THE STATUS OF OPTIONAL DISCIPLINES IN THE SCHOOL BASED CURRICULUM OF UPPER-SECONDARY SCHOOL: A CASE OF ROMANIA

Abstract

The school curriculum includes the learning experiences students are invited to go through in an organized and systemic way. The curriculum has two main parts, the core curriculum and the school based curriculum (SBC) respectively. The latter one concerns the learning experiences, which school provides in addition to the minimum experiences that all students should gain and it can be achieved through optional school disciplines. However, education research has shown that the way these optional disciplines are chosen often expresses the teachers' options rather than those of the students. The main aim of this study was to analyze the subjective perception of upper-secondary school students with regard to the status of optional disciplines within the SBC. The sample consisted of 121 students, who study in 4 upper-secondary schools from Oradea, Bihor County, Romania. The instrument used was a questionnaire, and the implementation period was October-December 2014. The results show that the reasons why students choose a certain optional discipline are related to their need for personal and professional development. The most important subjects students want to study are foreign languages and sports activities, and the favored forms of organization include extracurricular and applied activities. Key words: extracurricular activities, optional disciplines, school-based curriculum.