Theoretical Bases of Application of Free Software in Preparation of
Pre-service Teachers of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science
Vladyslav Ye. Velychko
1 a
, Elena H. Fedorenko
1 b
and Olga Yu. Serdiuk
2 c
1
Donbass State Pedagogical University, 19 Henerala Batiuka Str., Sloviansk, 84116, Ukraine
2
Kryvyi Rih National University, 11 Vitalii Matusevych Str., Kryvyi Rih, 50027, Ukraine
Keywords:
Free Software, Teacher Training, the Concept of Implementation.
Abstract:
Modern development of education is associated with the use of information and communication technologies.
To date, there is considerable experience in the use of computer training systems. New forms and methods
of teaching based on modern information and communication technologies are being developed and used,
the concept of e-education has appeared. In relation to free software, the period of systematization of the
accumulated experience and its theoretical substantiation of application in educational activity has come. The
proposed theoretical basis provided an opportunity to develop a system of free software in the training of pre-
service teachers of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science, which contains the conceptual, semantic,
technological subsystem and subsystem of qualitative and quantitative indicators. The main purpose of the
use of free software in the training of pre-service teachers of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science
is to increase the level of formation of information competence, which can not be fully formed without free
software.
1 INTRODUCTION
At all stages of development and functioning of the
education process its formation was carried out us-
ing certain methods, techniques and tools (Semerikov
et al., 2021). The peculiarity of the current stage of
development of education is that in the arsenal of
techniques and tools used in the preparation of pre-
service specialists are both traditional (printed) and
digital (electronic) materials. Ensuring open around
the clock, access of students to electronic education
today is one of the priorities of information science,
education and culture of Ukraine. In this regard, the
role and functions of teachers are significantly chang-
ing. It should be noted that a special role in this
process is played by information and communication
technologies (ICT) as part of information-educational
environment and include digital libraries, electronic
educational resources, search engines and aggrega-
tion of information, which are based on the use of free
software.
a
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9752-0907
b
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1897-874X
c
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0505-0800
2 RESEARCH QUESTION
Free software is the release of ideas of open scientific
achievements in the field of computer science. It is
because of this that free software has been developed
in direct dependence on the academic environment.
Despite its origin, it is not sufficiently represented in
education due to a number of factors that constrain
its spread (Velychko, 2016). Outsourcing has allowed
to develop not only social networks and electronic re-
sources, but also free software. Despite the fact that
free software does not have marketing support for its
distribution, its occasional use raises questions about
its use in educational activities.
Today, various universities around the world are
conducting research on the use of free software in ed-
ucational activities. The results of application stud-
ies at Chu Hai College of Higher Education (Hong
Kong, China) are presented by Duan and Lee (Duan
and Lee, 2020). The largest free software project in
education, involving 6 million students and 200,000
teachers each year in Kerala, India, is described in
a study by Thankachan and Moore (Thankachan and
Moore, 2017). An interesting review of the applica-
tion of free and open source software is published by
Gupta and Surbhi (Gupta and Surbhi, 2018). The pa-
Velychko, V., Fedorenko, E. and Serdiuk, O.
Theoretical Bases of Application of Free Software in Preparation of Pre-service Teachers of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science.
DOI: 10.5220/0010923600003364
In Proceedings of the 1st Symposium on Advances in Educational Technology (AET 2020) - Volume 1, pages 261-271
ISBN: 978-989-758-558-6
Copyright
c
2022 by SCITEPRESS Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved
261
per presents not only analogues of application soft-
ware but also training software. The authors con-
ducted a study among Delhi teachers. This analysis
gives an idea of the low prevalence of free and open
source software and its causes.
Coca Bergolla and P
´
erez Pino (Coca Bergolla and
P
´
erez Pino, 2021) offer free software to study artifi-
cial intelligence. To do this, the authors have devel-
oped a model of integration of educational free soft-
ware to the educational process of studying artificial
intelligence. The experiment allowed to draw a con-
clusion about the efficiency of the proposed model
and the possibility of its application to the study of
other sections of computer science. A similar study is
described by Horvati
´
c et al. (Horvati
´
c et al., 2020) on
the use of free and open source software in electrical
engineering education.
For most information technology users who use
free and open source software, the motivations of
software developers are still unclear. The answer to
the question of motivation to develop free and open
source software is given by Daniel et al. (Daniel et al.,
2020). Examining the internal and external motiva-
tions of the authors on the developers of free and open
source software, the authors found those that promote
the development of free and open source software and
those that hinder its development. Another problem
for free and open source software developers is out-
lined in Lee (Lee, 2018) work. The author explores
the problem of involving volunteers in open projects
and their short-term participation in projects.
Summing up, we present the conclusions of UN-
ESCO on free software ”model provides interest-
ing tools and processes with which women and men
can create, exchange, share and exploit software and
knowledge efficiently and effectively. FOSS can play
an important role as a practical instrument for devel-
opment as its free and open aspirations make it a natu-
ral component of development efforts in the context of
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)” (UN-
ESCO, 2020).
3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The content of the educational process in higher edu-
cational pedagogical institutions is determined by ef-
fective programs used to train pre-service specialists
in that particular university. The content of the ed-
ucational training of a university is being approved
by the Council of the pedagogical university, while
the choice of content, forms, means and methods
of work is determined by the individual departments
and teachers with consideration of specifics of each
educational direction. Software products which are
used and guidelines developed by university teachers
taking into account specifics of preparation of pre-
service teachers create the basic component of fun-
damental training. In the modern paradigm of educa-
tion, it is necessary to develop educational standards
which provide content of training upgrade as well as
education of the younger generation on the principles
of humanization, differentiation and integration.
The main objective of introducing of free software
in the training of pre-service teacher of Mathemat-
ics, Physics and Computer Science lays in the for-
mation of a new citizen of the information society,
who feels comfortable in society, freely operates with
information through ICT, respect the opinion of oth-
ers and has his own opinion and knows how to de-
liver it, is capable of self-education, self-analysis and
has a motivation to obtain new knowledge and to self-
improvement, while also understands the importance
and inevitability of information education and society
at large, giving preference to the latest information
and educational technologies. In this case it refers to
the use of free software for the transition to a new type
of training of pre-service of Mathematics, Physics and
Computer Science, which includes:
creation of optimal conditions for the acquisi-
tion of general and professional competencies
and actualization of the intellectual potential of
pre-service teachers of Mathematics, Physics and
Computer Science;
promoting comprehensive and harmonious devel-
opment of pre-service teacher of Mathematics,
Physics and Computer Science as subjects of ed-
ucation process and information society;
creating suitable conditions for the emotional and
intellectual enrichment of pre-service teacher of
Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science as
the basis of development and strengthening of po-
litical, social, economic, humanitarian, cultural
and informational aspects of public life in the in-
terest of the welfare of citizens, economic effi-
ciency and country’s growth.
Strategy aims related to the use of free software
in preparation of pre-service teacher of Mathematics,
Physics and Computer Science need to be determined
in accordance with the benefits that its implementa-
tion provides to the educational process, which, in our
opinion, are:
free access to software and its source code;
safety, reliability and stability of the software;
overcoming of the digital divide;
AET 2020 - Symposium on Advances in Educational Technology
262
open standards and independence from the devel-
oper;
compliance with intellectual property rights, fight
against piracy;
ability to fully adapt to suit individual needs;
unlimited number of simultaneous installations on
multiple computers in educational institutions and
at home;
the ability to obtain derivative software products,
use it in their own development;
possibility of software localization.
To achieve these objectives, it is necessary to pro-
vide the following basic measures:
analysis of didactic capabilities of free software
through the procedure of examination and cre-
ating repositories of the recommended software
provider;
creating methodological, psychological and tech-
nological support for the use of free software in
the preparation of pre-service teacher of Mathe-
matics, Physics and Computer Science;
analysis of readiness of subjects of the educational
process for the use of free software;
changing priorities as to the use of ICT in pro-
fessional fields from studying certain software to
studying technologies used to process information
which in turn results in fundamentalization (see
definition (Semerikov, 2009)) of the training of
pre-service teacher of Mathematics, Physics and
Computer Science).
Introduction of free software in the process of
professional training of pre-service of Mathematics,
Physics and Informatics is not an aim in itself it is
first of all a way of enhancing performance based on
changing priorities of study and use of ICT in edu-
cation. Currently, there is no single approach to the
introduction of free software in the educational pro-
cess; however, a considerable attention should be paid
to implementing the following key principles.
The principle of reforming educational processes.
The main prerequisite for the successful use of free
software in the training of pre-service teachers of
Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science is the
understanding that these changes are not only in the
analysis of its capabilities and in creating guidelines
for such a process primarily to create a new vision
and new priorities for use of ICT. The use of free soft-
ware, due to its openness and accessibility, expands
the possibilities of using ICT anytime and anywhere.
Such opportunities make it possible to create open in-
formation systems, without which it is impossible to
obtain modern quality education and lifelong learn-
ing. The alternative of free software gives grounds
to talk about its use as a means of solving problems,
and not as an object of study so the information
and communication technologies, their mastery and
use, and not the means of implementation come to
the fore.
The principle of motivation to use free software.
The use of free software, like any innovation, requires
modern changes in the principles of learning and use
of ICT in education. In order to include free software
products in the list of software used in the profes-
sional training of pre-service teachers of Mathemat-
ics, Physics and Computer Science in higher peda-
gogical education, it is necessary to have both inter-
nal and external motivations for this process, based on
the need for multifaceted and thorough training. pre-
service teachers of Mathematics, Physics and Com-
puter Science in the direction of awareness of infor-
mation and communication technologies and an in-
ternal vision of their current state and the ability to
analyze the constant updating of the information and
communication technology industry. Motivation is
the great impetus that will allow to gain direct sup-
port from the state and implement initiatives to use
free software, adapting them to today’s pedagogical
tasks in the training of pre-service teachers of Mathe-
matics, Physics and Computer Science.
The principle of strategic initiative. Taking into
account the realities of austerity and taking into ac-
count the current needs of education, in particular the
need to finance the training of pre-service teachers of
Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science, we out-
line the main priority projects, which would be funded
on a “protected” basis. Such projects should be char-
acterized by a clear educational value, measured by
certain criteria.
In terms of content, we are close to the position of
UNESCO experts, who attributed it to strategic initia-
tives (UNESCO, 2014):
introduction of information and communication
technologies in the development of education, sci-
ence and social knowledge (harmonization of gen-
eral principles of building social knowledge; ex-
panding learning opportunities through access to
various content and delivery systems; improving
research, dissemination of information and cul-
tural exchanges; the use of ICT to build intellec-
tual capacity, empowerment, governance and so-
cial participation);
lifelong learning, including by means of distance
education (expanding access of adults to higher
education; organization of education near the
place of residence; providing access to higher ed-
Theoretical Bases of Application of Free Software in Preparation of Pre-service Teachers of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science
263
ucation by distance methods; reorganization of
the learning process and structure of educational
institutions taking into account the educational
needs of adults);
training of professional and pedagogical staff
to work in a high-tech educational environment
(expanding training opportunities for teachers
through the use of technological means; improv-
ing the training process based on technological
support in the form of appropriate programs and
pilot projects that contribute to the successful im-
plementation of educational tasks; popularization
of ideas to ensure the quality of professional and
pedagogical training of teachers, growth of a pos-
itive image of pedagogical professions).
The principle of cooperation. The need to in-
troduce new forms of relationships both between the
subjects of the educational process and in cooperation
with the community of developers and users of free
software. First, teachers must overcome their unwill-
ingness to work with pre-service teachers of Mathe-
matics, Physics and Computer Science to create and
use e-learning resources based on open standards and
free software. Overcoming such unpreparedness can
occur through the introduction of educational disci-
plines in the educational process, the content of which
is based on the study of the principles of development
of electronic educational resources, rather than the ac-
quisition of apathetic user skills. Second, coopera-
tion in the development and application of free soft-
ware will help the subjects of the educational process
to carry out effective reforms, which will accelerate
the process of practical application of free software in
the training of pre-service teachers of Mathematics,
Physics and Computer Science.
The principle of open systems. One approach to
implementing this principle is to create an informa-
tion and educational environment that contains soft-
ware, hard-ware, communication mechanisms, inter-
faces, data formats and protocols that are based on
available and generally accepted standards and that
provide multi-platform, interoperability and scalabil-
ity of applications and shared data. Software created
for use in teaching and research should be as accessi-
ble as possible to scientists and educators. Informa-
tion resources that can be extremely useful in teach-
ing and research should also be as open as possible to
their use. Another approach is to use functional stan-
dardization methods building and using a profile,
i.e. a coherent set of basic standards needed to solve
a specific task or a whole class of tasks. The standard
system (Open System Environment Reference Model
OSE / RM), adopted in the basic document ISO/IEC
14252, is used for standardization of open systems.
The general properties of open information sys-
tems can be formulated as follows:
interaction (ability to interact with other applica-
tion systems on local and (or) remote platforms
(technical means on which the information system
implemented by the network is implemented);
standardization (information systems are de-
signed and developed on the basis of agreed in-
ternational standards and recommendations, the
implementation of openness is carried out on the
basis of functional standards in the field of infor-
mation and communication technologies);
extensibility / scalability (the ability to move ap-
plications and data in systems and environments
that have different performance characteristics
and different functionality, the ability to add new
features to information systems);
mobility / porting (providing the ability to trans-
fer applications and data in the process of upgrad-
ing or replacing hardware platforms of informa-
tion systems and the ability to work with them
professionals who use information and communi-
cation technologies, without their special retrain-
ing when changing information systems);
user-friendliness (developed unified interfaces in
the processes of interaction in the system ”user
computer device software”, which allow the
user to work without special system training).
The principle of the rule of law, legality, equal-
ity of all subjects of the educational process before
the law. The principle of the rule of law is based
on the provision that not a person is subordinate to
each other, but everyone follows the rules that deter-
mine, including the form of direct interpersonal rela-
tions through a system of status-es or agreements.
Such rule of law includes degrees of freedom of free
software, copyleft (an antonym for copyright), and li-
censing agreements under which free software is dis-
tributed.
The principle of freedom of intellectual, creative
activity. We define creativity as the ability of an in-
dividual that can be applied in any field of activity,
whether production, social communications, scien-
tific or research activities, and so on. Mental activity
and achievements of mankind are key factors in the
development of society. In countries where science,
culture and art are respected, the standard of living is
much higher, because the achievements of intellectual
activity determine the level of development of produc-
tion, culture, education and so on. We are convinced
that in order to increase the level of development of
society, the state must be interested in the develop-
AET 2020 - Symposium on Advances in Educational Technology
264
ment of science and education and, accordingly, com-
prehensively protect and support these areas of activ-
ity. In our opinion, such support includes direct bud-
get financing, certain tax benefits, a system of incen-
tives and support for investment in research and de-
velopment, and so on. Note that a striking example of
innovative mental activity is the development and cre-
ation of software in the case when the results of such
activities are the subject of public use, have signs of
openness and focus on increasing and improving the
heritage of mankind. Such intellectual, creative activ-
ity meets universal needs and can be used in educa-
tion.
The principle of social responsibility is a social
phenomenon, which is a voluntary and conscious im-
plementation, use and observance by the subjects of
social relations, regulations, social norms both to the
general doctrine of educational development and to
the implementation of specific steps of its implemen-
tation. This principle is directly related to the in-
formatization of education (Fedorenko et al., 2019).
The process of using free software must comply with
both legal and social norms, which is of particular im-
portance in the educational process. Responsible atti-
tude to the results of scientific, practical, creative and
intellectual activities should be an important factor in
the humanization of education and upbringing of a so-
cially responsible member of society.
Defining the role and place of free software in the
process of informatization of education, we note that
the use of free software in the training of pre-service
teachers of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Sci-
ence at the current level of informatization of educa-
tional activities plays a special role in terms of form-
ing a certain level of information culture and intel-
lectual development. and in terms of forming a sci-
entific worldview, understanding the essence of the
practical orientation of computer science disciplines.
At the same time, the level of such training in the
future should enable pre-service teachers of Mathe-
matics, Physics and Computer Science in the process
of their professional activity to create and implement
new technologies, even those whose theoretical basis
may not yet be developed during training.
The main features of modern information society
are: introduction of information to different spheres
of life; concentration in the field of information and
intellectual services of more than 40–50% of the pop-
ulation; development of general theory of information
society; exponential growth of knowledge and accu-
mulation of information; combining computer sys-
tems into a single information environment through
means of communication; creating information in a
digital code; extremely high development of produc-
tion of technology and telecommunication technolo-
gies and means of communication requires a radical
change in the field of education through information
and adequate response to the demands of the informa-
tion society.
According to the Law of Ukraine on the National
Informatization Program, informatization means a se-
ries of interrelated organizational, legal, political, so-
cioeconomic, scientific-technical, manufacturing pro-
cesses aimed at creating conditions aiming to meet
the information needs of citizens and society through
the creation, development and use of information sys-
tems, networks, resources and information technol-
ogy that are based on the use of modern computer
and communications technology (Verkhovna Rada of
Ukraine, 1998).
Computerization is driven by industry trends, in-
cluding the informatization of education, by defini-
tion of Bykov (Bykov, 2010), is a set of interrelated
organizational, legal, socio-economic, scientific-
methodological, scientific, technical, manufacturing
and administrative processes aimed at meeting infor-
mation, computing and telecommunication needs of
subjects of the educational process. Informatization
of education is associated with a wide introduction
of methods and means of ICT in educational system,
the creation on this basis of computer-based infor-
mation and communication environment, filling this
environment with electronic research, education and
management of information resources enabling enti-
ties to carry out the educational process, provide ac-
cess to environmental resources, to use its tools and
services for solving various problems.
Let’s define the role and place of free software in
the informatization of education. The use of free soft-
ware in preparation at the present level of informa-
tization of educational activity plays a special role
in preparation of pre-service teacher of Mathemat-
ics, Physics and Computer Science in the formation
of a certain level of informative culture and intellec-
tual development as well as in the formation of a sci-
entific outlook, understanding the essence of practi-
cal orientation of informatics disciplines. The level
of this training should equip pre-service teacher and
make them to be able to create and implement new
technologies theoretical framework of which might
yet not be developed while they are still in their train-
ing.
One of the steps of informatization of educational
process, improving the quality of training of pre-
service teachers of Mathematics, Physics and Com-
puter Science, enhancing teaching and learning and
scientific and research activities, the disclosure of cre-
ative potential, the increasing role of self-education,
Theoretical Bases of Application of Free Software in Preparation of Pre-service Teachers of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science
265
according to Zhaldak (Zhaldak, 2003), is the cre-
ation and widespread adoption into teaching prac-
tice of computer-oriented methodology of teaching
based on the principles of progressive and not de-
structive embedding of ICT in active didactic sys-
tems, a harmonious combination of traditional and
computer-oriented learning technologies, involving
past achievements of pedagogical science of the past,
improving and enhancing their achievements through
the use of the achievements in development of com-
puter technology and communications.
When looking at the methodological training sys-
tem of A. M. Pyshkalo using a systematic approach
to the understanding of teaching methods, where all
components of the educational process form a sin-
gle system with defined internal connections, who
defined methodical system of education as a set of
five hierarchically related components: learning ob-
jectives, contents, methods, tools and organizational
learning, which form a single integrated functional
structure focused on achieving the learning objectives
(Zhaldak, 2003). The described methodical system is
a condition for sustainable development, stability and
control of the educational process, which is impossi-
ble for teaching disciplines of informatics cycle and in
view of the role and place of self-education in the ed-
ucational process (Ponomareva, 2021). Similar argu-
ments are used by Morze (Morze, 2003). Considering
the combination of methods, tools and organizational
forms of traditional methodical teaching system all if
which answer the question “how to teach?”, Chernykh
(Chernykh, 1995) that this is the formation of a uni-
fied system of subsystems, called technology of ed-
ucation. Based on this structure of subsystem, they
determine target, contents and technological compo-
nents of methodical system of training (Semerikov
et al., 2021).
Society shapes the social demand to preparation
of pre-service teacher and defines objectives of any
educational discipline. Thus, the modern information
society is characterized by high development and use
of information technology and advanced technologies
which guarantee the production of information re-
sources and access to these, processes of automati-
zation of all sectors of production and management.
While formulating the learning objectives of any dis-
ciplines, particularly fundamental, characteristics and
requirements of the information society must be taken
into account. Learning objectives, according to Tryus
(Tryus, 2010), is the initial condition for the creation
of methodical system as the most specific and well-
defined element of the system, that is, any modifica-
tion of methodical system should, according to Morze
(Morze, 2003), relate to the learning objectives which
describes the basic principle of improvement of me-
thodical system – commitment.
The implementation of the principle of purpose-
fulness is possible only by defining and developing
the specific content of the components of the method-
ological system, and vice versa, the development of
content will make it possible to determine the pur-
posefulness of the methodological system. When de-
signing a methodological system in which free soft-
ware is used as a learning tool, the main principles and
main trends in the development of higher education
should be taken into account. Such a system should
become a basis for overcoming the shortcomings of
the higher education system and promote the imple-
mentation of ways to overcome them, to meet the new
educational paradigm in terms of using ICT to inten-
sify the learning process. The system of free software
in the training of pre-service teachers of Mathemat-
ics, Physics and Computer Science should be based
on the modular principle of building curricula and
programs of disciplines, apply innovative pedagog-
ical learning technologies, widely use ICT, contain
self-educational and research activities, use various
methods and technologies training, apply effective or-
ganizational and pedagogical forms of training. The
result of the development of the methodological sys-
tem should be a methodological complex suitable for
use in any form of education, as well as be a compo-
nent of the information and educational environment
of higher education.
The main tasks of using free software in the train-
ing of pre-service teachers of Mathematics, Physics
and Computer Science are:
demonstration of the essence of the scientific ap-
proach to the study of information processes and
phenomena, the role of information and commu-
nication technologies in the development of sci-
entific research and technical progress;
mastering by pre-service teachers of mathematics,
physics and informatics of methods of using infor-
mation and communication technologies in pro-
fessional activity, methods of selection and analy-
sis of software capabilities;
formation of skills of harmonious use of ICT in
education and skills of independent processing of
information and choice of appropriate technolo-
gies and means.
The use of free software in the preparation of pre-
service teacher of Mathematics, Physics and Com-
puter Science should ensure formation of individual-
ity of pre-service teachers, develop their intellectual
abilities, analytical and synthetic thinking, informa-
tion culture, mastering information technologies nec-
AET 2020 - Symposium on Advances in Educational Technology
266
essary for professional basic training and professional
work, mastering techniques of information technol-
ogy based on free software necessary to analyze so-
cial, economic, technical, manufacturing and infor-
mation systems, search for optimal solutions to im-
prove the efficiency of the systems, ability to choose
the best ways to implement these solutions, process-
ing and analysis of experimental results.
The results of the introduction of free software
in the process of professional training of pre-service
teacher of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Sci-
ence, in our view are:
development of information culture of a person,
computer literacy (due to a change in priorities
from studying of certain software to studying
information technologies and their implementa-
tion);
development of content, methods and means of
education to international standards (due to lack
of legal and financial restrictions on access to so-
phisticated achievements in information technol-
ogy field);
reducing the term and improving the quality of
education at all levels of training of personnel
(through enabling the use of information tech-
nologies anywhere and at a convenient time);
integration of academic, research and production
activities (through access to the source code of
software and means to change it according to in-
dividual needs);
improving the management of education activities
(through the use of open standards for interoper-
ability) ;
opportunity to intensify the training of pre-service
teachers of Mathematics, Physics and Computer
Science (through fundamentalization of profes-
sional training).
An important factor of the concept of implemen-
tation of free software in the professional training
of pre-service teacher of Mathematics, Physics and
Computer Science is compliance with international
and national standards. In view of this, special atten-
tion should be paid to standards of electronic docu-
ments that must conform to the principles of openness
and accessibility. These standards include interna-
tional standards for open file formats, such as OASIS
Open Document Format ODF 1.0 (ISO/IEC 26300)
and Office Open XML (ISO/IEC 29500). Unfortu-
nately, the national standard DSTU in this field does
not exist, though, in our opinion, the existence of a
national standard is needed to provide a framework of
using open file formats.
The next step of standardization for Ukraine
should be the definition of free software. This kind
of standard was adopted in the Russian Federation
(GOST R 54593-2011), which contains general pro-
visions for free software and is based on international
standard classification software (ISO/IEC TR 12182-
2004) and processes life cycle software (ISO/IEC
12207:2016). Classification meets the standard of
the types of programs and policy documents (GOST
19.101-77 operates in Ukraine) and the general re-
quirements for policy documents (GOST 19.105-78
operates in Ukraine).
Describing the purpose, objectives, classification
and criteria of free software, we note that free soft-
ware is created and used to form a market where
any information service, such as copying, duplication,
modification, error correction, functionality, etc. can
be sold and bought on a competitive market by free
contract of two parties (supplier and buyer of the ser-
vice) without appeal to a third party. This wording
defines the general provisions of the licensed purity
of free software in accordance with certain degrees of
freedom. The specific tasks of free software include:
ensuring import substitution of proprietary com-
ponents of information systems, reducing depen-
dence on monopolists, and, consequently, free-
dom of action in the Ukrainian information space;
stimulating the development of the domestic in-
dustry of software development for computer sys-
tems;
expanding the possibility of participation of do-
mestic developers in the performance of works
and provision of services for state, municipal
needs and the needs of the private business sec-
tor;
providing additional investment in the develop-
ment of domestic producers;
ensuring a high level of technological indepen-
dence;
reducing the number of violations related to the
legal protection of software products for computer
systems.
Based on the general criteria of freedom, which
must meet the free software, we note that free soft-
ware in the training of pre-service teachers of Mathe-
matics, Physics and Computer Science should corre-
late with:
the ability to freely use the software for any pur-
poses not prohibited by applicable law;
studying how the software product works and re-
work it for their own goals and needs;
Theoretical Bases of Application of Free Software in Preparation of Pre-service Teachers of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science
267
free distribution of copies of both original soft-
ware products and modified versions;
dissemination of own property and research re-
sults.
Drawing from these tasks, we believe that in-
frastructure of development and use of free software
should include:
isolated environment of software packages
(means of obtaining the source code of software
binary files are directly loaded onto computer
systems) and other means of collective develop-
ment;
single repository of software for computer sys-
tems and source code for various hardware and
software platforms including ready distributions
of basic software application and standard soft-
ware solutions;
control system of software for computer systems,
providing records and the right to use and reuse of
software and their components;
infrastructure support for users and developers;
infrastructure implementation (application) of
open standards and specifications, including au-
tomation assess of compliance with standards
(specifications).
Expected outcomes of introduction of free soft-
ware are, above all, in the transformation of educa-
tional technology, due to:
transition from delivering already formed knowl-
edge and its memorization to independent infor-
mation search and constructing their own knowl-
edge;
joint training activities of pre-service teacher in
different educational situations and simulating fu-
ture professional situations;
providing educational material in a nonlinear for-
mat;
opportunity to study independently according to
individual path and in his optimum pace;
modeling of world processes and events during
educational activities;
revitalization of intellectual and emotional pro-
cesses of perception, understanding, comprehen-
sion and interpretation of educational material
through the integration of verbal, graphic and au-
diovisual information;
satisfactory qualification of teachers and pre-
service teachers in the field of information and
communication technology (equal to the level of
International / European Computer Driving Li-
cense);
satisfactory qualification of graduated in the field
of information and communication technology;
quality access for teachers and students to their
own internal and external e-learning and teaching
resources;
quality access for teachers and senior students to
scientific electronic resources;
automated control of their own activities for
teachers and students;
use of wholly licensed software.
The result of preparing of pre-service teacher of
Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science to be
able to use free software in their own training will
serve as their willingness to use free software in their
own teaching careers.
The considered scientific and methodological ap-
proaches allowed us to develop a system of free soft-
ware in the training of pre-service teachers of Mathe-
matics, Physics and Computer Science (see figure 1).
We will describe the components of the created
system of using free software in the training of pre-
service teachers of Mathematics, Physics and Com-
puter Science. The purpose, tasks, approaches and
principles of functioning of the system of application
of free software in preparation of pre-service teach-
ers of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science
which make a conceptual subsystem of system are de-
scribed. Therefore, we provide a detailed description
of the components of the content subsystem.
The computer competence of pre-service teachers
of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science deter-
mines the content line of application of the free soft-
ware system in their preparation and forms, accord-
ingly, the content subsystem.
Given the activity nature of teaching, we have
identified such components of information compe-
tence of preservice teachers of Mathematics, Physics
and Computer Science, as:
motivational and value (identification, under-
standing and updating of goals and objectives of
their own educational activities; awareness of the
importance of knowledge, skills and abilities in
the use of free software in educational activities;
focus on professional and pedagogical develop-
ment and self-development);
cognitive (possession of the content of theoretical,
psychological and pedagogical, professional and
methodological knowledge of the process of using
free software in educational activities);
AET 2020 - Symposium on Advances in Educational Technology
268
Figure 1: The system of using free software in the training of future teachers of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science.
activity (use of knowledge, skills and abilities in
the process of studying both psychological and
pedagogical and professional disciplines, and ed-
ucational disciplines of the information cycle;
choice of technologies, forms, methods, teaching
aids, planning of educational tasks and their im-
plementation);
organizational and communicative (creation of
own information and educational environment by
means of free software; use of information and ed-
ucational environment for professional communi-
cation, dissemination of pedagogical experience,
professional activity);
reflexive (control, self-control, evaluation, self-
evaluation).
The content of the motivational and value compo-
nent of information competence of pre-service teach-
ers of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science
is their ability to solve issues related to the use of
free software in professional activities. Motivational
and value component is characterized by the formed
need for systematic teaching and research activities,
developed cognitive and exploratory motives, goal-
setting skills, conscious desire and direction for in-
tellectual self-development, readiness to meet edu-
cational needs, use of new methods and planning of
self-educational activities. The effectiveness of train-
ing pre-service teachers of Mathematics, Physics and
Computer Science to use free software in professional
activities is impossible without a clear understand-
ing of the need to take into account the didactic ad-
vantages and disadvantages of free software, creating
favorable conditions for using free software to meet
their educational needs in harmony with other teach-
Theoretical Bases of Application of Free Software in Preparation of Pre-service Teachers of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science
269
ing aids.
The cognitive component involves the presence
of pre-service teachers of Mathematics, Physics and
Computer Science knowledge about the nature and
features of free software in their professional teach-
ing activities, possible options for using free software
in the classroom system, self-education, research ac-
tivities; features of methods of teaching profile dis-
ciplines and involvement of information and commu-
nication technologies in educational activities; deep
awareness of the importance of such functions as
knowledge, skills, abilities and their improvement;
ability to search and analyze the possibilities of free
software in terms of its didactic direction; ability to
learn and receive information; information and com-
munication skills (planned and effective use of ICT
tools for search and analysis); ability and willingness
to work with free software.
The presence of pre-service teachers of Mathe-
matics, Physics and Computer Science skills to use
free software in professional activities and mastery of
methods of organizing educational and cognitive ac-
tivities determine the content of the activity compo-
nent of training pre-service teachers of Mathematics,
Physics and Computer Science to use free software.
The presence of such a component in the structure of
information competence allows to increase the profes-
sional potential of pre-service teachers of Mathemat-
ics, Physics and Computer Science, as the necessary
skills and abilities to use free software can more effec-
tively solve the problems of teaching, education and
development.
In the context of our study, the activity component
acts as a system of clear, understandable, purpose-
ful actions of pre-service teachers of Mathematics,
Physics and Computer Science, related to the plan-
ning and construction of educational activities and the
organization of self-education.
The organizational and communicative compo-
nent determines the ability of pre-service teachers of
Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science to cre-
ate their own information and educational environ-
ment by means of free software. The environment
is created to meet personal needs for learning, train-
ing, aggregation of new knowledge, structuring exist-
ing knowledge. The created information and educa-
tional environment can be used in further professional
activity after graduation from higher pedagogical ed-
ucation. The obtained structured and aggregated edu-
cational materials by means of information and com-
munication technologies are distributed among those
wishing to study with the purpose of their further use
in future professional activity.
The reflexive component is a component that
presupposes the presence of self-analysis and self-
assessment skills; self-control and self-regulation; re-
flection skills (analysis of professional results, task
planning to improve self-education); reflecting the at-
titude of students to the process and results of pro-
fessional activity; ability to review and analyze one’s
own professional activity, distinguishing positive and
negative components; compare the results with the
planned tasks and consider ways to improve and ver-
ify them.
Thus, the information competence of pre-service
teachers of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Sci-
ence formed through the use of free software neces-
sary for their own professional activities is the result
of special training, which is a fundamental education
of pre-service teachers of Mathematics, Physics and
Computer Science, professional knowledge, skills,
pedagogical experience and reflection; meets the re-
quirements for professional pedagogical activity. The
integrity of this education is determined by the full de-
velopment of motivational-value, cognitive, activity,
organizational-communicative and reflective compo-
nents, the core of which is the conscious actions
of pre-service teachers of Mathematics, Physics and
Computer Science with mandatory use of free soft-
ware in their professional activities.
4 CONCLUSIONS
The proposed conceptual basis is an open system en-
abled by its interaction with the environment (social
order, standard of professional education, etc.) and
integration of knowledge of pre-service teacher of
Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science in such
scientific fields as philosophy, psychology, pedagogy,
theory and methods of teaching mathematics, theory
and methods of teaching physics; theory and meth-
ods of teaching information technology as well as
fundamental disciplines in the field of preparation of
Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science. Con-
ceptual framework can be supplemented and extended
depending on the conditions and characteristics of
the operation and can be used in the preparation of
pre-service teachers to design the educational process
from various disciplines based on their specifics.
The proposed conceptual basis is an integrated
system. Each structural element of the proposed prin-
ciples of the system is its subsystem. This concept of
integrity is ensured through:
the presence of such properties and qualities
which are not inherent in its structural elements;
coherence and mutual dependence of all structural
AET 2020 - Symposium on Advances in Educational Technology
270
elements of conceptual principles as structural
and logical and functional links between them.
Structural and logical connection provided by re-
lationships and relationships of structural elements
with each other and with over-system (social de-
mand, state educational standard of higher education
in “Pedagogical Education”). Functional connections
of structural elements are defined by concept of effi-
cacy provide by the aggregate of the basic principles
and conceptual provisions.
REFERENCES
Bykov, V. Y. (2010). Modern tasks of informatization of
education. Information Technologies and Learning
Tools, 15(1). https://journal.iitta.gov.ua/index.php/itlt/
article/view/25.
Chernykh, L. A. (1995). Teoreticheskie osnovy razrabotki
metodicheskoi sistemy obucheniia (Theoretical foun-
dations for the development of a methodical training
system). Heuristics and didactics of sciences, 3:15–
19. ttp://elibrary.kdpu.edu.ua/andle/123456789/3905.
Coca Bergolla, Y. and P
´
erez Pino, M. T. (2021). Model for
educational free software integration into artificial in-
telligence teaching and learning. In Auer, M. E. and
May, D., editors, Cross Reality and Data Science in
Engineering, pages 795–810, Cham. Springer Inter-
national Publishing.
Daniel, S., Janansefat, S., Diamant, E. I., and Ren, Y.
(2020). Single- and double-loop learning: Linking
free/libre open source software (floss) developer moti-
vation, contribution, and turnover intentions. SIGMIS
Database, 51(4):68–92.
Duan, C. and Lee, K. F. (2020). The Adoption of Free
and Open Source Software in Teaching and Learning:
An Empirical Study of General Education in Chu Hai
College of Higher Education. In Ma, W. W., Tong, K.-
w., and Tso, W. B. A., editors, Learning Environment
and Design, pages 127–140, Singapore. Springer Sin-
gapore.
Fedorenko, E., Velychko, V., Stopkin, A., Chorna, A., and
Soloviev, V. (2019). Informatization of education as
a pledge of the existence and development of a mod-
ern higher education. CEUR Workshop Proceedings,
2433:20–32.
Gupta, D. and Surbhi (2018). Adopting Free and Open
Source Software(FOSS) in Education. i-manager’s
Journal of Educational Technology, 14(4):53–60.
https://imanagerpublications.com/index.php/article/
13979.
Horvati
´
c, M., Mikac, M., and Mikac, V. (2020). Using data
acquisition instruments and free open source software
in electrical engineering education. In INTED2020
Proceedings, 14th International Technology, Educa-
tion and Development Conference, pages 4417–4424.
IATED.
Lee, A. (2018). One-time contributors to floss: Surveys and
data analysis. SIGSOFT Softw. Eng. Notes, 43(1):1–6.
Morze, N. V. (2003). Basics of methodical preparation of
teachers of computer science. Kurs, Kyiv.
Ponomareva, N. S. (2021). Role and place of informatics in
the training of future teachers of mathematics. Journal
of Physics: Conference Series, 1840(1):012035.
Semerikov, S. O. (2009). Fundamentalization of teach-
ing computer science disciplines in higher education.
Mineral, Kryvyi Rih.
Semerikov, S. O., Teplytskyi, I. O., Soloviev, V. N., Hama-
niuk, V. A., Ponomareva, N. S., Kolgatin, O. H., Kol-
gatina, L. S., Byelyavtseva, T. V., Amelina, S. M., and
Tarasenko, R. O. (2021). Methodic quest: Reinvent-
ing the system. Journal of Physics: Conference Se-
ries, 1840(1):012036.
Thankachan, B. and Moore, D. R. (2017). Challenges of
implementing free and open source software (foss):
Evidence from the indian educational setting. The
International Review of Research in Open and Dis-
tributed Learning, 18(6). http://www.irrodl.org/index.
php/irrodl/article/view/2781.
Tryus, Y. V. (2010). Computer-oriented methodical systems
of teaching mathematical disciplines in higher educa-
tion: problems, status and prospects. Scientific jour-
nal of NPU named after M. P. Dragomanov. Series 2.
Computer-based learning systems, 9 (16):20–34.
UNESCO (2014). UNESCO Education Strategy 2014-
2021. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/
002312/231288e.pdf.
UNESCO (2020). Free and Open Source Software (FOSS).
https://en.unesco.org/freeandopensourcesoftware.
Velychko, V. Y. (2016). Implementation strategy of free
software in the process of preparation of teachers of
mathematics, physics and computer science. Infor-
mation Technologies and Learning Tools, 50(6):100–
107. https://journal.iitta.gov.ua/index.php/itlt/article/
view/1293.
Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (1998). Law of Ukraine
On the national informatization program.
https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/74/98-
Zhaldak, M. I. (2003). Pedagogical potential of computer-
oriented systems of teaching mathematics. Scientific
journal of NPU named after M. P. Dragomanov. Series
2. Computer-based learning systems, 7:3–16.
Theoretical Bases of Application of Free Software in Preparation of Pre-service Teachers of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science
271