This paper reports on the research on year five pupils’ understanding of generalised arithmetic, which aimed to investigate the understanding of year five pupils’ commutative property and the property of zero together with its correlation with their mathematical achievement. Data for the study were collected via paper and pencil assessment answers for two items. Findings showed moderate achievement for both of the tasks. The pupils’ explanation illustrated their poor conceptual understanding of commutative property and the property of zero. However, this understanding is not correlated with their mathematical achievement in school. It shows that an outstanding student in school did not necessarily acquire conceptual understanding of commutative principle and the property of zero.

The paper deals with an individual’s nature relatedness and a selected significant variable which may have an effect on it; especially it researches the studied high school relation to nature relatedness in primary school teacher trainees. It is research in quantitative design, using a questionnaire to collect data. The questionnaire was based on the Nature Relatedness Scale. Results show a significant effect of the type of high school finished on students’ nature relatedness. The highest scores in the construct analysed were obtained in nature and science- oriented branches, the lowest by graduates of social sciences and general grammar schools. Such results confirm the significance of education in natural science in forming a positive attitude to nature and disprove the cliché ideas of polytechnics producing environmentally insensitive graduates.

In recent years, the problem of methods of education in values of tolerance to difference is subject to increased public attention at the EU level. However, even a sparse reading of the Bulgarian primers and readers shows that the first meeting of children with what is officially “normal” in the social world excludes the “different” people. The main objective of the project “To Educate a Xenophobe” (2015-2016) implemented by the Bulgarian NGO Political Science Center in collaboration with Institute for Creative Civil Strategies was to address the absence of systematic orientation to the initial stage of education as crucial for assimilating a tolerant attitude towards the different people in society. The project aimed to increase public attention and initiate a constructive dialogue with Bulgarian decision makers and stakeholders on the need for conducting reforms in state education requirements and legislation via a package of analyses, surveys and in-depth interviews.

The article presents the results of an empirical study, whose purpose was to identify preferences for art motifs among fourth-grade primary school students in Slovenia and Croatia. From the viewpoint of the total sample (n=1,467), the study results have shown statistically significant gender-related differences in four out of five cases. No differences were observed with regard to social stratum. With regard to individual countries, statistically significant differences were noted in three out of the five cases. It was expected that there would be no differences in preferences for art motifs between Slovenian and Croatian students.

An overview of the literature on gifted students suggests that students can be gifted by showing intelligence and/or creative abilities. Whether teachers are able to recognize intelligent and/or creative students is a matter of being skilled and can have a tremendous impact on students’ course of education. In out study, we included students of Slovenian primary schools who were either recognized as gifted or non-gifted by their teachers. To find out what differences occur in the creativity levels of gifted and non-gifted students, their creativity levels were recorded using the LV1Test, measuring their artistic-creative and artistic-appreciative abilities. Data analysis reveals that the gifted students were more successful in gaining a higher average score on the test, as well as the majority of individual items in the test.

Artykuł przedstawia częściowe rezultaty projektu pt. „Szkoła otwarta dla wszystkich” realizowanego w przedszkolach i szkołach podstawowych we wszystkich okręgach Republiki Słowackiej, z wyjątkiem powiatu bratysławskiego, w okresie od 1.02.2016 r. do 30.11.2019 r. Celem projektu było wsparcie edukacji włączającej dzieci z defaworyzowanych społecznie i/ lub zmarginalizowanych społeczności romskich przed rozpoczęciem nauki w szkole. Autorka analizuje efekty realizowanego programu edukacyjnego, wskazuje mocne i słabe strony współpracy interdyscyplinarnego zespołu (pracowników pedagogicznych, specjalistów, rodziców) w zakresie wsparcia uczniów ze szkół podstawowych.

There is a certain amount of research that proves that positive emotions and mood play an important role in creative human activity (Abele-Brehm, 1992; Tokarz, 2011; Kunat, 2015). Particularly valuable is ability to recognise emotions and communicate them. It is also important to accept experienced emotions, gain a skill to react accordingly as well as ability to evoke and regulate emotions. According to Salovey and Mayer’s model, the aforementioned dispositions are elements of emotional intelligence. It turns out that emotional intelligence can stimulate creative activity since it enables management of emotional expenditure (Nęcka, 2001). The paper presents results of research conducted among teachers of primary schools. It was assumed that there is a correlation between emotional intelligence and creative activity of teachers. The research can contribute to development of emotional skills of teachers and to intensify their creative activity. That, in turn, can translate into shaping of innovative school environment that fits the needs of contemporary young person - a student.

Drawing inspiration from the research of C. Timoszyk-Tomczak (2003), who, analyzing the strategies and styles of constructing the future (realistic, authority, coercion, wishful thinking, expectations and carpe diem), drew attention to their diversity, which is a consequence of, among others, the context for whom the „constructor” lives, the multitude of his experiences and the range of possibilities to choose from, it was decided to examine the declarations of primary school youth on the planning strategies they choose. Students were asked to choose 2 descriptions that best explicate their current situation, assuming that young people can use several strategies simultaneously, creating their hybrids to various contexts of youthful functioning and areas under consideration. Students opting for any of the options provided information about their preferred style of action in terms of designing the future and making significant life decisions, also taking into account their temporative aspect. Which of the strategies for constructing the future they lean towards in their career endeavors - may be a determinant of their sense of professional satisfaction and a sense of achieving professional success versus its lack.

Teaching of the Italian language and literature to the Italian undergraduate students

The paper focuses on the centralization of the Literary Texts in teaching Italian language. During the last thirty years, the Italian Undergraduate School has adopted methods to teach Italian, based on the distinction between Language and Literature, reshaping the role of Literary Texts or decreasing the lecture and analysis of Literary Texts in teaching Italian language. It’s out of doubt that the different modern languages theories have conditioned the methodologies of the language acquisition and the discussion of the theoretical model isn’t our aim. We would like to suggest that a literary text is a basic medium to learn a language, provided that the literary survey considers complete elements: cultural, historical, linguistics, rhetorical. The Romance Philology can give an essential contribution to renovate Literary studies in teaching Italian Language in the Italian Undergraduate school.

Considering the current conditions in environmental education and training in Europe and the world, it is essential to put emphasis on the increase of the environmental literacy of pupils in the educational environment. The paper presents findings of the conducted research focused on the regional identity in relation to environmental literacy of pupils. The empirical research was of a quantitative-qualitative character. The subject of the research was the level of environmental literacy of pupils of primary education and selected aspects in its development in educational process. The research was conducted in 630 schools from all over Slovakia. In the paper we focus mainly on the findings obtained from questionnaires completed by primary education pupils and from interviews carried out by teachers. The research findings highlight the need of pupils for direct contact with nature with regard to the improvement of their level of environmental literacy.

Singing activity is the basis of music education and its essential implementation form at all stages of general education. Voice is a primary musical instrument and an elementary means for performing that enables pupils to approach musical art in an appropriate way so that they can successfully receive, experience and evaluate it. With the research we discover and prove the importance of mastering the vocal technique of teachers, which is a prerequisite for quality singing activity in primary school. From the stated it follows that the application of a quality method of vocal technique, which teachers use both in speech and singing undoubtedly means improving the quality of singing activity in the educational process. The results also highlight important correlations between teachers and pupils in music education, and especially in singing activities, where we determine the strong influence of teachers on pupils.

The paper presents the results of a study in which we analysed planning of musical objectives in the psychomotor domain prepared by 372 Slovenian general education teachers. The research results showed high share of objectives pertaining to the taxonomy category of speech behaviours, which was followed by the categories of gross bodily movements, finely coordinated movements and non-verbal communication. The above facts confirm that music objectives can be classified in the prevailing psychomotor domain and show the utilization of a chosen taxonomy model. The research results also indicate that Slovenian general education teachers are aware of the need for active approaches to music teaching although they pay less attention to music objectives planning in the category of non-verbal communication which exceeds the mere use of words and represents the basis for contemporary approach of music teaching through musical doing and making.

In Slovenian schools pupils have few opportunities to observe, understand and enjoy works of art. Contemporary art education in Slovenia should aim to combine the development of productive and receptive artistic abilities. This would make more comprehensive artistic development of pupils possible. In this study we monitored the development of the art-appreciation abilities of 10 – 11-year old pupils in primary schools in northeastern Slovenia. Th e results show that the level of art-appreciation abilities is somewhat average, however, girls showed higher developed art-appreciation abilities than boys. Based on the results we can conclude that the development of art appreciation abilities in our art-education program is given too little attention.

Global research studies on distance education in foreign language learning focus primarily on secondary schools or higher education. The paper examines primary school foreign language teachers’ (n=119) perceptions of distance teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to face-to-face education. The purpose of the study was to investigate the quality, achieved learning outcomes, advantages and obstacles faced by FL teachers in remote teaching. Based on the e-questionnaire, our study indicated that distance FL teaching was more challenging and stressful than classroom teaching because primary school students were not responsive to technology and needed parental guidance. Primary school students rely on cognitive and socio-emotional support from the FL teacher.

The number of articles, books, and film documentaries reporting on lessons taught using a multimedia whiteboard is growing year by year. Numerous photographs and recordings show happy faces of children and their teachers. Also, test reports leave no doubt as to the attractiveness of activities supported by this modern media tool. But do all learners approve of learning with an interactive whiteboard? What determines the level of acceptance? I tried to obtain the answer to these questions in the course of research conducted in primary education classrooms as part of grant 495-NP.

Learning in unknown circumstances is a great challenge for young people, particularly those who lack the ability to regulate their emotions. This text presents the results of research on the image of the life of students in higher grades of primary school, measured by the sense of self-efficacy and the sense of helplessness. The research was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic among 303 students. It was found that (1) students rather express their belief in their own effectiveness (agency), and, at the same time, (2) half of the students indicated the feeling of helplessness; (3) helplessness is significantly higher among girls; (4) in the case of girls, there is a clear and strong negative relation between the sense of effectiveness and the helplessness.

Modern Teaching Materials in Natural Cycle Lessons in Primary School

An important function of education is to teach primary school students the skills and abilities to apply knowledge in life situations, preparing them for the challenges that await outside of school. In connection with the strategy, teachers acquire the mastery of innovative forms, methods, techniques and teaching in primary school. There is no traditional urgency of this problem, at the present stage it is undeniable relevance and novelty. The article is devoted to the analysis, systematization and generalization of the problem of introduction of modern teaching aids in the lessons of the natural cycle in primary school from the point of view of practice. The focus is on the formation of research and development skills in primary school students in project activities; acquaintance with scientific articles during modeling Ability to analyze, specify and systematize information by compiling Logical Reference Schemes. The priority is given to the use of computers in modern lessons, software as an urgent and necessary requirement of the time. During the educational process, students learn to master knowledge, evaluate their own progress, put forward hypotheses, prove them, simplify, listen and hear the opinions of others. The creative, exploratory approach of primary school teachers to the choice of modern teaching aids should become an organic part of students’ learning. Methodical instructions, the algorithm of the conducted classes, types of activity are concretized by examples on which the author emphasizes practicality of the outlined means. The author provides recommendations for improving the educational process according to the current legal framework of primary school. The practical material is promising for its use by primary school teachers in the face of changes in education, provides a solid basis for the author’s search, gaining their own experience, evaluation of activities in the context of educational innovations.

The article deals with different attitudes parents have toward learning foreign languages in primary school. The main goal of the research was to determine the attitudes of parents towards learning foreign languages and whether there is a difference in their opinions depending on their level of education. The research was conducted on a group of parents of ninth-grade pupils attending Slovene primary schools (N = 200). Based on the results of our study, we found that the attitudes of parents towards learning foreign languages are fairly positive. A detailed analysis of the results, however, shows that there are differences in the attitudes of parents depending on the level of their education. Higher educated parents are more inclined to support learning foreign languages than parents with a lower level of education.

A child's entry into primary school is an important life event for parents that is accompanied not just by the child’s expectations but also those of the parents themselves. We have attempted to interpret them in the present study, which presents the results of a quantitative research investigation conducted through random multi-stage stratified sampling based on analysing relevant surveys and building on the authors' previous qualitative investigations. The sample studied was 504 parents of pupils in Years 1 and 2 who attended selected primary schools in the 2020/2021 school year. The main data collection tool was an online questionnaire that mapped primary school choice strategies and parents' expectations of the school, schooling, and teachers. These factors were then examined in relation to the variable choice of an educational program and parents' attitudes toward education (an academic approach versus a personalistic one). We found that parents' expectations of school choice are principally divided according to whether respondents believe school should fulfil the more traditional role of education or whether they prefer their children to develop their personalities and seek an alternative educational program or school for their offspring.

School culture is one of the indicators of school quality. Effective school leaders are continually working on changing the school, analyzing and examining why their school needs to become a better place for all students and employees. To change school culture it is very important to determine at what level it is, what elements representing it are satisfactory, and which elements are essential to be changed with the goal of improving them. The aim of this study was to determine indicators of school culture in primary schools and on this basis to determine its level. Indicators of school culture were viewed from the point of view of 562 teachers, assistants and other staff in primary schools. Through factor analysis seven indicators of school culture were distinguished in primary schools: encouraging joint work, evaluating employee achievement, teacher collegiality, principal-teacher feedback, learning partnership, colleagues’ compliments and personal involvement of teachers.