Croatian Primary Schools Research Articles

Interdisciplinary Teaching Scenarios on Sustainable Development in Croatia

This paper reflects on the project for the creation of teaching scenarios for the curricular Interdisciplinary Topic of Sustainable Development, which addressed a wide variety of subjects in Croatian primary and secondary schools. The paper intends to provide insight into potentially replicable approaches for the creation of teaching resources in similar contexts. The paper aims to identify (1) the project’s approaches that stimulated interdisciplinary collaboration during the creation of the teaching scenarios, and (2) the project’s approaches that could facilitate the adoption of the teaching scenarios by a wide variety of subject teachers. The approaches are explored through observation and reflection by the author, who was the key expert and development leader for the teaching scenarios. The interdisciplinary creation is found to be stimulated by creating conditions for authors to explore sustainable development with an awareness of their subject’s important role in it while paying attention to team relationships, processes, and results, including in online collaboration spaces. The teaching scenarios are found to be more likely to support a multidisciplinary type of implementation than an interdisciplinary one due to teaching activities mostly being not integrated enough to enable team teaching. This, however, allows more enthusiastic individual teachers to use the activities autonomously. The scenario adoption may be supported by the efficient simultaneous addressing of subject outcomes and sustainable development outcomes, by the adaptability of teaching activities, and by the connection between scenario topics and real life, including the life of the school community and wider communities.

A Case Study of Biology Teaching Practices in Croatian Primary Schools

Abstract The aim of this case study is to present the most frequent teaching methods used by biology teachers in the Republic of Croatia, based on the observations made during biology class and the teachers’ statements. The study included six distinguished primary school biology teachers, along with their seventh-grade classes. The data comprised an interview with each teacher and twelve class observations. The results show that biology education in the Croatian educational system is mostly traditional, whereby students mostly practice listening to the teacher (34%) and answering the questions (18%). In summary, the majority of teaching consists of teachers presenting the content materials and asking questions or engaging students in specific individual or group activities. The present study has determined a lack of student questions and class discussions. Additionally, the nature of teachers’ questions does not encourage students to think and provide extensive answers. For this reason, the study suggests that teachers encourage students to ask questions and organize teaching activities in ways which will contribute to more class activity and deep learning of students. Despite some acknowledged limitations, the results of this study can contribute to a better understanding of the teachers’ experiences in authentic science classrooms, in specific contexts.

An exploratory study on the readability of authentic English chapter books for Croatian primary school students

The paper explores chapter books, explaining their nature and providing information on their usefulness and possible uses in the context of teaching English as a foreign language. It outlines their properties, layout and subject matter. The goal of the exploratory study was to investigate whether young Croatian pupils could read English chapter books written for native speakers and whether illustrations helped them to comprehend the narrative. Furthermore, it aimed to examine pupils’ response to the format of chapter books. The study about the suitability of chapter books was conducted among pupils in the third, fourth and fifth grade in two Croatian schools, and its results show that young learners of English as a foreign language can grasp the essence of a story and can reflect on what they read, identify points of difficulty and the strategies applied. The findings suggest that carefully chosen chapter books can be valuable authentic materials in aiding language acquisition, fostering discussions, and engaging higher-order thinking skills in young EFL learners in Croatia.

The relationship between the teacher’s approach to teaching and the student’s attitude toward technology in Croatian primary schools

The relationship between the teacher’s approach to teaching and the student’s attitude toward technology in Croatian primary schools

Primary School Teachers’ Personal and Professional Beliefs on Diversity

The paper presents research conducted among Croatian primary school classroom teachers and subject teachers regarding their personal and professional beliefs about diversity. The notion of diversity in the context of education was presented as individual differences between students based on race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender, abilities, sexual orientation and social class. The results indicate that teachers show different levels of openness towards certain aspects of diversity in the domains of both personal and professional beliefs, but that their personal beliefs are statistically more positive than their professional beliefs. Differences in teachers’ beliefs with respect to years of work experience, previous education and professional position were also examined. Statistically significant differences were established only regarding professional position and only in the segment of professional beliefs. The results indicate that there is a need for further research in this area, that is, research that primarily investigates the factors that influence teachers’ professional beliefs.

The impact of teachers’ listening habits on how much listening activity is used in music lessons

AbstractThis paper presents the results of a study conducted to determine the importance of listening to music in relation to other music activities in teaching music in Croatian primary schools, and whether teachers’ listening habits affect how much listening activity is used in music lessons. The results showed that in the teaching of music at the primary level of education, singing is most often performed and that this activity is the most important for the classroom teachers, while listening to music is second in terms of frequency and importance. Listening to music is more important to teachers who often listen to classical music in their leisure time than teachers who listen to this music occasionally, rarely or not at all. This difference in attitudes is also statistically significant.

Macroregional Differences in Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Croatian Primary School Children

Purpose: Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is an important indicator of health. Previous studies have shown that regional affiliation and the socioeconomic development of the area significantly influence the development of CRF. The aim of this research was to identify whether there are any differences in CRF among primary school children based on the macroregion in which they live. Methods: The study in-cluded 651 fourth-grade students from primary schools in the Republic of Croatia, aged 10.30±0.47 years. The sample of children was divided into three macro-regions of the Republic of Croatia (Continental, City of Zagreb, Adriatic). The CRF was assessed using the 20-meter shuttle run test. Results: The results indicate that children living in the region encompassing the city of Zagreb have significantly better results (45.77) in terms of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), which is used to assess CRF, compared to students coming from the Continental region (44.31). Students from the Adriatic macro-region have significantly better results (45.34) compared to those from the Conti-nental macro-region. There was no statistically significant difference observed between students from the city of Zagreb and the Adriatic macro-region. Conclusions: There is a great need to introduce physical exercise programs that affect the development of cardiorespiratory capacity in the Continental part of the Republic of Croatia, where it has been observed that students have a significantly lower level of cardiorespiratory fitness. There is a need to continue research that evaluates aerobic capacity in children and young people, and it should be based on direct measurements of aerobic capacity, by means of which more relevant data would be obtained, primarily on the values of maximum oxygen intake. Keywords: exercise physiology; physical fitness; relative age effects; students; young people.

Teaching Assistants' professional support for Students with disabilities and their role in inclusive Education

eaching assistants and professional communication mediators are a relatively new form of professional support for students with special educational needs (SEN) in the Croatian school system. In the context of Croatian primary and secondary schools, they represent valuable support for students with learning difficulties and disabilities as a subgroup of SEN students. Ministry of science and education, with numerous documents and projects, ensures opportunities for inclusive education. Providing this kind of support with teaching assistants and professional communication mediators is one way of good adaptation to the student's individual needs. With this, students can take their chances for participation in the educational process on an equal basis with other students and without discrimination based on disability. Current publications in the field of assistants and teacher collaboration reveal some aspects of inclusive education challenges and suggestions for improvement. This paper considers the involvement of teaching assistants in Varaždin County and the city of Varaždin, their and teachers' perception of assistants' role in supporting students with disabilities. The sample of this research comprises 160 participants.

TOWARDS THE DIFFERENT: A CASE STUDY OF A SYRIAN ASYLUM SEEKER IN CROATIAN SCHOOL CONTEXT

Migrations and migrants have been in the focus of interest and activities of many governments, organizations, and institutions, both worldwide and in Croatia. According to international policies, children who seek or are under international protection have the right to education. To access the education system of the Republic of Croatia more easily, they are given the opportunity to attend Croatian language preparatory or remedial classes. The research aim was to determine the needs and challenges posed by the inclusion of a Syrian asylum seeker in a Croatian primary school. The qualitative approach was applied. The case study presents a ten-year-old Syrian girl, attending a primary school in Zagreb. The data were gathered with the use of semi-structured interviews with the girl's sister, teachers in the primary school, and her classmates. In order to gain a deeper insight into the girl's functioning in the school context, notes made by teachers during observation of the girl’s performance in the course of the educational process were gathered and analysed. Guidelines and recommendations were developed that could have a positive impact on quality inclusion of children refugees and asylum seekers in the Croatian education system. Keywords: children asylum seekers, educational process, qualitative research

Editors’ Introduction

Editors’ Introduction

Interests of Croatian primary school pupils about elective Technology Teaching and school activities

Allowing pupils to choose the content of their learning is an important step towards individualized development. Despite the need proclaimed by society for the development of competences in STEM area, educational cycles in this field are the least represented in the Croatian general education curriculum. This research was conducted in order to gain insight into pupils’ interests in the contents of technical culture and for school activities. The research was conducted on a stratified sample of primary school pupils in Croatia (N = 2155) aged 11 to 15 years. The analysis of the research results showed that the activities from ICT, robotics, programming and woodworking are the most attractive. When it comes to school activities, pupils most prefer sports activities, computer activities, experiments in science subjects and then technical activities. This result suggests that the school curricula needs to be redesigned so that pupils can develop according to their interests.

Digital technology use and negative online experiences as predictors of life satisfaction in Croatian primary school children

Digital technology use and negative online experiences as predictors of life satisfaction in Croatian primary school children

Using Kolb's Learning Model in Structured Types of Professional Education and Training for Teachers

The use of Kolb's model enhances the effects of professional development because the model allows the exchange of concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation and active experimentation, and provides the connection between theory and practice. The empirical part of this paper analyses the results of a survey conducted among teachers from Croatian primary schools regarding the presence of the four stages of Kolb’s learning model in structured types of professional education and training. The survey shows teachers’ dissatisfaction regarding the presence of activities such as reflection on teaching, linking theory to practice and stimulating research activities in teaching practice.

Teacher Positioning and Students with Dyslexia: Voices of Croatian EFL teachers

How students with dyslexia are positioned by their language teachers and what roles teachers assume when working with this group of students have rarely been investigated. In this study, using positioning theory as a theoretical framework and collecting data by means of an in-depth semi-structured interview and lesson observations, which were subsequently coded, we enquired about the positioning of 10 in-service Croatian primary and secondary school teachers. We wanted to know how teacher participants positioned students with dyslexia and how they positioned themselves towards this group of students. The analysis revealed that participants expressed positive attitudes, whereas their positioning was diverse. Participants positioned themselves as caring teachers and teachers of all learners. By recognising various learner needs, they created an inclusive learning environment by adapting teaching approaches and providing accommodations. However, this caring resulted in emotion labour, with both emotional costs and rewards. These results imply that teaching students with dyslexia may be challenging, and we hope that discussing teacher positioning in this context can help educators better understand teacher agency when working with students with SpLDs.

The Effect of Block Class Scheduling on the Achievements of Primary School Students in Nature and Biology Classes

The objective of this study was to investigate whether the class scheduling of Nature and Biology classes in blocks results in better learning success for primary school students, and whether this depends on the average student success rate (i.e., student performance categories), age, or prior knowledge. For this study, we have assumed that block scheduling results in better success rates for older lower-performing primary-school students. The research included 773 fifth- to eighth-grade students from 14 Croatian primary schools. The students fell into two groups: one group attending 45-min Nature and Biology lessons twice a week (single-scheduled classes), and another group attending a 90-min lesson once a week (block-scheduled class). To assess the level of student learning success, all students underwent both an initial and final written exam in Nature and/or Biology, specific to each grade. The rmANOVA proved that there was a significant interaction among class scheduling, performance categories, and the initial and final written exam scores of fifth- and seventh-grade students. Such a correlation was not found among the sixth- and eighth-grade students. Our findings further indicate that students achieve better results in block-scheduled classes at the end of primary school education, and that block class scheduling does not necessarily result in improved student achievement, particularly in lower-performing students.

An analysis of pragmatic content in EFL textbooks for young learners in Croatia

Pragmatic competence is an essential element of communicative competence, which makes it relevant for speakers of all ages, including young language learners (YLLs). Despite the recognized importance of pragmatics, research of textbooks for adult second language (L2) learners to date has found them lacking in their approach to this key aspect of language. However, there is very little research of pragmatics in textbooks for YLLs, which would provide insight into the extent to which these materials can support teachers in including elements of pragmatic competence into their language classes. The present study aims to fill this gap by determining how much pragmatic content is included in 18 textbooks used in Croatian primary schools with learners aged 9–12 years. The textbooks are compared in regard to the percentage of pages with pragmatic content as well as the different speech acts that receive explicit attention in them. The main finding of the study is the great amount of inconsistency when it comes to the scope and treatment of pragmatic content, with some textbooks proving extremely lacking. The results present a concerning picture as all of the students using these diverse textbooks should be following the same curriculum which emphasizes the development of communicative competence.

PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ OPINIONS TOWARDS MUSICALLY GIFTED STUDENTS

Primary school teachers have an important role in the early identification and further development of a child's musical giftedness. The research was aimed to examine the opinions of primary school classroom teachers (N = 1130) employed in Croatian primary schools regarding conceptualization of musical giftedness and its impact on identification of musically gifted students. Furthermore, their opinions about the support of parents, professional team and collective as well as competencies for recognizing and further development of the child’s musical giftedness were investigated. Although most respondents assess their competencies in identifying musical giftedness, most of the surveyed teachers, especially younger ones, are willing to be additionally trained in this area. They stated that the existing curriculum should be expanded and enriched and stressed the need for more support from the expert assistants (psychologists and pedagogues). In addition to the teachers' age, their title (teacher, teacher mentor and teacher advisor) also proved to be a significant factor in the identification and development of a child's musical giftedness. Findings of research have implications for theory and practice of primary school teacher’s music education and education for work with gifted children both during their higher education and lifelong learning. Keywords: musical giftedness, musically gifted students, primary school teachers, Republic of Croatia

Listening to music as a teaching area in Croatian primary schools: the teacher's perspective

ABSTRACT Since the school year 2006/2007 in Croatian primary schools the music teaching programme has been an open model. According to the open model, listening to music is the default activity, while other activities are selected by the teachers. The teaching area of listening to music in pupils develops the ability of auditory concentration, hearing specifications, analysis of the listened work and establishes basic aesthetic criteria for evaluating music. This paper presents research findings aimed at examining what are teachers’ attitudes about listening to music as an area of music teaching. The results show that listening to music is very often carried out in music teaching and that the teachers’ competences for conducting these activities are very good. Teachers are aware of the importance of listening to music as a teaching area, although in their view it is the least attractive to the target group, which are the pupils. This is due to pupils’ disinterest in listening to music. Because teachers are not provided with sufficient content in the field of music as part of professional development and lifelong learning, teachers are unable to enhance their competencies further and extend their methodological knowledge in the field of music listening.

Music Teaching in Croatian Primary Schools

Music Teaching in Croatian Primary Schools

Teachers’ Views on the Use of Photography in Teaching Arts in Croatian Primary Schools

Contemporary art education relies on the use of diverse methods, approaches, art techniques, and technologies. Although photography is part of daily visual communication and gallery exhibitions, there is no structured approach to photography as a medium for learning the arts in Croatian primary schools. The objectives of the quantitative study were to determine art teachers’ views on (1) their knowledge about photography, (2) their abilities in using photography in art teaching, (3) obstacles to using photography in art teaching, and (4) the importance of photography in students’ visual culture. Regarding the fourth objective, we wanted to examine possible differences in terms of the teachers’ gender, age, and length of service. A survey was conducted with 112 teachers who teach arts in 5th to 8th grades in 17 Croatian counties. The results of the descriptive statistics were supplemented with a qualitative analysis of the teachers’ responses in the questionnaire. The results show that the teachers perceive their knowledge about photography obtained by formal education as average, but they assess their abilities to apply photography in their lessons as slightly better. The main problem, in their view, is a low number of art lessons in the Croatian curriculum. The teachers generally agree that photography is very important in a student’s visual culture, regardless of the teachers’ gender, age. and years of service. These findings indicate the need to place greater emphasis on photography as an artistic medium in primary school, as it may generate new visual knowledge and artistic skills.