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Following the adoption of the conceptual design proposed by the White Paper in 1995 and the legislation adopted on this basis, the reform of primary school transformed its overall image. In the present paper, we discuss only some of the solutions and consider the events and changes that have occurred in the last twenty years, devoting special attention to the systemic, programme and process levels. At the systemic level, where the starting point was primarily to ensure justice and equal opportunities, we have managed to maintain an adequate public network and programme structure, despite various attempts to implement the solutions indicated in the White Paper of 2011, and notwithstanding interventions in the system that were not in fact always well thought out. Nonetheless, more attention should have been paid to reducing inequalities related to sociocultural circumstances and different regions in Slovenia. On the programme level, a consensus needs to be reached on what quality general education means to us; this would alleviate conflicting demands placed on teachers, students and planners of programme solutions. On the process level, however, we find that there is a lack of adequate professional support and systematic evaluation studies, as the quality of school cannot be judged solely on the basis of results from international research. In order to take a step forward on the process level, there is need for quality school-linked school policy that is based on various professions and aimed at raising quality rather than at self-promotion and budget cutting in the field of education.

One of the main factors contributing to students' optimal development in school settings is the implementation of appropriate differentiating and individualizing measures. While this topic is well researched and addressed in the context of primary and lower secondary education, the theoretical and empirical research on differentiated and individualized teaching in vocational education and training (VET) programs is relatively scarce. However, well-applied individualization measures seem equally important in the context of VET programs, as they are frequently attended by students with lower educational aspirations, diverse socio-cultural backgrounds, and complex educational and personal needs. Our research explores what kind of individualization practices exist in Slovenian VET programs and what roles teachers and school management play in implementing individualized teaching. A single case study with one class of 16-year-old students (N = 22) attending the confectioner VET program was conducted. The data were collected by means of interviews, observations, and questionnaires, and were analyzed and interpreted by combining qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches. The results indicate that the school strove to address the diversity of the student population and used a number of different activities at institutional (school) as well as individual (teacher) levels. However, the potential of a more individualized approach seems to be largely unexploited. It is necessary to understand individualization as a principle implemented at the level of direct teaching and at the school level. Students should receive guidance that adapts the education process to their individual characteristics and aspirations as much as possible.

In the paper some issues and problems regarding the implementation of ICT in initial vocational education and training in Slovenia are discussed. After the brief analysis of the main theoretical characteristics of ICT and e-materials, the key findings from the recent EU survey on the ICT in schools are presented and some conclusions on the basis of the results of the ICILS study are drawn. In the second part of the article, some of the most relevant findings from the empirical research conducted on the representative sample of Slovenian secondary VET teachers and students are summarized and interpreted. We have asked teachers and students how often do they use offline and online available e-materials in teaching and learning and how do they evaluate their usefulness. While being quite critical towards the usefulness of available e-materials, the vast majority of teachers and students also claim that they use e-materials quite rarely. The reasons for such results should be further explored, compared with relevant statistical data in the national as well as international context, and appropriate systemic measures should be introduced.

Copyright of Journal of Contemporary Educational Studies / Sodobna Pedagogika is the property of Association of Slovenian Educationalists and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study explores how podcasts' accessibility fosters learning, examining listener engagement, content preferences, and the unique educational opportunities they offer. With the rise of digital audio platforms, podcasts have emerged as a significant medium for acquiring knowledge outside formal educational settings. Using an online survey, data were collected from 605 respondents, who were predominantly young and well educated, to understand their podcast listening habits and the extent of informal learning. The study categorizes informal learning into self-directed, incidental, and tacit learning. Results show that more than half of respondents engage in self-directed learning, while a third participate in incidental learning, indicating that podcasts serve as effective tools for intentional and unintentional knowledge acquisition. ANOVA analysis reveals that self-directed learners exhibit higher information retention and critical evaluation skills compared to tacit learners. Additionally, trust in podcast content is significantly higher among educated listeners. The study concludes that while podcasts are valuable for learning and professional development, there is a need for enhanced digital literacy to improve critical appraisal skills among listeners. These findings provide insights into the cognitive processes involved in podcast-based learning and suggest practical strategies for educators and content creators to enhance the educational impact of podcasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Contemporary Educational Studies / Sodobna Pedagogika is the property of Association of Slovenian Educationalists and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article analyses two defining assumptions about the Reggio Emilia (RE) approach: the absence of a planned curriculum designed in advance as a basis for educational work and children's participation in preschools. The authors demonstrate that different approaches to planning preschool education have advantages and disadvantages, which we cannot avoid, even if we decide against curriculum planning. They believe it is more reasonable to insist on the convergent use of the strategies of curriculum planning, which helps maintain their advantages, while providing safeguards against their shortcomings. When discussing children's (and parents') participation in preschool, the authors emphasise that such participation has objective limits, which the RE approach fails to address. In preschools it is not only such rules that apply which have been agreed upon and where it has been possible to reach a consensus. We should not overlook the fact that the preschool is an institution which functions according to the rules and norms whose important elements are imposed from the outside--that is, they do not come from the institution's management, its professional workers or parents. Preschool, therefore, cannot function as if its teachers, parents and children had no limits other than those they decide and agree upon themselves.

This article examines a didactic and curricular model that was developed to support the implementation of a competence-based approach, today prevailing in the European (initial) vocational education and training (VET). It starts by presenting contemporary developments in the Slovenian VET, and then continues with a study of some of the underlying pedagogical concepts influencing the contemporary educational practice. The concept of competence, as it relates to the Slovenian VET, is discussed, and the new didactic model is presented in terms of its conceptualisation, realisation and evaluation. The model is built around the concepts of the competence- based didactic unit, and has been produced to help teachers support students in developing the ability to integrate knowledge, skills and attitudes, so that they are able to solve complex and unpredictable professional tasks and challenges. The article concludes with a discussion on the methodological limitations of the evaluation, and its transferability to other contexts.

Copyright of Journal of Contemporary Educational Studies / Sodobna Pedagogika is the property of Association of Slovenian Educationalists and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Contemporary Educational Studies / Sodobna Pedagogika is the property of Association of Slovenian Educationalists and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In various EU documents, preschool education is emphasised as the most strongly contributing to equity along the entire educational continuum, particularly for disadvantaged children. It has an important role in reducing early school leaving and promoting social inclusion. It can also help reduce social, economic and other differences among children. In a time of undoubted increases in social inequality among the citizens and residents of the Republic of Slovenia, the authors have examined data, analysed systemic solutions in preschool education and thus provided insight into the state of the affairs from the aspect of ensuring equity and equal opportunities for children who do or do not participate in preschool education. Using the data and their analyses, the authors show that existing solutions do not ensure that all children have equal opportunities to participate in institutional preschool education, which is key to their further development and also has an important influence on the school performance of children from less-stimulating environments. They conclude that the responsible ministry should pursue a more active policy in the area, starting at the level of systemic measures and solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the structural quality of preschools, process quality and self-evaluation among educators.

This article addresses several questions related to knowledge assessment, which became particularly relevant in Slovenia at the time of the curriculum reform between 2006 and 2008. The crucial issue concerns understanding the importance and role of knowledge standards specified in national curriculum documents. The author shows that during the curriculum reform in the mid -- 1990s, knowledge standards were conceived as objectively verifiable and operational educational goals. As such, they were included in the 1998 syllabuses, thereby becoming the basis for a valid, reliable, and objective -- as well as just -- assessment of students' knowledge. During the process of the curriculum reform between 2006 and 2008, the concept of knowledge standards attracted professional criticism, with its core in the supposition that the concept is inadequate in developing key competences, on which the reformed syllabuses were to be based. Consequently, knowledge standards were removed from the syllabuses and replaced by expected outcomes, which were supposed to encourage the implementation of key competences in primary school education more effectively than knowledge standards had done. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Contemporary Educational Studies / Sodobna Pedagogika is the property of Association of Slovenian Educationalists and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports published within the issue on topics including the implementation of the National Qualifications Framework, educational systems, and education quality.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the advantages and traps of the European Qualifications Framework, its structure, its role and the ways in which it should be introduced to Slovenia.