Higher Education Institutions In Croatia Research Articles

Quality of instructor, fear of COVID-19, and students’ anxiety as predictors of student satisfaction and academic effort in online classes

The online form of education has been intensively used worldwide for many years and gains additional importance in emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and wars, when it becomes the dominant form of class delivery. Besides the recent pandemic, the world is now facing wars and the threat of their spread, making the research on the impact of fear and anxiety on human behavior relevant. The student population already faces increased depression and anxiety, which affect their behavior; therefore, it is crucial to investigate their impact on academic behavior in an online context during disruptions to the educational process. Consequently, this research focuses on analyzing student satisfaction and their academic effort and performance with online education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The empirical part of the study involves investigating the impact of instructor quality, fear of COVID and students’ anxiety on student satisfaction with online classes and students’ effort and performance at the higher education institutions in Croatia during the COVID-19 pandemic. A quantitative study was conducted on a sample of 359 respondents, students from two universities in Croatia. Results showed that the quality of instructor has a positive effect on student satisfaction and that student satisfaction positively affected students’ academic effort. Results also suggested that emotional reaction in fear of COVID-19 affected anxiety reported by students, but emotional fear reactions to COVID-19, and anxiety alike, did not affect academic effort of students, nor their satisfaction with online classes.

Levels of depression, anxiety and subjective happiness among health sciences students in Croatia: a multi-centric cross-sectional study

BackgroundPrevious studies have shown that symptoms of depression and anxiety were highly prevalent among health sciences students. This may lead to other professional and personal difficulties and a decrease in individuals’ well-being. This study aimed to analyze levels of depression, anxiety and subjective happiness among health sciences students in Croatia.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study in 10 higher education institutions in Croatia during March 2023. Eligible participants were health sciences students. Participants filled out an online survey consisting of sociodemographic questions and validated scales for determining the levels of depression (9-question Patient Health Questionnaire, PHQ-9), anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale, GAD-7), and happiness (Subjective Happiness Scale, SHS).ResultsOf 7460 invited students, 2137 students participated in the study (29% response rate). There were 41.4% of students that exhibited at least mild depressive symptoms, with 8% of students exhibiting moderately severe symptoms and 1.8% severe depressive symptoms. Mild anxiety was found in 36.8%, moderate anxiety in 23.9% and severe anxiety in 15.8% of students. The median SHS score was 19 (15.25–22).Women students had significantly higher levels of depression (p < 0.001) and anxiety (p < 0.001) than their men peers. Students in earlier study years showed higher levels of depression, anxiety and lower levels of subjective happiness compared to those in later study years. Students with lower self-assessed financial status had higher levels of depression (p < 0.001) and anxiety (p < 0.001). Students that failed an academic year had higher levels of depression (p < 0.001), but lower levels of anxiety (p = 0.005).ConclusionIn this study, we have shown that health sciences students exhibit high levels of depression and anxiety, at rates exceeding those in the general population reported in other studies. Our results may help educational institutions to put greater effort into the battle against mental health stigma, foster acceptance of mental health issues and encourage students to seek help when needed. Adequate mental health services are needed at universities to promote timely diagnosis and treatment of mental health problems.

Familiarizing conservation-restoration students with risk assessment and risk management using outdoor sculptures as case studies

Aim. The paper describes a problem-based learning assignment through which conservation-restoration students become acquainted with the assessment and management of risks to cultural heritage. The assignment includes identification of threats, writing incident scenarios, proposing mitigation measures and identifying persons/institutions that can implement them. All risks are considered in the assignment, not just those related to disasters. Approach/methodology. In the Introduction section, the concept of risk assessment and the context of the assignment are explained. A short description of objects selected as case studies is provided (three sculptures from the Sisak Steelworks Sculpture Park), as well as basic information about the students who worked on the assignment. Next, all the steps of the assignment are described. The final results are only broadly indicated. Findings. Seventy-eight different incident scenarios were identified for outdoor sculptures. To help the reader understand the idea behind the assignment, mitigation measures for three incident scenarios are presented, and potential stakeholders listed. Practical implications. Although the assignment used outdoor sculptures as case studies, it can be applied to any object or collection. The assignment does not have to be included in a preventive conservation course, nor does it have to be directed only to (conservation-restoration) students: it can be used by museum and heritage professionals as a first step in risk assessment for collections. Originality/value. The topic presented in this paper is not well represented in Croatian professional literature. The assignment may be considered innovative in the context of the methodology of teaching conservation-restoration at higher education institutions in Croatia.

Lifelong education programmes for the acquisition of pedagogical competencies in the republic of croatia – an analysis workload in compulsory subjects

Quality of teaching process requires from the teacher completion of a certain master study program and good content knowledge as well as the acquisition of pedagogical competencies. Most often, teacher education programs are offered at universities, but in the Republic of Croatia there are also programs that provide pedagogical-psychological-didactic-methodological education to all of those who did not acquire pedagogical competencies during their university education. Unlike most of the other European countries, the method of acquiring pedagogical competencies in the Republic of Croatia is regulated by law, which explicitly states mandatory areas and the total workload for those who want to acquire pedagogical competencies as a necessary condition for working in the educational system. The aim of this paper is a comparative analysis of the structure and content of programmes for the acquisition of pedagogical competencies of teachers in primary and secondary schools that are performed at higher education institutions in Croatia as additional programmes in lifelong learning The aim of this paper is also to identify similarities and differences between programmes with regard to the workload of students expressed in ECTS credits in the compulsory part of the programme, and to determine whether there is a need for harmonization of these programs at a national level. The results showed differences between analysed programmes with regard to ECTS credits and raised the idea that training in acquiring pedagogical competencies should be uniformed.

Students’ Perceptions of Public vs. Private Higher Education Institution Brand Value in Croatia

Due to the transition process in Croatia that started about three decades ago, higher education institutions (HEIs) are forced to intensively involve themselves in market competition and become market and entrepreneurial oriented in order to keep up with new trends in higher education. The branding process in HEIs has become one of the major activities in creating value and gaining market position in many countries, including Croatia. The aim of this study is to provide a deeper insight into and understanding of differences in brand market value perceptions of students of public and private HEIs in Croatia. Altogether, 443 students (242 from a public HEI and 201 from a private HEI) responded to a questionnaire based on Aaker’s model of brand equity, from which a t-test and a correlation analysis showed that the public HEI was significantly better only in the dimension of other proprietary brand assets, while in the private HEI all other dimensions of brand market value were evaluated better. However, brand market value itself was significantly higher in the public sector HEI, mainly due to the perception of “value for money” and functional benefits, i.e., employability. The study identified several factors that need to be taken into account when branding private and public HEIs in Croatia.

MANAGEMENT OF CROATIAN PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS BASED ON PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT

To responsibly manage higher education institutions' business, public managers need to dispose of budget funds rationally. Responsible management needs to have quality and timely information based on measuring and monitoring performance. This paper has two main aims. The first aim is to analyze the importance of measuring higher education performance in general and provide an overview of higher education performance indicators in selected countries. Through literature review, we analyzed performance measurement in higher education of Australia, Canada, the UK, the Netherlands, Finland, Romania, and Poland. Through a review of the literature, it is concluded that performance measurement exists in higher education and is used for management purposes in the observed countries. The second aim is to investigate whether the management of the public higher education institutions in Croatia is based on performance measurement results. To meet this goal, an empirical study was conducted. Research conducted in the Croatian public higher education has also shown a certain level of awareness of the need to measure performance and use measurement results in management processes.

Digital competences of teachers and associates at higher educational institutions in the Republic of Croatia

One of the basic competences for lifelong learning is the development of digital competence, and especially at higher education institutions. There are long-term goals in economic and social progress in form of initiatives related to the ensuring the multiple information education. Due to the fact that there is not sufficient research aimed at assessing the initial state of information literacy within higher education institutions in Croatia, the goal of the present research is to determine the level of knowledge, more precisely the digital competence of teachers and educators in higher education institutions in the Republic of Croatia, the frequency of their usage of modern technologies in teaching, and to explain the necessity of implementing the multimedia and e-learning traning programmes at different faculties. The research was conducted on a representative sample (N = 1800) of teachers and associates at higher education institutions in the Republic of Croatia working in different departments in Osijek, Split and Zagreb. An online questionnaire was used to examine the level of their digital competence, and the frequency and the method of using modern technologies in teaching. The results of the research show that teachers and associates working at technical faculties are more competent in conducting their research scientific work and use the modern technologies significantly more than teachers and associates working in the area of social sciences and humanities. The results show that more than 70% of teachers and associates are assessing themselves as being digitally competent in the use of computers and new technologies, and over 60% of them regularly use media in their teaching practice.

Karijerni centri: podrška studentima u upravljanju karijerom

Osnivanje karijernih centara u javnim visokoobrazovnim ustanovama u Hrvatskoj u značajnom je porastu u proteklih nekoliko godina. Poticaj toj praksi bila je Strategija cjeloživotnoga profesionalnog usmjeravanja (CPU) i razvoja karijere 2016. – 2020., koju je donijela Vlada Republike Hrvatske, kao i razni oblici neformalnog stručnog usavršavanja za karijerne savjetnike, koji su potom uslijedili u organizaciji Agencije za znanost i visoko obrazovanje ili postali dostupni putem Euroguidance mreže (europska mreža nacionalnih centara za podršku profesionalnom usmjeravanju) čiji je član nacionalni Euroguidance centar koji djeluje u okviru hrvatske Agencije za mobilnost i programe Europske unije. Među stručnjacima za pitanja karijere prevladava stajalište da je karijeru potrebno kontinuirano usmjeravati te po potrebi preusmjeravati i nanovo oblikovati. Za upravljanje karijerom potrebne su vještine koje treba stjecati tijekom školovanja, kako bi se nakon završetka školovanja lakše i brže pronalazilo radno mjesto. Međutim, suvremeno dinamično tržište rada, gotovo da više ne poznaje radno mjesto za cijeli život, zbog čega nam je potrebno cjeloživotno profesionalno stručno usavršavanje, a time i kontinuirana podrška i usmjeravanje, koje u sustavu visokog obrazovanju trebaju osigurati karijerni centri. Iz tog razloga potrebno je ojačati postojeće karijerne centre i formirati ih gdje nedostaju, pri čemu je potrebno osigurati stalna radna mjesta jer visoka učilišta ne mogu dugoročno planirati uspostavljanje i razvoj karijernih centara oslanjajući se na volontere i zaposlenike privremeno ili djelomično zaposlenih na projektima.

The use of the European Standards and Guidelines by national accreditation agencies and local review panels

ABSTRACTIn this explorative study, the translation perspective from organisational studies is taken to analyse how national accreditation agencies interpret the so-called European Standards and Guidelines (ESG) and adjust these to the domestic context. Additionally, the study investigates how review panels make use of the ESG vocabulary in their review reports. The empirical materials stem from a variety of 17 higher education institutions in Croatia, Estonia, Finland and Portugal. The findings illustrate the translation processes (copying and modification) taking place and reveal that particularly national quality assurance frameworks often deviate from the ESG. Review panels stay fairly close to the domestic frameworks.

Digital competences of teachers and associates at higher educational instiutions in the Republic of Croatia

One of the basic competences for lifelong learning is the development of digital competence, and especially at higher education institutions. There are long-term goals in economic and social progress in form of initiatives related to the ensuring the multiple information education. Due to the fact that there is not sufficient research aimed at assessing the initial state of information literacy within higher education institutions in Croatia, the goal of the present research is to determine the level of knowledge, more precisely the digital competence of teachers and educators in higher education institutions in the Republic of Croatia, the frequency of their usage of modern technologies in teaching, and to explain the necessity of implementing the multimedia and e-learning training programmes at different faculties. The research was conducted on a representative sample (N = 1800) of teachers and associates at higher education institutions in the Republic of Croatia working in different departments in Osijek, Split and Zagreb. An online questionnaire was used to examine the level of their digital competence, and the frequency and the method of using modern technologies in teaching. The results of the research show that teachers and associates working at technical faculties are more competent in conducting their research scientific work and use the modern technologies significantly more than teachers and associates working in the area of social sciences and humanities. The results show that more than 70% of teachers and associates are assessing themselves as being digitally competent in the use of computers and new technologies, and over 60% of them regularly use media in their teaching practice

The consistency and complexity of accounting terminology in Croatian higher education system

Usually the most important role of language is to facilitate communication, which often proves challenging if the used terminology is inconsistent, complex or not understandable. These issues may especially affect specific language that is characteristic for a certain profession, particularly when the members of the profession communicate the message to the outsiders. Literature review suggests that the accounting terminology may sometimes be perceived as complex or incomprehensible, due to multiple changes and variations of accounting terms. Since there is a lack of research in the field of higher education, a research was conducted with the aim of analyzing accounting terminology used in the higher education institutions in Croatia. Both secondary and primary data were used in the analysis. The secondary data included accounting courses curricula of a sample of higher education institutions in Croatia, which were analyzed in order to explore the consistency of accounting terminology. In addition, the research was supplemented by collecting primary data using questionnaire on the attitudes of students about the complexity of accounting terminology. The analysis of accounting terms used in accounting courses curricula led to a conclusion that the analyzed courses, in most cases, are not harmonized regarding the terminology used. However, these results were expected from the previous research, that showed that the same applies for the Croatian regulatory accounting framework, which is why it was concluded that using different synonyms for the same accounting concepts may be beneficial for students. As for the students’ attitudes towards accounting terminology, the students who participated in the research mostly agree that the accounting courses often use different synonyms for the same concept. Although they perceive this as confusing, they are also aware that using multiple synonyms during courses for the same accounting concepts is useful because it serves as a preparation for practice. On the other hand, they mostly disagree with the statement that the accounting terminology is too complex and incomprehensible, which has proved to be influenced by the students’ characteristics, such as the type of study program enrolled, year of study, number of accounting courses attended, secondary school type and working experience. This research complements previous research conducted in Croatia in other areas where the accounting terminology is present, such as the legislation or in practice among business professionals, which is its main scientific contribution As for the practical implications, results of the research may serve as an indicator to educators and legislators in their future actions, since the potential problem of inconsistency and complexity of accounting terminology in courses' curricula are a direct consequence of inconsistency and complexity of terminology in accounting legislative.

Open access culture and acceptance of open educational resources in Croatian public universities

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the open access culture and its impact on the use of Open Educational Resources (OER). There are many examples of using the term “open access culture”, but without giving an explicit description of it. The aim of this research is to offer conceptualization of the open access culture, identify its main components, and determine the impact of this variable on the intention to use and the actual use of Open Educational Resources by the members of public higher education institutions in Croatia. The sample consisted of 427 respondents. Keeping in mind that culture has a significant impact on the behaviour of an individual, but it also manifests itself through this behaviour, the research model will be proposed. The variable “open access culture” will be observed on a personal, professional and organizational level and it will include attitudes, perception, norms and politics towards open access to scientific and educational content and knowledge sharing. For the purpose of this study a questionnaire was prepared. Each part of the variable “open access culture”, as well as the intention to use and the actual use of OER, has been tested using a set of statements with answers on a 5-degree Likert type scale. The respondents have expressed a moderate open access culture. The actual use of OER, as well as the intention to use OER, is also in the middle of measurement scale. In order to achieve the aim of this research, three main hypotheses have been proposed. The results of multiple regression analysis show that the proposed model with predictor variable “open access culture” has a significant prognostic value on the intention to use and the actual use of OER, with a stronger influence on the intention to use OER. Considering the individual influence of the components of the predictor variable, the open access culture at professional level has the strongest influence on the intention to use and the actual use of OER.

An extended framework for analysing higher education performance

The purpose of this study is to follow the call by Duque [(2014). A framework for analyzing higher education performance: Students’ satisfaction, perceived learning outcomes, and dropout intention. Total Quality Management and Business Excellence, 25(1–2), 1–21] to further develop her framework for analysing higher education performance which integrates service marketing approaches with the theories of student involvement and retention. More specifically, the framework examines relationships between students’ perceptions and their satisfaction, outcomes, and behavioural intentions. The data for this study were collected from 1454 students from 93 higher education institutions in Croatia. Hypothesised relationships were empirically tested using variance-based structural equation modelling. The results of this study make an important contribution to previous research by extending previous frameworks for analysing higher education performance. Moreover, the results provide interesting insight into the relationship between student satisfaction, outcomes, and behavioural intentions, which are relevant to both higher education researchers and managers.

Odrednice i pokazatelji uspješnosti visokih učilišta u Hrvatskoj

The aim of this study was to uncover the key determinants and indicators that have the potential to demonstrate the success level of higher education institutions (HEIs). Although some criteria and mechanisms for internal and external evaluation of HEIs are widely accepted, it is still necessary to adapt them and develop mechanisms for a more detailed institution-level performance assessment. This survey-based research empirically validated a model of key determinants and performance indicators of HEIs as perceived by teachers and teaching assistants from four major universities in Croatia (N = 619). In line with the current practice in Croatia, Strategy and quality planning, Organization and improvement of educational processes, Collaboration and scientific research, and Financial and other resources were extracted as key determinants. As expected with regards to performance indicators, the respondents deem enrolment and graduation rates of bachelor, master and doctorate studies as the most important indicators but also emphasize the importance of process-related indicators such as accreditation, standardization and cooperation. All HEIs in Croatia can evaluate this set of determinants and indicators according to their own context and use it to design and develop a comprehensive model for monitoring and tracking their performance and reporting to various stakeholders, and ultimately to implement an institution-wide performance management system.

Analysis of On-line Survey about Need for Presence of Higher Education Institutions on Social Networks: a Step Towards Creation of Communication Strategy

The use of social networks among higher education institutions in Croatia is not widespread. An anonymous on-line survey about the importance of institutional presence on social networks was conducted during a ten-day period in May 2011 and included a questionnaire which was distributed to students and employees of two Zagreb based institutions. The results of the survey are interpreted and presented in this paper. These results can be used as a general guideline toward the creation of communication strategy for the presence of higher education institutions on web based social networks.

Regional Role of Higher Education Institutions in Croatia

Development of knowledge based society carries multiple challenges to the higher education system. Some of the challenges laid before the higher education sector of countries which aspire to become knowledge based societies are: the entrepreneurial leadership of the higher education institutions, finding new sources of financing in order to minimize dependence on public resources, creating connections with the labor market, commercial utilization of R&D results, promotion of innovations as well as the overall promotion of science excellence relevant to the economic sector. Within a framework of this paper and its main subject of research, the challenge which is being put before the higher education institutions is an effort of establishing regional mission of higher education through the open collaboration with regional key factors, both private and public. Development of the mentioned collaboration and its contribution to the overall regional development in Croatia is the main subject of empirical research in this paper