Social education of students in the conditions of electronic learning

Introduction

Socio-cultural transformation of e-society actualizes the change in the process of socialization of individual. Electronic-visual systems have become the basis of interaction, shifting direct interpersonal communication in vocational training to the background. Nevertheless, the importance of interpersonal communication in educational process remains acute. Most of all, the need for the organization of communication and interaction appears when building an educational process that contributes to the successful socialization of students and, as a result, the successful formation of a competent specialist.

However, global IT and the need to implement the distance learning process actualize the need to create conditions for social education through technical means. The educational process is carried out in two environments: socializing objective reality and socializing innovative alternative reality (cyberspace).

Cyberspace is a kind of network information embodiment of educational sphere (Pleshakov, 2014).

The primary tasks of professional educational institutions in the context of e-learning are to prevent the limitation of the sphere of perception and the formation of a clear understanding of the boundaries of virtual reality by the individual, as well as the meanings and rules of social behavior. With the inevitable inclusion of the student in information interaction and flows, the implementation of social education process becomes an object for intensive study (Dobudko et al., 2019). The changing process of socialization contributes to the formation of a new type of specialists who are ready to communicate and successfully carry out educational and professional activities in electronic conditions (Aleshchanova et al., 2018; Shashlo et al., 2018).

The unpredictability of the new social environment creates conditions for the development of flexible, adaptive thinking (Kiseleva et al., 2019). However, at the same time, educational process in electronic format should be controlled, since the free flow of events causes the risk of the formation of a personality not ready to adapt to the socio-cultural environment and to the independent organization of the process of professional and personal improvement (Tsarapkina et al., 2021).

Modern social education is not spontaneous, created by society, it is a purposeful activity to form a personality and a competent specialist who solves issues in conditions of instability and uncertainty using electronic tools (Ivanova & Korostelev, 2019). 

This is a two-pronged process. On the one hand, it is organized by the state, defining its infrastructure, on the other – by group and individual subjects. Among the tasks of social education, it is worth highlighting: individual and collective assistance for socialization in a certain space (Goncharov et al., 2021); assistance to the student in making independent decisions.

Virtualization of educational space, the communicative environment, has become one of the reasons for innovative changes in the formation of a competent personality of a specialist.

Attention to students’ education as an integral element of educational process, as an element associated with the existence of a person in the conditions of cyber socialization is of high importance. Modern social education requires regular monitoring.

Theoretical Framework

The modern educational process is based on several electronic categories, which include:

• virtualization of educational space;
• cyberspace;
• e-learning.

A.P. Moiseeva, O.A. Mazurin, O.A. Perepelkin reveal virtualization as a form of communication. Its peculiarity lies in the intangibility of the impact (Moiseeva et al., 2010). One important aspect of virtualization is to create an alternative social space. Virtualization is carried out due to the intensification of information and communication technologies and the development of science.

As a result of the introduction of innovative computer solutions, e-learning is developing, which includes the educational process using personal computers, smartphones, VR simulators and other digital devices. Interest in digital devices around the world is increasing, as demonstrated by Google Trends analytics.

Fig. 1. Dynamics of the global popularity of e-learning from 2004 to 2021 (according to Google Trends)

D.E. Dobrinskaya, who bases her work on the work of S. Lash and J. Barlow, reveals some important characteristics of cyberspace. She explains cyberspace as a digital environment that allows the formation of complex systems for the interaction of different agents to receive, exchange, process and transform information and interact in a multitude of networks (Dobrinskaya, 2018).

Cyberspace allows you to combine the leading activities of students, which include analytical, reflective, organizational, research, allows for social interaction in the process of professional training.

Researchers note a decrease in the role of traditional institutions in the education of the individual and an increase in the influence of the information and media space (Shmeleva et al., 2020; Zheltukhina et al., 2021). The integration of a person into modern society takes place using a large number of electronic tools. Education in the conditions of e-learning integrates a person into the system of social connections.

Social education involves adaptation of a young person to student environment. Social adaptation in a broad sense is revealed as an individual's ability to adapt to the surrounding social environment or his gradual integration into society (Akvazba et al., 2019). As a result, self-awareness and role-playing behavior are formed, which, in turn, contribute to the formation of adequate connections with people around them and are a prerequisite for active productive activity.  Adaptation is the most important factor that determines the degree of involvement of students in the educational process  (Petrovicheva et al., 2019). Analysis of approaches to the definition of adaptation has revealed many of its definitions. The majority defines its essence, firstly, as adaptation of individuals to various conditions, and secondly as the permanent influence and interaction of a person, including students, and his environment (Mazanyuk et al., 2020).

Social education is a process aimed at the assimilation of socially significant values, views and ideas by students, as well as the formation of behaviors that promote active interaction in a social environment.

Social education and e-learning are closely interrelated (Nagovitsyn et al., 2020). The mass transition to the use of distance technologies has revealed the need to restructure the educational process (Pinkovetskaia et al., 2020).

Social education begins at a very early age - preschool. A number of modern studies are devoted to this issue (Golovanov et al., 2021); (Demidov et al., 2016 a); (Demidov et al., 2016 b); (Demidov et al., 2019); (Moskvina et al., 2019).

It should be noted that the concept of virtual computer socialization was introduced by scientists more than ten years ago (Demidov et al., 2020). The growth rate of electronic tools in the educational process has since become significantly higher and the share of their use has increased significantly (Vaganova et al., 2020b). Cybersocialization is defined as the process of qualitative changes in the structure of a person's self-consciousness that occur due to the influence of electronic technologies (Kharytonov et al., 2019). 

Among the principles of which social education in the electronic environment is based, there are:

• the principle of humanization (the formation of an educational space based on the subject-subject relations of a teacher and a student, orientation to the harmonization of their interests, cooperation);
• the principle of democratization (achieving openness of an educational institution for the interaction of administration, teachers and students);
• the principle of cultural conformity (the educational process corresponds to modern culture, allows you to form the ability to assimilate existing spiritual and material values).

The principles of social education allow the student to gently enter into the process of interaction and continue it (Vaganova et al., 2020a).

Social education performs the following functions:

• adaptive (adaptation of the student to the environment based on his individual characteristics) (Efremenko et al., 2020);
• rehabilitation (restoring the student's capabilities and encouraging him to further personal and professional development);
• preventive (implementation of preventive measures in order to prevent the inclusion of a student in a negative social environment).

Electronic tools used in the educational process contribute to active interaction among students. Solving joint tasks, they are involved in independent activities (Bulaeva, et al., 2018).

Methodology

The article presents an analysis of social education process of university students for the period from 2018 to 2021. A deductive method of assessing the development of personality and its vital activity within the framework of educational opportunities of information and communication, digital technologies, taking into account socio-cultural, personal and individual characteristics, is applied.

The study was conducted in several stages: input, analytical, direct research, final.

450 students of higher educational institutions took part in the study. Yandex Vzglyad was used to conduct the survey. An electronic survey was conducted among the students. The students' entry into social interaction was analyzed from the point of view of the elements formed, the most significant (in their opinion) in the process of professional training.

Results and discussion

The analysis of social education process allows us to note that its greatest effectiveness is achieved through the consulting role of the teacher and self-organization on the part of students, supported by reflection.

The figure shows the dynamics of the use of electronic tools in the process under consideration. The tools used were divided into 4 groups: virtual reality technologies, remote technologies, computer (technical equipment), electronic applications for operational communication.

Fig. 1. Dynamics of the use of electronic tools in the social education of students (2018-2021) (based on the results of the analysis of research papers for a four-year period)

We see an increase in the percentage of electronic instruments sold compared to 2017. The main jump occurs in 2020, due to the massive transition to the distance learning process due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the trend towards the use of electronic, information and communication technologies continues to gain momentum.
Students were asked to note the elements, the development of which contributes to social education through information and communication technologies.

The table shows the main results.

Table 1. 
Results of student survey. 

The majority of student responses reflect the positive dynamics of the implementation of the educational process in electronic conditions. A high degree of independence in the consulting role of a teacher gives students the opportunity to build effective interaction in solving many educational tasks. This activity allows them to enter into remote interaction with a clear understanding of the virtual world boundaries.

Conclusion

Students are active subjects of public life who, in connection with the development of the information society, build social relationships within the virtual space, cyberspace. And socialization takes place precisely in these conditions.

The new strategy of life activity in cyberspace contributed to the formation of a special type of socialization – cyber socialization, which became a consequence of the transformation of e-learning ideas.

The student's existence in an alternative innovative reality is determined by the level of development of self-awareness and motivation, as well as factors of the socializing environment (micro-, macro-, meso-).

Building social education in the context of e-learning is a structured and controlled process that allows students to become both an active member of society and a specialist ready to build effective communication links using distance, electronic technologies.

Acknowledgments

The work has been supported by the RSF (project No. 22-28-01623).