Social competence (SC) is one of the most important competences required for successful performance of the teaching profession. Strengthening students’ social and emotional competences provides aid and support for lifelong learning and social and emotional implementation of the teaching process. By triangulating the results of a questionnaire, sociometry and interviews with students of teacher study, a significant level of social competence was observed. Students’ sociometric status is not in full accordance with their self-assessment of SC, so more frequent are the allocations of popular students, but one rejected. SC is usually acquired in the family; college is placed in second place, which increases the importance of this issue in terms of intentional education.

The development of social competence is reflected in the individual’s potential for constructive cooperation and behavior in social situations, in the possibility of establishing interpersonal relationships and understanding different viewpoints and in the capability of to tolerance and compassion. The purpose of this research paper is to compare teachers’ opinions on attained social competence of pupils with special needs and other pupils. A questionnaire for teachers was adapted. Pupils with special needs were slightly better at accepting diversity and difference and demonstrated a higher level of politeness than other pupils.

According to EU guidelines, modern education should focus on learning skills. It is anticipated that most of the professions that are known today will disappear in a dozen or so years and new ones will replace them. The labor market will require teamwork skills, creative thinking and problem solving. The formal education system cannot keep up with all these changes and requirements. For several years the movement of activities related to adventure education has been expanding in Poland: organizations operating in this trend are established, cooperate with each other, enter into international structures, and the network of forest kindergartens is expanding. The very concept of “adventure education” is known to a small group of educators and animators for now. Assumptions are associated with scouting - although they should not be equated with it. Adventure education is primarily in the field of non-formal education, but following the example of Slovenia or Great Britain, it is also trying to enter schools in Poland. It is successfully used in sociotherapeutic activities, and is increasingly involved in activities by scout organizations and commercial companies. So what is adventure education? Is it worth investing and why? What are its assumptions? What competences and skills does it teach? This article will attempt to answer these questions in relation to own research carried out as part of the adventure programs implemented in the years 2015.

Development of students’ social competence in an age of online learning

The article is the research report. The aim of the investigation was to address the question how students evaluate the development of their social competence regarding learning online which became inevitable due to the COVID19 pandemic. 350 students from three universities in Opole participated in the research. The diagnostic survey method was applied. In order to collect the research material, an original online survey questionnaire was used. The study participants responded to questions on the basis of a fivepoint scale. The analysis of the results indicates that the highest valued competence for the respondents was the ability of selfmanagement in time (M=3.71) along with the ability of expressing one’s own opinion (M=3.66), whereas the lowest valued competence was maintaining relations (M=2.84) and regularity of learning (M=2.87). It also turned out that women valued the development of their social competence significantly higher than men (M=3.44; M=2.94). Considerably higher results also appeared in extramural students compared to fulltime students (M=3.63; M=3.27). Moreover, early years students rated the innovative approach to problemsolving and systematic learning significantly higher than older students.

Social competence is one of the basic key competencies of educational leaders, where the research aimed at targeted facilitation is absent. Thus, the study aims to verify the changes in the development of social competence and coping self-efficacy of future educational leaders within two courses (one-term course at university vs. one-year course at an educational non-profit institution) (university students of teaching branches: NUMB = 13; AMage = 27.8; SDage = 7.4; 29.4% men vs. participants of the educational institution: NNGO = 14; AMage = 38.6; SDage = 7.8; 21% men). The Coping Self-Efficacy Scale, CSES) assessed the overall level of coping self-efficacy and its four factors, and the Inventory of Social Competence (ISK – K) assessed four social competencies. Results showed a significant increase of low practical significance over time (pretest vs. retest) in the level of social orientation (in ISK – K) and an increase of medium significance in overall self-efficacy and in the ability to use strategies focused on problems and unpleasant emotions and thoughts (in CSES) among university students. After completion of the course, NGO participants increased (with a low practical significance) their SK-K levels of offensiveness and self-control and their CSES self-efficacy and ability to use strategies focused on problems and unpleasant emotions and thoughts. There were no significant differences between overall levels in the two courses. The study offers possible implications of social competence facilitation in the context of educational leader formation at Slovak schools.