RESEARCH AND ARTS

The Faculty of Education at the University of Maribor (UM PEF) is implementing the project “Teacher education as a factor in ensuring quality lifelong learning in a learning society / in a society of rapid socio-economic changes and an uncertain future,” which is funded by the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS) from July 1, 2018, on the basis of the Public Call for (Co-)Funding of Research Projects for 2018 (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, No. 30/17).

The Faculty of Arts of the University of Maribor (UM FF), the Faculty of Education of the University of Ljubljana (UL PeF), and the Faculty of Education of the University of Primorska (UP PeF) are also participating in the project.

The project is allocated 1,664 research hours per year and will run from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2021.

Description of the problem

The research problem we are addressing is (1) to examine the quality of educational work in primary schools, as reflected in pupils’ learning achievements (in class and on the National Assessment Test), from the perspective of selected factors (teachers’ understanding of learning, work engagement, teachers’ motivation and professional self-efficacy, teaching strategies, teaching forms and methods, communication between pupils, and pupils’ self-regulation skills). In doing so, we will examine (2) differences between schools (statistical region, school size, national structure of students, teachers’ length of service) and (3) the impact of selected factors on students’ internal and external learning achievements. On this basis, we will (4) obtain empirically verified arguments for:

– resolving the dilemma regarding the legitimacy of the NPZ, namely for the purpose of formative monitoring of learning and teaching (rather than for the purpose of comparing and ranking schools according to the quality of their work) and

implementing student-centered learning and teaching as synonymous with the quality of higher education learning and teaching by teachers in a time of rapid socio-economic change and an uncertain future in the 21st century.

Research objectives

The fundamental purpose of the research is to identify the factors that contribute to the quality of educational work in primary schools, as reflected in the learning outcomes achieved in class and on the national assessment test. Since we assume that an important factor in the quality of educational work is the teacher’s understanding of learning, teacher motivation, work engagement and professional self-efficacy, the use of different teaching strategies, different forms and methods of work, and self-regulated learning by students, we will be interested in:

– What is the teacher’s understanding of learning?

– What is the work engagement, motivation, and professional self-efficacy of teachers in their work in the classroom?

– What teaching strategies do teachers use in class?

– How do they incorporate direct (frontal teaching) and indirect teaching forms (group work, pair work, individual work) and teaching methods that encourage student activity into their teaching?

– What kind of communication takes place between students in class?

– What is the level of development of self-regulation skills and learning strategies among students?

– What learning outcomes do students achieve in class and what are their results on the national assessment test?

We will be interested in the differences between schools in terms of indicators of the quality of educational work and their predictive value for student learning outcomes and their results on the national assessment test.

The research problem we are addressing is therefore (1) to examine the quality of educational work in primary schools, as reflected in pupils’ learning outcomes (in class and on the NPZ), from the perspective of selected factors (teachers’ understanding of learning, work engagement, teachers’ motivation and professional self-efficacy, teaching strategies, teaching forms and methods, communication between pupils, and pupils’ self-regulation skills). In doing so, we will examine (2) differences between schools (statistical region, school size, national structure of students, teachers’ length of service) and (3) the impact of selected factors on students’ internal and external learning achievements. On this basis, we will (4) obtain empirically verified arguments for:

– resolving the dilemma regarding the legitimacy of the NPZ, namely for the purpose of formative monitoring of learning and teaching (rather than for the purpose of comparing and ranking schools according to the quality of their work) and

– the implementation of student-centered learning and teaching as synonymous with the quality of higher education learning and teaching in times of rapid socio-economic change and an uncertain future in the 21st century.

Presentation of the project team

The head of the research project is Prof. Dr. Milena Ivanuš Grmek, UM PEF, and the participating researchers are:

members of UM PEF:

• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Katja Košir,
• Assoc. Prof. Maja Hmelak,
• Assist. Dr. Monika Mithans,
• Doc. Dr. Tomaž Bratina,
• Doc. Dr. Joca Zurc,
• Assist. Eva Kranjec;

UM FF member:

– Prof. Dr. Karin Bakračevič Vukman;

UL PeF members:

– Prof. Dr. Milena Valenčič Zuljan,

– Assoc. Prof. Dr. Janez Vogrinc,

– Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mojca Juriševič,

– Assoc. Prof. Dr. Iztok Devetak,

– Assoc. Prof. Dr. Janez Krek,

– Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tatjana Devjak, and

– Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vesna Ferk Savec;

members of UP PeF

– Prof. Dr. Jurka Lepičnik Vodopivec,

– Assoc. Prof. Dr. Amalija Žakelj,

– Assoc. Prof. Dr. Darjo Felda,

– Doc. Dr. Tina Štemberger,

– Prof. Dr. Mara Cotič, and

– Doc. Dr. Sonja Čotar Konrad.

More about the project