Abstract
The aim of this research was to ascertain the competencies of grammar school students who learn geographic features of Europe by applying selected didactical principles. The research included 2nd grade students of 'Laza Kostić' Grammar School in Novi Sad (North Serbia). Selected classes were divided into two groups of students. The experimental group teaching was performed through traditionally lecture based teaching in the classroom with the main usage of principles of intuition and science. The control group learned through group form of teaching with the main usage of principles of interesting and attractiveness and conscious activities of students. A questionnaire containing 15 statements was used while teaching the experimental lessons. This questionnaire (based on the Likert-type 5 point scale) has been drawn up and it included a survey where students evaluated motivation and participation in the process of teaching geography or activities and learning/acquiring certain geographic content using selected didactic principles, forms, methods and tools. There was a test, which consisted of 9 questions of different levels of cognitive domains of learning - knowledge, skills and abilities. In order to determine whether there is a correlation between self-evaluation of the level of motivation, participation and learning, the self-evaluation of the level of motivation, participation and the knowledge test between the experimental and control group, Pearson correlation coefficient was determined. The results show that the level of students' reproductive knowledge remains the same in research-based traditional and modern teaching, but the problem-solving skills and abilities related to selected geographical features improved within experimental group of students.
Highlights
Lessons carried out in Serbian schools are assessed as lectures, where students are seen more as objects rather than subjects of educational work, they are more passive listeners than active agents in the process of their own development, there is a general attitude among the educational public on the need to introduce changes in education
Active teaching is a didactic-methodical model of organising educational work which has been conceived on the natural tendency of children to explore the world around them on their own
The survey consisted of two parts: 1. Self-evaluation of students’ motivation and participation in the process of geography lessons by application of selected didactic principles, forms, means and methods; 2
Summary
Lessons carried out in Serbian schools are assessed as lectures (traditional), where students are seen more as objects rather than subjects of educational work, they are more passive listeners than active agents in the process of their own development, there is a general attitude among the educational public on the need to introduce changes in education. In this sense, there is a strong emphasis on the need to change the passive forms of learning into active forms, where teaching would be tailored to suit each student and to encourage the development of individuals. There are variation in determining their number and there are different classifications, educators agree on the following: the principles are a system that includes education of an individual as a whole, the principles make up a whole, and each of them is applied in different and concrete educational situations (Romelić, 2004; Hamann, 2007; Ivanović, Ivkov, 2007; Yasar, Seremet, 2007; Frumos, 2008; Romelić, Ivanović, 2011; Babić-Kekez, Tasić, 2012)
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