CRITICAL ASPECTS IN THE BUILDING OF PROFESSIONAL AND TRANSVERSAL SKILLS IN THE ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT FOR STUDENTS MAJORING IN SOCIAL WORK
Keywords:
professional skills, transversal skills, social work students,Abstract
The present paper aims to present the results of a study that identified the critical aspects in building professional and transversal skills in the university environment for students in the field of social work. The objectives of the research are: analysis of the role of the course modules, seminar, laboratory and practice stages in the formation of skills in the university environment; identifying the participants' perception of the way in which professional and transversal skills are currently built; identifying difficulties in ensuring professional and transversal skills according to the qualification offered by the curriculum, as well as identifying measures for curriculum optimization at university level. The study was based on a qualitative methodological approach, using the focus group as a research method. The sample consisted of 166 participants, social work students from three universities in the West of Romania, and the research tool used was the moderator guide. The study's conclusions brought to the forefront the need to improve the curriculum, which should be more flexible, taking into account all the actors involved (students, teachers, employers), but mainly with regard to the beneficiaries, respectively the graduates' career interest. At the same time, curricular design of transversal and professional skills requires coherent, functional and flexible integration of all types of content: cognitive, action and attitude.References
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