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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 mid-March 2020, Slovenia declared the COVID-19 epidemic, which led to the closure of schools and the transition to remote education. This article presents the findings of a study conducted during the lockdown among school heads in primary and secondary schools. The authors identify the challenges and issues the school heads faced in the first weeks of the epidemic and examine the positive experiences that may represent examples of good practice for dealing with similar problems in the future. The study was carried out through an online questionnaire containing 12 single-answer and multiple-choice questions and one Likert-type scale. The school heads were free to write their answers to two open-ended questions. The findings show that schools responded quickly to the changed circumstances and continued to deliver education to their students without interruption, although their approaches differed significantly. A great deal of improvisation was observed, as was to be expected, as the state did not have a pre-prepared plan and was not able to provide a quick and adequate response.

Since 2001, Slovenian vocational education has undergone major changes at the curricular and financing levels, particularly moving towards competence-based and open curricula and the decentralisation of responsibilities. Both tendencies have changed the role of the teacher, who has become a team worker with many new responsibilities in planning, assessment and evaluation of the pedagogical process. Reform measures are regularly evaluated, and research findings are an important source of information for reforms. In our secondary analysis of selected evaluations, we attempt to prove our thesis that the teacher's autonomy has, despite this decentralisation, not increased in terms of better conditions for the students' development. Instead, it has resulted in teachers becoming exhausted by paperwork, the purpose of which they do not realise due to poor training and difficult working conditions. The article proves that the potential positive outcomes of the reforms can be lost if reform instruments are abused for political and/or economic purposes, if the swiftness and content of the reforms are dictated by the European (financial) policies and particularistic political interests, and/or if the school is reformed according to the rules of the market.

Over the previous decade, higher education in Slovenia and Serbia has undergone considerable reforms, influenced by the Bologna process and its agenda of competence and learning outcomes. In the context of these reforms, the aim of this research is to consider the question of the relationship between the theoretical and the practical education of pedagogues at the university level. Eleven university professors from departments of pedagogy and andragogy at the universities of Ljubljana and Belgrade were interviewed. The semi-structured interviews focused on two main research questions: 1) how they understand the relationship between pedagogical theory and practice, and the identity of pedagogy as a science in that context, and 2) their opinion about the competence-based approach in the context of the study of pedagogy. The findings show that the majority of the interviewed university teachers hold an opinion that pedagogy is primarily a theoretical (reflective) science and, accordingly, that the mastery of theory is crucial for the development of pedagogues' competences. Furthermore, most of them are rather reserved and critical of the competence approach as well as of the practical skills development. Although there are some differences in opinions between the professors from Ljubljana and Belgrade, this study shows that similar discourses prevail. The gap between pedagogical theory and practice is one of the major issues that have been current in pedagogical science in the recent decades. The findings of our research indicate that there is dissatisfaction with the relationship between modern pedagogical theory and practice, accompanied by the need for its reconceptualization.

The article discusses results of a study that evaluated university students' competencies related to inclusive education. The study aimed to find out how prospective school counselors, who were familiar with theories on inclusion as an educational concept and had some relevant field experience, analyzed and reflected upon inclusion-related, real-life situations. The authors also aimed to establish any differences in views and explanations depending on students' average grades and whether students have experience working in inclusive settings. A questionnaire was developed that consisted of seven questions related to independent variables (e.g., average grade, experience with working in inclusive settings) and six open-ended questions related to a real-life situation. The results indicate that most students understand at least the basic elements of the broader definition of inclusion and can provide some ideas for improvement of practice. Interestingly, students' grades do not seem to be a decisive factor, but field experience does play a role in students' competencies related to inclusive education.

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 Journal of Contemporary Educational Studies recently published its 140th volume, which focused on theoretical debates and empirical research related to the future development of the education system and educational process. The articles emphasized values such as access, equity, inclusiveness, community, and quality in education. Some of the topics covered included the role of schools in social relations, systemic solutions in primary education, the future role of teachers, cross-curricular integration in preschool education, and inclusive education for children with special needs. The journal also highlighted the importance of critical reflection, collaboration, and clarity in systemic solutions. [Extracted from the article]

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 paper examines the impact of the national qualifications framework on the education and training system in Slovenia in the context of the European qualifications framework for lifelong learning and its influence on the design of the Slovenian qualifications framework. Although the role of the European Union in educational policy-making has received considerable attention, of which national qualifications frameworks are part of, only a few studies have focused on measuring the impacts of the European qualifications framework influenced national qualifications frameworks in Europe. By drawing on the theoretical concept of policy transfer in the analysis of European/global education policies, the study shows how European qualifications framework policy transfer influenced Slovenian qualifications framework development through soft instruments. Furthermore, this study examined the extent to which the Slovenian qualifications framework's objectives have been achieved according to key stakeholders (n = 50) using a quantitative research approach. The findings indicate that, unlike objectives related to the Slovenian qualifications framework's reform role, i.e. support for lifelong learning, the objectives related to the Slovenian qualifications framework's communication role, i.e. recognisability, understanding and transparency of qualifications and coordination of the qualifications subsystems, are mostly being met from the stakeholders' perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Pedagogy Studies / Pedagogika is the property of Vytautas Magnus University 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.)

Copyright of Journal of Elementary Education / Revija za Elementarno Izobraževanje is the property of University of Maribor, Faculty of Education 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.)

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the contribution of teachers' emotions to teaching quality, the dedication of teachers to their work as both professionals and human beings, and the importance of the collaboration of teachers with each other.

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 paper discusses the concepts of learning outcomes (LOs) and learning achievements (LAs) and proposes a categorization of those concepts' impact on education systems. It starts with the thesis that there are two fundamental conceptualizations of LOs; one typical for centralized education systems and the other for decentralized ones. In centralized systems, more importance is given to inputs: to the LOs that are comprehended as embedded in education programmes. In decentralized systems, more importance is given to both LOs comprehended as stand-alone elements, and also to learning achievements of individual learners. However, modern trends toward greater decentralization have increased the importance of LOs and LAs, but the processes of (de)centralization generally do not go in one direction at all levels. Contemporary national qualifications frameworks are based on the notion of LOs; therefore analysis of the national frameworks contributes to better understanding of different conceptualizations of LOs and their relationship with LAs. Based on these considerations, an analysis of the Slovenian Qualifications Framework is 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.)