Education

Researchers discovered that language proficiency tests could be significantly shortened by processing responses more effectively. An international team of scholars, including a researcher from the Institute of Education, demonstrated this using data from around 3,000 students who took English listening tests.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of everyday academic life. While much attention has been paid to how students use AI in learning, far less is known about how faculty members engage with AI tools in their own research writing and publication practices. A new study by researchers from the HSE Institute of Education and the Academic Writing Centre offers rare insights into how university instructors are navigating this emerging terrain.

Around one in three doctoral students begin their studies without clear goals, while only around 10% of graduates successfully defend their dissertations on time. What factors have influenced this trend over the last decade? Researchers from the IOE Centre of Sociology of Higher Education conducted a study examining the motivations of PhD students across Russian universities.

On Monday, December 8, the Institute of Education hosted a delegation from the Institute of Education Theory, part of the China National Academy of Educational Sciences (CNAES), for a welcome meeting and exchange. Building on years of collaboration, the two institutes reaffirmed their shared research interests and discussed new opportunities for joint projects.

When the COVID-19 pandemic upended daily life, it didn’t just close schools and offices—it redrew the map of family life. A study by Mikhail Goshin, Dmitry Grigoryev, Pavel Sorokin, and Polina Bochkareva, published in Frontiers in Psychology, explores how parenting styles and extracurricular activities (ECA) shaped children’s ability to adapt, stay creative, and take charge of their lives during those tumultuous years. The findings shed light on how lockdowns quietly rewired the dynamics between parents and children—and, in many cases, helped young people discover unexpected forms of independence.

Three decades ago, China set out to build universities that could rival the world’s best—and it succeeded. Now, one of its leading scholars says the same model that powered that rise is holding it back. At ICHE Conference 2025, Professor Rui Yang called for a rethink of how knowledge—not just output—should drive the future.

In August, the Director of the Institute of Education, Prof Evgeniy Terentev, and the Head of International Affairs, Maksim Nikitin, visited top-ranking Hong Kong universities to network. They also attended the AIEdu2025 conference to exchange knowledge about the influence of artificial intelligence on education.

In his 2025 study published in Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, Ivan Ivanov of IOE’s Pinsky Center of General and Extracurricular Education delves into the complex evolution of children's after-school activities across the vast expanse of the fifteen former Soviet republics. The research uncovers the multifaceted journeys these nations have embarked upon since the dissolution of a once-unified system, painting a vivid picture of continuity, divergence, and the persistent quest to shape young lives outside the formal classroom.

In her recent study, Victoria Slepykh of IOE delves into the contentious issue of academic inbreeding and its impact on the productivity of early-career researchers in STEM fields. Academic inbreeding, the practice of scholars working at the same institutions where they earned their degrees, has long been debated for its potential to stifle innovation and limit intellectual diversity. This research offers a nuanced perspective, exploring how this phenomenon plays out in Russia’s diverse academic landscape, where inbreeding is notably prevalent.

Imagine if your classes felt more like a game than a grind. Badges for breakthroughs, points for participation, and friendly leaderboards that spark just enough rivalry to keep you coming back. It’s not a futuristic fantasy—it’s happening now. Gamification in education isn’t just about fun; it's becoming a strategic tool to build the very skills employers are hungry for. A recent study published in Educational Studies Moscow dives into data to show how playing games in class might just be the smartest way to land that dream job.