Abstract:

Cognitive schemas are natural predictors of interpersonal behavior, attitudes toward social groups and institutions. Learning outcomes of university students could be influenced by perceived approach of their teachers and also their own schemas of adequate behavior.

The aim of the contribution is to explore a relationship between prosocial schemas, perceived strategies of critical thinking development provided by university and average of learning outcomes among university students. Controlled variables were gender and field of study.

Methods:
Students were to assess their own level of critical thinking development using 35 schemes of critical thinking strategies (cognitive dimensions – 16 macro-abilities cognitive dimensions – 9 micro-skills and 9 affective dimensions) by R. W. Paul (1992) and the Prosocial Tendencies Measure - Revised (PTN-R; Carlo & Randall, 2002 – modified by Babinčák, 2012).
The sample consisted of N = 241 students of the 3rd year of bachelor's degree teaching programmes at the University of Prešov in Prešov, The Slovak Republic. Data were collected in the academic year 2020/2021 in University of Prešov. Correlational coefficient of Kendall and Linear regression were used for data analysis.

Results:
Among prosocial schemas, only compliance significantly correlated with learning outcomes. Linear regression confirmed significant association among compliance (β=-,146, t= -2,298, p<05), microstrategies (β=,272, t=2,804, p<,005) and learning outcomes. Also field of study was significantly associated with the dependent variable. Gender did not significantly contributed to the model.
Another direction of research can be mediation and moderation analyzes in relation to perceived strategies for the development of critical thinking, prosocial schemes and learning outcomes. The results point to the importance of personal training of university students.

Keywords:

Compliance, critical thinking-cognitive and affective strategies, prosocial schemes.