Pedagogical potential of the national-cultural approach in developing students’ learning initiative

Abstract

Therefore, the integration of national and cultural values into educational practice with the aim of strengthening students’ learning initiative acquires considerable pedagogical significance. From the perspective of learner-centred education, the systematic integration of national traditions and cultural knowledge into the educational process makes it possible to design effective teaching strategies that encourage students’ active participation and independent learning. This study proposes a structural equation model for assessing students’ active participation in the educational process, as well as a model for evaluating learning initiative based on the national-cultural approach. The main aim of the study is to assess the separate and joint effects of cultural identity, the integration of national values into the educational process, and the pedagogical support provided by the teacher on students’ learning initiative. In the proposed model, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used to determine the priority level of national-cultural teaching strategies, while structural equation modeling (SEM) is applied to identify the interrelations among educational factors. The interactions between cultural engagement and student motivation are thereby fully taken into account. A comparative assessment was carried out among the alternatives formed on the basis of the AHP analysis and the SEM estimation in order to determine the overall effectiveness and pedagogical significance of different teaching approaches. The results of evaluating national-cultural teaching practices show that students who participated in lessons organised on the basis of this method display higher classroom activity and develop stronger motivation for independent learning. The broader use of culturally appropriate learning materials during lessons led to an increase in the level of student engagement within a shorter period compared with the traditional teaching approach at the same educational stage. In addition, it is emphasised that the integration of national-cultural values into the educational process serves to meet the common educational needs of different groups of students. Accordingly, the proposed assessment framework can be generalised and applied to other groups of students in similar educational settings. Along with increasing students’ learning initiative, the use of national-cultural teaching strategies in the educational process resulted in the organisation of culturally more relevant and meaningful learning activities at various stages of instruction. This indicates that the proposed assessment framework can be used in curriculum development and in organising the teaching process.