Pedagogical Reality

IMPLICIT THEORIES OF TEACHERS ABOUT EVALUATION IN GENERAL MUSIC TEACHING IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS

2025-06-30T06:06:22+00:00

Teachers' implicit theories about assessment in music education reflect their approach to evaluating students' achievements and organizing the teaching process. The aim of this research was to examine how teachers comprehend and apply assessment, focusing on their implicit theories and the role of teaching methods in the formative assessment of students' knowledge and skills. The research was conducted in June 2023 with ten teachers from eight primary schools in the Republic of Srpska. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and examined using thematic analysis. The results show that teachers perceive assessment as an ongoing process of monitoring and providing feedback to students, where the classroom interaction formats – frontal, group, and individual – play a key role in enabling formative assessment. The dominance of frontal work facilitates collective music-making and the evaluation of group achievements, while group and individual work provide opportunities for personalized feedback and support. The findings indicate the need for additional teacher professional development, especially in terms of integrating musical creativity into assessment, so that their approaches can be theoretically grounded and pedagogically effective. Teachers' implicit theories, although often based on personal beliefs and experiences, show potential for further professional growth through theoretical and practical support.

Dashboard for test evaluation

2025-06-21T15:50:17+00:00

This paper explores the development, application, and potential of educational dashboards for test evaluation in higher education, with a specific focus on programming-related subjects. Given the increasing need for data-driven decision-making in educational institutions, dashboards have proven to be key tools for tracking student performance, evaluating test quality, and identifying learning trends. The paper provides an overview of the evolution of dashboards, from simple reporting tools to complex interactive platforms with predictive and prescriptive analytics capabilities. Using advanced visualization and analytical techniques, the proposed dashboard enables teachers and administrators to efficiently monitor student performance, identify areas requiring additional attention, and adjust their teaching strategies accordingly. Using a prototype developed in Power BI, the paper demonstrates how a well-designed dashboard can enhance evaluation and decision-making processes in educational settings.

FACTOR STRUCTURE OF THE TEACHER AUTONOMY SCALE FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS

2025-06-21T15:50:24+00:00

Teacher autonomy refers to their need to act in accordance with their integrity and is crucial for the effectiveness of schools. In this regard, the aim of our research was to determine the factor structure of the teacher autonomy scale. The research instrument – the TAS scale – was adopted with minor adjustments and administered to a sample of 268 primary school teachers (both class and subject teachers) in 2024. To determine the factor structure of the scale, measures of descriptive statistics, KMO, and Bartlett’s test were calculated, as well as the communalities of each variable, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure, Bartlett’s test of sphericity, the scree test, the component matrix, the rotated component matrix, and the component transformation matrix. Three factors were extracted: 1. Autonomy for creativity in teaching and alternative teaching approaches, 2. Autonomy in relation to the curriculum, and 3. General teacher autonomy. The results suggest that the TAS scale can be used with the sample of teachers from primary schools in Banja Luka only for measuring the items of the first factor – teacher autonomy for creativity in teaching and alternative teaching approaches (α = .793). The remaining two factors exhibited low reliability. Based on the results, it is recommended that research on this construct be directed towards secondary school and university teachers. Items from the second and third factors could be used to revise the instrument and for further research on teacher autonomy.

COMPETENCIES OF SCHOOL PEDAGOGUES AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE QUALITY OF TEACHING

2025-06-21T15:50:31+00:00

The school pedagogue, as a professional associate, participates in developmental pedagogical activities within an interdisciplinary team, contributing to all phases of the educational process and supporting teachers in planning, delivering, and evaluating instruction. While teachers’ perceptions of the pedagogue’s role may vary, pedagogues are generally recognized as key partners and valuable professional resources who significantly enhance the quality and effectiveness of teaching. Effective communication, collaboration, and trust-building with teachers are essential to the pedagogue's role. This study aimed to examine the competencies of school pedagogues and their impact on teaching quality, with a particular emphasis on the perceptions of both teachers and pedagogues regarding the pedagogical role in monitoring and improving instruction. The research included 248 teachers and 9 pedagogues from 6 schools in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (Bosnia and Herzegovina). The findings indicate that pedagogues actively participate in the teaching process, demonstrate professionalism and competence, and help teachers improve educational practices focused on quality learning outcomes. The research employed analytical-descriptive, survey, and theoretical analysis methods, and the results are presented graphically.

Problems in Social Behaviour of Children - Externalised Forms and Characteristics

2025-06-21T15:50:37+00:00

Children's behavioral problems represent a domain that attracts attention from various perspectives. As they are a significant factor in the overall understanding and analysis of each child's development, they become the subject of many considerations that result in different interpretations and explanations, which ultimately contribute, among other things, to theoretical and empirical complexity. This paper aims to examine terminological inconsistencies in the formulation and interpretation of children's behavioral problems, with a particular focus on the externalized form of social behavior issues. Special attention is given to analyzing its various manifestations and characteristics through the lens of plentiful theoretical and empirical findings. Taking into account the research trends that suggest a strong correlation with multiple influencing factors, the paper also highlights key determinants of children's social behavior problems. Some of the key conclusions highlight the relevance of a clear distinction between concepts that are closely related but not synonymous, accurately positioning different forms of externalized behavior in relation to other types of children's social behavior, and recognizing the strong connection between this form of social behavior and children's overall development. Since its effects are evident within personal, familial, peer, and institutional contexts, the timely identification of behavioral problems and the implementation of specific support measures and interventions for children, families, and the community emerge as a necessity.

Externalized and internalized problems as predictors of placement instability of children without parental care

2025-06-21T15:50:45+00:00

In recent years, the social protection system has faced numerous challenges in protecting children without parental care, with placement instability currently being a key issue. The aim of this research is to determine the relation between the child’s externalized and internalized problems, on the one hand, and the frequency of placement changes, on the other. The sample comprised all children admitted to the Home for Children and Youth “Jefimija” in Kruševac in the past 12 years (N = 62). Data on the child, the primary family, and the history of placement were collected by analyzing the documentation available in the user’s file. The results indicated that placement instability was highly prevalent in the examined sample (93.5%), with the strongest predictor being the presence of externalizing problems (β = .41, p < .001). Other predictors included younger age at the time of removal, a diagnosis of conduct disorder, and contact with the primary family. Internalizing problems were not statistically significant. The findings are consistent with previous research on this issue and confirm that children with externalizing problems are at increased risk of placement instability. The implications for future research and the improvement of practice are discussed, particularly through the development of preventive interventions and support systems aimed at reducing placement instability and improving outcomes for children without parental care.

ENSURING CONTINUITY DURING THE CHILD'S TRANSITION TO SCHOOL TROUGH CONNECTING EXPERTS IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

2025-06-21T15:50:51+00:00

The relevant literature shows that a child's successful transition from preschool to school has several significant implications for their functioning, learning, and progress in the new educational environment. Therefore, the paper addresses the challenge of bridging different environments and emphasizes the significance of maintaining developmental, pedagogical, and professional coherence throughout the transition process. Special attention is paid to the relationship between the preschool institution and the school during transition. As a starting point, the paper examines the differences in ideas, historical backgrounds, traditions, educational philosophies, and pedagogical approaches between the mentioned educational environments, highlighting how such disparities may result in discontinuity within the transition process. Furthermore, the related experiences from different countries are cited, demonstrating that the establishment of communication and the association of experts from two educational levels during the transition period brings multiple benefits. Examples from practice indicate the potential for collaborative meaning-making among professionals, provided that appropriate transition tools are developed and diverse transition activities are implemented with the child’s perspective in mind.