Didactic conception of teaching of psychology in high schools

Transcription

1 Didactic conception of teaching of psychology in high schools Vašutová, M. University of Ostrava, Faculty of Arts, Ostrava, Czech Republic Abstract The paper deals with teaching of psychology in high schools in Czech Republic, Slovak Republic and in some European countries. It also deals with some particularities of psychology teaching in high schools. The text also highlights some of the shortcomings of psychology teaching in the theoretical and practical level. Keywords: Didactic of psychology, teaching, of psychology, high school education, EFPTA I. INTRODUCTION Didactics of psychology is a science that aims on specific issues of the content and process of teaching of psychology, taking into account the peculiarities of psychological disciplines content, objectives, methods, and ethical aspects of teaching psychology in secondary education (Sokolová, 2010, p 3). Didactics of psychology is thus a special discipline that deals on general level with theoretical issues of the teaching process and on practical level addresses specific issues of teaching of psychology in different types of schools. It draws on and integrates knowledge from pedagogy, general didactics and psychology (general, developmental, social, psychology of personality, psychopathology, health psychology, psychology of work and market methodology of psychological research, etc.). Subject of didactics of psychology includes objectives of psychology teaching, selection and creation of curriculum, methods of teaching of psychology, evaluation and classification in the subject of psychology, organizational and educational resources for teaching psychology and personality of the teacher (Miškolciová, 2003). II. SPECIFICS OF TEACHING OF PSYCHOLOGY IN HIGH SCHOOLS Psychology unlike other general subjects is not related to similar subject on a lower level of education. Time allocation of subject of psychology in the curriculum of high schools is diverse and relatively low. A diverse audience of high school students affects the choice of subject curriculum and methods. Methodological plans of psychology should include selfknowledge and experiential activities that require individual methods preparation and work of the teacher. Teaching of some topics that are affecting the students' personalities is challenging the pedagogical tact, group management and adherence to ethical principles of the teacher. Mopreover the subject of psychology has a relatively low methodological support (textbooks, methodology, materials, psychology teacher s training, etc.) (Sokolová, 2010). The position of the subject of psychology in high schools: 1. General-educational subject The course focuses on the psychology within the compulsory subject The course focuses on the psychology within the compulsory-elective subject A separate compulsory subject Separate compulsory-optional subject 285

2 2. Specialist subject Compulsory subject Compulsory-optional subject Optional subject 3. Socio-psychological training focused on personal and social development. Objectives and selection of methods of psychology teaching thus relates to the status of the subject in the curriculum of high schools (such as mandatory versus optional subject, etc.). In the process of choosing appropriate psychological knowledge it is important 1) to determine the extent and depth of subject matter, 2) correct work with a conceptual apparatus, and 3) the unification of practical and academic psychology knowledge and its relation to previous knowledge and experience of students with psychological activities (Sokolová, 2010). Psychology, like every object has its own specifics, but also integrating educational goals that are over-subject, and aimed at developing key, generic skills. These include primarily communicative skills, skills to solve problems and problem situations. Psychology course objectives are thus aimed on personal and social development, development of psychological thinking and psychological literacy. Psychology does not have to be incorporated in the curriculum as a separate subject. It may be part of the educational domains and cross-cutting themes. For example, psychological topics pertaining to the self-concept, self-regulation, cognitive abilities, interpersonal relations, communication, etc. can be the part of the civic, ethical education, etc. Topics such as the environment, healthy lifestyle, mental health, personal development, and others may be included in the scope of health education. Selfawareness and decision-making processes on the basis of own choice and responsibility are central themes related to career choice. The subject of psychology is not the only one in the curriculum of high schools that raises these issues and provides some instructions for their individual grasp. This means that psychology should purposefully pick up the threads of other objects. It is also need to emphasize the role of psychology in the social integration of the individual, its contribution to the building of sexual integrity and effective supporting of other ethically oriented disciplines heading for the prevention of socially pathological phenomena. Teaching of psychology in high schools is didactically strenuous also in terms of requirements on teachers (he represents not only the source of information, but has also the formative role): "Psychology taught in high schools is not a mere interpretation of psychological topics, but is a means of formation, development and cultivation of the students; It helps to understand oneself and the world, focus on the life situations and solve specific problems; Develops a process in which the individual actively reflects its relationship to the outside world, updates the need for effective self-reflection; Initiates the decision-making processes in which is the individuals oriented according to their needs, personal commitment, and importance, where they accept the responsibility for their free choices; Accents psychological understanding that is based on the knowledge of reality, and teaches the individual realistically assess events occurring around him, and the ability to solve serious problems; Enters by its active, formative and attitude to the epistemic and evaluation process of hierarchizing reflection, and thus affects attitudes towards oneself and the surroundings as well as life in general" (Kosíková, 2011, p ). 286

3 III. TEACHING OF PSYCHOLOGY IN CZECH REPUBLIC AND ABROAD The information and materials from the Ministry of Education show that psychology is taught in some high schools, pedagogical secondary schools and educational lyceums, business academies, medical schools, conservatories, secondary vocational schools, Waldorf schools, etc. In the grammar schools is psychology taught as part of the course Fundamentals of Social Sciences (FES), usually in the first year. Some schools offer compulsory elective seminars of psychology. Students of these schools gain a general overview of the basic psychological disciplines, especially in general and developmental psychology and history of psychology. Secondary pedagogical and medical schools and lyceums include into their curricula psychology as a separate compulsory subject that is taught in many schools throughout high school study. Business academies and medical schools, as well as pedagogical schools teach psychology as a separate compulsory subject, but for a shorter period of time (one or two years). Secondary Waldorf schools include psychology as the part of educational branch humanities specialization that is taught in 3rd and 4th year. The conservatories teach psychology within the artistic-pedagogical training. In some high schools (e.g. pedagogical) is the psychology separate subject of A level exams, in others (e.g. grammar schools) is part of A level exam subject FES. At the Department of Psychology of Faculty of Arts OU we conducted a survey focused on the teaching of psychology in high schools in Ostrava region. We investigated several ways who teaches psychology in high schools,. First of all, we have sent a structured query to the Ministry of Education. However, the data provided to us by the ministry, were so vague and internally inconsistent that it wasn t possible to evaluate them according to our criteria. In addition, we addressed 36 directors of high schools in the Ostrava region with the electronic form questionnaire. Only eight questionnaires returned to us (from schools in which the psychology was taught by teachers with university education in psychology teaching). Low return rate of questionnaires can be explained both by considerable overload of directors administration and that they were not personally interested in survey. Another possible explanation is (which confirms our previous assumptions) that the majority of teachers of psychology have not necessary approbation and school directors do not want to draw attention to this fact. Information about the qualification of psychology teachers was therefore gained directly from the teachers themselves. Qualification of teachers of psychology in high schools in the Ostrava region: Psychologist: 2 Teacher of psychology with university education in this field: 8 The teacher of Fundamentals of Social Sciences: 10 The teacher of philosophy: 3 Psychology is traditionally taught in the high schools, but mostly as part of other subjects, moreover, only in selected high schools. Most teachers who teach this subject in the past, was not prepared pedagogically and didactically to teach psychology. Specific didactic knowledge of the field and in particular the specifics of psychology were not expected. Other primary and secondary schools teachers teach psychology without approbation, because they had mastered general didactic preparation, but not didactic of psychology. In this statement we want to highlight the fact that, from these reasons, there are deficiencies in the theoretical and practical teaching of psychology in high schools today. Currently only three universities in the Czech Republic offers master degree in Teaching of 287

4 psychology for secondary schools : University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice and the Faculty of Arts, University of Ostrava. In the Slovak Republic, similar to the Czech Republic, is psychology taught in different types of schools as a separate subject or as part of other subjects, and as the compulsory, compulsory-optional or optional subject. The situation in the Slovak high schools is analogous that comes out from among other things from common history of our countries. Specificity of Slovakia is associated with the Law on Education No. 45/2008, which implement socio-psychological training into the curriculum of grammar schools graduate s year. The Teaching of psychology for secondary schools course is offered by three universities in the Slovak Republic. In high schools there are about six hundred teachers of psychology. Sokolová highlights the differences in teaching of psychology among different types of schools. In his article she writes that teaching in schools, academies, social, vocational schools (focusing on trade, services, business, etc.) and the conservatory is more complex than in the general grammar schools, where is the psychology taught within the subject of Science of society/civic education, by whose completing a student receives only basic knowledge of psychology and its terminology (Sokolová, 2010). Time allocation of psychology subject in other European countries is different, but generally relatively low, despite the increasing number of students who express an interest in learning psychology on high school. Psychology has not become traditional and firmly anchored subject in curricula, which is resulting in low status of this subject at the management of schools and teachers. Teaching of psychology is often entrusted to non-professionals, due to poor availability of relevant courses for teachers of psychology, or because of the negative attitude toward psychology as unnecessary subject (Smith, 2010). In other European countries like in Czech Republic we meet different models of teaching of psychology (integrating its curriculum to another subject, compulsory, compulsory-elective, elective, modular training). European Federation of Psychology Teachers - (EFPTA) initiates international cooperation in the field of teaching of psychology in high education in European countries. The objective is in particular the exchange of experiences in the area of curriculum and standards in teaching and aims to achieve greater availability of teaching of psychology as a separate subject. In 2009 was conducted research under the auspices of the European Federation of Psychology Teachers, investigating the situation of psychology in high schools in European countries. The aim of this research was to create a database of information about pre-university education in psychology with a focus on 1) the position of the subject in the educational systems of the countries, 2) a comparative analysis of the content of the curriculum, 3) teaching and assessment methods and 4) training, including professional development of teachers of psychology. In the pilot part of the research psychology teachers from nine European countries, comment among others also on the importance of teaching psychology in upper secondary education. Positive responses predominated. This research also revealed that in almost all the countries of Europe students' interest in psychology is growing, yet still psychology is taught primarily as part of another object, or as so-called small object (optional or voluntary), with low time allocation, and unavailable in some countries to all types of secondary schools. These findings suggest that there is a need to support and further develop international cooperation in teaching of psychology, which could for example fulfill the gaps in training materials, professional meetings or in further education of psychology teachers at the national level (Sokolová, 2010). In Germany is the form of psychology lay down by rules given by individual regions. Somewhere is taught in all types of schools, elsewhere only as part of vocational training. In general education appears psychology as an optional subject. These differences in the educational systems of federal republics hinder teacher collaboration psychology at the 288

5 national level. In England and Scotland is psychology favorite subject of optional final exam of high education (A-level), and in 2003 she was chosen by almost forty thousand graduates. Textbooks, methodological guides and other materials needed to prepare for the A-level are very well treated. Great Britain is, however, facing a shortage of qualified teachers of this subject. Training and further education of teachers is supported by the British Psychological Society. An example of good practice, in terms of high school psychology teaching, is unquestionably Finland. Local institutions, responsible for education, have responded to the increased interest of the students in the psychology (opted by about eighty percent of students), and since 2005 there was implemented the mandatory subject called Introduction to Psychology. In the United States vary the educational conditions in individual states. There is great interest in study of psychology. Consequently, the national standard psychology teaching was developed. Collaboration of teachers is under patronage of the American Psychological Association, which includes a section teaching of psychology. APA organizes teachers seminars and conferences." (Sokolová, 2010, p ) Analysis of the results of above-mentioned research of European Federation of Psychology Teachers (EFPTA) pointed also to the problematic issues related to possibility of employment of graduates of psychology teachers and the possibilities of further specialist training of psychologists working in education. (Schrempf, Sokolová, Williamson, 2011). The European Union Council is involved in efforts to improve the quality of teachers in member states in nine agreed areas. These include the teacher's knowledge of the subject to which it is dedicated, and his teaching skills (European Commission, 2007). Publications of the European Union Council called Common European principles for the competences and qualifications of teachers and trainers sets the range of standards or benchmarks for the development of teachers that should be satisfied both by beginning teachers and in the teaching of psychology itself (European Commission, 2010). At the end we present some foreign experts who engage in didactic approach to teaching of psychology in high schools: Banyard, 2008; Kittler, 2009; Rowley, Dalgarno, REFERENCES [1] Banyard, P. (2008) Whose psychology is it anyway? Psychology Teaching Review, 14:2, s [2] CAILLOT, M. (2007) The Building of a New Academic Field: the case of French didactiques. Europen Edecation Reaserch Journal. Ročník 6, číslo 2, s [3] EUROPEAN COMMISION (2010) Common European Principles for Teacher Competences & Qualifications. [4] EUROPEAN COMMISION (2007) Improving the Quality of Teacher Education. Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European parliament. COM (2007) 392 Final. Brussels, 3 August. [5] JANÍK, T. (2004) Oborové didaktiky v negraduálním učitelském studiu: analýza příspěvků z konference. In: JANÍK, T.; MUŽÍK, V.; ŠIMONÍK, O. (eds). Oborové didaktiky v pregraduálním učitelském studiu. Sborník z konference konané Září na PdF MU v Brně CD ROM Brno: Masarykova univerzita, s. 1 8 [6] JANÍK, T., STUCHLIKOVÁ, I. (2010) Oborové didaktiky na vzestupu: přehled aktuálních vývojových tendencí. Scienta in educatione., s. 5-32, ISSN [7] Kittler, U. (2009) Why should psychology meet didactics? Presentation to European Congress of Psychology, Oslo, 8 July. [8] KOTÁSEK, J. (2005) Česká pedagogika v proměnách času: ohlédnutí a perspektivy. In: KOSÍKOVÁ, V. (2011) Psychologie ve vzdělávání a její psychodidaktické aspekty. Praha: Grada Publishing, a.s., s. 16,

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