It is a well-known fact that the quality of the education system depends greatly on the quality of the teacher (Buchanan, 2012
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, distance education became the only official form of instruction in all schools in Croatia for a period commencing 16 March 2020. This situation changed the expectations, roles and responsibilities of parents with regard to the teaching and learning process of their children. Understanding parents’ experiences during school closure is important for the development of recommendations for similar situations. This paper presents part of the results of an online survey investigating the opinions of 1,205 parents of primary school children on various aspects of distance education. The responses were analysed by researchers using the thematic analysis approach. The initial answers of parents regarding the positive and negative aspects of education during the lockdown were grouped into categories. The results indicate that distance education positively contributed to the development of children’s self-regulated learning and to providing greater parental support in learning, as well as empowering children in using ICT. Parents emphasise positive changes in the quality of family relationships, which are partly the consequence of joint learning with their children and partly due to changes in the way of life during the lockdown. Negative aspects can be divided into two general categories, the first of which is linked to children (e.g., lack of support from school, lack of children’s interest in learning), while the second refers to the challenges faced by parents (e.g., fear of school failure, undertaking the double role of custodian and teacher). The findings suggest the need for the development of recommendations that would provide support for parents and children in situations where the teaching and learning process take place in an online environment.
Quality early childhood education and care has been the focus of interest of researchers for over half a century. Approaches to the quality monitoring and quality assurance of early childhood education and care, as well as its conceptualisation and operationalisation, have changed and developed over the decades in line with contemporary understandings of child development and learning, and in accordance with changes in the purpose and functions of early childhood education and care. The results of many relevant studies confirm that quality early childhood education and care is crucial for short-term and long-term positive outcomes in different development and learning areas, especially in the case of disadvantaged children, including children at risk of social exclusion. The aim of this paper is to present the concept of quality in early childhood education and care from various research perspectives, with special emphasis on a review of the literature on the quality of pedagogical practice aimed at children at risk of social exclusion. The paper presents the theoretical model of responding to the needs of children at risk of social exclusion in Croatian early childhood education and care. Special attention is given to the quality of pedagogical practice regarding children at risk of social exclusion, as a prerequisite for planning targeted measures and interventions directed at this group of children and their families within the Croatian early childhood education and care system. It was concluded that the key factors for quality pedagogical practice are an interdisciplinary approach of highly qualified professionals and the participation of all key stakeholders within the child’s immediate environment, as well as connection between relevant policies and practice, which are crucial for early childhood education and care quality.
Systematic self-evaluation of preschool institutions in Croatia started in 2012 and has since been conducted in the form of one-year cycles of collecting data about preschool activities, present-state analyses and designing plans for development. Self-evaluation is a process that systematically assesses, analyses and evaluates work effectiveness in order to assure quality improvement and create a stimulating work climate (Vranković, Reberšak, 2008). Previous research in the area of self-evaluation in Croatia examined school self-evaluation (Bezinović, 2010, Reberšak, 2009), whereas this paper focuses on the preschool self-evaluation process. The questionnaire Attitudes towards self-evaluation was distributed among 170 preschool teachers employed in preschool institutions in Croatia. The main aim of this research is to determine the differences in preschool teachers’ attitudes towards active involvement in the self-evaluation process with respect to the type of preschool teacher training in the area of self-evaluation. The respondents were classified into three groups: 1) preschool teachers who had not had any type of self-evaluation training; 2) preschool teachers who had completed the course during their graduate study; and 3) preschool teachers who had participated in short-term teacher professional development programs. An additional goal was to determine if preschool teacher willingness for active engagement in the self-evaluation process could be predicted based on their attitudes and years of preschool work experience. The results show that preschool teachers who attended the self-evaluation course during their graduate study consider themselves more empowered for the process than the other two groups of respondents. They express highest willingness for active participation in quality assurance teams that conduct the self-evaluation process in preschools. It has been established that the most significant predictors of motivation for active involvement in the self-evaluation process are attitudes towards the process of self-evaluation and knowledge about the process. Key words: attitudes towards self-evaluation; preschool teacher training; self-evaluation of preschool institutions- - - - Sustavno samovrednovanje ustanova ranog i predškolskog odgoja u Hrvatskoj započelo je 2012. godine i od tada se kontinuirano provodi u obliku jednogodišnjih ciklusa prikupljanja podataka o funkcioniranju ustanove, analize situacije i definiranja jednogodišnjih razvojnih planova (Muraja, 2012). Samovrednovanje je proces kojim se sustavno prati, analizira i procjenjuje uspješnost sveukupnog rada odgojno-obrazovne ustanove kako bi se trajno unaprijedila kvaliteta njezina rada i stvorilo poticajno radno ozračje (Vranković i Reberšak, 2008). Dosadašnja istraživanja iz područja samovrednovanja u Republici Hrvatskoj uglavnom se odnose na samovrednovanje škola (Bezinović, 2010., Reberšak, 2009.), a u ovome radu fokus je na procesu samovrednovanja ustanova ranog i predškolskog odgoja i obrazovanja. Na uzorku od 170 odgajatelja zaposlenih u dječjim vrtićima u RH ispitana su mišljenja o procesu samovrednovanja dječjih vrtića. Cilj rada bio je analizirati postoje li razlike u odnosu odgojitelja na aktivno sudjelovanje u tom procesu s obzirom na vrstu završene edukacije iz područja samovrednovanja. Ispitanici su podijeljeni u tri skupine. U prvoj su skupini bili odgojitelji koji nisu prošli nikakvu edukaciju, u drugoj odgajatelji koji su završili kolegij o samovrednovanju na diplomskom studiju, a u trećoj odgojitelji koji su sudjelovali u kraćem stručnom usavršavanju. Dodatni je cilj bio utvrditi može li se, i u kojoj mjeri, na osnovi odnosa odgojitelja prema samovrednovanju i duljini radnog staža predvidjeti njihova spremnost na aktivno uključivanje u proces samovrednovanja vrtića. Rezultati pokazuju da se odgojitelji koji su tijekom diplomskog studija pohađali kolegij o samovrednovanju smatraju bolje osposobljenima od onih koji su završili neki oblik kratkotrajnog stručnog usavršavanja ili nisu ni na koji način bili usavršavani. Oni iskazuju i najveću spremnost za aktivno sudjelovanje u Timu za kvalitetu koji je odgovoran za provedbu samovrednovanja u njihovim vrtićima. Pri predviđanju motiviranosti za aktivno sudjelovanje u procesu samovrednovanja predškolske ustanove najznačajnijim prediktorima pokazali su se stavovi i znanje, odnosno odgojitelji koji su imali pozitivniji stav i veće znanje ujedno su i spremniji sudjelovati u timovima za kvalitetu. Ključne riječi: obrazovanje odgojitelja; odnos odgojitelja prema samovrednovanju; samovrednovanje predškolskih ustanova.
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