Assessing the Quality and Efficiency of Education in Rural Schools through the Models of Integration and the Cooperation of Educational Institutions: A Case Study of Russia and Indonesia

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

REVIEW of the manuscript titled:

sustainability-1779695

Improving Quality and Efficiency of Education in Rural Schools through the Implementation of Models of Integration and the Cooperation of Educational Institutions: Case Study of Russia and Indonesia

 

Integrated curriculum is not a new concept. When students focus on issues that need to be solved, motivation and learning increase. Also, many studies highlight the gap between the level of education in rural areas compared to that in urban areas, as well as between regions of a country or between countries.

Please find my comments below.

Title highlights the implementation of a model of integration and cooperation of educational institutions, but the results presented reveal for the case study presented, ‘’the need’’, not ‘’the solution’’. I propose to the authors to reformulate the title of the research.

Abstract is a condensed version of the article. The authors mentioned keywords ‘’education quality standards’’. These were not the subject of this study.

Introduction

There are major differences in the challenges facing both countries – Line 298-299. Why did the authors choose these two countries for research and what is the relevance of the study for each of them?

What do authors mean by integrated curriculum? Have the types of integrated curriculum been identified (e.g., the interdisciplinary model, problem-based model etc)?

Methodology

Line 307-308 ‘’highlights the approach of qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research’’. What were the mixed methods used?

On the other hand, the authors mention the use of the Likert scale – Line 362-364. The Likert scale is an ordinal scale and is used in attitude studies. Was a pilot test of the questionnaire done? It was a random sampling, or some important variables were used (for example, the number of schools and teachers in rural / country)?

Conclusions

The study presents the answers found to the proposed purpose and suggests proposals for future research.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

1. PLEASE COMBINE TALBES 1-4.

2. Please move table descriptions before the table.

3. What were the results of the 5 hypotheses?

4. The discussion is rather short and uses the references from earlier sections of the paper. I suggest the Discussion be expanded with some newer references comparing the results to other studies in other parts of the developing world such as Thailand and Vietnam.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

The study is well described, the topic is actual, the paper is well structured. 

The part of Discussion could be improved - the characteristic of respondents could be used in other part of the paper and in Discussion, there is a place for rethinking results of the study in relation with other similar studies etc. 

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 4 Report

This study focuses on evaluating the variables leading to improvements in the quality and efficiency of the rural school education system in Russia and Indonesia.

Although the study is interesting and relevant, the authors need to pay attention to the system of presenting their ideas.

Perhaps the authors are working on a common project. This needs to be written down.

The question arises why Russia and Indonesia are considered together, simply separated by commas. In the work, in fact, there should be a comparative analysis, but it is not. That the authors are confused about what is useful in the experience of Indonesia for Russia and vice versa, and what is useful in the Russian experience for the Indonesians. General trends as a conclusion look pale, although they are justified.

 

 

In the Abstract, the phrase "the availability of education in all districts is not balanced is puzzling, especially in rural areas, the quality and efficiency of education do not meet the standards of urban areas" (lines 27-28). The very phrase "standards of the urban area" sounds very strange. Please make this sentence clearer. You obviously didn't mean what you wrote. Standards for urban areas are not limited to the education system but are more about creating a green and smart environment.

 

Clause 3.2. Research Design requires revision and presentation of the article design. Although it needs to be improved

There are no examples of an integrated system. The authors write about it, but in fact, do not disclose it.

Moreover, the question arises as to what integration? Items, experience, funding?

Or students from urban schools might be interested in lessons in the countryside? For example, within the framework of environmental education.

It must be shown that this is a mutual process. The prospects for rural schools are not disclosed. But there are prospects.

Improving the quality of education in rural schools is also tied to the idea of ​​the life trajectory of the students themselves. And many problems in rural schools are tied to this. Schoolchildren should see a positive example of improving their lives through education. And this is a very important issue for them in rural areas.

Also, the authors need to address the issue of education in interaction with the environment, such as forms of environmental education. This is also a positive component that has a rich history in Indonesia and Russia. This aspect of education makes it possible to improve the educational situation from the inside.

 Refer to the following works:

Yusuf, R., Yunus, M., Maimun, M., & Fajri, I. (2021). Environmental Education: A Correlational Study among Environmental Literacy, Disaster Knowledge, Environmental Sensitivity, and Clean-Living Behavior of Post Tsunami Disaster in Aceh Communities, Indonesia. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies.

Anih, E.K., Rachman, I., Rohmawatiningsih, W., & Yayoi, K. (2021). The implementation of environmental education-based curriculum towards adiwiyata predicate school. Case study: an elementary school in Subang City, West Java, Indonesia. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 802.

Shutaleva, A., Nikonova, Z., Savchenko, I., & Martyushev, N.V. (2020). Environmental Education for Sustainable Development in Russia. Sustainability, 12, 7742.

Shutaleva, A., Martyushev, N.V., Nikonova, Z., Savchenko, I., Abramova, S., Lubimova, V., & Novgorodtseva, A.N. (2021). Environmental Behavior of Youth and Sustainable Development. Sustainability.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

We thank the authors for reviewing the article and improving it.

Reviewer 4 Report

This article explores the implementation of integration and cooperation models among educational institutions to improve the quality and efficiency of education in rural areas. The authors focus on revealing the goal using the examples of Russia and Indonesia. The article corresponds to the problems of sustainable development.  The methods correspond to the goal. The conclusion reflects the work. The authors have significantly improved the article. They showed the peculiarities of the education of these countries, so this topic is now beyond doubt. The authors tried to present their own position in the article more clearly.