The aim of this study was to investigate and analyze how first-grade high school students experience a positive classroom environment (excitement, competition, connectedness, satisfaction, and aspiration) by applying gamification as a teaching strategy in physics classes. An experimental study was conducted within the teaching topic of conservation of momentum and energy, in which N = 69 students in three classes took part. In the experimental group, one class with n = 23 students engaged in physics lessons, using gamification as a teaching strategy. In contrast, the control group comprised two classes with n = 46 students. The My Class Inventory questionnaire was used for this study. The study’s results revealed statistically significant differences in the perception of the student learning experience between the control and experimental groups. The experimental group rated the student learning experience significantly better than the control group. Gamification as a strategy contributes positively to the student learning experience, fostering collaboration among students when tackling challenging problems. It is essential to highlight that even if we do not entirely depart from traditional teaching methods, simply changing our strategy can lead to significant improvements. In our case, gamification can create a more engaging student learning experience, making students more motivated and involved. Consequently, this shift could result in a better understanding and mastery of physics concepts.

Information about the paper titled "TEACHERS’ SELF-ASSESSMENT OF COMPETENCE IN THE APPLICATION OF CONTEXTUAL TEACHING AND LEARNING" at IATED Digital Library

Cilj rada bio je ispitati ulogu socijalne samoefikasnosti i nekih sociodemografskih čimbenika u različitom angažmanu djece u vršnjačkom nasilju. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 715 učenika (54% djevojčica i 46% dječaka) sedmih (N=370) i osmih (N=345) razreda iz različitih regija Republike Hrvatske, prosječne dobi 13,22 godina (SD=0,664). Za potrebe ovoga rada uz Upitnik općih podataka korišteni su sljedeći mjerni instrumenti: adaptirana Skala uloga djece u vršnjačkom nasilju i Skala socijalne samoefikasnosti. Hi-kvadrat testom i logističkom regresijskom analizom utvrđeno je da su dječaci češće počinitelji te aktivni i pasivni pomoćnici, dok su djevojčice češće branitelji. Oba spola podjednako su žrtve i promatrači vršnjačkog nasilja. Utvrđeno je da su učenici sedmih razreda češće počinitelji i aktivni pomoćnici. Djeca u ulozi branitelja imaju višu socijalnu samoefikasnost, dok promatrači imaju nižu socijalnu samoefikasnost. Rezultati ovog istraživanja mogu imati važne implikacije u kreiranju preventivnih programa u smanjenju i sprečavanju klasičnog i elektroničkog nasilja među djecom.

This study investigated the professional attitudes of Croatian preservice primary school teachers towards science teaching and their epistemological views on science in the context of the ongoing educational reform. In a quantitative survey conducted at a Croatian university, teachers’ overall attitudes were assessed; it investigated whether participation in a science course influenced these attitudes, and the relationship between their attitudes towards teaching and their epistemological views on science was analyzed. The results showed predominantly positive but nuanced attitudes that combined both traditional and contemporary conceptions of science education. Furthermore, the results showed that participation in the science course had no significant influence on these attitudes, and that professional attitudes appeared to develop independently of epistemological views. The study emphasizes the need to effectively integrate theoretical knowledge and practical experience in teacher education. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of inquiry-based learning, reflective teaching practice, promoting gender equality, effective mentoring and maintaining professional networks. Future research should investigate specific curricular interventions aimed at improving trainee teachers’ coherence and confidence in science teaching.

The contemporary educational system places complex demands on educators, emphasizing the importance of pedagogical-didactical competencies and teacher self-efficacy alongside subject-matter expertise. The purpose of this study was to examine how future STEM educators assess their own perceived pedagogical-didactical capabilities for direct teaching and classroom management through the construct of teacher self-efficacy, examining variations by gender, student cohort, and academic major. The research was conducted in autumn 2025 using a near-census sample of graduate teaching track students at the Faculty of Science in Split, utilizing the Norwegian Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale. The descriptive and non-parametric results indicate that future teachers express higher baseline scores in the domains of instruction and coping with changes, whereas the lowest self-assessment was recorded regarding the adaptation of teaching to individual student needs. While gender and student cohort demonstrated no statistically significant impact on overall self-efficacy, a significant difference was determined in the domain of maintaining discipline with respect to the study major, with Informatics and Technology students exhibiting the greatest sense of confidence. In conclusion, the findings highlight that while students are well-prepared for content delivery, there remains a critical need to enhance initial teacher education programs by introducing practical tools for managing challenging student behaviors and working within heterogeneous classrooms.

This paper aims to examine and analyse the differences between the roles of children in peer violence concerning moral disengagement and social self-efficacy. The study included 715 seventh and eighth grade primary school adolescents in the Republic of Croatia. Adapted Participant Role Questionnaire (PRQ), Adapted Scale of Moral Disengagement regarding School Bullying and Social Self-Efficacy Scale were used for the purposes of this study. Based on the findings of the Mann-Whitney U test, it was found that there are statistically significant differences between the role of defenders in relation to the roles of bullies, victims and bystanders. In fact, the role of defenders has a higher social self-efficacy compared to the above three roles. With respect to the mechanisms of moral disengagement, it has been established that the roles of bullies, active assistants and reinforcers use the above mechanisms more frequently compared to the defenders. Another interesting finding is that the roles of victims and bystanders use the mechanisms of moral disengagement more frequently compared to the defenders. The statistically significant difference in the use of the mechanisms of moral disengagement was also found between the roles of bullies and bystanders, whereby children in the role of bullies use the mechanisms of cognitive restructuring and minimising agency more frequently compared to the bystanders. It derives that the lack of social self-efficacy and a tendency to moral disengagement leaves short-term and long-term consequences on the health, and physical and emotional well-being of all participants in peer violence.