Latent Structure of the Curriculum for Primary Teacher Education in Serbia

This paper attempts to determine the latent structure of the curriculum for primary school teacher education in the first cycle of studies at Serbian teacher training and education faculties. By applying the factor analysis into the first level of teacher education, four latent dimensions could be identified that could be nominated as General Education, Basic Education, Methodological Education, Specific Education, and one bipolar factor. The results indicate that learning outcomes and competences in certain fields of instruction should be re-examined and re-directed in line with the experience of the EU countries in order to harmonize and modernize the curriculum for primary teacher education in Serbia

The effects of cultural capital on academic achievement: A secondary analysis of a PISA study

This paper presents the results of a secondary analysis of empirical data obtained as part of a Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study conducted in 2009. The study focused on measuring cultural capital and determining its relationship with the educational achievement of high school students. Cultural capital was measured in all three of its forms - institutionalized (parents' educational background), objectified (possession of material goods for cultural consumption, such as books and works of art), and embodied (students' reading habits), while academic achievement was viewed through reading competencies and grades achieved in the subject of Serbian language. The results of the study, conducted on a representative sample of 4,843 Serbian high school students, confirmed the hypothesis that cultural capital is a predictor of academic achievement, and that an increase in cultural capital correlates with an increase in academic achievement. Furthermore, cultural capital and academic achievement are correlated with students' socioeconomic status (SES), with students with a higher socio-economic status having more cultural capital, higher grades in Serbian and higher reading competencies than their peers with lower SES. A comparison of the effect of cultural capital on the educational attainment of the two groups of students based on the SES criterion suggests that cultural capital has a stronger impact on the educational attainment of students with higher SES than those with lower SES

Future Primary and Preschool Teachers between a Tendency to Adjust and a Tendency to Innovate

Teachers at all levels of education must have an entrepreneurial mindset, be open to innovations and new ideas and skills to support the innovation and creativity of students, but also to work in the framework of the set standards. The goal of the research presented in this paper was to determine and analyse the structure of the grouping of future primary and preschool teachers into categories of adaptors, innovators and the so-called bridgers according to the KIA model, as well as to examine the factors of representation of the innovativeness/adaptability dimension. The sample comprised 204 students – future primary and preschool teachers. According to the results, almost a half of the respondents fall into the category of bridgers, namely persons who possess the characteristics of both innovative and adaptive cognitive styles. It was also established that students with higher academic achievement achieve better results, leaning towards adaptability. Similarly, senior year students ranked slightly higher in terms of the increased adaptability i.e. the lower the level of innovativeness. Our conclusion is that most respondents are consistent in performing their tasks; they are systematic, conscientious, responsible and committed to respecting social norms, rules and principles. On the other hand, future primary and preschool teachers should be encouraged to go beyond the set frameworks and support the change when the circumstances so require