Abstract:
The epidemiological situation made some adjustments to the activities
of TSU Children’s University, but the work with the pupils has never stopped.
In 2021, a number of events conducted by TSU Children’s University over the years were held in a distance format. One of them was an essay competition
for high school students (grades 9-12), dedicated to May 26, the day of the
proclamation of Georgia’s independence. Competition topics included
political, social and cultural issues in the period of the First Independent
Republic of Georgia. The fi nal round of the competition was held remotely,
in a conference format, on May 25 using the Zoom platform.
TSU Children’s University, since the 2009/2010 academic year, when
TSU Children’s University began its activities, has held more than 20
competitions of this type and acquired some experience. Based on the
experience, it can be claimed that in the essays of high school students,
one can notice an infl uence of stereotypical reasoning and opinions,
including regarding patriotic and ideological themes. Signs of plagiarism
were also found.
The competition, held in 2021, diff ered from the previous competitions
in that the teachers’ conclusions were mandatory along with the pupils’
works. In most cases, teachers’ conclusions were also stereotyped, lacking
individual analysis.
In this paper, we will discuss the peculiarities and ideological aspects
of writing essays according to the competition works held at TSU Children’s
University. We will pay special attention to common aspects, emerging in
the pupils’ works and the teachers’ reviews.
