Journal of Elementary Education

Injury Prevention in Pre-Primary and Primary Education: An Analysis of Teachers´ Perspectives and Expertise

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 15:48:46 +0200

The article presents a study focused on the teaching staff and the impact of their occupational health and safety (OHS) teaching on pupils in pre-primary and primary education. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 227 teachers from eleven pre-primary and primary schools in Prague, Czech Republic in 2021. Pre-primary teachers rated themselves as more competent in OHS than teachers of primary education, although pre-primary children had a higher rate of injuries. More frequent OHS training did not affect teachers’ self-assessment but reduced child injury rates, especially if such training was completed more than once a year.

Inclusiveness and Equity in Vocational Education and Training

Katja Jeznik, Nina Kristl — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 15:49:46 +0200

Two decades ago, the Index for Inclusion was developed. It defines inclusion at three levels (policy, culture and practice) and can be linked to a multidimensional understanding of equity that complements redistribution with recognition, representation, and relationality as presented in the article. The research is based on an analysis of the responses of teachers, counsellors, and principals of vocational education and training (VET) schools. The main question is how inclusion and equity are implemented in VET. Redistributive justice is most frequently being implemented, followed by relationality. Representation and recognition are ranked lower. The findings require reflection on the present inclusiveness and equity of the VET system.

Career Counselling to Persons with Special Needs in the Context of Positive Psychology

Janez Drobnic — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 15:52:44 +0200

Recently, the advantages or strengths of the individual have become important or even dominant in personal counselling. The basis for such a counselling approach can be found in positive psychology. The question is how positive psychology and its emphasis on strengths rather than weaknesses find its way into current vocational/career guidance approaches in today’s schools, especially for people with special needs. With the help of an empirical study using quantitative research methods, we sought to establish in primary and secondary schools whether they carried out counselling according to these principles. The results showed that strength-based counselling has already found its way into vocational/career guidance, but the non-directive counselling approach and the issue of individual autonomy remain in the background.

Preschool Teachers’ Conceptions of Professional Development in Relation to Career Motivation and Job Satisfaction

Mojca Žveglič Mihelič, Milena Valenčič Zuljan, Romina Plešec Gasparič — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 15:56:45 +0200

In this paper, we are interested in preschool teachers’ conceptions of professional development in relation to their motives for choosing the profession and professional satisfaction. Results of a study among 145 Slovenian preschool teachers show that they generally have a positive conception of professional development; nevertheless, recognition of the importance of learning and in-depth reflection on this conception depend on career motivations, while a broader conception of professional development increases the likelihood of thinking about leaving the profession more frequently. The findings justify the need for better recognition of preschool teachers’ needs and obstacles in the workplace.

The Impact of Implementation Contemporary Art Practices into Art Education on the Artistic Development of Eighth-Grade Students

Katja Kozjek Varl, Jerneja Herzog — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 16:01:05 +0200

It is known that several factors can have a positive effect on the artistic development of pupils, but it has not yet been investigated whether such development can also be positively influenced by the contemporary visual arts. Mainly because it is multi-layered and complex to understand, the question here is whether teachers can incorporate contemporary visual arts to the same degree and extent as other visual arts content to exert a positive influence on the development of artistic skills. Therefore, in this paper we present the results of a pedagogical experiment conducted to examine the effects of incorporating contemporary artistic practices on the development of artistic creativity skills in eighth graders (N = 121). Through the study, we were able to demonstrate that the inclusion of contemporary art practices in art lessons does have a positive impact on the development of art design skills among eighth graders.

Spiritualty of Children in Families and Those in Residential Care

Goran Kardum, Ante Grčič, Marina Marina — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0200

The aim of the study was to investigate the differences in the spirituality of children in residential care and children in families. Applying the method of pairs, children with behavioural problems who are users of residential care and children from families who are equal in terms of sociodemographic variables were selected for the sample. After applying a mixed methodology (Spiritual Sensitivity Scale and Santa Clara questionnaires, and Interpretive phenomenological analysis and thematic analysis of interviews), we obtained results indicating differences in the understanding of spirituality between these two groups. Children from residential care achieved higher results on spirituality questionnaires, and qualitative methodology determined a greater degree of compassion towards close people as well as a deeper relationship with the transcendent.

New Polystochastic Statistical Inference in Social Sciences - Defining new Rules and Thresholds

Sinisa Opic — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 16:11:48 +0200

The Null Hypothesis Significance Testing (NHST) framework has sparked considerable debate within the scientific community, leading to numerous studies advocating for a re-evaluation of the current system. New polystochastic statistical inference defines methods of statistical inference that integrate rules and thresholds for both rejecting the null hypothesis and confirming the alternative hypothesis. This approach unifies the control of respondents' influence on statistical significance and introduces criteria such as effect size and Bayesian inference for confirming the alternative hypothesis. Unlike NHST, polystochastic statistical inference controls Type I error (p-value) and aims to optimize the confirmation of evidence without increasing the risk of Type II errors.