European qualification framework : challenges for the system of education (development of PhD studies in education - case study)

Šiuolaikinis pasaulis, vadinamas vėlyvąja modernybe (Giddens, 2000), refleksyviąja modernybe bei postmodernumu, pasižymi nesaugumu, netikrumu, neprognozuojamumu, atskirtimi. Ekonomikoje netikrumą, nesaugumą sąlygoja nacionalinių ekonomikų tarpusavio priklausomybė ir politinės priemonės, kuriomis siekiama išlaikyti konkurencingumą ir taip išgyventi, todėl iššūkių švietimo sistemoms daugėja. Trečiosios pakopos (doktorantūros) studijoms taip pat keliami nauji reikalavimai. Nagrinėjant Europos dokumentus, teigiama, kad pagrindinis doktorantų programų elementas ir toliau išlieka tyrinėjimais pagrįsta mokslo pažanga, tačiau pabrėžiama, kad doktorantų rengimas turi atitikti rinkos poreikius, kurie yra platesni už universiteto, kadangi jaunajam mokslininkui reikalingos ne tik tyrimų kompetencijos, bet taip pat svarbu įgyti ir perkeliamųjų įgūdžių. Doktoranto, kaip mokslininko, kvalifikacija - tai aukščiausio (aštuntojo) lygmens kvalifikacija, atskleidžiama gebėjimu ne tik tinkamai panaudoti turimas žinias, bet ir varijuoti jomis sudėtingose situacijose, gebėti planuoti bei įgyvendinti sudėtingus projektus, įvertinant tai, kad žinios nuolatos kinta. Kaip įrodymą, kad šis lygmuo pasiektas, doktorantas privalo pademonstruoti plataus profilio gebėjimus, matomus doktorantūros studijų pabaigoje, pristatydamas tiriamojo darbo rezultatus - disertaciją; vertinant tiriamąjį darbą atsižvelgiama į gebėjimą atskleisti problemos sudėtingumą, parengti tyrimo projektą bei jį įgyvendinti pasirenkant tinkamus tyrimo metodus, interpretuoti tyrimo rezultatus, pateikti atitinkamas išvadas parengiant sklaidai gautus rezultatus. The contemporary world, also referred to as late modernity, reflexive modernity and post-modernity, is characterized by insecurity, falseness, unpredictability and marginalisation. In economics, falseness and insecurity are caused by interdependence of national economies and political measures that are being utilized in order to sustain competition and hence survive; and therefore systems of education face new challenges. Third level studies also are exposed to new requirements. The analysis of the European documents makes it evident that the major component of doctoral programmes has been research based advancement of science; however, it has been emphasised that preparation of doctoral students should meet market demands which are broader than university demands as a young researcher needs to acquire transferable skills together with research competencies. Doctoral student's as researcher's qualification is the highest level qualification, it manifests itself in the ability to use the acquired knowledge properly in various complex situations, to be able to plan and implement complicated projects taking into account the changing nature of knowledge. As the evidence of the achievement of the highest level, a doctoral student must demonstrate broad range skills at the end of the doctoral studies, presenting the outcomes of the research work, i.e. the dissertation; the assessment of the research work takes into account the doctoral student's ability to reveal the complexity of the research problem, to prepare research design and implement it, choosing appropriate research methods, to interpret the research findings and present proper research conclusions preparing the research findings for dissemination. The modern world, also referred to as the late modernity (Giddens, 2000), reflexive modernity and postmodernism characterizes with insecurity, instability, unpredictability and divide. The insecurity and instability in economics result from the interdependence of national economies and the political tools, used for safeguarding the competitive abilities in order to survive therefore the amount of challenges for educational systems has been increasing. New requirements are also raised for the third-degree (post-graduate) studies. The European documents state that the main element of post-graduate programmes remains the research based scientific progress however it is emphasized that post-graduates’ preparation should correspond to the market needs, which are broader than those of the university, since a young researcher needs both the researching competence and the transference skills. The qualification of a post-graduate as a researcher is one of the highest levels (the eight), revealed by his/her ability to not only appropriately use the available knowledge, but also to vary it in complicated situations and be able to plan and implement complex projects, taking into consideration that information is constantly changing. As proof that the level has been reached, a post-graduate, at the end of the post-graduate studies, must demonstrate broad abilities, by presenting the results of his/her research, i. e. a dissertation; when evaluating the research the ability to reveal the complexity of the problem, prepare and implement a researching project by selecting the appropriate studying methods, interpret the results of the research and present the corresponding conclusions by preparing the obtained results for dissemination are taken into consideration.