Didactic strategies in early science teaching

The purpose of the article is to show the results of empirical research on the prevailing teaching strategies for teaching contents of the subject environmental studies (specifically when dealing with natural content) in the first triennium of the nine‐year primary school in the Republic of Slovenia. The information was obtained through a survey of 141 teachers from 60 randomly selected primary schools in the Republic of Slovenia. We found that teachers use different teaching strategies as students gain knowledge through experience, participation in education, they express their opinion, views, solve simple problems and explore. Such notice shall then direct the transmissions to the transaction and transformation, which was an important objective of the reform of the subject.     

Making citizens,being European? European symbolism in Slovenian citizenship education textbooks

Citizenship education has been an important part of the European Union’s (EU) agenda to integrate a European dimension into schools’ curricula. The usage of European symbolism in citizenship education curriculum material has been an especially important (yet understudied) means not only to promote a distinct European identity and increase knowledge on EU-related topics, but also to regulate (young) EU citizens and population. The paper analyses the content related to the EU and European dimension in citizenship education textbooks and workbooks at the lower-secondary school level in Slovenia. It demonstrates that, through diverse symbolic displays, which are understood as a specific governmental technique, the idea of a European community as a site of opportunities is promoted while students are stimulated to understand themselves as subjects who must be active and responsible EU citizens. Moreover, European symbolism is employed to nurture and promote Slovenian identity as being purely European and, as such, distinct from earlier Balkan-situated, Yugoslav and socialist forms of identity and belonging.     

Developing teachers’ subject didactic competence through problem posing

Problem posing (not only in lesson planning but also directly in teaching whenever needed) is one of the attributes of a teacher’s subject didactic competence. In this paper, problem posing in teacher education is understood as an educational and a diagnostic tool. The results of the study were gained in pre-service primary school teacher education. Students were asked to pose problems containing some given data (namely fractions). The subsequent analysis of the problems posed by the students revealed shortcomings in their conceptual understanding of fractions. Classroom-based joint reflection became the means of reeducation.     

Effects of 8-week endurance and resistance training programmes on cardiovascular stress responses,life stress and coping

ABSTRACT

This study tested the effect of 8-week endurance and resistance training programmes on cardiovascular stress responses, life stress, and coping. Fifty-two untrained but healthy female students were randomised to an 8-week endurance training, an 8-week resistance training, or a wait list control group. Before and after the training intervention, we assessed the groups’ cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max test), self-reported life stress, coping strategies and cardiovascular reactivity to and recovery from a standardised laboratory stressor. Both endurance and resistance training programmes caused physiological adaptation in terms of increased VO2max after the intervention. For stress and coping parameters, participants in the training groups improved cardiovascular recovery from stress and reported having less stress in their everyday life after the intervention than participants in the control group, while the two training groups did not differ from each other. We did not find any significant differences in heart rate reactivity and coping strategies between the study groups. These results partly support that exercise training has stress-reducing benefits regardless of the type of exercise. Both endurance and resistance exercise activities may be effectively used to improve stress regulation competence while having less impact on changing specific coping strategies.