Valuational Overhaul of Regulation and Assessing and Maintaining Education Quality in Slovenia

The aim of this article is to present practices for regulating elementary and secondary education from an international perspective. It presents processes needed to introduce a system of external evaluation and takes account of the danger that if not carefully thought out, external evaluation can adhere to procedure to too great an extent, to the detriment of actual improvements in education. An external evaluation model that could be implemented in the Slovenian education system is then proposed. The proposed model stresses schools’ accountability to the public, the dissemination of effective practices, and the delivery of relevant information to those in charge of national school policy. The model upgrades existing mechanisms for assessing and maintaining quality and links them with a legislation proposal to form a coherent whole

Škole i promicanje inovacije

The global economic crisis has demonstrated that Slovenia is lagging behind the more organised and globally competitive states as measured by a number of important indicators, and has exposed its lack of adequate strategies and policies to improve the situation. This paper presents findings on the work of enterprise circles and the current state of Slovenian primary schools in respect of the promotion of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. It examines those factors within schools and the broader local environment that can promote or hinder the development of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship among pupils. The objectives are clarified by research approaches that connect empirical data to those social circumstances that affect how the issue is understood and how stakeholders explain it. The findings indicate a lack of awareness of how important it is to create links between the education system and the labour market. Teachers who have participated in activities to promote the development of creativity and innovation are more critical of their schools, while pupils still find it difficult to express themselves differently within the school system.Globalna ekonomska kriza pokazala je da Slovenija kasni za bolje organiziranim i globalno kompetitivnim državama, što je vidljivo iz mjerenja nekoliko važnih indikatora, a otkriven je i nedostatak odgovarajućih strategija i smjerova s pomoću kojih bi se situacija popravila. U radu su prikazani rezultati rada gospodarstvenih krugova i trenutno stanje osnovnih škola u Sloveniji s obzirom na promidžbu kreativnosti, inovaciju i enterprise. Proučeni su oni čimbenici unutar škola i šire lokalne okoline koji mogu promicati ili sputavati razvoj kreativnosti, inovaciju i poduzetništvo među učenicima. Ciljevi su pojašnjeni u pristupima istraživanju koje povezuju empirijske podatke s onim društvenim okolnostima koje utječu na razumijevanje tog pitanja. Rezultati ukazuju na nedostatak informiranosti o tome koliko je važno stvoriti veze između obrazovnog sustava i tržišta rada. Nastavnici koji su sudjelovali u aktivnostima koje promiču razvoj kreativnosti i inovacije puno su kritičniji prema svojim školama, dok se učenicima u okviru školskog sustava još uvijek teško izjašnjavati na drukčiji način

Pristopi k oblikovanju sodelovanja med ucitelji in starsi

The purpose of this study was to explore the areas of cooperation in which parent and teacher expectations were the same and where they differed. Data were obtained from a sample of 55 randomly selected primary schools. We analyzed school-to home communications, parental influence on school decisions, and parent involvement in different school activities. At the same time, we also explored building cooperation among the teachers, students, and their parents, within the framework of the program ‘Reading and Conversation’. The findings indicated that the third- and ninth- grade lead teachers were mostly in agreement about the importance of parent involvement and as such represented a fairly homogenous group. The third-grade lead teachers were more open about actual involvement of parents in instruction than their ninth-grade colleagues, who were more cautious and restrained. In contrast to the lead teachers who represented a relatively narrow professional group, parents’ views were much more diverse. Parental education was the best predictor of their readiness to become involved in the life and work of their children’s school. Whether the area in which the families lived was urban or suburban did not make any difference. The evaluation of the one-year ‘Reading and Conversation’ programme revealed increases in parents’ motivation to collaborate with the school as a consequence of the program’s approach to work, as well as improvement in mutual relationships and dialogue. (DIPF/Orig.

Evropski jezikovni listovnik (EJL) v slovenskem osnovnem šolstvu: perspektiva učiteljev

The European Language Portfolio (ELP) is a unique, pan-European language learning material, aimed at supporting life-long language learning and the development of learner autonomy and intercultural competences. The article outlines the ELP's origins, structure and functions, and its impact on foreign language learning and teaching in Europe. Of the Slovenian ELP models, the two intended for primary school have been the most widely-implemented. Their implementation was the subject of a three-year study, in the context of a national piloting project involving over 600 learners and 100 teachers, held in 2008 and 2009. Due to the complexity and scope of the study, this article focuses on the perspective of the teachers, as carriers of pedagogical innovation. The results show that the two versions of ELP validated for Slovenian primary schools are judged by the teachers as being quality materials which are well-adapted to the learners. This pilot period yielded a number of positive effects in both teaching and learning, most notably more communicative and learner-centered instruction formats, and an increase in the learners' motivation and self-assessment skills. The main concern was strained lesson planning, due to the fact that the ELP was not integrated into the curriculum. Overall, the study shows that, of the two parallel functions of the ELP, the documenting of language learning and achievement is more readily embraced, while the self-assessment and self-directedness aspects involve a paradigm shift, which would require further sustained and widely-supported implementation. This would enable the full unfolding of the ELP's great potential for the promotion of language and intercultural competences and lifelong learning in Slovenia and in Europe. Evropski jezikovni listovnik (EJL) je edinstveno evropsko gradivo za učenje jezikov, namenjeno podpori vseživljenjskega učenja jezikov in razvijanju avtonomije učenca in njegovih medkulturnih zmožnosti. Članek predstavi razvoj Listovnika, njegovo zgradbo in funkcije ter vpliv na učenje in poučevanje tujih jezikov v Evropi. Od modelov Listovnika, razvitih v Sloveniji, sta bila do sedaj najširše uporabljena dva za osnovno šolo. Njuna vpeljava je bila predmet triletne raziskave v kontekstu pilotiranja na nacionalni ravni, v katerem je v letih 2008 in 2009 sodelovalo več kot 600 učencev in 100 učiteljev. Zaradi obsega in kompleksnosti pridobljenih podatkov se članek osredotoča na perspektivo učiteljev kot nosilcev pedagoške inovacije. Rezultati kažejo, da dva modela EJL, validirana za slovenske osnovne šole, učitelji ocenjujejo kot kvalitetna gradiva, dobro prilagojena potrebam učencev. Njuno pilotiranje je v očeh učiteljev dalo vrsto pozitivnih učinkov, predvsem bolj komunikacijski in na učenca osredinjen pouk ter povečanje motivacije in sposobnosti samoocenjevanja pri učencih. Glavni problem je bil težavno načrtovanje pouka, ker EJL ni vključen v učni načrt. V splošnem rezultati kažejo, da je od dveh vzporednih funkcij EJL lažje sprejeto dokumentiranje procesa in dosežkov učenja jezikov, medtem ko tisti njegovi vidiki, ki se tičejo avtonomije učenja, zahtevajo spremembo miselnosti, za katero je potrebna daljša kontinuirana in podprta vpeljava. Ta bi omogočila polno doseganje velikega potenciala EJL za spodbujanje jezikovnih in medkulturnih zmožnosti ter vseživljenjskega učenja v Sloveniji in v Evropi

Temporal Dynamics in Acquisition Behavior: The Effects of Activity Load on Strategic Momentum

Tallennetaan OA-artikkeli, kun julkaistuMomentum theory suggests that acquisition experience leads to acquisition momentum in the form of a higher likelihood of subsequent acquisitions of the same type. However, this argument has been challenged theoretically and empirically. We reconcile conflicting predictions and findings of prior research and extend momentum theory by incorporating activity load as a novel causal mechanism to both replicate the base finding and explain deviations from it. We find that a high activity load due to increased acquisition activity acts as a counterforce to momentum, decreasing the likelihood of subsequent acquisitions of the same type. Moreover, we also find that the interplay of routines, cognitive frames, and activity load causes companies to alternate between different types of acquisitions - from small to large and from large to small - as management engages in attention modulation to preserve momentum. Taken together, our arguments and findings contribute to an improved understanding of temporal patterns of acquisition behaviour.Peer reviewe

Temporal Dynamics in Acquisition Behavior: The Effects of Activity Load on Strategic Momentum

Momentum theory suggests that acquisition experience leads to acquisition momentum in the form of a higher likelihood of subsequent acquisitions of the same type. However, this argument has been challenged theoretically and empirically. We reconcile conflicting predictions and findings of prior research and extend momentum theory by incorporating activity load as a novel causal mechanism to both replicate the base finding and explain deviations from it. We find that a high activity load due to increased acquisition activity acts as a counterforce to momentum, decreasing the likelihood of subsequent acquisitions of the same type. Moreover, we also find that the interplay of routines, cognitive frames, and activity load causes companies to alternate between different types of acquisitions – from small to large and from large to small – as management engages in attention modulation to preserve momentum. Taken together, our arguments and findings contribute to an improved understanding of temporal patterns of acquisition behaviour