Search

This qualitative study investigates the educational experiences and perspectives of gifted students in Serbia during emergency remote education (ERE). Semi-structured interviews addressing effective and ineffective school practices were conducted with gifted students (19 students from elementary schools and 11 from secondary schools), who were selected based on recommendations from school counselors due to their exceptional abilities and achievements. Through qualitative content analysis we identified six categories highlighting effective and engaging practices, such as provisions for the gifted, video conferencing, and the use of learning management systems (LMS). Conversely, seven categories referred to disengaging factors, including traditional teaching methods, limited interaction, inadequate educational support, challenges with assessment monitoring, compliance with epidemiological measures, and insufficient individualization in regular classes. Despite these challenges, many students showed understanding towards teachers and did not express negative feelings regarding the lack of enrichment and support. Notably, students valued teachers' responsiveness when initiating contact. The study concludes that gifted students were not sufficiently recognized as a vulnerable group during ERE, often needing to self-organize amidst the educational disruptions caused by the pandemic. The findings underscore the necessity of ongoing teacher education in implementing engaging teaching methods across all student groups and supporting gifted students in virtual, hybrid, and traditional learning settings.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic several studies on students' access to remote education and their perceptions of remote education have been conducted, but mixed-method studies on student engagement in an online setting are lacking. The aim of this study was to determine and compare the levels of school engagement in synchronous online classes and in face-to-face classes. Secondary school students (N = 132, 81.8% female, Mage = 16.3) filled out an online questionnaire comprising the School Engagement Measure Questionnaire (addressing online and face-to-face settings) and one open-ended question on the perception of differences between online and face-to-face classes. Statistical analyses showed that students were more engaged in face-to-face classes than in online classes (F (1, 131) = 106.316, p = .000, e2 = .448), with the best achievers having the highest decrease of engagement in online classes. A thematic analysis of answers yielded four themes, named: active learning (f = 42), learning strategies and resources (15), time organization (15) and assessment (6). Evaluative analysis showed that different students described the same themes in different ways - while in some cases active learning in online classes was higher, for the majority - it decreased; while some students organized their time for studying more effectively in an online setting, others were more efficient in a face-to-face setting. It can be concluded that negative effects of online classes on students' learning strategies and engagement prevail and that teachers need additional support in organizing individualized and differentiated teaching to encourage higher levels of engagement and self-regulation in emergency remote education.

In spite of the improvements in the inclusive policies and practices, Roma students are still underrepresented in higher education (HE) in Serbia. The main aim of this study is to ascertain contextual and personal factors of the success of Roma university students. Study participants were Roma studying at four public universities in Serbia who filled in a questionnaire on their familyand school-related experience, and participated in interviews on their educational trajectories, as well as in a two-day workshop dedicated to empowering students through reflecting upon their educational trajectories and personal strengths. Qualitative thematic analysis was applied on one open-ended question on life mottos from 89 questionnaires, 20 interviews and their products and elaborations of 16 workshop participants. It showed that psychological and instructional support from parents and teachers, in some cases - peers and Roma NGOs, together with scholarships and affirmative measures by enrolment, were important success factors. Students' life mottos predominantly contained the themes of fight and persistence. Most personal strengths were related to proactivity and optimism. This points to a highly developed psychological capital of Roma university students. Besides continuous financial support, participants stressed that the provision of continuous psychosocial support, informal learning opportunities and opportunities for peer mentorship and networking would result in a higher number of Roma students in HE.

Adopting a person-centred perspective, this study sought to determine preservice teachers’ profiles based on their motivation for a teaching profession and compare them in terms of perceptions of the profession and satisfaction with career choice. An additional goal was to investigate potential differences between males and females, as well as prospective class and subject teachers. FIT-Choice scale was administered to 364 Serbian preservice teachers. A latent profile analysis identified three profiles. Disengaged negativists are distinguished by weak motivations, more negative perceptions of the teaching profession and the lowest satisfaction with the career choice, so this profile could be considered maladaptive. Uncritical Enthusiasts have the highest level of motivations and the most positive perceptions of task return. The profile named Autonomous realists is characterised by the lowest extrinsic and social influence motivation. The profiles differ with respect to gender, but no differences were observed between profiles in terms of educational background. Knowing about profiles can help in creating predictions about career paths and designing interventions that would be tailored to the needs of specific subgroups of Serbian preservice teachers.

Global technological progress has significantly affected public relations. New communication technologies have enabled creation of competent markets. Development of modern technology affected the production of the so-called personal products which have been created based on knowledge of consumer demands and needs. Pursuant to that, the communication is based on two-sidedness, and the central point of interactive public relations is taken by communication model "one on one" and "many to many", instead of the communication model which is directed toward masses, where the dominant direction is "one to many". There is a high degree of consent on the role and significance of social networks at all levels, starting from the global corporate success to resolution of daily problems of individuals. One of the most important problems is the safety of companies' appearance in the cyber space. This paper is supposed to point out to the advantages, as well as dangers with which companies face when conquering their "piece" of cyber space.

The optimal function of the financing function is achieved through the planning process. By planning development, as one of the basic functions of management, goals, tasks and the way of their realization are determined. The realization of financing plans is realized through the function of financing with own funds, and borrowed both from the domestic and foreign markets. The importance of financing consists in the fact that the level of reproductive capacity of the agro-industry complex depends to a considerable extent on the normative organization, organization and quality of financing. The goal of financing is precisely, timely, quality and under the most favorable conditions, the acquisition of financial resources on the market in order to meet the needs for continuous business of the subjects of the agro-industrial complex.

This paper has a goal to point out causes and consequences of wrong agricultural policy in transitional period which caused that agriculture of Serbia suffers a huge damage which manifested itself through falling apart of big agricultural combinats, enterprises from food industry, agricultural cooperatives and small family farms. Big changes at the end of XX and at the beginning of XXI century reflect of agriculture, too, and demand a new conceptual approach to new situation. Authors of paper point out necessity of revitalization of cooperative system and other was of joining and connecting of agricultural producers, as well as need of bigger support to small family farms, by model in developed EU countries. On that way, agriculture of Serbia would successfully respond to complex requirements of globalized environment and turn its comparative advantages into competitive ones.

Previous studies that used the Orientation for Teaching Survey (OTS), assessing motivation for the teaching profession, yielded inconsistent results regarding the OTS’s factorial structure. Since these studies focused on pre-service teachers with limited teaching experience, our main goal was to assess the psychometric properties and factorial validity of the OTS on in-service teachers. An additional goal was to compare the motivation of male and female teachers, and teachers working in primary and secondary schools. The OTS was administered to 384 teachers in Serbia. After confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the six-factor model proposed by the authors of the OTS did not fit the data well, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted, and a two-factor solution was accepted (Extrinsic-Intrinsic model). Women and primary school teachers scored higher on Intrinsic motivation. Results point to the need for further exploration of differences in the motivation of pre- and in-service teachers and changes in teacher motivation over time. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 179018]

The paper presents a systematisation of broader social factors affecting student dropout in Serbia from the framework of Bronfenbrenner’s approach. Although recognised by authors and commonly related to community and education as a system, these factors are rarely investigated. Starting from our previous research into dropout, focused primarily on family and school, this study is aimed at investigating community and systemic factors. The data were compiled by semi-structured interviews with respondents from the following groups (including relevant public statistical data): students who dropped out/are at risk and their parents; school principals and counsellors from schools with high and low attrition rates; teachers’, parents’ and students’ representatives from schools with high dropout rates; social workers in charge of schools with a low attrition rate; representatives of national educational institutions. The findings reveal that factors with a negative impact on children’s education dominate over supportive ones which could have a preventive effect on attrition. Negative influences exist in all social niches: in microsystems (peers prone to risky behaviour, poor neighbourhoods), in weak mesosystem connections of school and family with local institutions, in exosystems (undeveloped regions), up to the macrosystem level (legislative inefficiency, lack of cooperation within educational institutions and between governmental departments). Productive features were observed in mesosystem connections of schools as examples of good practice, as well as at macrosystem level in the form of recognising the dropout problem at the national level. Although preliminary, the obtained results provide useful guidelines for future investigations.

Dropping out of educational system is a serious individual, familial, educational and social problem. It is a complex process influenced by a large number of factors. Nevertheless, it is a phenomenon that takes place in school, and different school factors can serve as risk or protective factors. Dropout rates in Serbia are still high. One way to improve the educational system and ensure equal education for every child is to reduce dropout rates from primary and secondary education. As part of a larger study, the goal of this research was to investigate and identify key school factors related to dropout from primary and secondary schools in Serbia. The research was conducted in 8 primary and 13 secondary schools from 17 municipalities with high dropout rates. In order to hear voices from different actors in the educational system, qualitative research was conducted, involving interviews and focus groups with teachers, school principals, school psychologists, counsellors, pedagogical assistants, parents and students. Following the analysis, several school factors highly related to dropout were singled out. Low quality (individualisation) of teaching, lack of learning and emotional support and lack of positive teacher-student relationships proved to have the greatest influence on student dropout. On the other hand, our results indicate that student and parent participation in school life is underused as a resource for dropout prevention. These factors are described and their impact in Serbian context explained. The results are discussed in the light of similar findings from previous research.

Since motivation for choosing the teaching profession figures as one of the most important determinants of the successfulness of teachers and even their students, this paper is aimed at investigating the factors of choosing teaching as a career. For that purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the students of “teacher training” faculties, novices and subject teachers with more than five years of work experience (N=76). Thematic analysis was used to identify nine categories of motivational factors: Working with young people (the desire to have a dynamic and creative job in the surroundings of young people), Influence on students (the motivation to exert influence on students’ socio-emotional development, values and education), Dealing with the subject (the motivation for dealing with the science that the person studied), Class teacher/Teacher/Parents as a role model (the motivation stemming from the influence of significant others), Lecturing (the desire to “transfer knowledge”), Lifelong learning (the desire for permanent learning in different fields), Working hours and holidays (the motivation due to working hours and holidays), Fit with the abilities (the desire to realise the “naturally given” abilities) and Reputation (the desire to be appreciated in the society). In keeping with the results of other studies, it has been found that altruistic motivation for the choice of teaching as a career is dominant, while extrinsic motivation is least present. The findings are interpreted in the light of the current models of motivation for choosing teaching as a career and the characteristics of teachers’ education and status in Serbia. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 179018: Identifikacija, merenje i razvoj kognitivnih i emocionalnih kompetencija važnih društvu orijentisanom na evropske integracije]

The main goal of this paper was to determine the professional concerns of preservice and in-service teachers. Professional concerns were defined as topics which are of teachers' interest that result in positive or negative feelings and endeavours to understand and/or resolve them. I relied on Fuller's developmental model of teachers' concerns, according to which beginners have Self-concerns, whereas Task concerns and Influence concerns become more frequent over time. Research participants were nineteen students of the third and fourth year at the 'teacher' faculties and 22 subject teachers who have worked at primary schools for more than five years, who were interviewed. Their answers were analysed using the combination of the grounded theory, asdefined by Charmaz, and qualitative content analysis, more specifically, thematic analysis, according to Mayring. The analysis of students' answers revealed 11 subcategories of the category labelled as Beginner concerns: Survival, Efficacious teaching methods, Identity and meaning, Classroom climate, Colleagues, Assessment, Students' behaviour, Classroom diversity, Parents, Expert authority, and 'Technical' issues. The analysis of teachers' answers yielded nine subcategories of the category Veteran concerns- the same as for students, except for Survival, Assessment and Expert authority, with one new category - Attitude towards teachers and education. On the one hand, the obtained results have confirmed Fuller's thesis that Self-concerns are dominant at the beginning of teachers' career, but, on the other, they have invalidated it at the same time since it was determined that even students had Influence concerns. The differences between pre-service and in-service teachers were interpreted in the light of the latest educational reforms and changes in value orientations in the Serbian society. The concluding part outlines the recommendations for teacher educators.

The main goal of this research was to explore the ways people portray themselves in resumes, labelled as “unsuitable” after the first review of the recruiters in a manufacturing company in Serbia. The form and the content of fifty resumes were analyzed using qualitative content analysis, inductive approach. Personal life stories described in an intimate and submissive tone were predominantly present in resumes, compared to the description of work experience and competencies. Concerning the content of the resumes, two core categories emerged - I as a worker and Employment needs. Finding support in the literature dealing with postsocialist transformation in Serbia and Hofstede’s theory, results are interpreted as pointing to the opposition of two value systems in Serbia: that of the authors of “unsuitable” resumes, reflecting collectivistic and feminine values and that of the job market in Serbia, reflecting manly individualistic and masculine values. The authors of "unsuitable" resumes display interdependent self-construal, use defensive impression management strategies and their need to work is exclusively financial in nature. Finally, the need for better understanding between job candidates and employers, having different value systems, especially in the context of actual socio-economic changes in Serbia is discussed. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 179018: Identification, measurement and development of cognitive and emotional competences important for the society oriented to European integrations and br 178021: Description and standardization of the modern Serbian language]

Relationship between epistemological beliefs and motivational orientation of high school students was studied and their relationship with school majoring, GPA and gender. To estimate epistemological beliefs and motivational orientation Schommer’s Epistemological Questionnaire (EQ) and Work Preference Inventory (WPI) were used. Through factor analysis of EQ 5 factors were extracted, that differ from those Schommer singled out. Negative correlation between naive epistemological beliefs on one side, and intrinsic (-0.327, p

The impact of forced social comparison on adolescents’ self-esteem and appearance satisfaction research, conducted on a sample of 133 high school seniors, consisted of two phases. In phase one, participants were given the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory, Appearance Satisfaction Scale and Appearance Relevance Scale, and in phase two, one month later, they were exposed to photographs of attractive and unattractive individuals. Two groups of boys and girls each assessed attractive or unattractive individuals of their own gender, while two control groups (of both genders) were not exposed to any photographs. Immediately after assessing the photographs, the participants were again given the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory and Appearance Satisfaction Scale. We found that forced social comparison had an impact on self-esteem and a marginally significant effect on appearance satisfaction in the group of participants (of both genders) assessing the photographs of unattractive individuals, while no effects were found in the either the control group or the group assessing the photographs of attractive individuals. We also examined the impact of self-esteem, appearance satisfaction and appearance relevance as moderating variables on the effect size of social comparison and showed that higher pretest self-esteem and appearance relevance and lower appearance satisfaction predict higher posttest self-esteem scores, regardless of the participants’ group membership. The group of participants exposed to photographs of unattractive people, however, showed the opposite pattern - those participants who had initially lower self-esteem have increased it more as a result of the experimental exposure.

This study investigates the characterization and performance of self-cleaning TiO2 surfaces synthesized through a one-step preparation process, followed by enhancement via plasma treatment. The process involved coating aluminum foil with an acrylic paint mixture containing nanoparticles of different mass compositions and subsequent plasma treatment using a continuous plasma arc. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the morphology of the treated surfaces, showing an increase in surface area of plasma-treated materials. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed changes in oxygen and titanium in acrylic paint/TiO2 surfaces as the TiO2 content increased, indicating successful TiO2 incorporation. Raman spectroscopy showed that the bulk structure of self-cleaning acrylic paints is mainly preserved after plasma treatment. Alternating current impedance spectroscopy assessed that plasma treatment reduced agglomeration and increased active sites, especially for the acrylic paint/TiO2 surfaces with 0.5 mg/cm3 TiO2. The contact angle measurements indicated that plasma treatment enhanced the superhydrophobic characteristics and potential self-cleaning abilities of produced acrylic paint/TiO2 surfaces. The efficacy of these plasma-treated surfaces in self-cleaning was evaluated by testing their performance against puddle sediment and automotive oil samples. The study demonstrated that plasma treatment positively impacted the self-cleaning ability of the acrylic paint/TiO2 surfaces, particularly those with 0.5 mg/cm3 TiO2. This enhancement was attributed to the formation of functional groups, improved water repellency, and possible increases in surface area, which collectively contribute to the sustainable self-cleaning properties of the treated surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Teaching Innovations / Inovacije u Nastavi is the property of University of Belgrade, Faculty of Teacher 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.)

The study comprehensively investigates the design and performance of self-cleaning surfaces fabricated by coating aluminum foil with an acrylic paint matrix enriched with different content of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles. The main goal was to assess the self-cleaning characteristics of the surfaces obtained. This study employs scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to analyze the morphology of TiO2-modified acrylic surfaces, revealing spherical particles. Raman spectroscopy elucidates signatures characterizing TiO2 incorporation within the acrylic matrix, providing comprehensive insights into structural and compositional changes for advanced surface engineering. Alternating current (AC) impedance spectroscopy was used to assess selected charge transport properties of produced self-cleaning surfaces, allowing us to gain valuable insights into the material's conductivity and its potential impact on photocatalytic performance. The self-cleaning properties of these tiles were tested against three frequently used textile dyes, which are considered to pose a serious environmental threat. Subsequently, improving self-cleaning properties was achieved by plasma treatment, utilizing a continuous plasma arc. The plasma treatment led to enhanced charge separation and surface reactivity, crucial factors in the self-cleaning mechanism. To deepen our comprehension of the reactive properties of dye molecules and their degradation dynamics, we employed a combination of density functional tight binding (DFTB) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This investigation lays the foundation for advancing self-cleaning materials with extensive applications, from architectural coatings to environmental remediation technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bosniaca is the property of National & University Library of Bosnia & Herzegovina 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 aim of this study was to validate the structure of the FIT-Choice scale on a Serbian sample of pre-service teachers, as well as to determine the motivations and beliefs about the teaching profession, and test if motivation differs across different groups of pre-service teachers. After prospective class and subject teachers (N = 433) filled in the FIT-Choice scale, the CFAs were performed. For Motivations, the adjusted 12-factor model fits the data best. Ten original factors were replicated, and Bludging and Time for family appeared as separate factors, like in the first version of the FIT-Choice model, while Transferability and Security merged into one. The six-factor Beliefs model with one item removed had the best fit indices. Intrinsic value, Social utility value and Perceived teaching ability were the highest rated motivations. Females and prospective class teachers were more motivated by altruistic motives and perceived the profession as more demanding than males and prospective subject teachers. The authors conclude that the FIT-Choice scale demonstrated acceptable structural and known-groups validity and reliability, and that the results on Motivations were similar to those obtained in Western countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]