Threshold Concepts in a Changing Educational Context
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55707/ds-po.v40i3-4.197Keywords:
threshold concepts, liminal state, knowledge transfer, cognitive learning, curriculaAbstract
The paper focuses on the significance of threshold concepts in the educational process, which are essential for understanding advanced ideas and concepts. Understanding these concepts enables students to form deeper and more lasting connections between prior and new knowledge. Threshold concepts emphasize primarily the cognitive aspect of learning, requiring students to pass through a liminal phase of uncertainty, which represents a crucial turning point in their progress. An analysis of primary school curricula (n=17) did not confirm the explicit presence of threshold concepts. The reasons for this include lack of a unified definition, traditional approaches to curriculum design and difficulty of operationalizing these concepts in the learning objectives. The differences in the use of threshold concepts across disciplines are evident – in natural sciences, they represent conceptual shifts in thinking, in social sciences and humanities, they develop analytical skills, and in language subjects, they emphasize the understanding of linguistic structures. To enhance the teaching of threshold concepts, the paper recommends clearly defining and integrating threshold concepts into curricula, as well as training teachers to recognize and teach these concepts and developing educational materials and pedagogical strategies, such as problem-based learning and reflective thinking.
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