turkish Republic and to contribute to the relevant literature. The most important result of the study is that in the postmodern age, new media is one of the dominant elements that direct the thoughts and attitudes of individuals in the public opinion formation processes. Another critical finding in the study is that the use of new media in the Turkic Republics increases yearly. In this context, digital diplomacy has begun to be used more intensively among member countries. Finally, in the current conjuncture, new media has a strategic importance in disseminating propaganda materials, and young people in the Turkish Republic are the segment of society that uses new media most actively in public opinion formation processes.

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.

Very little is known about the status of autism research in Central Asia. The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the scope and focus of the peer-reviewed research studies conducted with autistic people and their families in five Central Asian countries - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The electronic databases of EBSCO Host and Web of Science were used for systematic search of literature. Eleven articles that met eligibility criteria were included in the review and analyzed for topics and research areas outlined in the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee Strategic Plan. Ten of these studies were conducted in Kazakhstan and one in Uzbekistan using qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research designs. Five of the seven research areas - Diagnosis, Biology, Risk Factors, Services, and Treatment and Interventions - were represented in these studies, while there were no studies identified in the areas of Lifespan Issues or Infrastructure and Surveillance, highlighting a gap in research. None of the studies reported co-authorship of scientists from Central Asian countries. The review identified knowledge gaps and research needs to guide future research in autism in Central Asia to address the needs of autistic individuals and their families living in this region.

The aim of the research is to examine the structure of education and training from pre-school to high school in Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the States of the Turkic World, and to compare them with each other. In order to achieve this aim, it has been collected through document review from the literature related to each of these states, printed scientific and official sources, and data on the official websites of the ministries of the relevant states. While analyzing the data, descriptive analysis method was used. In the research, the themes of languages of education, pre-school education, primary school education, secondary school education and high school education were created by considering the descriptive analysis method stages. The sources that can be accessed and evaluated within the scope of the research were examined within the scope of these themes. The data obtained were defined, supported by direct quotations, and interpreted by adhering to the original form of the data. At the end of the research, it was concluded that there are similarities and differences in the structure of the education and training systems of the Turkish States. Based on these results, at the end of the research, suggestions were presented for the continuation and further development of the common points and good practices in the education and training system of the Turkish States with an increasing contribution.

The purpose of this research is to examine the structure of education and training in the Turk World and to compare them with each other. In the study, the general structure, development and current situation of the education and training systems of the Turk World has been researched in detail and compared. In this comparative study, a horizontal approach was used that examined the elements of different education systems as a whole. The education and training systems in these countries, the stages of the educational institutions, the structure of the institutions that educate students, the admission conditions of the students to the schools, the duration of education, the status of higher education, and postgraduate education were examined, and evaluated. The education and training systems of the countries in the Turk World were first researched one by one and explanations were made in the light of the gathered information, then the tables were created with the information, the information in the tables was analysed and explanations were made under the tables. In the conclusion part, the information in the tables for all countries was summarized, the current situations were compared, and evaluations were made. At the stage of data collection; printed scientific resources such as thesis, books, journals, and articles related to the education and training systems applied in the Turk World were used. The data gathered were analysed using descriptive analysis approach according to the criteria determined with the aims of the research. As a result, it has been determined that there are similarities and differences in the structure of the education and training of the Turk World, and these determinations have been revealed. The main differences achieved are; secondary education (high school) and higher education periods, and the difference in the age of starting primary school. The duration of basic education (primary school) is the same in all countries. The Turk World should establish common quality standards in education and training, reflect these standards in their programs, and carry out remedial studies to bring education and training to the level of exclusive civilizations and put them into practice as soon as possible.

Post-Soviet republics have undergone a variety of political and economic changes following the collapse of the Soviet Union to transform themselves into market-oriented open societies. Transitional countries have faced various problems, including social inequality, political unrest, economic hardship, and ethnic conflict. The countries had to introduce reforms in education in response to changing conditions to produce a new generation with ideas and skills that support pluralistic societies and market economies. Some countries opted for rapid, drastic reforms; others chose to restructure their economies while retaining centralized governments. Using examples from post-Soviet countries, the study examines the challenges and strategies in reforming the curriculum for states in transition. The study investigates the ideological aspects that have influenced curriculum revisions in post-Soviet nations.

Teaching English for specific purposes (ESP), such as Medical English, is especially impactful due to high student motivation and immediate real-world application. Medical professionals devote their careers to improving the health and lives of others. With English-language skills, medical professionals can further their own professional development by attending international conferences, reading journals, and sharing their own discoveries with peers. In fact, as the majority of medical journals and international conferences utilize English, learning the language allows professionals who are nonnative English speakers to acquire medical terminology and be active in their community (Popa 2013; Chia et al. 1999). The benefits of teaching a Medical English ESP course are far-reaching and positively affect an unknown number of people. For instance, working with doctors and nurses to increase their English level enables them to more accurately interact with, diagnose, and treat their patients.

The purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding of the experiences of foreign-born students (FBSs) studying at a Turkish public university. The study attempted to provide useful findings for student services, faculty, policy makers, and other stakeholders to effectively address the needs, interests, and aspirations of FBSs, thereby helping them better adapt to school and community life in Turkey. The researcher collected the data in the winter of 2019 by utilizing an open-ended interview protocol with a snowball sampling of seven FBSs. Three themes emerged from the students' spoken words: first days' experience, balancing period through social experiences, and the lived academic experiences. Findings from this study suggest that FBSs have lived many positive and negative social and academic experiences. For most, negative experiences were transformed into positive ones with various facilitators that brought FBSs personal growth and better adaptation.

The COVID-19 global pandemic presented an unprecedented challenge to the sustainability strategies and initiatives of many nations. In many countries, education strategies and funding were negatively impacted and, consequently, especially vulnerable groups were highly affected, amongst them Indigenous communities around the world. As Indigenous communities were already amongst the most vulnerable before 2020, a strategically and well-planned recovery from this pandemic would be vital to secure their well-being. This article offers reflections on the potential of infusing "Education for Sustainable Development" (ESD) in the classroom, the school and the community as a whole, to deal with known and yet unprecedented sustainability challenges in presenting commonalities of 32 good practice reports from 21 countries collected in advance and during the global pandemic. Authors make the point of considering the pandemic and its widespread impact as yet another sustainability challenge and position "ESD" as a potential tool to achieve quality education and unleash the full potential of education for society when planning recovery efforts in hope for a better future of Indigenous communities in the long term. As the good practices were also included in a report of the "UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to the 48th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council," focusing on the post-pandemic recovery efforts for Indigenous Peoples, further thoughts on both official reports and their alignment with the overall "2030 Agenda" from an "ESD" perspective are included.

Ethical academicians are perfectly virtuous. They always strive for greater virtue and follow strictly the moral stands of their profession. The ethical living and self-efficacy are important to them because of being fair and honest in their academics. Determinants of ethics include knowledge, values, attitude and intention. The domain-specific framework developed by Verbeke et al. (2004) has been considered as fundamental for identifying the dimensionality of work Self-efficacy and ethical challenges of academicians. A comprehensive literature review is undertaken regarding the concept of work Self-efficacy to assess workers' confidence and their ethical living in the workplace. This article examines theoretically and analytically the antecedent processes and information cues involved in the formation of work self-efficacy. Theoretical and numerical analysis of the key determinants of work self-efficacy increases the understanding of moral values, truthful fair and honest. Factors which decisively affect ethical living were identified from literature collected from the academicians who are working in the Five Regions of Asia - Central Asia (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan) East Asia (China, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau) South Asia (Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, the Maldives) through Google classroom. Methods of Statistical Analysis of self-efficacy data are descriptive statistics, Pearson Correlation Coefficient and Kolmogorov-Smirvnos normality test and Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance and Principal Component Analysis. Positive, mastery experiences give academicians a sense of accomplishment when they have faced a challenge ethically. Positive Zeal during Academic interaction, vicarious experiences that occur when academician see others succeed and feel an increased sense of their own ability to succeed. Sincere & deeper self, mingling with students, Social persuasion increase a teacher's sense of confidence and ability to succeed. A proper plan of action has drawn special attention, and inferences pertaining to future research are discussed at the end of the critique.

The social attractiveness and prestige of the teaching profession over the past twenty years have reached an extremely low level, despite the fact that the teaching profession is declared by the state as one of the most respected, honorable and responsible professions. The presented contradiction determined the purpose of the research: to develop a model of systemic improvement of the teacher's social status in the region and experimentally prove the effectiveness of introducing its key component -- an individually differentiated program to increase the motivation of students of a pedagogical university for the implementation of future professional activities in the training profile. In various types of experimental research participated (n = 1159) respondents: teachers (n = 23), part-time teachers (n = 48), students of the pedagogical institute (n = 1030), and graduates (n = 58). Experimental work was carried out from 2016 to 2018 based on the analysis of scientific literature, the collection of official information, sociological and comparative methods, questioning, interviews, modeling, analysis and formulation of relevant conclusions. Statistical processing of research results was carried out using chi-square at (p <0.05), which was used for the quantitative analysis of experimental data. Based on the identification of economic, labor, professional-cultural and legal directions of raising the status of a teacher, an integrated model of a system of individual integrated solutions has been developed. The study substantiates the effectiveness of introducing its key component -- an individually-differentiated program, including synergistic interaction of all departments of the university for the implementation of educational activities in five groups of students: "teacher-innovator", "teacher-educator", "teacher-manager", "teacher-entrepreneur", "teacher-scientist". The authoring development and technological aspects of its implementation in order to systematically improve the social status of a teacher in the region will open a new direction for the development of research in pedagogical science and will allow an increase in the indicators of professional growth of teachers in the Federal Project "Teacher of the Future".

This study aimed to investigate the beliefs of English as foreign language (EFL) learners about speaking in English and being a good speaker of English through metaphor analysis. A phenomenological approach was adopted and 60 EFL learners completed a questionnaire with demographic questions and two prompts focusing on the characteristics of a good English speaker (i.e., "Speaking English is like… because…" and "A good speaker of English is like… because…"). For the first prompt about speaking English, 46 valid metaphors were determined, which were categorized under five conceptual themes. For the second prompts about being a good speaker of English, 27 valid metaphors were given, with six conceptual categories identified. Findings showed that learners mostly perceived speaking as a skill requiring much effort and also giving pleasure. They described a good speaker of English as someone who is fluent at speaking, universal, disarming, wise, privileged and hardworking. The conceptual categories were also described with the speaking achievement and these categories were found to be connected to the degree of achievement. The findings gave insight into a better understanding of the speaking skill and what makes a good speaker of English for language educators.

Continued changes to legislation in countries that were previously parts of the Soviet Union cause them to become increasingly differentiated. Many of the changes are to social and economic processes. In the field of education, various parameters have changed and are continuing to change, from details concerning the way to conduct assessments to the broader issues affecting the whole architecture of the educational system. The most recent legislative act in the CIS--the "Education Code of Moldova"--illustrates the nature of changes taking place. This article discusses the most important trends in the legal regulation of the educational system in the post-Soviet area, including: how perceptions of education as a subject of legal regulation is changing; the impact of international cooperation in the field of education; the changing system of higher education and the introduction of a two-tiered system; and the increased attention to the quality of education.

The purpose of this study is to observe prospective teachers' cognitive structures related to Turkish World. In this scanning model study, WAT (Word Association Test) had been applied to 332 prospective teachers in Nigde Ömer Halisdemir University. And they were asked to write what comes into their heads when it is said Turkish Republics and Turkish World. Words were given to the prospective teachers. According to the research, "Turk" is the only common Word which is related to the concept of six independent Turkish Republics and Turkish World. There is no any other common word except this, perceived by prospective teachers. Students generally independent Turkish Republic and Turkey they do not have a lot of information and perceptions about the world; they know the general concept of popular culture, it said they did not know specific concepts or people belonging to the country. Independent of the Turkish states K.K.T.C. It has become the most irrelevant and disconnected with other countries. K.K.T.C. with the only common link between other countries "Turkey" was the word. Students are most perceptive grasp of Azerbaijan, while country-owned; they have been gripping the country at least perceptually Uzbekistan. [This article was presented at the 3rd International Dynamic, Exploratory and Active Learning Conference (IDEAL 2016).]

English has gained in popularity as the world's lingua franca, inviting individuals and countries to join the international community. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the use of English has dramatically increased in Turkmenistan, in Central Asia (CA). Russian was required for securing jobs, professional development, and economic well-being in CA countries during the time of the Soviet Union, but it has been replaced with English. Using liberal feminist theory (Groenhout, 2002; Tong, 2009) and Norton's (1995) investment theory, this case study examined the experience of one woman learning English as a foreign language in rural Turkmenistan and its role in her professional trajectory and identity development as an empowered Turkmen woman. The authors show how Ayna, the case study participant, invested in learning English as a child but was originally prohibited from postsecondary education by the family's matriarch because Ayna is female. Later, with help from her parents and an English tutor, Ayna used her advanced English skills to access postsecondary employment and education, where she was introduced to Western philosophical and sociological texts. Through these experiences Ayna transformed her identity as an empowered woman by increasing her awareness of gender inequality, shifted her perspectives on rural village life, and took on, as she said, "an English-speaking mindset."

The Oghuz Turks being in existence for many a millenia in Central Asia has a rich cultural heritage conveyed from generation to generation through oral tradition. The "Book of Dede Korkut" discovered in 1815 in Dresden Royal Library by H. F. von Diez sheds light to an important part of that culture. That precious historic literary masterpiece in fact has proved to be the most famous among all the epic stories of the Oghuz Turks. The stories found there carry morals and values significant to the social lifestyle of the nomadic Turkic peoples and both their islamic and pre-Islamic beliefs. The book's mythic narrative is part of the cultural heritage of all the Turkic countries, including Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and to a lesser degree Kyrgyzstan. Until the Book of Dede Korkut was put on record, the events depicted there had survived in the oral tradition, at least from the 9th and 10th centuries. The stories were in prose, partly peppered with poetic passages. The stories are told in the Azerbaijani language and easily recognizable by modern Istanbul Turkish speakers. One can see there vividly the overall similarity between the language of those days that is used in current use proving that nothing has changed much in folk Turkish throughout the Turkic lands ever since the Oghuz Turks migrated towards western Asia and eastern Europe beginning in the 9th century. One can also tell by this record that the epic genre endured in the oral tradition of Turks after they settled in Anatolia. The book of Dede Korkut was published on many occasions after the manuscript was discovered both in original Ottoman and later in modernized Turkish versions and in modern transliterations in other languages thus making the book known throughout the world. With the notation technology has developed and we now have a new system called the IPA transcription which allows to record and reproduce even the minutest details of speech, i.e. phonemic variants and stress features of the language spoken centuries ago. This paper presents both to scholars and laymen, the first time ever, a full-scale IPA transcription (and not a translatiteration) of Dede Korkut's Wild Dumrul tale as a portion of the whole text. The IPA transcription bears full segmental and suprasegmental features to bring to life the phonetic details of the language spoken at least five hundred years ago and much earlier among the forefathers of today's Oghuz Turks.

The grain quality of winter wheat varies significantly by cultivars and growing region, not previously differentiated by end-use (baking, confectionery, etc.) in the national breeding programs. In these conditions it is advisable to determine the genetic potential and analyze the actual grain quality. Determining the genetic potential requires the cultivars classification by grain hardness and composition of the HMS and the LMS glutenin. The most of winter wheat cultivars from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and CIMMYT are classified as "hard" and "semi hard" (62-95% in different blocks), characterizing them as baking wheat in the respective regions. The "soft" grain samples were also detected in small amounts ranging from 2% (Tajikistan) to 11% (Kazakhstan). Varieties are ranked by the HMS-glutenin from 10 (max) to (min) 4 point Payne scale for quality and by the LMS-glutenin from 5 to 1. The genetic potential of breeding material was determined by composition of the glutenin subunits as high level (75-80%). Several cultivars classified as "soft"--Batyr, Komsomolskaya 103 (Kazakhstan) and new registered cultivars Konditerskaya. It is therefore important not only to identify potential quality, but also its implementation in the specific growing conditions of the region.

This article provides a critical analysis of the development of public administration education in the context of five post-Soviet, transitional, and authoritarian Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan from early independence to the present time (1991-2019). The study is based on a review of Master of Public Administration (MPA) programmes offered by Public Administration Academies in each of these five Central Asian countries, a focus group with local academics, extensive secondary data analysis, and critical reflections of a local scholar with six years of MPA teaching experience in a Kazakhstani university. This article highlights context-specific challenges in design and implementation of the MPA programmes in Central Asia. These challenges include the: ambiguous role of Public Administration Academies; programme design; pedagogical issues; and weak research capacity. It is argued that the MPA programmes in Central Asia often provide an example of 'mimicry' of European/North American programmes with peculiar features of their local context. Public Administration Academies in Central Asia are highly politicised and strongly controlled by authoritarian governments. This study will be of particular interest not only to public administration scholars from all post-Soviet countries which share the Soviet legacy and socio-economic challenges, but also for scholars teaching in other authoritarian contexts.

This study explores the role of geospatial education in P20 classrooms; offers creative strategies and possibilities for integrating mobile technologies such as Global Positioning System (GPS) into the curriculum; promotes global competences and media literacy education among youth; and GPS and SIS technologies with limited resources; global competences and media literacy education among youth; and showcases examples such as Hi5 (Hiking for Health, Happiness, Head, Hand, and Heart) to Nature project that integrates Maps, Math and Media Education using cell phones and GPS devices. The research study explored wide range of meanings participants associated with experiential project-based learning activities; the impact of geospatial education in developing multicultural and multilingual curriculum that promotes differentiated learning; the ways in which participants integrated math, maps and media projects into their learning; and how they gained alternative points of view on environment and renewed interest and commitment to community service and global education.

Previous research has demonstrated a positive and long-running effect of mother-child interaction on numerous areas of child development. Yet, most of what is currently known derives from research on children in Western countries. Employing data from recent Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) on women (ages 15-49), this study examined factors shaping mother-child interaction across the post-Soviet countries of Belarus (N = 3,413), Georgia (N = 2,004), Kazakhstan (N = 5,084), Kyrgyzstan (N = 4,272), Moldova (N = 1,744), Tajikistan (N = 4,204), Turkmenistan (N = 2,064), and Uzbekistan (N = 4,939). The average number of mother-child interactions was highest in Georgia and lowest in Kyrgyzstan. Mother-child interaction was significantly lower for younger children, older mothers, and poorer households. Initiation of mass-communication campaigns and parent-child programmes could reduce differences in the number of interactions and improve the quality of maternal time dedicated to children.

This article describes the Trans-Cultural Comparative Literature Method, an innovative way to use literature to teach advanced English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. This method originated from the authors' discovery of common themes and points of view as they compared Turkmen and English literary texts. While the method employs activities associated with Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), it also borrows from techniques associated with the Grammar Translation Method (GT) by focusing on grammar, vocabulary, and limited translation exercises during cultural comparisons of literary texts. The authors explain how their method combines GT and CLT techniques in a lesson plan that engages students with activities that compare and contrast themes and cultural aspects found in two literary texts: one text (already translated into English) from the country where EFL is being taught and another from a country where English is spoken.

In recent years, for a variety of reasons, higher education has begun to be considered much more frequently than previously in terms of 'regions', or 'macro-regions'. Although for decades countries sharing some characteristics, or perceived as geographically or culturally closely related to each other, have promoted forms of cooperation between their higher education institutions (with varying degrees of success), it is now widely accepted that to 'count' on the world stage, it is useful for single countries, and especially for smaller countries, to work together with a view to making their systems better able to interact and hopefully to promote, increase and make visible their merits. Of course, in higher education as in many other fields, the regions or macro-regions are not defined once and for all, but are the result of stronger or weaker ad hoc groupings which take into account different factors in different contexts. Central Asia is one such potential region: it does not have unquestioned boundaries, but like other macro-regions, and more so than most, it can be understood and constructed in different ways. A current shared understanding of 'Central Asia' is that it is formed by the 4 ex-Soviet Republics of Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), plus Kazakhstan. Over the last decade the possibility of building a Higher Education Area in those five republics has been explored, and a large-scale project which uses Tuning methodology to this end is under way. This project, called TuCAHEA ("Towards a Central Asian Higher Education Area: Tuning Structures and Building Quality Culture"), has already elaborated a Central Asian list of Generic Competences and eight Subject Area Groups have formulated their Reference Points and Guidelines. The five Ministries of the five countries have signed a Communiqué indicating their intention to collaborate more closely; a pilot student mobility scheme is soon to start. This article explores the Central Asian experience as an example of the construction of a Higher Education area in Asia, and looks at what the future appears to promise, in terms both of challenges and of positive developments.

The focus of this paper is on a variety of practices associated with the transfer of educational policy and practice from one national education system to another--practices sometimes referred to as "policy borrowing". Its concern is with the ethical and political issues raised by these practices. In particular, it discusses concerns that these practices might be practically inappropriate, that they might be culturally insensitive or inappropriate, and that they might be impositional, exploitative perhaps or even oppressive. Such concerns arise particularly in contexts in which the transfer is from relatively rich and powerful countries to relatively poor and less powerful countries. But policy transfer is a feature of relations "between" the rich and powerful too, and to some extent the issues are then turned on their head. Those engaged in the business of transfer become more clearly identified as service providers and they have to ask questions about to whom and under what conditions they might provide this service. Finally, the paper considers policy transfer as a form of pedagogy and asks whether the kind of ethical considerations which underpin any properly "educational" transaction might not provide a guide to behaviour by the agents of policy transfer.

For Chinese as a second language (L2 Chinese), there has been little research into "distinguishing features" (Fulcher, 1996; Iwashita et al., 2008) used in scoring L2 Chinese speaking performance. The study reported here investigates the relationship between the distinguishing features of L2 Chinese spoken performances and the scores awarded by raters to the performances using holistic scoring. Seven distinguishing features--representing four major categories of Pronunciation, Fluency, Vocabulary and Grammar in the L2 Chinese speaking construct--were employed. An L2 Chinese speaking test was developed to assess the overall communicative ability in L2 spoken Chinese within an academic context. Speech samples of 66 candidates on the speaking test (i.e. 9 minutes' speech length for each candidate) were analyzed in terms of the seven distinguishing features, with correlations and standard multiple regression being employed. Results showed that, first, each of the seven distinguishing features was significantly correlated to the scores, producing large or medium effect sizes; second, 79% and 77% of the variance in the scores could be explained by the distinguishing features (incorporating "word tokens" and "word types" respectively) in two regression analyses. The current study has established a link between distinguishing features and scores, contributing empirical evidence of candidate performance to the validation of assessing speaking proficiency in the L2 Chinese context. (Contains 6 tables, 1 figure and 6 notes.)

With a grant through Indiana University's Inner Asian & Uralic National Resource Center, the authors developed an online, five-week unit that discusses the cultural and ecological "worlds" of central Asia, specifically the countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. There are two main ideas throughout this curriculum: (1) The natural world affects the daily functioning of the man-made world and may determine its fate; and (2) the man-made world affects the daily functioning of the natural world and may determine its fate. This curriculum is a useful tool for science and social studies educators to collaborate on a project. Additionally, this curriculum serves as a helpful resource for teachers on a topic that is generally not covered in middle school and meets the national standards. In this way, students benefit from learning about an area of the world that they may not be familiar with, which helps to bring a global perspective into the middle school classrooms. (Contains 2 figures.)

Throughout Eurasia, an Islamist social movement is helping Central Asians transition from their communist experience by building schools, offering English-language courses for adults, and consciously supporting a freer public sphere. It is because of both the extreme local conditions and the continuous success of the Turkish schools that Turkmenistan provides an edifying case study of the Gulen movement's contributions to postsocialist transformations of Central Asian societies. This paper argues that Turkish schools have flourished because the community preserves a modern, secular curriculum, while engaging rather than threatening the state. (Contains 7 notes.)

Education in Central Eurasia has become one of the services most affected by corruption. Corruption in academia, including bribery, extortion, embezzlement, nepotism, fraud, cheating, and plagiarism, is reflected in the region's media and addressed in a few scholarly works. This article considers corruption in higher education as a product of interrelations between the government and academia. A substantial block of literature considers excessive corruption as an indicator of a weak state. In contrast to standard interpretations, this article argues that in non-democratic societies corruption is used on a systematic basis as a mechanism of direct and indirect administrative control over higher education institutions. Informal approval of corrupt activities in exchange for loyalty and compliance with the regime may be used in the countries of Central Eurasia for the purposes of political indoctrination. This paper presents the concept of corruption and coercion in the state-university relations in Central Eurasia and outlines the model which incorporates this concept and the "feed from the service" approach. It presents implications of this model for the state-university relations and the national educational systems in Central Eurasia in general and offers some suggestions on curbing corruption. (Contains 1 note, 2 tables, and 2 figures.)

In this article, the authors examine the role of education in the maintenance of social cohesion and the formation of new identities amid the economic decline and political volatility of six new nations: Azerbaijan, in the southern Caucasus, and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in Central Asia. The authors first describe the historical legacies in education in the period before independence in 1991. Then they analyze the systemic crises in education since 1991, as well as the newly independent nations' often half-hearted attempts to embrace Islam and to find some place for religious and ethical thought and values in what had been aggressively secular educational systems. The authors pay particular attention to the ways in which the educational systems have deteriorated since 1991, examining economic deterioration, the degradation of educational infrastructure, and the decline in enrollment and retention, while considering the effects of these crises on social cohesion and political legitimacy. The authors conclude with some thoughts about the potential struggles that lie ahead as the peoples of Azerbaijan and Central Asia seek to reform their educational systems and thereby stabilize and revitalize the processes of social cohesion in their societies. (Contains 14 footnotes.)

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Central Asian education reform discourses have become increasingly similar to distinctive Western policy discourses traveling globally across national boundaries. Tracing the trajectory of "traveling policies" in Central Asia, this article discusses the way Western education discourses have been hybridized in the encounter with collectivist and centralist cultures within post-socialist environments in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. In the context of international aid relationships, the article considers different motivations and driving forces for reforms, the way pre-Soviet and Soviet traditions are affirmed within the reforms, as well as how these reforms speak back to Western reform agenda. Emphasizing the historical legacy of Soviet centralist traditions, this article reveals how traveling policies have been "hijacked" by local policy makers and used for their own purposes nationally. (Contains 4 notes.)