Plato is no longer my friend: categories of appeals in the All-Russian Olympiad for Schoolchildren

Importance. The issue of conflicts arising between participants and judging panels during the AllRussian Olympiad for Schoolchildren (VSOSh) and other academic competitions are investigated. The purpose of the study is to analyze the types of appeals encountered in intellectual contests within the interaction between schoolchildren and appeals committees.

Research Methods. The research methodology employs both qualitative and quantitative methods, specifically: 1) analysis of scholarly literature, content analysis of assessment materials, and semi-structured interviews with twenty Moscow schoolchildren participating in Olympiads; and 2) a survey of 105 teacher-mentors from various regions of the Russian Federation to ascertain their attitudes towards disputing procedures.

Results and Discussion. The research identified the primary types of appeals prevalent in contemporary competitive discourse: technical, relocating, supplementary, interpretive, and substitutive. These types are described in detail, with recommendations provided for participants and their mentors. The underlying causes of students’ appeal behavior were found to include: incompetence of task authors, inadequate assessment quality, insufficient piloting of tasks, and unique solution approaches. The survey results from teacher-mentors revealed a cautious attitude towards appeal practices. Specifically, 54 % of teachers tend to avoid conflict situations, even when their students are involved in a discussion with the judging panel. 9 % of respondents indicated that their students received a reduction in scores, 77 % were unable to achieve any positive outcome in dialogue with the judging panel, and only 14 % of teachers achieved a favorable result. 68 % of survey participants noted a negative attitude from the judging panel, with respondents equally attributing this, in their opinion, to either inconsistency in evaluation or to subjective practices and a lack of leniency in general.

Conclusion. The theoretical significance lies in the potential for further research and the enrichment of domestic pedagogical thought. On a practical level, the results enable contestants to prepare more effectively for the appeals process by understanding its structure and types, and they can also be utilized by state operators of intellectual competitions to reform the institution of appeals.

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