Interaction practices between pedagogical universities and regional educational systems: Indicators of scientific and educational effectiveness

Introduction. The paper raises the issue of interactions between pedagogical universities and regional educational systems (hereinafter – RES) in the context of improving the efficiency of universities. The purpose of the study was to identify and systematically describe the nature of the interaction between pedagogical universities and RES in its relationship with the indicators of scientific and educational effectiveness of universities. Materials and Methods. The theoretical and methodological framework of the study is based on the ecosystem approach and the concepts of the educational environment. The authors used a mixed design of the study; the characteristics of the interaction between 33 federal pedagogical universities and RES were analyzed. The information posted on the official websites of universities was subjected to content analysis and inductive thematic analysis. Quantitative indicators of universities that made up the sample of the study were also analyzed based on the results of monitoring the activities of higher educational institutions. The data obtained were subjected to frequency, comparative, cluster and factor analysis. Results. It is revealed that universities are more likely to implement practices of interaction with the RES, aimed to strengthen practical preparation of students and meet the employment needs of regions. The results of the cluster analysis made it possible to substantiate the provisions on four types of practices of interaction between universities and RES: "integration", "cooperation", "development" and "presence". It is shown that universities implementing integration and developing interaction practices demonstrate higher indicators of scientific and academic efficiency. The authors come to the conclusion that with the coincidence of the targets of federal universities and RES, there is a need to develop mechanisms for their interaction. Different practices of interaction between universities and RES are generated by different strategies of their construction, which determine the role of a pedagogical university in the educational space of the region. It is shown that scientific and academic excellence of the university is associated with the implementation of integration practices of interaction. Conclusions. According to the research finding, the nature of the interaction between federal pedagogical universities and RES is revealed and described, the key types of interaction practices reflecting the vectors of inclusion of the federal university in the regional educational space are determined.