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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.

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.

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.

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).]

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.

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.)

The sedimentology, petrography and reservoir potential of Pliocene sandstones within the Upper Red Series in the offshore LAM field, Western Turkmenistan, have been examined. Depositional settings are interpreted within the framework of the Red Series palaeoenvironments across the entire Turkmen sector of the Apsheron‐Prebalkhan uplift zone, including its onshore extension to the east. Examination of 81 m of core from three separate intervals suggests that the Red Series in the LAM field is the product of a fluvial‐dominated delta system with associated floodplain deposits, periodically flooded by the saline waters of the South Caspian Lake. Relatively thick sandstones, up to around 5 m thick, are interpreted as channel and point‐bar deposits of a meandering river system, with thinner and finer‐grained sandstones and siltstones inferred to be crevasse‐splay and interdistributary floodplain deposits. Floodplain mudstones display signs of desiccation, soil formation, plant rootlets and occasional thin layers of anhydrite. Intervals with marine trace‐fossil assemblages record incursions of saline‐lake waters. Conglomeratic layers at the base of thicker mudstone intervals may be associated with abrupt transgressions of the lake. The best reservoir qualities are associated with the fluvial channel and point‐bar sandstones. Crevasse‐splay and other overbank sandstones are of poorer quality, while intercalated floodplain to lacustrine claystone/siltstone units may constitute local seals. Eighteen sandstone plug samples from the cored intervals were examined in thin‐section and by XRD and SEM to assess how mineralogy, grain size and diagenesis affect reservoir quality. The samples consist predominantly of lithic arkoses and feldspathic litharenites; higher porosities, and therefore better reservoir potential, are associated with the feldspathic litharenites. Primary controls on porosity include compaction, clay‐matrix content and calcite cementation. XRD data reveal the presence of illite, illite‐smectite and chlorite. The presence of swelling clays has been the main cause of formation damage in the field. The interpretation of meandering fluvial channels here is thought to represent the first published account of such channels within Pliocene reservoir rocks in the north of the South Caspian Basin. Previous accounts of the Red Series sandstones deposited onshore to the east have indicated deposition within braided channels of the palaeo‐Amu Darya river delta plain, and alluvial‐fan deposits sourced from uplands to the north. Deposition of the equivalent Productive Series by the palaeo‐Volga in the Azerbaijan sector to the west has also been interpreted as having taken place within braided systems, although mixed or suspended‐load fluvial channels ascribed to the contemporary Kura delta farther south may have been associated with a meandering system. Two palaeogeographic maps are presented to illustrate depositional environments for the Red Series during relative high‐ and low‐stands of the South Caspian Lake. The maps cover the area where the Productive Series of Azerbaijan passes into the Red Series of Western Turkmenistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study focuses on the adoption of wearable technologies in a context where care-providing organizations can offer, in collaboration with caregivers, better care. Drawing on dual-factor theory and from the caregiver perspective, this study identifies and examines factors of technology adoption in four developing countries. Design/methodology/approach: This study was undertaken using a quantitative approach. A survey was distributed among 1,013 caregivers in four developing countries in Asia including Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Iraq and collected quantitative data for model validation and hypotheses analysis. Building on the technology adoption literature, we identified six constructs that impact the behavioral intention of caregivers to use wearable technologies in aged care-providing organizations. Findings: Our dual-factor model was successfully validated, and all hypotheses were supported. However, different results were found in the selected countries within the cross-country analysis. Originality/value: This study has significant implications for the study of emerging technologies in aged care service operations. It provides a theoretical framework that may be adapted for future research, enabling practitioners in aged care to better understand the crucial role of technology adoption in service operations. Less attention was paid to the adoption of wearable technologies in aged care, particularly in developing countries, where healthcare services in aged care impose heavy costs on care providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known presently about how, why, and with what consequences audiences comment on their news in contemporary authoritarian regimes. In order to address this gap, this study leverages recent theorizing about the multiple public sphere under non-democratic rule. Accordingly, critically commenting publics are theorized as "input institutions" that not only create risks but also offer important benefits for autocrats. Grounded in this approach, the study develops a series of hypotheses about the extent of political criticism that should be visible beneath the news in three purposefully selected authoritarian contexts: Azerbaijan, Russia, and Turkmenistan. In order to test these hypotheses, commenting environments facilitated (or not) by 46 leading news organizations on seven platforms were considered (N=322). For each environment, coders established whether comments were published that were (1) critical of the autocrat himself, (2) critical only of lower-level policies or officials of the regime, or (3) entirely uncritical. As the findings show, the extent of readers' criticism differed systematically between the three contexts, broadly following the patterns hypothesized. Moreover, in line with this study's key assumptions, critically commenting publics were facilitated not only by opposition media but also by substantial numbers of state-controlled news organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Akchagyl deposits of Western Turkmenistan were studied in order to identify the spectrum of paleosecular variations in the geomagnetic field in Pliocene–Quaternary sediments. The detrital nature of remanent magnetization is established. The spectra of geomagnetic field variations in the Gauss direct polarity intervals (Zau section) and Matuyam reverse polarity intervals (Issu section) in Western Turkmenistan were studied. The spectrum of secular variations in the geomagnetic field is distinguished, in particular, by periods of 8–10, 25–30, and 45–50 ka. The selected periods are stable throughout the Pleistocene and agree well with the results obtained from corresponding deposits in Armenia and Azerbaijan. It should be noted that the revealed discrete series often differ for different elements of the field and different time intervals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Palaearctic species of the digger wasps genus Hoplisoides Gribodo, 1884 (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae: Bembicinae) are reviewed, and a key to both sexes is given. Two new species are described and illustrated: Hoplisoides flavescens Mokrousov, sp. nov. (Azerbaijan) and H. leleji Mokrousov, sp. nov. (Turkmenistan). New synonymy is proposed for Hoplisoides craverii (A. Costa), 1867 = Gorytes merceti de Beaumont, 1950, syn. nov. Hoplisoides distinguendus (Yasumatsu, 1939), stat. resurr. is reinstated to full specific level. An updated checklist of the ten species of Hoplisoides so far known from Palaearctic region is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since ancient times, the Caspian region has been known for its energy resources, which attracted the attention of the leading world players. The struggle for control over hydrocarbon resources intensified after the collapse of the U.S.S.R. The new independent states--Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan were rich in energy resources, but economically weak, and became a target for Russia and the Western countries, which used their oil and gas companies to seek control over the hydrocarbon reserves of the new states and influence the oil and gas sectors of the economies of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. The second stage of the competition was the struggle for control over oil and gas export routes from the Caspian region to world markets. The fact is that initially the newly independent states had no other way to transport hydrocarbons, except to the north--through Russian territory. These pipelines were inherited from the Soviet Union; there were simply no others available at the beginning of the 1990s. Having thus become heavily dependent on Moscow, the new Caspian region states began to work on creating alternative routes, one of which was the western route--from Azerbaijan through Georgia to Turkey and then to Europe. In 1998-2018, two oil pipelines and one gas pipeline were built in the western direction, which were subsequently expanded and modernized in order to increase capacity. As a result, a feud broke out between the two main routes for delivering Caspian oil and gas to Europe and to world markets: the northern and western routes. The northern route is being lobbied by Russia, the western--by the U.S., EU, and Turkey. Accordingly, depending on geopolitical preferences and the degree of dependence on one or another world locus of power, supporters of the northern and western routes were identified among the new countries of the Caspian. Thus, Azerbaijan has clearly come to support the western route, Kazakhstan--the northern one, and Turkmenistan has not yet made its decision, preferring to export gas along the northern route, and oil--along the western one. This article compares the strengths and weaknesses of both routes and the influence of geopolitics on the choices made by Baku, Nur-Sultan, and Ashghabad for exporting their hydrocarbons to Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is devoted to the revival of heavy and engineering industry in Azerbaijan. The history of the economy of the oil industry in Azerbaijan has been investigated. The fundamentals of the revival of heavy and industry and engineering in the field of production of oil equipment are considered. Considering the prospect of oil production and the development of the oil sector in the Caspian countries of Iran, the Russian Federation, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan, the economic revival of the industry of petroleum engineering has been substantiated from an economic point of view and the sources of financing have been identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South Caspian Sea, with a large amount of sedimentary cover, and the Black Sea, are two areas with an extraordinarily high sedimentation rate. This high sedimentation rate violates the steady state thermal regime assumption and causes a colder sedimentary area. Present temperature and heat flow distribution are essential in oil and gas exploration because the rate of chemical reactions is primarily controlled by the temperature at which the reactions occur; temperature data are necessary to constrain the basin model; the depth of the oil window is controlled with temperature distribution; and they are required for paleo heat flow studies and oil maturation analysis. The present-day thermal state of the basin is also critical from the financial point of view since a 20°C variation could result in a 600 m deeper or shallower oil window. In this study, potential field data, including gravity, geoid, and topography, were used, as well as surface heat flow data, to reconstruct the lithospheric structure of the area, including Lithospheric-Asthenospheric Boundary (LAB), Oceanic crust, Moho, and basement depth; and regional steady-state thermal regime. Furthermore, using near-surface sonic, gamma, density, temperature, etc. well logs, I have applied the temperature and heat flow correction to steady state condition of the sedimentary area. Based on large-scale modeling and steady-state conditions, the average surface heat flow is about 40-41 mW/m². Applying heat flow corrections decreased the surface heat flow to about 20-21 mW/m², which is compatible with the observed surface heat flow and the measured well temperature data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on mass media in authoritarian regimes focuses more on state mechanisms of control than on actual media reporting and on moments of crises much more than on times of stable functioning of the regime. In order to shed more light on the role of journalistic mass media in authoritarian regimes, this article deals with the actual limits of pluralism in media reporting regarding policy issues in 'ordinary' authoritarian politics. Looking at pluralism in sources (i.e., actors being quoted) and pluralism in opinion, the article also deals with the often assumed increasing degree of pluralism from TV over print media to the Internet. This study is based on a qualitative content analysis of media reporting on export pipelines in three post-Soviet authoritarian regimes (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan). The text corpus comprises 3,618 media reports from 38 different journalistic media outlets published between 1998 and 2011. Two major results of the study are, first, that concerning the degree of pluralism, the differences between types of media are country specific, and, second, that 'limited pluralism' seems to be a misnomer, as the political opposition--at least in our cases--regularly does not have a voice at all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work; Social Studies lesson taught at secondary schools in Turkey (5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grades) and the projects of the Republic of Turkey Revolution History and Ataturkism lesson curricula and the curricula of the lessons equivalent to the Social Studies lesson in Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, learning-teaching process and measurement-evaluation) to reveal similarities and differences. The original side that distinguishes this work from the other studies is that there is no study comparing in depth the social sciences course taught in our country up to now and the structures of the curriculums of Turkish Republic History of Revolution and Ataturkism course with the social sciences courses in Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. this study is important for this shortcoming. This study is also important in determining the deficiencies of the Turkish education system and eliminating these deficiencies. The qualitative research models in the study used the document review method. In addition, a screening model was used because it was aimed at establishing an existing situation in the research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]