1. How do specific conditions shape values of undergraduate early childhood education students in Slovenia?Marta Licardo, 2021, original scientific article Abstract: The purpose of the study is to examine the early childhood education students’ values and what are the differences in the students’ values in specific conditions related to social environment. The values of undergraduate students who study early childhood education are very important for professional development and practice. The purpose of this study is to determine, if their values change during their study programme; which values are more important to the students; and what are the differences in the students’ values in terms of the type of study (full time/part time), years of study, age, work experience and work status. Results indicate that employed students have higher scores on other-centred values than unemployed students, older students express more others-centred values than younger students, while in self-centred values there are no age differences. Students who have more work experience express more others-centred values and students who study longer express more others-centred values than fresh students, while in self-centred values differences by years of study do not occur. These results reveal important changes in the hierarchy of values related to measured variables and interplay between various conditions.
Keywords: preschool education, higher education, values, ECE students, ecological conditions, age
Published in DKUM: 26.09.2024; Views: 0; Downloads: 10
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2. Students’ values, professional socialization and the mental gap of corporate social responsibility perceptionsNikša Alfirević, Vojko Potočan, Zlatko Nedelko, 2021, original scientific article Abstract: This paper examines how values and professional socialization in business schools impact the formulation of students’ contextualized view of social responsibility. We propose the empirical concept of a mental gap between the existing and the wished-for level of a business school’s corporate social responsibility and estimate it empirically by using a sample of business school students from Central and South East Europe. Results show that students wish their business schools to reduce their current orientation toward economic outcomes and focus on environmental and social responsibilities. We interpret those empirical results in terms of the students’ wish to balance achieving economic prosperity and enjoyment of life with the prosocial outcomes of their education. New student generations’ perception of corporate social responsibility is not shaped by the professional socialization patterns but rather by the own perceptions, which can be influenced by experiential approaches to academic teaching and learning. Based on these empirical results, implications for academic practice and future research are explored.
Keywords: students, education, social responsibility, economy, culture, human learning, psychological attitudes
Published in DKUM: 06.08.2024; Views: 91; Downloads: 7
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3. Has the COVID-19 pandemic affected mathematics achievement? : a case study of university students in social sciencesAnja Žnidaršič, Alenka Brezavšček, Gregor Rus, Janja Jerebic, 2022, original scientific article Abstract: This study examines the effects of COVID-19-related measures on the mathematics achievement of university students in social sciences in Slovenia. Our particular concern was to compare two student populations (pre-pandemic and pandemic) in terms of factors affecting student performance in mathematics courses. Data were collected over nine consecutive academic years (from 2013–2014 to 2020–2021) and analyzed using two-stage structural equation modelling (SEM). The analyses confirmed that the conceptual model developed before the pandemic was applicable during the pandemic period. For both populations (pre-pandemic and pandemic), mathematics confidence, perceived level of math anxiety, background knowledge from secondary school, and self-engagement in mathematics courses at university were confirmed as factors influencing mathematics achievement. Moreover, both populations perceived the effects of the factors in the same way, and the magnitude of the effects is comparable. The rather high values of determination coefficient for mathematics achievement (greater than 0.66 for both student populations) indicate that the variables “Perceived Level of Math Anxiety” and “Self-Engagement in Mathematics Course at University” together explain a significant proportion of the total variance before and during the pandemic. Consequently, the results of our case study indicated that pandemic measures did not have a significant impact on our students’ mathematics achievement. Although a more in-depth study of a broader sample of academic courses would be needed to confirm our findings, our experience indicates that mathematics courses at the tertiary level of education can be successfully delivered online.
Keywords: COVID-19, mathematics achievement, university students, social sciences, pre-pandemic population, pandemic population, comparison, multi-group structural equation modeling (MG-SEM)
Published in DKUM: 09.07.2024; Views: 112; Downloads: 5
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4. The influence of anxiety and fear of COVID‑19 on vaccination hesitancy among postsecondary studentsAndrej Šorgo, Nuša Crnkovič, Katarina Cesar, Špela Selak, Mitja Vrdelja, Branko Gabrovec, 2022, original scientific article Abstract: The aim of the present study was to explore the infuence of anxiety and fear of COVID-19 on vaccination hesitancy among Slovenian postsecondary students. A cross-sectional study using a set of previously tested instruments and ad hoc questions created by the authors was chosen as the method to gain insight into various health and sociodemographic aspects of Slovenian postsecondary students afected by the COVID-19-induced closures and suspensions of educational activities at tertiary educational institutions (N= 5999). Overall, 39.7% of participating students expressed an intention to get vaccinated at the frst possible opportunity, whereas 29.2% expressed no intent to do so. The highest vaccine hesitancy was observed among prospective teachers (50.3%) and the lowest among prospective physicians (5,7%). When examining the role of anxiety and fear of COVID-19 on the Slovenian postsecondary students' intentions to get vaccinated the results of logistic regression showed that only fear of COVID-19 played a mild and signifcant role.
Keywords: vaccination, health care, health occupations, medical research, risk factors, signs and symptoms, students
Published in DKUM: 05.07.2024; Views: 111; Downloads: 8
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5. Recognition of the perceived benefits of smartphones and tablets and their influence on the quality of learning outcomes by students in lower secondary biology classesVida Lang, Andrej Šorgo, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: After the appearance of the first smartphones in 2007 and shortly thereafter, tablets became
not only useful communication tools, but also objects that function as life organisation units. However,
although they are ubiquitous, their actual and potential role in biology education has not been
sufficiently explored. The objectives of the survey were to investigate the recent use of smartphones in
the last two grades of Slovenian comprehensive school by 14- to 15-year-old students, their satisfaction
with them for educational purposes, and the perceived impact on the quality of schoolwork in biology
classes. Based on the responses of 313 lower secondary school students, we can conclude that
by the end of compulsory education, almost all of them have used smartphones and tablets for
educational purposes to some extent, even if the reported use in different school subjects is low.
Based on structural equation modelling, which examines the influence of the constructs of support,
perceived usability, perceived ease of use, attitudes, and perceived pedagogical impact on the quality
of smartphone-based schoolwork, it can be concluded that only perceived pedagogical impacts and
perceived usability impacted quality, leading to the conclusion that additional efforts should be
made to explore their full potential and the gaps that should be addressed through formal education.
Leaving students to their own devices is the worst solution, resulting in a permanent lack of skills,
such as the ability to select and interpret information provided through the media.
Keywords: attitudes, biology education, quality of schoolwork, secondary school students, smartphones, tablets
Published in DKUM: 05.06.2024; Views: 136; Downloads: 8
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6. Differences in self-regulated learning between gifted students, students with special needs and other students in Slovenian schoolsEva Kranjec, Karin Bakračevič, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: Self-regulated learning strategies play a crucial role in learning progress and academic achievement of different groups of students. The purpose of the present study is to investigate differences in the use of self-regulatory strategies among a sample of 1,495 students, aged 12 to 15 years, representing three groups: gifted students, students with special needs, and other students. The theoretical framework for the study is Pintrich's (1991) model of self-regulated learning. Data were collected using the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Results indicated that gifted students scored significantly higher on the MSLQ subscales of motivation and learning strategies than students with special needs and other peers. Special needs students reported lower intrinsic and extrinsic goal orientation and weaker self-efficacy in learning and achievement than other students. There were no significant differences between these two groups on the MSLQ learning strategies subscales. Positive and statistically significant associations between the MSLQ subscales and final grades in three school subjects (Slovenian, mathematics, and foreign language) were also confirmed. We discuss the implications of our findings for future research and the educational context that contributes most to the development of self-regulated learning in all groups of students.
Keywords: self-regulated learning, MSLQ, gifted students, special needs, academic performance
Published in DKUM: 31.05.2024; Views: 167; Downloads: 8
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7. Changed lifestyles during the COVID-19 pandemic : the need for health education in the curriculum of pedagogical studentsJoca Zurc, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: The health education in schools became the focus of public attention during the global pandemic of COVID-19. Teaching practice changed to meet the increased demand for pupils’health, triggering a reevaluation of higher education curricula for pedagogical students. Therefore, this mixed methods study aimed to investigate the lifestyle of university students of pedagogy in Slovenia during the COVID-19 pandemic.One hundred and four students (87.4% females and 12.6% males) met the criteria and participated in an online survey in which they self-assessed their physical activity, eating habits, mental well-being, and sleep quality. The convergent parallel mixed methods design was used to obtain qualitative descriptions of student experiences withlifestyle domains and quantitative data on their attitudes towards the impact of lifestyle on physical and mental well-being during the pandemic. The results suggestthat the pandemic did significantly impact student lifestyles, especially their mental well-being. Although most students maintained a healthy lifestyle during the pandemic, they also reported a deterioration in other measured domains of health-related behaviour. Particular attention should, therefore, be paid to the curriculum of pedagogical students to develop their competences in health education and readiness toassume an active role as educators for their future pupils’ health.
Keywords: health education, university students, curriculum development, education professions, pedagogy, university students, mixed methods research
Published in DKUM: 13.05.2024; Views: 238; Downloads: 11
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8. Depressive symptoms among Slovenian female tertiary students before and during the COVID-19 pandemic : analysis of two repeated cross-sectional surveys in 2020 and 2021Andrej Kirbiš, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected the mental health of the general population. This holds true especially for vulnerable groups, including young people, students, and females. Our study examined cross-sectional changes in depressive symptoms from immediately before the COVID-19 pandemic (January/February 2020) to the second wave of the epidemic in Slovenia (January/February 2021) among female tertiary students. A multivariate analysis of two repeated cross-sectional surveys was performed using relatively homogeneous samples. The pooled sample included 418 young adult female students (Mage = 21.21 years). Depressed affect items were used to measure depressive symptomatology. All three feelings indicating depressed affect increased substantially and significantly from 2020 to 2021: feeling depressed (23% vs. 38%), lonely (16% vs. 43%), and sad (21% vs. 49%). In 2021, female students had almost a three-fold increase in the odds of reporting at least two out of three depressed affect symptoms compared to 2020 (19% vs. 43%; aOR 2.97; 95% CI 1.59–5.54; p < 0.001), adjusted for sociodemographic and socioeconomic confounders. Our findings suggest that Slovenian female students’ mental health deteriorated during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health professionals’ efforts to combat the pandemic’s mental health-related negative short-term and potential long-term impacts should thus focus on young people, especially on younger female students.
Keywords: depressive symptoms, depressed affect, students, covid-19, mental health, pandemic
Published in DKUM: 09.04.2024; Views: 266; Downloads: 20
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9. Artificial intelligence and business studies : study cycle differences regarding the perceptions of the key future competencesPolona Tominc, Maja Rožman, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: The purpose of this article is to identify the differences in various aspects of the perception of artificial intelligence by students of economics and business studies at different levels of study and, on this basis, to formulate recommendations both to the higher education institutions themselves, which educate in the field of economic and business sciences, as well as to curriculum designers. First, we utilized descriptive statistics to analyze the responses for each construct among undergraduate and postgraduate students. In the second part, we employed the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk tests to assess the normality of data distribution. Finally, in the third part, we employed the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test to identify the differences between undergraduate and postgraduate students. The results show that statistically significant differences can be identified especially in how students of both study levels see and understand the importance of AI. Although we did not identify significant differences between students of both levels in how they see their role in the future labor market, which will be (or already is) characterized by artificial intelligence, we must emphasize that students of both levels evaluate their roles modestly in this respect. Therefore, on this basis, we have made recommendations for more active development and integration of AI in the study process; the article presents important suggestions for improving education to prepare students for the business world of artificial intelligence.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, undergraduate students, postgraduate students, education
Published in DKUM: 03.04.2024; Views: 191; Downloads: 21
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10. Challenges that need to be addressed before starting new emergency remote teaching at HEIs and proposed solutionsSimona Šinko, Joan Navarro, Xavier Solé-Beteta, Agustín Zaballos, Brigita Gajšek, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) aims to swiftly adapt conventional face-to-face educational methods to alternative (typically virtual) formats during crises. The recent COVID-19 pandemic accentuated the vulnerability of traditional educational systems, revealing limitations in their ability to effectively withstand such unprecedented events, thereby exposing shortcomings in the adopted ERT strategies. The goal of this study is to discuss the establishment of resilient, sustainable, and healthy educational systems in non-crisis times, which will enable teachers and students to make a smoother and less stressful transition to Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) when necessary. A comprehensive hybrid approach, combining quantitative (interviews) and qualitative (online survey) methods has obtained data from 276 professors in 29 countries. These data have been used to identify a range of challenges related to ERT and their perceived level of difficulty. The methodological and social challenges (overshadowed by technical issues at the beginning of the crisis) identified in this research—such as the lack of personal contact or poor feedback from students—have been found to be the most demanding. From the collected insights regarding the perceived level of difficulty associated with the identified challenges, the present study aims to contribute to making higher education systems more robust in non-crisis times.
Keywords: emergency remote teaching, technical challenges, methodological challenges, social challenges, education, students’ engagement
Published in DKUM: 19.02.2024; Views: 229; Downloads: 18
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