Ludmila Kvashko

The relevance of the research is related to building mutually beneficial cooperation between Russia and China. Such cooperation can take place in many directions and in many areas, but we were interested in the problems of pedagogy, affecting the issues of possible cooperation between Russian and Chinese teachers in the field of didactics and methods of teaching mathematics in preparation for entering universities. The research provides a descriptive comparative characteristic of the mathematical content of the discipline and its structuring in the preparation of applicants for the entrance exam in mathematics in Chinese and Russian universities. The subject of the research was determined by the content of the educational material of only three topics: set theory; functions, their properties and graphs; trigonometric functions. The limitation in the subject is due to the limited scope of the article. These topics are traditionally studied in our schools, and are also submitted for control when passing the entrance exam to universities. The purpose of the research is to find the similarity and difference between the Russian and Chinese didactics of mathematical education, reflected in the textbook for preparing applicants for entering universities in China and Russian textbooks and teaching aids. The article provides an analysis of the content and didactic aspects of mathematical content necessary to prepare applicants for entering universities in China in comparison with Russian mathematical educational traditions. The main approach to the research was a comparative analysis made according to the following criteria: the content of educational material in mathematics and its didactic aspects. As a result of the study, it may be concluded that the content of mathematical education and its didactic aspects are in many ways similar and practically coincide with the didactics of school mathematics in Russia. This similarity can ensure continuity in the transition from studying in Russian schools to studying in Chinese universities and vice versa. The found differences can mutually enrich not only didactics, but also teaching methods in both countries. The theoretical significance of the study consists in raising the question of the potentials of interaction between Chinese and Russian university teachers in the field of didactics and methods of teaching mathematics in universities. Further research can expand and ensure real cooperation between the two neighboring countries in the field of mathematical education.

More than a quarter of a century ago, gender equality was officially recognized by the European Union as a key prerequisite for strengthening peace, democracy, and the economy. According to the Global Gender Gap Index, Russia has shifted from 43rd to 81st place among 156 countries of the world over the past ten years. According to the level of political rights and opportunities for women, our country is currently in the 133rd position. Higher education as a government means can either contribute to the advancement of the entire system towards gender parity, or exacerbate the situation remaining on the sidelines. The aim of the study is to fix a starting point, to highlight the trends and level of women's (non)participation in higher education. To do this, an analysis was made of quantitative indicators of gender equality in domestic universities in comparison with similar indicators in countries on different continents. The Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI) of the World Economic Forum 2021 and the most common indicators for assessing gender equality in higher education (the share of women in professorial positions and the share of women among leaders (rectors, presidents, vice-presidents of higher educational institutions) were chosen for the study. The article presents the results of the analysis of selected indicators in nine countries: the UK, Germany, India, New Zealand, the Russian Federation, the United States of America, Turkey, Sweden and South Africa. The authors reveal non-obvious nature of the relationship between the GGGI index rating and key indicators of gender balance in higher education. The results allow us to speak about the trend towards achieving gender parity in the system of higher education and the trend towards increased involvement of women in the sphere of cultural and socio-political interaction in the analyzed countries. Russia is at the forefront in terms of the proportion of women among university professors in the nine countries examined with an indicator of 38.2%, close to the minimum gender balance threshold. However, the share of women is less among the rectors, presidents, vice-presidents of domestic universities. This analysis will make it possible to make up for the lack of international comparative studies on the problems of gender inequality in higher education and to identify leading states for the purpose of further analysis and study of their experience.