Sanita Baranova

Aim. The aim of this research is to critically examine the significance of adults learning a spoken foreign language and to explore the teaching methods that support this process. The study seeks to investigate the reasons underlying the importance of researching adult spoken language learning, identify why spoken foreign language proficiency is essential for adult learners, and analyse literature to determine whether specialised teaching methods are required for this learner group. Methods. This paper presents the findings of a systematic literature review on effective teaching methods employed by adult educators in foreign language classrooms. Initial searches using relevant keywords identified scholarly publications in Web of Science and Scopus databases. Data extraction began with an analysis of titles, keywords, and abstracts, followed by a detailed full-text review. A systematic analysis of articles in these databases from 2015 to 2025 has been conducted to find out the quantity and quality of articles related to adult learners who learn to speak foreign languages. The selection process was carried out by using the Prisma method. Results. Based on the reviewed literature, factors influencing teaching effectiveness are categorised into learner-related, educator-related, and institutional/system-related aspects. Findings indicate that novice adult language instructors benefit from targeted professional development to enhance pedagogical skills, particularly in integrating active learning strategies, learner-centred approaches, and communicative teaching methods. Conclusions. The review highlights the methods for teaching spoken foreign language and growing need for research on effective teaching methods in online and blended foreign language courses.

The paper aims to map available evidence regarding the transfer of learning from professional development (PD) into practice. The scoping review is based on an analysis of the key characteristics of effective PD, drawing from 60 meta-analyses and various types of reviews (e.g., systematic, integrative, etc.) regarding PD both in general and in various professional fields published from 2009 to 2024. Three research questions are put forward: What characterises effective PD? Which theoretical concepts in the scientific literature represent the transfer of adult PD into practice? And what processes and indicators show effective ways of transferring PD and learning outcomes into practice? The methodology of the review is organised into three steps—preliminary study, the main study, and conceptualisation—by selecting publications and deriving concepts and conclusions relevant to the research questions, as well as identifying knowledge gaps for further exploration. The research literature uses various concepts to characterise the transfer of PD into practice as it is determined by different contexts, research traditions, and practices. Although effective PD has been defined and several theoretical models have been developed, research on PD effectiveness indicators and processes related to the transfer of PD into practice is still ongoing. However, not all evaluations take these models as bases to evaluate the existing PD practices, so the different indicators proposed by different researchers make it difficult to compare the results. The main problem is insufficient evidence in terms of measurable and comparable effectiveness criteria in all fields. The scoping review reveals a variety of controversial or incompletely researched aspects of transferring PD results into practice.

Nowadays, the ideological focus of sustainable development is leading in all industries worldwide. Sustainable education enriches the understanding of the link between social, ecological, and economic needs; develops the ability to take responsibility for their own daily choices and contribute to a fairer future for present and future generations. All levels and areas of education invest in sustainable development, including higher education programs, which play a crucial role in putting sustainability ideas into practice. Therefore, in April 2022, the University of Latvia implemented the second round of the study, “Assessment of Competences of Higher Education Students and Dynamics of Their Development in the Study Period”, within which multidimensional research of students’ transversal competencies is continued. The first round of the study identified that the theoretical approaches to the distinction and consolidation of global and civic transversal competencies are contrasting. For that reason, this study aims to analyze civic and global transversal competencies’ common, diverse, and unifying aspects. The design of a cartographic review was chosen for conceptualization. The aim is to structure the literature items included in the study, based on which a classification scheme was created, and the field of aspect coverage was identified. The study data were analyzed using the qualitative data processing program NVivo 12.0. As a result, the various aspects of the two transversal competencies have been identified. The theoretical framework of global civic competence is formulated based on the aspects identified in the coverage field.

One of the objectives of the European Higher Education Area is to promote the development of competences, with an emphasis on those competences that people need to maintain their current quality of life and high level of employability in the face of a changing society and labor market. This study analyzed the self-assessment of student preschool teachers’ professional competence, using a tool (survey) for assessing teachers’ professional competence. A structure of preschool teachers’ professional competence was analyzed. The results indicate that the developed survey can be used as a tool for the self-assessment of teachers’ professional competence. The most highly evaluated sub-competences were general tasks of ensuring professional activity; implementation of learning process; and improvement of professional competence. The data analysis revealed that the question “Is the work related to the field of study?” with the statements included in the survey sections “Implementation of the learning process” and “Improvement of professional competence” is an important indicator in the self-assessment of professional competence among student preschool teachers for the material situation.

One of the most important tasks in the 2022 UNESCO report is the preparation of teachers in the ɵeld of higher education, which is oriented towards the improvement of professional competence. The teacher is described as a creator of knowledge, and as a central person in educational and social transformation, while knowledge and learning are described as the basis of renewal and transformation. Opportunities for meaningful and high-quality education should be available at every stage of a person’s life. Preschool education is the ɵrst level of education and is where a child gains ɵrst knowledge, skills, and experience about the world around them. The preschool teacher and their professional competences are of particular importance in this cognitive process.Using the teachers’ professional competence assessment tool (survey), this study analyses the self-assessment of future preschool teachers’ professional competence in the planning, implementation and evaluation of the learning process. Our results show that the survey that we created can be used as one of the tools for the evaluation of the teacher’s professional competence. In addition, the professional competence of future preschool teachers can be promoted in the study process in the unity of theory and practice. From the survey, it can be concluded that the planning, implementation and evaluation of the learning process interact and are mutually dependent components of the teacher’s professional competence. In the data analysis, it was found that the professional competences of preschool teachers are strengthened, which helps to identify the individual needs of children and to plan, implement and evaluate the learning process in accordance with them.

In Spring 2020, due to the rapid spread of COVID-19, all educational institutions in Latvia, including the University of Latvia (UL), transitioned from face-to-face on-site learning to remote learning. After a short period of face-to-face on-site learning in autumn, UL returned to remote learning in November for the second time. This paper investigates the UL students’ perspectives on remote teaching and learning at the UL during the first and second COVID-19 periods. The research assesses several remote study organization aspects, including the lecturer’s and student’s digital skills, their access to information and support during the study process, planning and implementation of the study process, and students’ acquisition of the content. The study used an original questionnaire designed in the Spring 2020 semester. Seven questions from the first questionnaire were included in another follow-up questionnaire distributed in the Spring 2021 semester. A total of 2248 UL students from the Spring 2020 semester and 742 students from the Spring 2021 semester participated in the study, representing 13 faculties across all study levels. The survey responses were collected via a QuestionPro survey platform and then downloaded into an IBM SPSS 28 file for a reliability check. Next, descriptive statistical analyses were conducted for each reported survey item using Microsoft Excel 2016. The research presented here implies that, in general, students perceive positive improvements in almost all the investigated aspects of the organization of the remote study process when comparing the first and second COVID-19 periods, which could indicate a certain level of resilience in students and university lecturers when subject to COVID circumstances. However, the results reveal that students have, in one year, developed a more realistic approach in assessing their digital skills. The results lead us to believe that remote on-line learning is not just a short-term solution but could become a valuable element for providing qualitative education in the long term. It could indicate that the students and lecturers at university are ready for new and sustainable higher education study organization solutions in the future.

Diverse evaluation of the study process and the activities of all participants involved in it is a significant element in the context of introducing quality culture at the higher education institutions (HEI). It is a common practice in HEI to carry out students’ surveys in order to receive students’ evaluation on the quality of the study process as such, the study curriculum, the content and organization of particular subjects. On the basis of the performed analysis of the scientific and didactic literature, the article describes students’ survey and the possibilities of applying its results in assessing the quality of the university faculty’s professional activities. The survey of pedagogy students was performed in the empirical study which helped to find out students’ understanding about the competences needed for the university faculty in their professional activities in the study process at higher education institution and the professional development needs of the university faculty in view of pedagogy students are defined.