The 4C skills among early childhood education teachers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35765/eetp.2025.2078.04
Keywords: teaching competences, key competencies, 4C competences, elementary education, early childhood education teachers

Abstract

The main objective of this article is to present pilot research on critical thinking, cooperation, creativity, and communication skills conducted among early childhood education teachers from the Opole Province. The theoretical and cognitive objective of the study was to diagnose the level of 4C competencies among early childhood education teachers from the Opole Province. The practical and implementation objective was to develop practical recommendations related to improving teachers' competencies in this area. The research issue was related to the question: what 4K competencies do the surveyed teachers declare in their self-assessment? The study used a diagnostic survey method and a questionnaire technique. An original survey questionnaire was used for the research. The research tool consisted of four different scales, which assessed the characteristics of the phenomenon under study on a five-point ordinal scale. The first scale concerned creativity, the second – critical thinking, the third – communication, and the fourth – cooperation. The results of the research showed how the teachers assessed their own competencies. The conclusions of the research were an interpretation of the relationships between individual variables, which were calculated using the JASP statistical program. The data analysis showed how teachers from different age groups assessed their level of innovation, independence, and teaching proactivity, as well as their educational practices. In particular, statistically significant differences were noted among teachers aged 35-46 and those with the professional rank of appointed teacher. These groups rated their professional aptitudes higher than the others.

Author Biography

Sławomir Śliwa, Academy of Applied Sciences – Academy of Management and Administration in Opole

dr Sławomir Śliwa (Wyższa Szkoła Zarządzania i Administracji w Opolu, Opolska Szkoła Ćwiczeń, Kluczborska Szkoła Ćwiczeń) –  adiunkt w Wyższej Szkole Zarządzania i Administracji w Opolu, Prodziekan Wydziału Ekonomiczno-Pedagogicznego w Opolu, inicjator modelowych szkół ćwiczeń w województwie opolskim (Opolskiej Szkoły Ćwiczeń i Kluczborskiej Szkoły Ćwiczeń w ramach działania Wysoka jakość systemu oświaty, konkurs POWR.02.10.00-IP.02-00-005/18, Ministerstwo Edukacji Narodowej), doradca i trener w szkoleniach z zakresu Postaw innowacyjności, kreatywności i pracy zespołowej w ramach projektu „Efektywne wspomaganie to wyższa jakość edukacji” (konkurs POWR.02.10.00-IP.02-00-007/17, Ministerstwo Edukacji Narodowej). W latach 2016 -2018 opiekun 2 sieci wsparcia dla nauczycieli w ramach projektów Odkrywcy Sekretów Nauki AO, Wzrost kompetencji uczniów i nauczycieli szkół gimnazjalnych i ponadgimnazjalnych na obszarze Aglomeracji Opolskiej” . Opiekun merytoryczny sieci współpracy i samokształcenia dla nauczycieli „Sieć nauczycieli edukacji wczesnoszkolnej” oraz „Sieci nauczycieli promujących kulturę fizyczną i edukację zdrowotną”  w ramach projektu „Odkrywcy Sekretów Nauki – wzrost kompetencji uczniów i nauczycieli szkół podstawowych województwa opolskiego”, w ramach Regionalnego Programu Operacyjnego Województwa Opolskiego na lata 2014-2020, Oś Priorytetowa IX Wysoka jakość edukacji, Działanie 9.1 Rozwój edukacji, Poddziałanie 9.1.1 Wsparcie kształcenia ogólnego, współfinansowanego przez Unię Europejską w ramach Europejskiego Funduszu Społecznego. Koordynator programu nauczania „Poznać i zrozumieć świat” do edukacji wczesnoszkolnej. Projekt finansowany ze środków Unii Europejskiej w ramach Europejskiego Funduszu Społecznego, Program Operacyjny Kapitał Ludzki, działanie 3.3.4. Modernizacja treści i metod kształcenia – projekty konkursowe, Opole 2014, Ministerstwo Edukacji Narodowej. Autor kilku monografii oraz kilkudziesięciu artykułów naukowych w tym m.in. z zakresu problematyki związanej z edukacją i szkolnictwem (m.in. Profilaktyka pedagogiczna, Wydawnictwo IŚ., Opole 2015, Szkolne programy profilaktyczne a edukacja wczesnoszkolna, Wydawnictwo IŚ., Opole 2015, Kompetencje profilaktyczne nauczycieli edukacji wczesnoszkolnej, Wydawnictwo IŚ.,  Opole 2017, Kompetencje profilaktyczne pedagogów w świetle problemów wychowawczych ucznia [w:] I. Koszyk, B. Ogonowski, S. Śliwa (red.) Szkoła wobec wyzwań współczesnej edukacji. Role i zadania pedagoga, psychologa i wychowawcy, Wyd. Impuls, 2018, Mediation in school, [w:] Mediation and Probation and Mediation Service in Slovakia, Czech Republic and other countries, red. Peter Jusko, Peter Papso, G&D publishing, London 2016, Aktywność poznawcza jako jeden z elementów profilaktyki pozytywnej we wczesnej edukacji, „Pedagogika przedszkolna i wczesnoszkolna”, 2(8), 2016, Cechy osobiste i kompetencje zawodowe przyszłych nauczycieli edukacji wczesnoszkolnej, [w:] Edukacja na rozdrożu, część 1, Nauczyciel-uczeń-edukacja, red. W. Duczmal, J. Tej, Ł. Fiebich, Wydawnictwo IŚ., Opole 2016.).

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Published
2025-09-30
How to Cite
Śliwa, S., Kowalski, M., & Nowak, Z. (2025). The 4C skills among early childhood education teachers. Elementary Education in Theory and Practice, 20(3(78), 57-71. https://doi.org/10.35765/eetp.2025.2078.04
Issue
Vol. 20 No. 3(78) (2025): The Concept of 4Cs Competences as a Challenge for Contemporary Education of Young Children
Section
Thematic Articles

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