The First Defense of a Candidate's Dissertation in Pedagogy

The Dissertation Council for the Defense of Candidate and Doctoral Dissertations in Pedagogical Sciences was recently established at TSU: an order was signed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation in June 2024. For the university, which has long been a center of excellence in pedagogy, this represents a new impetus for the development and strengthening of scientific and innovative activities in pedagogical fields.

The first defense before the Dissertation Council took place at the end of September of this year. TSU graduate student Alexandra Orlyanskaya submitted her dissertation, "Training Teachers to Teach Children Road Safety in a Social Partnership Environment," for the degree of Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences. The study was supervised by Irina Rudenko, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences and Professor in the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology at TSU.

Alexandra Orlyanskaya proposed a model of the educational process within the system of continuing professional education that allows teachers to quickly and effectively impart basic knowledge on teaching children road safety. The model has already been tested with teachers in the Samara Region. At the TSU Institute for Supplementary Education "Zhigulevskaya Dolina," 309 students from educational institutions in the Togliatti region and 78 teachers from Chelyabinsk completed advanced training in the "Child Road Traffic Injury Prevention" program. The experience of traffic police officers, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and teachers from the Togliatti Resource Center were taken into account in developing the educational process model. Alexandra Orlyanskaya also proposed teaching materials, including the "Road to Safety" teaching aid and digital technology maps, which teachers and educators can use when working with children.

The dissertation's author emphasizes that the teacher training process is based on the engagement of social partners. They should be involved not only in defining the basic requirements for teacher training, but also in creating the subject-spatial environment and teaching materials for program implementation and participating in the evaluation of educational outcomes. Also effective are interactive seminars and workshops on creating "road" games, plotting "safe route to school" routes on an interactive whiteboard, crash courses, project-based activities, solving situational problems, and free reflective practices, which allow teachers and practitioners to reflect on their experiences and consolidate their knowledge. The results of the study have been integrated into the educational activities of the Institute for the Study of Childhood, Family, and Education of the Russian Academy of Education (Moscow), where 2,950 teachers from 79 regions of Russia have been trained as part of the supplementary educational program "Algorithms for Interdepartmental Cooperation in the Activities of Participants of the Prevention System" using the module "Social Partnership in Road Safety" developed by Alexandra Orlyanskaya.

"Alexandra Valerievna accomplished her goal, demonstrating the theoretical and practical significance of the research. She is primarily interested in the issue of teaching children road safety from a professional perspective. However, while conducting research, she recognized the scientific problem at hand and meticulously sought solutions. My student also overcame her anxiety, as she was the first candidate to defend her dissertation with us," says Irina Rudenko. "The dissertation council in pedagogy includes representatives of universities from different regions, so two council members were unable to travel to Tolyatti and attended the defense online. This also required us to ensure high-quality technical work, adhering to all the requirements and recommendations of the Higher Attestation Commission under the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia. I am pleased that the meeting went off without a hitch. This sets the stage for the future productive work of the dissertation council at TSU. I am confident that future candidates will offer fresh ideas, interesting developments, and proposals in their research papers."

The candidate's dissertation was reviewed by Galina Kamerilova, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences and Professor in the Department of Physiology and Human Life Safety at the Kozma Minin Nizhny Novgorod State Pedagogical University, and Andrei Shcherbakov, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences and Associate Professor at the Chelyabinsk Institute for Education Development. They provided positive feedback in their assessments. Following the dissertation council meeting, a unanimous decision was made to award Alexandra Orlyanskaya the degree of Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences in the research specialty 5.8.7. "Methodology and Technology of Professional Education."

"The first defense before our dissertation council was a significant event not only for the university but also for the entire scientific and pedagogical community of the Samara region. Ensuring the safety of children and adolescents is a national priority. Alexandra Orlyanskaya examined this pressing issue in the context of training teachers to teach children road safety," says Tatyana Ivanova, Doctor of Sociological Sciences and Director of the TSU Institute of Humanities and Pedagogical Sciences. "The young scientist's achievements were made possible by the university's established track for training highly qualified specialists: undergraduate, master's, and doctoral studies."

Alexandra Orlyanskaya is a graduate of the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology at TSU. She completed her undergraduate and master's studies, and then became a targeted doctoral student. The topic for her dissertation was chosen based on Alexandra's professional experience. For many years, she has worked in the road safety promotion system of the State Traffic Inspectorate of the Samara Region. Alexandra Orlyanskaya also teaches in the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology at TSU's Humanities and Pedagogical Institute.

The Dissertation Council for Pedagogical Sciences began its work at Togliatti State University in 2024. The council includes 13 leading scholars from universities in Togliatti, St. Petersburg, the Republic of Kalmykia, and Rostov-on-Don. Professor Irina Rudenko, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology at the Humanities and Pedagogical Institute of Togliatti State University, has been appointed Chair of the Dissertation Council. The council accepts for review and defense theses for the degrees of Candidate of Sciences or Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences in the following research specialties: 5.8.1 "General Pedagogy, History of Pedagogy and Education" and 5.8.7 "Methodology and Technology of Professional Education."