Zawód – uczeń. Samokształcenie gimnazjalistów w świetle badań empirycznych

Abstract

The paper by Katarzyna Pławecka titled: Zawód – uczeń. Samokształcenie gimnazjalistów w świetle badań empirycznych (Studying as a profession. Self-education of lower secondary school students in the light of empirical research) is a part of the debate on the issue of selfeducation. Studying as a profession was treated here as a complex process which prepares a young person to learning throughout his or her whole life. The analysed data constituted just a part of wider research conducted in years 2005-2007 among 234 students of lower secondary school living in the villages of Limanowa County. The territory of the research was deliberately narrowed down to the area of Laskowa District which can be considered representative of rural communes of Lesser Poland. In the centre of the research remained the students attending two lower secondary schools in Laskowa and Ujanowice and living in 9 villages: Laskowa, Jaworzna, Kamionka Mała, Kobyłczyna, Krosna, Sechna, Strzeszyce, Ujanowice and Żmiąca. The presented research was designed to complement the method of diagnostic poll with the technique of direct observation conducted during lessons in lower secondary schools as well as directed talks at and outside of school. The gathered data revealed a fairly high level of motivational preparation among the lower secondary school students. Considerable deficiencies were, however, observed on two levels – content-related and proficiency-related. An attempt was made to explain the diagnosed situation and associate it with a small number of lessons devoted to “teaching how to study.” A decline of students’ general interest in studying was also pointed out. The search for solutions of the situation that is difficult both for students and teachers was leading up to supervised self-education. Underscored advantages of this type of education include: respect for individual features of particular students, their intellectual predispositions, interests and aspirations.