Meta-Components Of Intellectual Autonomy As Higher Education Teaching Quality Indicators

The paper presents findings of an explorative research (non-probable sample, N-147), aiming at considering the level of development of meta-components of learning autonomy, (metacognitive abilities, learning strategies and critical thinking), as indicators of higher education teaching quality, which were involved as components of the European qualification framework. Theoretical grounds of the paper are contemporary didactical concepts of emancipatory learning, implying intellectual autonomy as outcome of didactic approach to learning in teaching, meaning that those who learn “manage themselves”during learning so that they gradually take responsibility for their own learning. Basic fi ding refers to the following: there is a small number of students with developed metacognitive abilities, expected levels of critical thinking and efficient learning strategies, implying poor reaches of higher education teaching in view of meta-components of intellectual autonomy, anticipated as components of European qualification framework. Furthermore, this implies that more attention in teaching is paid to self-organized and self-determined learning, so that the greatest change introduced by realization of learning autonomy and anticipated by European qualification framework is the change of didactic approach to learning in teaching, arising out of contemporary didactic concepts of emancipatory learning, according to which teaching and learning lead in the direction opposite to the one which existed before, meaning that those who learn manage themselves during learning so that they could gradually take responsibility for their own learning.