About

Project name: Determinants of the Future-Oriented Knowledge and Skills of the Bulgarian High School Students’ – Language Literacy, Learning and Goal-Setting Masteries

Project time frame: 01.07.2022 – 31.12.2023

Project funding: UNESCO Participation Programme for 2022-2023

Scope: international in terms of funding; national in terms of activities – research at national level

Project leader: Assoc. Prof. Dr Stoyanka Cherkezova

The aim of the project is to investigate the determinants of educational outcomes of the Bulgarian 15-year-old students in the area of language competencies (Bulgarian language) and the soft skills of learning and goal-setting masteries and, based on this, to look for opportunities to improve education and training policies and practices in Bulgaria in the context of current and expected workforce demands.

Activities:

  • Desk research of the academic literature
  • Modelling of microdata from the 2018 PISA Survey of 15-year-old students for Bulgaria. The study focuses on the impact of determinants at two levels – school level and individual-student level. Models are made separately for girls, boys and students with different social statuses.
  • Publication and dissemination of the research results.

Project practical application: The project contributes to UN SDG 4. It helps improve the quality of education in Bulgaria by enhancing educational policies and teaching practices in secondary schools. The desk research of academic literature and PISA 2018 survey data modelling allows to define the major determinants and measure their associations with essential competencies such as language literacy as well as learning and goal-setting mastery. Recommendations based on the analysis help prioritise efforts in specific areas of education policies, school activities and teacher practices.