Post-Docs Research at HSE
Tatjana Kanonire received her PhD in Psychology from University of Latvia in Psychology. She joined HSE two years ago. First, she spent a year at the International Research and Teaching Laboratory for Socio-Cultural Research. Since October 2015 she has been working at the Centre for Education Quality Monitoring of the Institute of Education. Tatjana has talked to The HSE Look about her research interests and teaching activities at HSE.
Research
Two major research topics of the Laboratory were acculturation and values. I worked on both, and I keep doing research on acculturation — it’s particularly interesting for me because the data was collected in Latvia, where I am from. I stay in contact with the laboratory, but switched my major research focus to the Quality of Education and am very excited about my transfer to the Institute of Education. I particularly like that all projects have a wide scale and are very complex.
One of the current projects is aimed at monitoring the quality of higher education in cross-country comparison (multiple universities in USA, China and Russia): we examine the results of students in STEM. We put a lot of attention on research design and methodology and analyzing the data not only from Russia but also from China.
Another research project is focused on primary school. We adapted and standardized the International Performance Indicators in Primary Schools (iPIPS) — the test to evaluate skills of children at the start of the school and their progress during the first year in reading, language, and math. This test also helps to predict their results at the end of the year and to evaluate the progress. Two large regions of Russia are participating in this project in 2015 — that’s over 12,000 first graders. The benefits are two-fold: teachers and parents get feedback about their students, and researchers collect a vast database for further study. The region as a whole can assess and review its educational policy.
The project I am working on is about renewing the work on the original Russian test of students’ achievements; the theoretical framework of the toolkit relies upon the concept of teaching/learning process based on Lev Vygotsky’s ideas. A couple of years ago the test were developed for the 4th grade, in mathematics and Russian language. We hope to expand the test, and to cover more grades and subjects. I’m participating in development of theoretical frame of the research on predictors of achievement in primary school; and based on it prepare the questionnaires which give us insight into the context which influences the performance at schools.
Such studies are interesting for the educational institutions, of course, but also for the researchers: they provide a chance to develop the instruments of measuring education quality and fine-tune them, as well as rich data for analysis of the assessment results.
Teaching
I am also involved into the Master’s Programme 'Educational and Psychological Measurement': our students are very motivated, they participate a lot in the research carried out within the Institute of Education – one of the groups recently returned from a 'field trip' during which they were collecting data and supervised the procedure. I think that this programme has a lot of potential for attracting students: it offers very up-to-date methodology, courses of a very good quality, and interaction with the leading specialists who are often invited for lectures and research events. There are no similar educational products in Russian regions which can rival it. It can be very interesting for students from abroad as well.
For further information please visit ifaculty.hse.ru
See also:
Workaholism Helps Young Narcissists Boost New Venture Performance
An international team of researchers including Professor Galina Shirokova, Director of the Strategic Entrepreneurship Centre at HSE University in St Petersburg, and her students Nailya Galieva and Diana Doktorova, examined the impact of narcissism on young entrepreneurs' success. The authors have demonstrated that a company founder's workaholism can amplify the influence of narcissism on a new venture's performance.
Inverse Relationship Found between Propensity to Innovate and Academic Success
Mariia Evdokimova and Anastasia Stepanova, employees of HSE University’s Faculty of Economic Sciences, studied the connection between students’ personal characteristics and their desire to create something new. The researchers have found that students’ propensity to innovate lowers their GPA. The results of the work were published in the preprint ‘Students’ Propensity to Innovate: Correlates, Determinants, and Impact on GPA.’
Social Connections Help Women Achieve Academic Success
Social integration has different effects on the academic achievement of women and men. Researchers from HSE University’s Institute of Education studied the connections between academic performance and social integration among 4,500 young Russians. It turned out that this connection is much stronger than it might seem at first glance, and that it is more important for women. The results of the work were published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.
Plurilingualism Compensates for Low Extraversion in Nurturing Creative Skills
Researchers at the HSE Laboratory for Linguistic, Intercultural, and Creative Competencies have examined the role of the Big Five personality traits in moderating the development of creativity among individuals who use multiple languages and have intercultural experiences. It has been found that acquiring multiple languages and engaging with diverse cultures can enhance an individual's creativity and compensate for some deficiencies in communicative abilities. That said, language practices are likely to foster creativity only in mentally stable individuals. The paper has been published in the International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism.
A University's Special Status Is Correlated with a Substantial Increase in Salaries for Graduates
A university education is a highly sought-after commodity in Russia, yet the quality of universities and their programmes varies significantly. This gives rise to risks of inequality, both in the realm of education and in the labour market, and subsequently impacts the returns on higher education, which are manifested in the salaries earned by graduates. According to a study by Ilya Prakhov, Assistant Professor of the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences, graduates from Russia’s top-tier universities enjoy a distinct advantage. The paper has been published in the International Journal of Educational Development.
HSE University and Moscow Planetarium Sign Cooperation Agreement
The parties will work to popularise science and conduct educational and research activities, including in the fields of astronomy, cosmonautics, and Earth science. The agreement also covers the implementation of joint practical programmes and internships for students.
Attainment of Happiness in Psychologically Mature Individuals Linked to Pursuit of Meaning
Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl believed that the quest for meaning constitutes a fundamental and intrinsic motivation for all human beings. Some other authors suggest that the need for meaning or purpose only emerges at higher levels of personality development. According to a team of psychologists from HSE and the University of Paris Nanterre, individuals who have achieved higher levels of ego development are inclined to relinquish hedonistic motives in favour of cultivating mindfulness and embarking on a quest for meaning. These findings have been published in Frontiers in Psychology.
HSE University and Agency for Strategic Initiatives Sign Cooperation Agreement
HSE University and the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI) have agreed to cooperate in the development of new technologies, the digital transformation of the economy, and the social development of the country. The agreement was signed by HSE University Rector Nikita Anisimov and ASI Director General Svetlana Chupsheva at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Married Men Less Prone to Workplace Burnout
Greater marital satisfaction lowers the risk of professional burnout, with this correlation being more pronounced among men than women. This is a conclusion made by HSE psychologists after conducting a study on the effect of social interactions on workplace burnout on a sample of 203 employees from several Russian companies. According to the researchers, gaining a better understanding of the specific aspects of burnout experienced by individuals makes it possible to address this syndrome more effectively. The paper has been published in Organizational Psychology.
HSE Psychologists Propose New Approach to Building Soft Skills
Researchers at HSE's School of Psychology have used the findings of studies into creativity and multilingualism to develop 'Plurilingual Intercultural Creative Keys’ (PICK), a new programme which integrates both aspects into the teaching and learning process. The study results have been published in Psychology. Journal of the Higher School of Economics.