| Abstract [eng] |
The novelty of research - in Lithuania, school leaving exams are called maturity exams, and school leaving diploma is called a maturity certificate. A person’s maturity is defined as a state in which a person is physically, mentally and emotionally developed and therefore able to behave responsibly. The description of Lithuanian primary, basic and secondary education (2015) states that the main result of education is the gradually acquired competencies indicating the spiritual, intellectual and physical maturity of a person, which include knowledge, understanding, abilities and attitudes (ŠMM, 2015). This presupposes that state maturity exams should be designed to not only test knowledge but also measure a person’s maturity. For this reason, it is relevant to investigate the extent to which students reach personal maturity after leaving school. How is this maturity reflected in state maturity exam programs? The problem of the research is that the “Lithuanian State of Education Survey 2013-2016” conducted by the Lithuanian Education Council states that “there is a complex problem of assessment of students' achievements and final exams in Lithuania” (Varanauskas, Targamadzė, 2017). The study states that teachers strive to prepare students for exams and therefore do not develop personal competencies that are important for a person’s maturity. Based on this idea, it was decided to investigate how a person's maturity is reflected in the state maturity examination programs in Lithuania. The object of the research is the reflections of personal maturity in Lithuanian state maturity examination programs. The aim of the research is to determine the reflections of personal maturity in Lithuanian state maturity programs. To achieve the goal of the research, four tasks were set: to reveal the criteria and indicators of a person's maturity; to reveal the concept of personal maturity in conceptual Lithuanian educational documents; to substantiate the research methodology of personal maturity in Lithuanian state maturity examination programs; to determine the reflections of a person's maturity in the Lithuanian state maturity examination programs. To achieve the goal of the research, the following data collection methods were applied: analysis of scientific literature - personal maturity criteria and indicators were revealed; document analysis - the concept of personal maturity is revealed in conceptual Lithuanian educational documents; partially structured expert interview - expert insights on the problem of discrepancy between the name and content of state matriculation examinations and possible alternatives for solving this problem were collected. The applied data processing method - content analysis. On the basis of the content analysis method, the following were analysed: the programs, tasks and assessment criteria of the three selected state maturity exams; data were obtained from expert interviews. Theoretical and empirical research has shown that the title of state maturity exams does not correspond to the content of the exam. Based on the analysis of the literature, a model of personal maturity and an evaluation table of criteria and indicators of a person maturity (late adolescence) were developed. A person’s maturity has been found to consist of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial maturity. Based on review of Lithuanian conceptual documents, it was established that a person's maturity in Lithuania is perceived as a set of competencies, which includes knowledge, understanding, abilities and attitudes. It was found that the state final examination reflects the three levels of cognitive skills, however, does not verify the physical and psychosocial maturity. The empirical study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage of the research, the analysis of selected maturity exam programs is presented. This analysis found that state maturity exams test only certain groups of cognitive abilities, but do not test a person’s attitudes and competencies. In the second phase of the study, two partially structured expert interviews were conducted. After the expert interview, it was established that the state maturity exams measure a person's knowledge, understanding and ability to comply with the requirements, but do not measure competencies, beliefs and values. The name of the state maturity exams comes from tradition, but the name does not reflect the content of the exam. Based on the expert interview, present possible solutions to the problem. Summarizing the obtained results, the problem of discrepancy between the name and content of state maturity exams was identified. It is recommended to further study the issue of maturity exams and to build on the example of an international baccalaureate. The project consists of an introduction, three parts, conclusions, recommendations and appendices. The first part is devoted to the analysis of scientific literature and the review of Lithuanian conceptual educational documents. The second part is based on research methodology. The third part is to review the results of the research, a discussion is presented. The project consists of 77 pages, 15 tables, 14 figures and 2 appendices. |
