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Art course students' attitude towards contemporary art
Full text linkThe purpose of my research is to investigate the attitude of children (art workshop participants) towards contemporary art. We will be focusing on whether these children come into contact with contemporary art, and how they understand it when they do.
The theoretical portion of the thesis will build on a theoretical foundation regarding what contemporary art is and how it has developed. In the parts which follow, we will illustrate the relationship between contemporary art and the subject of fine arts as it is introduced in primary school. This will include an overview of past research in this field, and an attempt to explain why education regarding contemporary art in primary school is crucial.
A large portion of the contemporary art field is never included in what constitutes the typical fine arts education. The methods otherwise used to interpret classical or modernist works are not appropriate for addressing this problem because they do not offer the integrated approach which is crucial to comprehend contemporary practices. We will present alternative methods for evaluating the content of contemporary works of art, suitable for both teachers and students, which provide a more comprehensive understanding of the issues surrounding contemporary art production
Analysis of the development of composition in the drawing of a 7-year-old girl
Full text linkThis bachelor thesis is a study of the theoretical area of composition and the development of children's drawings. It is structured into two parts. The first part focuses on the theory of art composition and the development of a child's drawing, while the second part applies said theory to concrete examples of children's drawings and their composition is analysed in detail.
Art composition is one of the most important factors that constitute and influence an artwork. The artist can be cognisant of its power while creating an artwork and knowingly take composition into account, or they can simply disregard all its principles - composition is present in the final product regardless. Composition in an artwork can be discussed, therefore, regardless of the intention of the artist. The exploration of this unintentional inclusion of composition is the focal point of the second part of this thesis. Children draw freely, relaxed and without thinking; the final product is spontaneous. This thesis is interested in the results of the analysis of children's drawings, more accurately the drawings of Ronja, a 7-year-old proficient in art. Five drawings made for an art contest are put under inspection
Impact of experiential learning on primary school grade 7 students' fear of snakes
Full text linkChildren's attitude towards animals can be significantly influenced by adults, stories and myths. In the 7th grade of elementary school, during science lessons, students learn about the structure and function of various animal groups, including reptiles, which includes snakes. Snakes are one of the most unpopular and feared animals among children and adults. Through their actions, teachers influence the development of students' positive, responsible and respectful attitude towards all forms of life. It is recommended that 40 percent of science lessons be based on experiential learning, which includes field and laboratory work. We conducted an empirical research with seventh-graders, with which we wanted to find out how experiential learning, previous direct experience and gender are correlated with the level of fear of snakes and associations with this organism. For this purpose, we conducted a quasi-experiment in two consecutive weeks. During the first week of the research, the students filled out a questionnaire that included the Snake Questionnaire (SNAQ), a method of free association to the word "snake", a question about previous direct experience with a snake, and some demographic questions. In the second week, the students in the experimental group participated in an experiential learning lesson with a snake. This contained three phases: observation, direct experience and self-initiative of the students. In the control group, we conducted the same lesson with the help of visual material and the teacher's explanation. In the second week of the research, both groups completed the same questionnaire again after the lesson. In the first week of the research, 180 students participated in it, in the second week the number of participants decreased down to 148. The students were 12 or 13 years of age. The results showed that experiential learning statistically insignificantly reduces the fear of snakes in 7th grade elementary school students. The students had a low level of fear of snakes even before the lesson. Both types of learning influenced the associations students had with the word "snake." After learning, the students replaced the descriptions of the basic characteristics of snakes and unpleasant feelings with their own observations, feelings and newly acquired knowledge, which was presented during the lessons. Female students showed a statistically insignificant higher level of fear of snakes than male students
Children's picture book and digital illustration
Full text linkThe thesis I am presenting focuses on the children's picture book, the relationship between the literary and the visual parts of the picture book, children's reading development from pre-reading age to adolescence, illustration, its history and the process of illustration using digital illustration tools. We will start by talking about the children's picture book, what defines it and how it is divided according to the relationship between image and text and according to its function. Another important aspect of children's picture books is the child's own reading development, which is why I address this in the next section. Children at different ages are interested in different literature and a different approach is needed. For the youngest children, it is also important to take into account that they will not be reading the text themselves, but an adult will be reading it to them, and therefore their focus should be exclusively on the illustrations. I therefore touch on these in the next chapter, where I define the term and summarise a brief history of illustrations, noting that illustrations have been with us for a very long time. Once we have learned the key information about picture books, children's reading development and illustrations, I then turn to the actual construction of the picture book and where to start. Because apart from the illustration, the visual language, typography, format and form are also important in designig children's picture book.
Then I start designing the picture book myself, describing the process through my own practical experience. To illustrate the children's picture book, I use a Wacom One graphic tablet and programs Adobe Photoshop for the illustrative part and Adobe InDesign for editing the text
Pupils' attitudes towards learning English as a foreign language in grades 5 and 6 of primary school
Full text linkOur action depends on our attitude towards the particular situation that requires action. A
positive attitude towards learning can therefore have a positive impact on our performance.
Even when learning English as a foreign language, attitude has a significant impact on language
learning performance. Attitude towards learning a foreign language is closely related to
motivation, and both change over time. For English teachers, it is important to recognise why
there are differences between learners when it comes to learning a foreign language. The focus
of this master’s thesis is to explore attitudes towards foreign language learning, motivation, and
the key factors to learning English. A questionnaire survey was used to investigate the interest
in learning English, pupils' perceptions towards English lessons and the English teacher, the
experience of anxiety in English lessons, and the fear of failure among students learning English
as a foreign language in Years 5 and 6 of primary school. The research results show that pupils
have generally positive attitudes towards learning English as a foreign language. Statistically
significant differences were recorded between girls and boys. There are also statistically
significant differences between fifth and sixth graders in terms of perceived attitudes towards
learning a foreign language. There is a correlation between anxiety in foreign language classes
and achievement (grades). Anxiety is much more pronounced among students with lower
grades. Pupils perceive the role of parents and teachers in foreign language learning to be
important.
This master's thesis has an impact on the didactics of foreign language teaching in the second
cycle of primary education by offering insights into the importance of attitudes towards learning
English, and how pupils experience learning a foreign language. The results of the study were
used to present the current state of attitudes towards foreign language learning and to explain
why there may be differences between boys and girls, and between fifth and sixth graders. In
addition to the above, guidelines for improving attitudes towards foreign language learning are
presented, as well as concrete solutions on how teachers can work to (further) improve the state
of motivation for learning in their students
Home economics literacy of Slovenian primary school children
Full text linkRapid social, political and economic changes affect the composition of society that transforms over time. Social changes have a big impact on educational systems which have to be reformed in order to be adaptable and compatible with the challenges and problems of modern times. In society, many problems are discernible in different areas covered by the multidisciplinary concept of the discipline of home economics, which are interlinked and not homogeneous. With its multidisciplinary approach, the field of home economics education integrates knowledge from different disciplines and has an important role in addressing the problems of a changing society, which also reflect at the level of the family and the individual. The primary education process must ensure that pupils acquire the appropriate knowledge and skills needed to develop home economics literacy (HEL). Only individuals literate in home economics can improve the quality of their own lives by applying and transferring knowledge and skills to concrete everyday life situations, which in turn contributes to a better quality of life for the family and society. To achieve this, quality home economics education is needed, with objectives and curriculum content that reflect current social needs, taking into account the basic orientations and a common philosophy of the HE discipline.
The empirical part of the doctoral dissertation presents a research study, which was designed on the basis of the stated research problem and five research questions and was carried out in four parts.
The aim of the first part of the research was to define the content areas of home economics education on the basis of a content analysis of the curricula of the home economics subject or a comparable subject for primary education abroad and in Slovenia. The analysis included 17 curricula for the home economics subject and two other documents dealing with home economics education. The second part of the study sought to determine the views of teachers, pupils and parents on the importance and usefulness of home economics education and literacy. A Delphi methodological approach was used. The first round of the Delphi study involved 30 teachers, 34 9th grade pupils and 34 parents of 9th grade pupils. The second round of the Delphi study involved 16 teachers, 33 9th grade pupils and 29 parents of 9th grade pupils. In the third part of the study, HE literacy standards were developed based on the findings of the first and second parts of the study; they were used to design the HE literacy knowledge test. The content areas of the HE literacy were identified with their associated content. The aspects of HE that are included in all four content areas of the HE have also been defined. In the fourth part of the study, the level of HE literacy knowledge acquired and the pupils' HE literacy behaviour were tested by means of a knowledge test at the end of the 6th and 9th grades. 652 pupils in the 6th and 9th grades were included. Their parents' attitudes towards HE literacy and the frequency of their support for their child to get involved in tasks belonging to different home economics areas in their home environment were also investigated. 652 parents of pupils who participated in the HE literacy study were included.
The results obtained from the study are presented in six thematic sets. The first set analyses the curricula of the subject of home economics abroad and in Slovenia. It was found that Slovenia has a more diverse range of subjects, when compared to the other countries analysed. The Slovenian curriculum includes content relating to finance, textiles, nutrition, home and family, environment, consumption, health and healthy lifestyles, and social skills. Despite the diversity of content, content deficit was perceived in some of the home economics areas. These are the areas of health and well-being, nutrition, textiles, environment and home, which need to be supplemented with the identified missing content. A difference between countries in the age range of pupils receiving HE education was perceived. Slovenia is the only one of the 14 countries that teaches the HE subject solely in 5th and 6th grades, when pupils are aged between 10 and 12 years. All the other countries provide home economics education before and/or after this age – until the end of primary education.
The second set presents the views of teachers, pupils and parents on the importance and usefulness of home economics education and literacy. The main findings show that teachers, pupils and parents have positive attitudes towards home economics education and literacy. They believe that pupils should have acquired knowledge and skills in the different areas covered by home economics education by the end of primary school. The content of these areas is related to finance, environment, consumption, textiles, nutrition, health, well-being and healthy lifestyles, family and home. Teachers, pupils and parents also believe that throughout the whole process of home economics education, pupils should develop social skills. It was found that teachers, pupils and parents find it important that pupils acquire knowledge of the home economics subject during their primary education. They also acknowledge the contribution of home economics education and literacy to the quality of life of individuals, families and society.
The third set presents the formulated HE literacy standards that pupils should achieve in their home economics education by the end of primary school in order to raise their quality of life. The HE literacy standards have been developed based on the results of the analysis of the home economics subject curriculum abroad and in Slovenia, and on the views of teachers, pupils and parents regarding the needs for the acquisition of knowledge and skills in home economics education or literacy. These two phases of the study identified the different areas that are included in home economics education abroad and in Slovenia. For the purpose of developing the HE literacy standards, four HE content areas were first redesigned and redefined with their associated content, namely finance, textiles, nutrition, and home and family. All the content areas of home economics interlink or integrate the following: the aspects of healthcare and well-being, consumption, sustainable lifestyles and social skills, the development of which should be promoted throughout the home economics education. All of the above is illustrated in the model for the content design of the home economics education with HE literacy standards. The HE literacy standards have been used to design the HE literacy knowledge test.
The fourth set presents the results of the acquired level of HE literacy knowledge and HE-related behaviour of pupils in 6th and 9th grades. The main findings of the study show that 27.9% of all pupils in 6th and 9th grades achieve an unsatisfactory or sufficient level of HE literacy, 41.1% of pupils achieve a good level of knowledge and just 30.9% of pupils achieve a very good or excellent level of HE literacy knowledge, but emphasizing that only 4.4% achieved an excellent knowledge level of HE literacy. The analysis of the results shows that statistically significant differences in the level of HE literacy are not confirmed in reference to the gender of the pupils and their attendance of the elective subject. Differences in the level of HE literacy in reference to learning achievement were found to be statistically significant. The level of HE literacy is lower among pupils with sufficient or good achievement in comparison to pupils with excellent achievement. However, there are also statistically significant differences in the level of HE literacy by grade; the level of HE literacy is lower among 6th grade pupils than among 9th-graders. HE literacy includes not only knowledge and skills, but also behaviour, which the study measured as the frequency of different activities which pupils performed in their home environment. The results of the study show that pupils do not frequently perform activities related to HE literacy in their home environment. Girls are statistically significantly more likely to do HE literacy-related activities than boys, and 9th-graders are statistically significantly more likely to do HE literacy-related activities than 6th-graders. There are no statistically significant differences in HE literacy behaviour according to pupils’ achievement and their attendance of the elective subject.
The fifth set focused on the parents' attitudes towards HE literacy and the frequency with which they involved their children in tasks in different home economics areas of their home environment. The results of the study show that, regardless of the type of household and educational background, parents consider it important for their children to learn content related to finance, textiles, nutrition and home and family issues in the subject of home economics. It was found in the study that there were no statistically significant differences between parents of farm and non-farm households in their assessment of the importance of pupils' learning in the areas of finance, textiles, nutrition and home and family. However, in terms of parental education, it was found that higher educated parents were statistically significantly more likely than lower educated parents to think that it was important for their children to acquire knowledge and skills in the area of food and nutrition during home economics lessons. No statistically significant differences were found in the areas of finance, textiles and home and family. The study results showed that, on average, parents from farm households were statistically significantly more likely to involve their child in various textile tasks than parents from non-farm households, while no statistically significant differences were found in the other areas of the home economics. No statistically significant differences in the frequency of children's involvement in domestic tasks were found in any of the four home economics areas in reference to the parents' educational background.
The sixth set presents the differences in the level of pupils' knowledge in each area of home economics and HE literacy according to the parents' education, the type of household in which the pupil lives and the parents' attitudes towards HE literacy and their children's involvement in HE activities in their home environment. The results show that pupils whose parents have higher levels of education have statistically significantly higher mean HE literacy scores than pupils whose parents have lower levels of education, while they also have statistically significantly higher mean scores in the areas of finance, textiles and nutrition. On average, pupils from non-farm households were found to have statistically significantly higher mean scores in all four areas of home economics and HE literacy than pupils from farm households. The study found no statistically significant differences in the average estimate of the frequency of pupils' performing different tasks in their home environment in each area of the home economics and HE literacy, depending on the type of household and the education of the parents.
Based on the results of the study and theoretical orientations, an educational model for HE literacy and achieving adequate HE literacy was developed. The educational model will contribute to a higher quality of home economics and HE literacy education for children in the primary level of education. The findings of this study complement other research in the field of home economics education, as there has been no research that would measure HE literacy comprehensively and not only by individual areas of literacy at the primary school level in Slovenia. The results of the study and the models developed in the study also represent a scientific and applied contribution to the didactics of home economics education. The results of the study can be used in the formulation of educational policy in Slovenia. The results provide important information for a well-founded integration of home economics into the primary school curriculum, as parents, teachers and pupils alike express the need of appropriate HE literacy which would make a significant contribution to the quality of life of young people at the end of compulsory education. The educational model for HE literacy education and the achievement of adequate HE literacy emphasises the necessary elements of HE education, based on research findings, and stresses the importance of integrating them into the educational process, the fundamental aim of which is to develop responsible living of individuals who take care of themselves, society and the environment
Emotion experiences and emotion regulation by social pedagogues working in primary schools
Full text linkPedagogical workers play an important role in academically educating students and enhancing students’ emotional and social skills so that individual students can function successfully in society. Thus, it is of great help if pedagogical workers are also emotionally competent- having the ability to recognise and understand their own and others’ emotions and regulate them in various circumstances. Unfortunately, the paucity of appropriate pedagogical resources on how emotions and emotion regulation (ER) strategies matter in an educational environment can leave pedagogical workers unprepared for modifying emotional responses and cause distress and unpleasant emotional experience at their work. In this current study, 42 social pedagogues who work in primary schools in Slovenia completed an online survey aimed to assess the intensity of their emotional experience, the use of the selected emotion ER strategies, emotion and ER knowledge, working load (i.e., number of students they daily work with) and the professional phase they perceive themselves in.
Findings indicate that joy, pride and love are the most intensely experienced emotions and social support is the most frequently used ER strategy among social pedagogues. In contrast, substance use is the least frequently used ER strategy in social pedagogues. Furthermore, the intensity of anger, exhaustion and hopelessness were positively correlated with the use of several ER strategies: situation selection, suppression, comfort eating, substance use, and experiential avoidance and negatively correlated with a cognitive reappraisal of the meaning of an event and situation modification. Also, previous knowledge of emotions and ER strategies of social pedagogues were highly and positively associated with pleasant emotions’ intensity and more adaptive ER strategies’ use. Other significant findings are about social pedagogues' workload and career phases in relation to their emotional experience and chosen ER strategies. Based on the results, the social pedagogues’ workload is positively correlated with the use of comfort eating, substance use, situation selection and cognitive reappraisal. Social pedagogues recognising themselves in career development phases, which include affirmative actions and positive attitudes towards the profession, are more prone to experience pleasant emotions, while those recognising themselves in career phases related to negative attitudes and behaviours towards the profession are more likely to experience unpleasant emotions. Implications based on this quantitative data may help raise awareness of the importance of pedagogical workers’ emotional experience and regulation strategies in educational settings
Establishing criteria for obtaining the language passport in primary schools
Full text linkPlurilingualism is a part of our everyday lives. It provides a potential for effective communication in diverse circumstances with various speakers. Numerous authors write about elements that are influenced by an individual’s plurilingual competence. In addition to the already mentioned more efficient communication, plurilingualism (and its early promotion) is also important for the preservation of linguistic and cultural diversity, the development and better functioning of society, greater openness to cooperation, higher tolerance, easier and faster language learning etc.
Schools play an important role in promoting plurilingualism; in doing so, they also contribute to the development of positive attitudes towards others and help with the social inclusion of all pupils. In order to achieve this, they must take into consideration the individual person and his or her needs. Therefore, they must accept all the languages that these individuals bring to the school environment. Not much has been written about such schools, and there is barely any material on this topic in Slovenia.
In order for schools to be able to officially exhibit their appreciation of plurilingualism, this thesis aims to (with the help of literature covering the fields of plurilingualism, translanguaging/interweaving of languages and colingualism) present the concept of the language passport and formulate criteria for obtaining it.
In the empirical part, we present the results of qualitative research, which has included an analysis of pupils’ texts and interviews with teachers and principals. Its aim has been to gain an insight into the language situation (importance of languages and their role) in Slovenian primary schools. At the same time, we have aimed to determine the achievability and appropriateness of the proposed criteria and then adjust them accordingly.
When reviewing pupils’ assignments (grades 4–9, from 8 different regions) and responses from school workers from 13 different Slovenian primary schools, we have found that many criteria are already implemented. Schools already offer the learning of different languages, they have teaching accessories and inscriptions in foreign languages, they engage foreign pupils in their work and help them integrate, they connect with parents and (external) colleges and their teachers set a good example in promoting plurilingualism with their work and behavior.
The analysis of the interviews has shown that school employees find many positive aspects of plurilingualism in their work but at the same time it also represents a challenge for them that requires many adjustments. Teachers and principals also provided suggestions and opinions regarding the criteria (statements they found most suitable were the ones talking about acceptance and inclusion of all schools’ stakeholders, offering help in learning the language of teaching to foreign pupils and utilizing their potential; on the other hand they found schools’ promoting plurilingualism community-wide the least important), which we have taken into consideration when revising and adapting them
Climate and culture in schools with good practice models for addressing students' mental health issues
Full text linkThe master's thessis discusess school climate and culture and how they are connected to the occurrence and treatment of psychosocial problems among students at school. In theoretical part, I define the concepts of mental health and mental problems and highlight the importance of both for andolescence. I also focus on the three main concepts that in moden times contrubute to the understanding of the previously mentioned topic. In the following, I talk about the school's impact on mental health among students, define school climate and culture and their connection with the psychosocial distress. In the empirical part, I originate from the conclusions of the preliminary research Dostopnost organiziranih oblik podpore mladim v psihosocialnih in duševnih težavah in konteksti teh težav (Dekleva idr., 2018), where some of the participating school representatives estimated that they have some good practices in dealing with such problems. I show more detail on the approaches, ways and methods of work at six of these schools. At the same time, I also research the characteristics of the school climate and culture in connection with the treatment of children facing psychosocial distress, the most frequently perceived difficulties among them and the role in the formation of the school climate and culture in relation to psychosocial difficulties, which the interviewees attribute to the principal.
The results show anxiety as the distress workes most often perceive among students. Some of the participants also report the emergence of new difficulties as a result of school closures during the first wave of the Covid-19 epidemic. Based on the conducted research, I can confirm the interdependence of school climate and culture. What was reflected in the elements of the organizational culture - structure, roles, expectations, guidelines for conduct... then had a direct impact on the climate - specifically on the relationships within each school (towards students, between students and between employees). But since it is a qualitative type of research, which included a conversation with only one person at each school, it is very difficult for me to define the final state of the climate and culture at these schools. The formal role of the principal still plays an important role in most cases. The principal can either positively or negatively influence the behavior of employees when dealing with the distress of young people. However, the master's thessis also presents a case where the principal does not have much influence in solving problems, as other employees solve them without his involvement. The approaches used by interlocutors in solving difficulties among students depend on various factors. One of the most important proved to be the knowledge possessed by an individual professional worker. The more additional knowledge a person has in the field of mental health protection, the more help they can provide themselves either in group or individual form of work. The relationship that the professional worker forms with the individual has also proven to be an important predisposition for helping the individual. The better it is, the more likely the student will let you close and let you help them
Landscape activities in kindergarten
Full text linkIn the diploma work entitled “Landscape activities in kindergarten”, in the theoretical part I presented Land art in general, the beginners of Land art and artists who have worked in Slovenia.
I showed art techniques that connect with landscape art (sculpture, spatial design and creation with natural materials in an authentic environment). I connected it all with the field of art and the role of an adult in the Kindergarten Curriculum.
In the empirical part, I observed children’s responses to creating with natural materials through action research. With the survey questionnaire, I gained insight into the knowledge of landscape art between kindergarten teachers and their options and ideas for improving the sculptural path we created with the children.
The results of the research showed that the kindergarten teachers are familiar with the term landscape art, but do not engage in activities related to creation as planned. Those ideas for improving the sculptural path were very reserved and did not offer me answers that are more tangible.
The results of the action research showed exceptional responses from children who enthusiastically created in nature. The response of the children to exploring the surroundings and the materials were amazing. As a result, excellent installations were created