Social competences on the threshold of adulthood. A critical analysis of the general education core curriculum for tertiary education

Abstract

The subject of the research is the core curriculum of general education at the third level of education. The study was undertaken to answer the following question: are the learning outcomes included in the core curricula for the third level of education consistent with the norms of social development of students on the threshold of adulthood? To this end, the research instruments developed in the 1st and 2ndeditions of the study of the core curricula conducted at the Department of School Education at Nicolaus Copernicus University were used. That is, a catalogue of 124 analytical categories, from which those that were consistent with the norms of social development of students aged 15-19 were selected and then used to search and assess social competences in the core curricula for the third level of education. The analysis showed that half of the analytical categories related to the norms of social development did not exist or were poorly represented in the general and detailed requirements in the core curricula at the third level of education. These included deficiencies and shortcomings related mainly to participation in public life and in an environment which is diverse in terms of its world view and multiculturalism, which was also accompanied by a lack of learning outcomes in terms of readiness to act autonomously. Among the current learning outcomes, the dominant ones are those related to the skill of critical assessment and creative reflection. The total assessment of the presence of social competences at the third level of education leads to the conclusion that the core curriculum is not a coherent project of developing social competences important from the point of view of being an adult in various roles.