engleski

Contemporary Educational Problems and Major Challenges as a Part of Curriculum Changes in Croatia: A Multiple Perspectives Insight

The changes in curriculum at pre-tertiary education level in Croatia took place under the influence of modern pedagogical and didactic paradigms in one hand, and under the influence of the new socio-cultural values on the other hand. The changes made impact on all factors of education. The aim of this paper is to consider different perspectives of the problem of educational and curriculum changes at pre- tertiary level - teachers, students, parents, founders of preschool institutions and schools, and educational policy makers' representatives, and to explain the problems and consider solutions and steps for more successful and better implementation of educational and curriculum changes. By applying the interview method on a randomly selected research sample - 410 teachers and educators, 400 parents and 450 pupils of primary and secondary schools in Zadar and Zagreb Counties, as well as 22 expert associates and 6 representatives of the founders of pre-schools and schools in different parts of Croatia, the objective of the research was to detect and explain the meaning of this problem. The results were analysed through qualitative and quantitative analysis, and narrative statements were classified by the coding method in the following fields: culture of school (relationships at school), school management, professional support services, education policy, legislative framework, educational contents, methods of teaching and learning, pedagogical standards, financial problems, curriculum, information and communication technology, textbooks, children's rights, inclusive education, evaluation and assessment, teachers' competences, discipline, parental / guardians' support and responsibility, teachers' authority, school autonomy. The paper describes, interprets and explains the similarities and differences of five educational factors' viewpoints related to upbringing, education and schools with a broader and deeper consideration of teachers' perspective, which is, according to their statements primarily focused on the problems of pupils' learning motivation, children's rights, inclusive education, and discipline and education policies.

reform changes in Croatia’s education system ; curricular changes in Croatia ; teachers’ educational perspectives ; socio-cultural and educational values ; pertinent issues facing teachers and professional associates

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