LITUANUS LITHUANIAN QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES   Volume 43, No. 2 - Summer 1997 Editor of this issue: Antanas Klimas ISSN 0024-5089 Copyright © 1997 LITUANUS Foundation, Inc.

PERCEPTIONS OF LITHUANIAN EDUCATORS ON EDUCATIONAL REFORM IN LITHUANIA SINCE THEIR BREAK FROM THE SOVIET UNION

STEPHEN ELIOT WILLIAMS 
BETTY JANE BARTHOLOMEW-WILLIAMS
DEE KLOKNER 
D'Youville College

Lithuania was the first of the Soviet satellites to proclaim itself a free and democratic nation. Its adherence to a democratic form of government is deeply embedded in its cultural heritage. Now as a free and independent nation, Lithuania, like the other former satellites, is faced with the Herculean task of rebuilding from the ashes of the former Soviet empire. They share many of the same problems (Herman, 1994). Not least among these tasks, and perhaps a prerequisite to it, is the reformation and reconstruction of a state-of-the-art system of public education. The Lithuanian government and people realize all too well that their successful reemergence and participation as a free democratic partner in a community of nations depends heavily upon the economic, technological and political awareness and preparedness of its people and institutions. Awareness and preparedness of its citizens falls under the domain of education.

Similarly, the developed and leading western nations must achieve a reciprocal realization. They need to perceive the moral imperative to assist, but not dictate, the direction of reform and development for Lithuania and the emerging nations (Ball, 1993). Further, they need to realize that such assistance is in their own political and economic best interest. (Dias, 1994).

The United States can and ought to assist developing countries, like Lithuania, in fulfilling their vision of reform. This objective can be realized through participation in educational training and development of former Soviet satellites and by enlarging the knowledge base in comparative education practices by contributing to the research in this field (Herman, 1994). However, as Sadlack points out, vestiges of a socialist ideology remain. Western governments need to consider this in their attempts to assist these former Soviet bloc countries with the process of democratic reform (Sadlack, 1991).

Another barrier to the effective and uniform education of the citizens in many emerging and developing countries is the lack of access to either the financial or the intellectual wherewithal necessary to develop state-of-the-art pedagogy and related instructional technology commensurate with its need to be a viable shareholder in a global community (Halasz, 1993).

Education for all has been one of the most fundamental values of the western democratic ideal. A good and valued life is possible only through a process of becoming learned. The social good of the state is best realized when its citizens are cultivated with intellect. These are educational philosophies which provide a common theme between American and Eastern European systems of education (Anweiler, 1992). These beliefs should provide the necessary impetus for the United States and other Western allies in their effort to assist countries like Lithuania.

This study examines how Lithuanian educators perceive reforms achieved to date, and what additional reforms and assistance are still necessary to produce a system of educational practices consistent with a democratic political ideology. This study examines qualitative-demographic information regarding the characteristics of primary and secondary educators and training programs currently existing in Lithuania. This analysis will also attempt to elucidate what practices and training paradigms are most desired by Lithuanian educators as necessary to improve education.

This study attempts to clarify the attitudes of Lithuanian educators concerning the actual progress made since emancipation from the U.S.S.R. and what changes were still needed to develop a functional system of education which will meet the political, cultural, and economic needs of its citizens. Specifically, the study examines the perceptions of Lithuanian educators concerning differences in the quality of direct and indirect educational services during the Soviet and post-Soviet eras.

The setting for this study was the 1995 Summer Session of the Pedagogical Institute of Lithuania. This was a series of professional teacher development seminars in Vilnius coordinated through the Ministry of Education (APPLE). The seminars are conducted by American and Canadian educators and sponsored through the American Professional Partnership for Lithuanian Education. The Summer Institute, from which the subjects in this study were obtained, took place in the town of Marijampolė, approximately thirty miles south of Kaunas.

The subjects participating in this study were a sample of convenience. They were drawn from over two hundred elementary and high school teachers from throughout Lithuania. There were 23 subjects in the original study. Three of the respondents were later dropped due to illegibility of responses. All participants were female with a mean age of 34.5 years and a range of 25 years to 53 years. All participants were educated to higher level university status which is approximately equivalent to the level of a certified four year teacher program in the United States. All subjects taught at the K through 6th grades.

Subjects were recruited on a voluntary basis. The purpose of this study and format of the survey instrument were disclosed prior to their involvement. Subjects were told that all responses would be kept confidential and that at no time would any respondent be identified by name. Further, all subjects were also told that they had the right to withdraw from the study up until the researchers' departure from the country.

All data collected was kept in the possession of the researcher in a locked file. Individual survey forms are identified by a number code only. The survey instrument itself is divided into three sections. The first section provides demographic information about the respondents. The second section includes likert style attitude questions designed for this  study. The third section is comprised of interview-survey questions designed for purposes of a separate study.

Part one of the survey provides basic demographic information regarding age, gender, and level of education. This information is reported ordinally where necessary. Part two of the survey, for use in this study, includes twelve questions about attitudes of subjects concerning the state of educational reform and level of progress to date of the Lithuanian Ministry of Education. The first question is a forced choice for four options. The remaining eleven use a likert rating as follows: (B) better than before the Soviet departure; (S) same as under Soviets; (W) worse than before the Soviet departure.

The study is descriptive in nature. This ordinal data is non-parametric. The exclusive purpose of this study was to compile information about the attitudes of teachers. Therefore, raw data collected was converted into frequencies of response, and percentages for all items in the attitude scale. The data was analyzed by first reporting items in which improvements were perceived by the subjects. This was designated by the letter B which represents better. Next reported were items where no improvement was seen and designated by the letter S which represents same. Lastly, categories where a worsening of conditions was reported by the letter W which represents worse. For question 1, which is based on a forced response versus a lickert scale, responses for each category were reported by totals and percentages for each option.

For question 2-a of the survey, the majority of teachers, 80%, found that since the end of the USSR the quality and availability of books and other classroom related resources had improved. Additionally, they saw improvement in the areas of professional training services (2-k) as well as access to ancillary classroom personnel such as teacher aids, psychologists, and other rehabilitation professionals (2-j). Responses were 75% and 65% respectively. Those qualities which teachers regarded as relatively unchanged since independence are the amount of time demanded from a teacher (2-b) at 75%, the support of parents in school administration (2-g) at 50%, the amount of support by way of parental involvement and administrative coordination (2-e) at 70%. Those areas which Lithuanian educators perceived in a noticeably worse state of affairs were the level of pay and fringe benefits (2-c) at 70%, school environment and maintenance (2-d) at 50%, and support of government for educational reform in schools (2-f) at 70%.

It is noteworthy that in the ten categories selected for teachers to report perceptions, in only three were there perceived improvements in the quality of education. In the opinion of these teachers, the state of educational supports and services had either remained unchanged or in fact had declined overall. Ironically, when all responses are tallied for all eleven perceptions, the majority of responses, 96 out of 250, which equals 43.6%, were favorable. The second most frequent response was the perception that the state of education remained relatively unchanged. The total number of responses for all eleven items in the category of same was 81 which is equivalent to 36.8%. The perception that education was in a worse state of affairs was the least frequent response. There were only 73 responses in the category of worse, equivalent to 33.2%. The table below breaks down the responses for the twenty educators for all eleven perceptions by both frequency and percentages.

Lithuanian educators were also asked in survey question 1 to state what they believe would be the main focus of education in Lithuania in order that there be coordination with overall national reform. Teachers were asked to select one of the following four goals: (a) education should focus on the development of useful job skills, (b) moral development, (c) self-knowledge, or (d) the ideals of democratic citizenship. The majority of responses fell in category (a). Thirteen respondents or 65% of teachers saw this as the most important goal for Lithuanian education. 20% of the respondents believed moral development was the most important goal. The third most frequent response was self-knowledge with 10%. The least frequent response was ideals of democratic citizenship. This category received only one response, equivalent to 5%. These figures are also reported in the table.

These figures provide both interesting and unexpected information. Direct resources by way of materials, personnel, and training all seem to have improved since Lithuanian independence. However, if one combines the perception categories of worse and same, a striking 70% of teachers see no positive change, in fact a deterioration, in the quality of education since the departure of the Soviets. This is most remarkable in the areas of government, school, and parental support for teachers and education with a concurrent decline in the discipline of students. Particularly noteworthy is the deterioration in special education supports and resources.

LITHUANIAN TEACHER SURVEY 

* All Responses Reported by # of Response and Percentage in a Category 

This information provides important insights into our understanding of the current attitudes toward the benefits of leaving Soviet rule relative to the quality of education. For western democracies, this can be extremely valuable information in helping to gather and shape the necessary resources with which to assist the ongoing development and improvement of public education so as to work in concert with the needs of the people and their wish for democratic reform. Specifically, from the above analysis, Lithuanian educators appear to be in need of training and guidance in systems for soliciting and maximizing the involvement of parents, administration, and government into a cohesive and productive unit dedicated to the task of developing a quality system of education in their new democracy. Further, from the information provided by the participants in this study, additional priorities for Lithuanian educators are in the areas of special education, methods and strategies, as well as theories of education. The Lithuanian government, in a state of transition, has been hard pressed to effectively deal with the needs of the traditional student. It is the perception that the exceptional student is adrift. If not brought quickly into the mainstream of education, this generation of special learner may be irretrievably lost. A coherent and functional system of education cannot be achieved unless it accounts for special and traditional learners. A specific recommendation might be to focus more of the professional development services from Western countries into the area of special needs education, especially techniques for inclusion and cooperative learning.

Relatedly, a decline in student discipline has also been noted. This is perhaps not so surprising given the tremendous amount of political upheaval and resulting bureaucratic instability which has resulted from the release from Soviet control. The infrastructure under the Soviets, regardless of its oppressive nature, still had the quality of being well regulated and predictable both in terms of finances and the adequate number of personnel available in the classroom. After the transition to self rule there was a dearth of financial resources to support the same level of classroom personnel. This and other issues may have some bearing on what is perceived to be a decline in the overall level of student discipline. This would be another area strongly recommended for support and development from external bodies who are working to assist Lithuanian educators with their reform.

Finally the overwhelming majority of teachers surveyed in this study thought that the most important goal of education was the development of those skills necessary for students to obtain jobs. Without jobs there is a slim prospect of a solid financial base from which to barter at an international level. Lithuanian educators need curricula specifically designed to meet this goal. This might include re-specializing educators, developing new job market oriented curricula, and developing school-workplace partnerships. A means to this end is to involve Lithuanian and Western educators in reform planning beyond the classroom. Lines of communication should be open between education personnel, government agencies, and business interests who are involved in the country's economic development. This is an arena where Western expertise and guidance could be particularly meaningful.

This study has also pointed out the tremendous need for further investigation of the current state and conditions of education in Lithuania. The opinions of teachers surveyed reflect a general sense that, overall, little has improved in education since the end of the U.S.S.R. The study also reveals the need to further investigate and utilize the opinions, knowledge, and experience of educators. Teachers on the front line of reform possess vital information with which to effectively and efficiently channel resources for reform. A broader, more comprehensive information base can be realized. No reform program can succeed unless it addresses the needs and uses the knowledge of those individuals, on the front line, who are responsible for its implementation. Lastly, it points to the dramatic need for the ongoing infusion of teacher education, and curriculum and organizational projects.

The specific intent of this investigation was to elicit from the respondents their beliefs and perceptions as to what resources, supports, and practices are necessary for an emerging republic in the reformation and implementation of a public school system which fosters popular self-government, and prepares its citizens for participation in a world economy and culture. The study also attempted to probe for information regarding the existing state of education, resources and practices, and analyze the degree to which Western programs and other concurrent education reform activities are working to bridge the gap between existing educational supports and those supports still needed as perceived by the sample of Lithuanian educators.

The intent of this study was to provide an information base of perceptions about democratic reforms in education, as well as demographic information concerning existing educational practices and reform programs currently underway in Lithuanian schools. This data can be useful for understanding the needs for materials and professional development as perceived from the teachers' point of view. International educational support efforts can use this information to tailor their activities to more precisely fit these stated needs. Hopefully, the result will be a greater likelihood of achieving appropriate educational reforms in a more efficient manner.

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