THE SOCIAL ROLE AND COMPETENCIES OF TEACHERS IN HIGHER EDUCATION BETWEEN THEORY AND TEACHING PRACTICE

Abstract

Starting from the fact that higher education is an activity of special social interest and the initiator of the development and improvement of society, in theory and teaching practice questions are often asked regarding the quality of higher education and the possibility of its improvement. The quality of higher education in terms of the increase in its effectiveness is one of the shared aims of the Bologna convention, that is, the current reform process in European countries. It is determined by the quality of the study programs and the quality of the teaching process, which requires a competent teacher, prepared for the process of innovating teaching plans and programs, and the realization and improvement of the teaching practice. Considering the social importance of education and teaching, research into the social group which performs work-related tasks in the educational process, as well as into the quality of the teaching itself, is of special importance. The paper presents the results of research regarding student perceptions of the characteristics of teachers manifested during the course of educational practice in higher education institutions, which were based on the following: the human, professional and pedagogical qualities of teachers, the quality of the university education/teaching process and learning outcomes/learning achievements (the prevalence of theoretical knowledge, practical application of knowledge, etc.). The aim of the paper is to, on the basis of three empirical studies, from a sociological standpoint evaluate the perception of the social role and competencies of teachers and the quality of university education from the viewpoint of the student youth(in 2009, 985 students from 30 colleges in Serbia were surveyed, in 2012, 2208 students of the University of Niš (818), University of Bitolj (804) and the University of Veliko Trnovo (586), and in 2019, 374 students from 13 faculties of the University of Niš). The empirical findings indicate that teachers are qualified professionals who lecture clearly, comprehensively and are able to emphasize the most important points, but that their lectures are still insufficiently interesting, and that they are often unjust and biased. Considering the noted differences between the competencies of teachers working in higher education settings, and the quality and outcomes of the teaching/learning, “models” of teaching/learning have been proposed in this paper for each of the countries included in the study (Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria). Based on noted disparity between theory and teaching practice, the paper points to the need for new scientific research in the context of reform processes in higher education, with the continued redefinition of its goals and tasks with the aim of improving the quality of the teaching process and teaching practice.