In the context of self-determination theory it is possible to distinguish several qualitatively different aspects of motivation that have an impact on academic achievement, self-efficacy assessment and satisfaction. Starting with the assumption that intrinsic motivation is crucial for the quality of formal education of prospective teachers, the aim of this study was to examine various aspects of academic motivation of future preschool teachers, primary school teachers, and secondary school teachers. The study included 566 students who filled out the Academic Motivation Scale (Vallerand et al., 1992) which measures seven different aspects of motivation according to the self-determination continuum (Gagne & Deci, 2005). By means of exploratory factor analysis five factors that correspond to intrinsic motivation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, external regulation, and amotivation were extracted. Participants, in general, achieved the highest score on the scale of extrinsic identified regulation, while the lowest score was obtained, as expected, on the amotivation scale. Analysis of the intrinsic motivation results showed significantly higher values at the graduate level compared to the undergraduate level, while the opposite pattern was observed for external motivation. For other types of motivation there were no significant differences with regard to the study level. Key words: academic motivation; initial teacher education; self-determination---SažetakU kontekstu teorije samoodređenja moguće je razlikovati nekoliko kvalitativno različitih aspekata motivacije i regulacije ponašanja koji imaju učinka na akademsko postignuće, procjenu samoefikasnosti i zadovoljstva pojedinca. Polazeći od pretpostavke da je za kvalitetu inicijalnog obrazovanja odgojitelja i nastavnika ključna intrinzična motivacija, odnosno autonomna regulacija ponašanja, cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati različite aspekte akademske motivacije kod studenata odgojiteljskog, učiteljskog i nastavničkog usmjerenja, kao i studenata pedagogije. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 566 studenata, a primijenjena je Skala akademske motivacije (Vallerand i sur., 1992) kojom se mjeri sedam različitih aspekata motivacije u skladu s kontinuumom samoodređenja (Gagne i Deci, 2005). Eksploratornom faktorskom analizom metodom glavnih komponenata uz varimax rotaciju dobiveno je rješenje od pet faktora koji odgovaraju intrinzičnoj motivaciji, introjiciranoj, identificiranoj i eksternalnoj ekstrinzičnoj motivaciji i amotivaciji. Na cijelom uzorku sudionika najviši rezultat postignut je na skali ekstrinzične identificirane regulacije, a najniži je rezultat očekivano utvrđen na skali amotivacije. Analiza rezultata intrinzične motivacije pokazala je značajno veće vrijednosti na diplomskoj razini u odnosu na preddiplomsku, a kod eksternalne regulacije utvrđeno je suprotno. Kod ostalih oblika motivacije nisu utvrđene značajne razlike s obzirom na razinu studija. Ključne riječi: akademska motivacija; nastavnički studij; samoodređenje; učiteljski studij; studij pedagogije; studij predškolskog odgoja

This research aimed to investigate the relationship between students’ perceptions of the quality of different aspects of higher education institutions, satisfaction of their psychological needs, and satisfaction with their studies at the higher education institution in question. This research involved 404 students of humanities, social sciences, and interdisciplinary studies. A Croatian version of the HedPERF Scale was used to examine the perceived level of quality of the higher education institution and the Basic Psychological Needs in the Academic Context Scale to check if students’ basic psychological needs were satisfied in the academic context. The obtained results suggest that satisfying students’ psychological needs at higher education institutions is important for their overall satisfaction with their academic studies but also that this relationship is mediated by the perceived quality of different aspects of the higher education institution in question, at least when it comes to the needs for autonomy and relatedness. A positive connection was also confirmed between satisfaction of students’ psychological needs and perceived level of quality, and the perceived level of quality of and satisfaction with academic studies. The research results confirm the importance of investing in the quality of higher education institutions, in different aspects, to improve students’ well-being and satisfaction with their academic experience, which in turn will positively affect their academic outcomes.

The paper discusses quality partnership as a prerequisite for the functioning of the institutions of early and pre-school education and for the child’s overall development and learning. Considering that child’s development and learning take place in different contexts (family, educational institutions, clubs, local and wider communities), the efforts of individuals and institutions should be coordinated in order to be more effective. The influences of various factors can be aligned only when all the stakeholders are familiar with and follow the same principles in education and operate synchronously, which can be achieved by building a quality partnership. Its prerequisite is professionalism and high level of competence of all of its stakeholders needed to ensure optimal conditions for child’s overall development, learning and education. The imperatives of thus understood partnership (at all levels) are improving the quality and interest of the child.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the classroom environment, namely the satisfaction with school, trust in teachers, positive teacher – student interaction and loneliness in school, in explaining individual...

Hrvatsko društvo karakteriziraju promjene koje su se odrazile na percepciju i praksu bračnih i obiteljskih odnosa u smislu napuštanja patrijarhalnoga modela braka i obitelji (Nikodem, 2010.), što se dijelom ogleda i u rastućoj stopi...