Who Teaches Physics in Croatian Elementary Schools?

Abstract

The shortage of physics teachers is a global and persistent problem, resulting in the employment of nonprofessionals who cannot teach physics in a student-centered, high-quality and effective manner. This situation has implications for the educational policies of governments, universities, and schools. The aim of this study is to identify whether there is a shortage of elementary school physics teachers in Croatia. This type of survey was conducted for the first time in the country. Based on the online survey, we asked elementary school principals how many employees they have working as physics teachers in their schools and the type of education of these teachers. A total of 260 principals responded to the survey, representing 25% of the total population of elementary school principals in Croatia, where physics is taught according to the regular program in the 2020/2021 school year. The respondents did not mention the availability of physics teacher vacancies in their schools. However, they mentioned the engagement of nonprofessional substitute physics teachers accounting for 14% of all physics teaching positions in schools that participated in our study. Among the nonprofessional substitutes, most were from the social-humanities field. Differences in the representation of nonprofessional physics teachers by county were also found, indicating different causes of physics teacher shortages in different geographic areas. The survey results provide a basis for future policy decisions that can lead to better results in resolving the issue of physics teacher shortages in Croatia and beyond.

Causes of the Shortage of Physics Teachers in Croatia

“…This is a potentially important contribution to physics education literature because it is the first study on the causes of the physics teacher shortage within the Croatian context. Taken together with the findings from earlier research on the characteristics of physics teachers in Croatia [37], the results from this research provide a valuable starting point to solving the problem of the physics teacher shortage in Croatia.…”

“…This is the expected result, considering that 88% of the respondents have completed study programs in physics, so information about retraining programs is not of interest to them. In contrast, the remaining 12% of respondents with completed study programs outside of physics are employed as non-professional substitutes and do not have a secure job [37]. They see retraining programs as a solution to their precarious work situation, but also as a solution to the problem of the shortage of physics teachers in Croatia, following the example in the USA [58].…”

“…In Croatia, there is also the problem of a shortage of qualified physics teachers, which not only negatively affects the students' learning of physics, but also questions the survival of the entire profession of physicists [37]. For decades, the educational stakeholders in Croatia attempted to solve this problem by relying on a trial-and-error approach instead of relying on relevant educational research.…”

Miskoncepcije i stavovi o fizici kod studenata fizioterapije

“…Poznavanje fizike u fizioterapijskom procesu nije samo sebi svrhom, već je potrebno da bi se bolje razumjele prirodne zakonitosti i ponašanje ljudskog tijela, na temelju kojih se utvrđuje koji će terapijski postupci dovesti do objektivizacije i povećanja kvalitete fizioterapijskog procesa u određenoj situaciji 3 . Smanjen interes učenika i budućih studenata za fizikom, u Hrvatskoj, ali i na globalnoj razini, re-zultirao je dugotrajnim trendom opadanja broja stručnih nastavnika fizike u osnovnim i srednjim školama 4 . Istovremeno, također na globalnoj razini, sve je veća potreba za stručnjacima iz prirodnih i tehničkih znanosti.…”

“…Bez obzira na sve navedeno, u društvu prevladava mišljenje da je fizika odvojena od stvarnih potreba društva i da nije izravno povezana s budućim profesionalnim aktivnostima studenata koji se obrazuju za rad u zdravstvu 14 . O postojanju negativnog stava prema fizici može se zaključiti i po dugogodišnjem smanjenom interesu maturanata za upis na studij fizike, a posebno prema velikom nedostatku stručnog nastavnog kadra iz tog područja 4 . Propitivanje postojanja negativnog stava prema fizici bila je motivacija za prvi dio našeg istraživanja.…”