Type of the article: Research Article The propagandistic instrumentalization of science occurs not only through academic text content but also through institutional authority, territorial affiliations, bibliographic metadata, and publishing infrastructure. These practices may confer signals of academic legitimacy on politically oriented claims and increase their potential international visibility; infrastructural presence alone is not treated as evidence of legitimation. However, this infrastructural dimension of propaganda has received considerably less scholarly attention than message content. This study identifies and systematizes the methods through which scholarly communication is instrumentalized for propaganda, using contemporary Russian practice as an empirical case. Designed as a qualitative documentary multiple-case study, its empirical basis comprises a purposively constructed corpus of 2024–2026 monitoring materials, primary documents, prior studies, institutional web resources, and bibliographic records. Inductive-abductive analysis, thematic document coding, and cross-case comparison yielded a preliminary analytical typology of three methods: content-based construction of politically useful knowledge; authority- and institution-based legitimation; and affiliation-based territorial normalization of annexation. These methods are implemented through material, organizational, and digital forms, including scholarly texts, editorial boards, institutional statuses, affiliations, metadata, DOIs, scientometric databases, and publishing partnerships. At the theoretical level, the three methods are interpreted through four proposed analytical mechanisms: producing politically useful knowledge or ignorance; leveraging the cultural authority of science; politicizing classifications and standards; and organizing visibility and international circulation. The resulting configurational model demonstrates that these methods, forms, and proposed analytical mechanisms combine dynamically rather than forming a rigid sequence. The findings provide evidence-based reference points for auditing academic journals, university affiliations, metadata, indexing databases, and publishing partnerships. Acknowledgment(s) This research was conducted within the framework of the Project 0126U003080 NFDU (2026-2028) Science as a tool of propaganda: identification, analysis and counteraction using the example of the russian scientific system
Type of the article: Research Article The growing integration of social networking sites (SNSs) into higher education has fueled debate about their contribution to academic performance. This study examines how three forms of academic SNS use, interaction with friends, interaction with lecturers, and cooperative learning, affect self reported performance among 510 undergraduate students from public, private, and international universities in Hanoi, Vietnam, and tests the moderating roles of academic motivation and self regulated learning. Multiple regression and moderation analyses (Hayes’ PROCESS macro) were used. Cooperative learning was the strongest predictor of performance (β = .479, p < .001), followed by interaction with lecturers (β = .253, p < .001) and interaction with friends (β = .184, p < .001), with the model explaining 63.8% of variance. Academic motivation and self regulated learning significantly strengthened the effect of friend interaction on performance but did not moderate the effects of lecturer interaction or cooperative learning. This indicates that structured, instructionally guided SNS activities produce stable academic benefits regardless of motivation or self regulation, while the value of informal peer interaction depends on these individual capacities. Performance and self regulated learning also differed significantly by gender, year of study, and university type, but not by discipline. Overall, results suggest that the academic effectiveness of SNSs depends on the structuredness of interaction and students’ motivational and self regulatory capacities, not merely on usage intensity. Academic performance was measured via self report rather than objective academic records.
Type of the article: Research Article Lebanese technical schools have a vital responsibility to develop young talents and improve their practical abilities. These institutions are assessed on the competencies demonstrated by students, not just on knowledge transfer. Yet graduates face employment challenges due to a focus on theory rather than practical capabilities. This skill gap stems from the mistaken belief that theoretically taught total quality management (TQM) practices alone improve competencies. The objective is to examine the relationship between three total quality management practices and students’ practical competence based on instructors’ perceptions by analyzing the mediating role of instructors’ self-efficacy. A quantitative research design was used, and data were collected via a questionnaire from a random sample of 380 instructors across 12 technical institutions in north Lebanon. Instructor self-efficacy was positively associated with students’ practical competency as perceived by instructors (β = 0.570; p < 0.001). Among TQM factors, process standardization was most influential (β = 0.540), followed by TQM training adequacy (β = 0.511) and Kaizen commitment (β = 0.482). TQM factors predicted instructor self-efficacy, with process standardization (β = 0.823) and Kaizen (β = 0.703) showing the highest associations. All indirect effects were significant, with process standardization (β = 0.560) and TQM training adequacy (β = 0.409) confirming self-efficacy’s mediating role. This study supports instructors’ self-efficacy as a mediator of technical education competency building, offering a differentiated, human-centered perspective. This study can serve as a guide for technical schools by proposing actionable strategies to support practical competencies and promote graduates’ readiness in a resource-constrained context like Lebanon.
Type of the article: Research Article The growing demand for practice-oriented workforce development has increased the importance of dual education in vocational education and training systems. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between students’ satisfaction with learning outcomes and their intention to stay in their current job within dual education programs in the vocational education and training (VET) system in Kazakhstan. The methodological approach is based on a quantitative research design using survey data collected from 440 students enrolled in four VET institutions in Almaty. Structural equation modeling (SEM) with SmartPLS software was employed to test the proposed hypotheses and assess the relationships between the studied variables. The results demonstrate that enterprise internship satisfaction positively affects general learning satisfaction (β = 0.380), job involvement (β = 0.274), and intention to stay in the current job after graduation (β = 0.142). Job involvement has the strongest effect on intention to stay with the employer (β = 0.416) and significantly increases learning involvement (β = 0.636). However, general satisfaction with learning outcomes does not directly influence intention to stay in the current job. The findings indicate that practical workplace experience and active integration into the work environment are more important determinants of students’ intention to stay with their current employer than general perceptions of educational quality. The study contributes to understanding the role of dual education in strengthening workforce retention intention and early career commitment in vocational education contexts.
Type of the article: Research Article Generative artificial intelligence increasingly supports knowledge work in education and professional settings, yet its usefulness remains underexplored among people who combine study and employment. This study examines how working students perceive ChatGPT’s usefulness in selected professional applications. The study uses data from a quantitative online survey of 419 working students from five age groups conducted in Poland between April and June 2024. The questionnaire measured current and expected usefulness of ChatGPT in selected professional roles, motives for use, and the most frequently used version of the tool. The analysis used Kruskal-Wallis tests, post-hoc multiple comparisons, Cochran’s Q test, planned McNemar comparisons, Pearson’s chi-square tests, and effect-size measures. Most respondents used the Free version (n = 329), while smaller groups used Premium (n = 67) or Other variants (n = 23). Information retrieval was the most frequently reported motive for using ChatGPT (n = 298; 71.1%), followed by assistance in learning new skills (n = 249; 59.4%). Age-related differences appeared in the current assessment of ChatGPT as a customer relations specialist (p = 0.0018) and secretary (p = 0.0083), with respondents aged 40-50 assigning higher ratings in these roles. Younger respondents reported using ChatGPT for skill development more often than older respondents (p < 0.001). ChatGPT version also differentiated use: Premium users more often reported routine document preparation, code generation, and data analysis, while Other-version users more often reported code generation and data analysis. The findings show that working students perceive ChatGPT primarily as a knowledge-support tool rather than a substitute for professional roles.
