Our School: Journal for the theory and practice of education

TOWARDS A VIRTUAL TERM GAME

Miroslav Drinić — 2025-09-18

Book review: Bogojević, S. (2015). Towards a virtual term game. Faculty of Philosophy in Banja Luka

STUDY PROGRAMS OF PEDAGOGICAL AND TEACHER EDUCATION FACULTIES AND STUDENTS' ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE IMPORTANCE AND CHALLENGES OF EDUCATIONAL INCLUSION OF IMMIGRANT STUDENTS

Marina Semiz — 2025-09-18

Within the context of public and educational policies underlining that teachers and other educators are key drivers of social change aimed at building social justice and inclusion, issues related to the quality of knowledge and competences of future educators in working with immigrant-origin students are brought to the forefront. This paper presents the results of a correlational study on the relationship between the contribution of study programmes at pedagogical and teacher education faculties to the acquisition of knowledge and the development of student competences for educational work with immigrant students, on the one hand, and the attitudes of future educators about the importance and challenges of educational inclusion of immigrant students, on the other. The research was conducted during February and March 2024 with a sample of students from pedagogical, philological, and philosophical faculties in Serbia (N=268). For study purposes, the following research instruments were constructed and applied: Questionnaire on the Difficulties and Barriers to the Educational Inclusion of Immigrant Students and Scale for Assessing Students' Attitudes towards the Educational Inclusion of Immigrant Students. The results obtained through descriptive statistics suggest that future educators positively evaluate the contribution of study programmes to acquiring knowledge and developing competences for teaching immigrant-origin students, as well as the importance of educational inclusion of immigrant students. The greatest challenges identified by students regarding the educational inclusion of immigrant students include the language barrier, stereotypes, and prejudices towards immigrant students, and, finally, peer rejection. The results of the correlational analysis show that there is a significant, positive, and weak correlation only between the contribution of the study programmes to acquiring the knowledge necessary for teaching immigrant students and the attitudes of future educators towards the importance and challenges of educational inclusion of immigrant students. The obtained results further suggest that the emphasis in the initial education of future educators is placed on acquiring knowledge about various aspects of the educational inclusion of immigrant students, but not on their preparation for direct interaction with this socially sensitive group. As a result, it is necessary to significantly improve the study programmes at faculties that educate future teachers, language instructors, and educators, particularly in the domain of content framework that contributes to the development of key skills, abilities, and attitudes for future work with immigrant-origin students.

RURAL SCHOOLS – SPECIFIC FEATURES, RESOURCES AND CHALLENGES IN BUILDING CAPACITIES FOR INCLUSION

Jelena Stamatović — 2025-09-18

Specific features of rural schools and specific circumstances of the setting in which they are located represent major issues as regards the limitations and possible solutions for building capacities for inclusion. The limiting factors, the advantages, and the capacities of these schools with reference to the challenges of inclusive education are observed through the categories of setting, of internal organisation, of teaching staff, and of students and their needs by means of a relevant literature analysis. The results show that the setting may limit the development of inclusivity if it is an extremely covert and traditional one, with the advantage being recognised in nurturing family values and empathy. The lack of support is visible in cooperation with specialised institutions and professionals. Classes featuring fewer students and classes of mixed-age students offer greater opportunities for becoming more familiar with students’ individual needs and abilities and they represent a solid basis for the development of inclusivity. There is a frequent rotation of teachers as they migrate to larger communities, which results in the disturbance of students’ adaptation to the ambience of a class. Inclusivity implies additional competences of a teacher as well concerning its development in a school setting, with research showing that teachers do not feel competent and comfortable enough to implement it. Building capacities for developing inclusive schools should be directed at developing and improving mechanisms of support through national strategies, as well as developing local communities and capacities of both school and teaching staff.

SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF COMMUNICATION IN KINDERGARTEN INITIATED BY THE USE OF STAGE PUPPETS

Aleksandra Šindić — 2025-09-18

Communication in kindergarten is crucial in the social interaction of children, but it is also important for the overall development of the child. The role of stage puppets in the educational and upbringing process in preschool institutions is recognized not only in the artistic dimension but also in the overall development of the child's personality, especially in the development of speech and communication. The theoretical foundation of the work includes the concepts of communication, stage puppets, and methods of stage communication. In this empirical research, which is part of a wider research conducted with 125 respondents - preschool teachers from the Center for Preschool Education and Upbringing Banja Luka, the aim was to determine the representation of specific aspects of communication initiated by the use of stage puppets and recommendations for their improvement from the perspective of preschool teachers. Data were collected in 2023 through surveys, scaling and interviewing, with the help of self-created research instruments. The results confirm that stage puppets stimulate preschool children's communication not only during dramatic play but also through everyday activities, where the puppet takes on the role of an animator, motivator, and facilitator. The pedagogical implications highlight the importance of integrating stage puppets into daily educational activities to enhance children's communication and engagement.

REPRESENTATION OF DEFINITIONS, EXAMPLES, AND ANALOGIES IN TEXTBOOKS OF PHYSICS, BIOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY

Sonja Kaurin — 2025-09-18

This paper aims at analysing the representation and types of definitions, examples, and analogies in the seventh-grade textbooks for physics and biology and eighth- and ninth-grade textbooks for physics, biology, and chemistry used in the elementary school system of the Republic of Srpska. The method used in the paper is the content analysis, with units of analysis being segments of text containing definitions, examples, and analogies. With concern to the aforementioned textbooks, the authors only analyse the basic text, neglecting follow-up questions, tasks, or laboratory exercises. The results show that definitions (953) are dominant, followed by examples (519), and analogies (52). In addition, these results suggest that efforts should be made as regards improvement and perfection of the textbooks in order to make them as comprehensible to students as possible. It is considered that textbook contents should be created in such a fashion as to make them attractive to students, to match their subtle needs, interests, and aspirations, to urge them to reflect on what the teacher presents in class, to seek solutions through their own intellectual effort, thus enriching their knowledge, views, and beliefs. The expectations of this paper could be articulated in the authors’ wish for textbooks to feature the system of scientific notions that are adequately defined, to be accompanied by appropriate explanations, examples, and analogies, so that students could study their contents with understanding. In addition, textbooks should support the formation of notions, categories, and procedures with the help of which a student should structure their knowledge. When a textbook is designed well, one can expect an increased activity on the part of students and an increased development of their individuality and creativity.

COOPERATIVE LEARNING IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SPORT CLASS

Svetlana Buišić — 2025-09-18

Educational systems have been constantly questioning existing learning models and/or designing new ones in order to prepare students for living in an ever-changing society. At the same time, more and more attention is being paid to the SEL (social and emotional learning). An alternative to students’ needs is, most likely, the model of cooperative learning, which represents a form of group work and of work in pairs, where students reach their goals through collective agency. Although this model has proven itself with reference to outcomes in all three learning domains (psycho-motoric, cognitive, and affective) and, consequently, in the SEL as well, it has failed to take a prominent place in physical education and sport classes in Serbia. By encouraging students to collaborate more actively in class and provide support to each other, it is possible to contribute to improving motor/motory/physical abilities and acquiring motor/motory/physical skills, as well as coning social skills, in particular interpersonal skills and communication skills, and developing emotional competences. During empirical research, students have designated this model as a useful and interesting one, with its application encouraging greater motivation for practicing. To this end, the paper uses the theoretical analysis and synthesis method, and it aims at identifying theoretical specificities and possibilities of applying the cooperative learning in the physical education and sport class.

THE FOCUS AND OUTCOMES OF THE GRADING SYSTEM IN TEACHING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AT NON-PHILOLOGICAL FACULTIES

Snežana Lalović — 2025-09-18

One of the weak points of the educational system, both in the world and in the Republic of Srpska, is the grading system, including the feedback associated with it. Tendencies towards changing the grading paradigm can be noticed in contemporary literature, which leads to higher-quality teaching. In accordance with this, we have conducted mixed methods research using a sample of teachers and students from non-philological faculties of the University of East Sarajevo, the Republic of Srpska. The results have been complemented by an analysis of the syllabi used at these faculties. The research aimed at investigating the focus and outcomes of the grading system in teaching the English language at non-philological faculties. The results show that the grading system in this domain has been improved to some extent, taking into account that it is not solely numerical and critically oriented, but some of the language skills are neglected, especially listening, as well as writing, and interactive communication between students is not a part of the final exam. The analysis of syllabi has shown that there is a large discrepancy among the faculties in terms of many issues, especially regarding the level of an English language course according to the CEFR, as well as regarding the grading criteria. In the conclusion, we have offered suggestions for improvement of this aspect of teaching the English language at non-philological faculties.

ASSESSMENT OF QUALITY OF APPLICATIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD)

Nenad Glumbić — 2025-09-18

The development of IT technologies and its increased implementation in activities involving people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have led to a great number of specialised applications, most of which having been designed for world languages speakers, such as English and Spanish. Although these applications cover great many purposes, from educational and developmental, over specific ones, to leisure time and free activities, there have been few research concerning the assessment of their features. For that reason, this paper aims at determining the quality of applications intended for individuals affected by ASD, enlarging the scope of browsing from English to languages spoken in the region of the former Yugoslavia. By means of selected keywords in English, Serbian, and Croatian, 33 applications have been identified, primarily on the Google Play digital platform. All the aforementioned applications have been assessed using the System of Indicators for Evaluation of Applications intended for ASD-affected people. The results gained reveal significant heterogeneity as regards the quality of applications selected, as well as the fact that the pedagogical aspects of such applications are rated lower than their contents and design. The applications earning the highest rate have emerged within the same research project, based on collaboration of the academia, business entities, and civic society organisations.

FACTOR STRUCTURE OF THE KAI QUESTIONNAIRE OF THE KIRTON ADAPTION-INNOVATION MODEL

Mia Marić — 2025-09-18

This paper aims at determining the factor structure of the KAI Questionnaire of the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Model on the sample of college students population. The results confirm the leading hypothesis, that is, the existence of two poles of the dimension of the KAI Adaption-Innovation Model, as well as the three-factor structure of the Kirton KAI Questionnaire on the sample of college students population. Consequently, the existence of two major factors of adaption and innovation has been established, as well as the dimensions of efficiency, originality, and conformism, into which the nine previously determined sub-factors are grouped. Given this large possibility of application in various domains of behaviour prediction, such as education and academic achievement, organisational behaviour, and the like, it would be useful, through further evaluation, to assess the structure of the KAI model on other samples of respondents in the country as well.

SCHOOL TESTS AS A SOURCE OF STRESS IN ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Elvisa Purić — 2025-09-18

This paper examines school test stress as a significant challenge facing elementary and secondary school students during their schooling. In education, using tests as a means of assessment causes frequent psychological reactions such as stress and anxiety. The paper aims at providing understanding of the underlying cause of test stress and suggesting strategies for its reduction. The methodology is based on an analysis of aspects of stress, including psychological, cognitive, behavioural, social, and environmental factors. The results imply the significance of emotional support of a teacher and creating the positive atmosphere in the classroom. With reference to this, the paper offers recommendations for encountering test stress through techniques such as awareness, time management, and open communication. The implementation of these strategies can significantly improve emotional welfare of students during test situations.