Page 26 - Štremfel, Urška, ed., 2016. Student (Under)achievement: Perspectives, Approaches, Challenges. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut. Digital Library, Documenta 11.
P. 26
adds ‘some important compounds to the magic formula’ for fostering the aca-
demic achievement of Slovenian adolescents.2
The essential common denominator of the various perspectives, ap-
proaches and challenges of student (under)achievement presented in this
monograph is that they are focused on failure to achieve the European bench-
mark, which set the goal according to which »/.../ by 2020 the share of 15-year-
old underachievers in basic skills (reading, maths and science literacy) at EU
level ought to be under 15%.«
In the first part of the monograph, the focus is on understanding student
underachievement in modern societies, with the concept of reading litera-
cy at the forefront. In the first chapter, Urška Štremfel positions the academic
achievement of Slovenian adolescents within the European context, not only
in the sense of (non)achievement of the European benchmark, but mainly by
means of a description of modes of governance, through which the EU steers
its member states towards achieving strategic EU goals in the field of educa-
tion. In the second chapter, Mojca Štraus devotes special attention to an in-
depth analysis of the various factors associated with Slovenian students’failure
26 to reach the European benchmark in the field of reading literacy. Based on the
identified factors, she defines the levers that can be used to improve the read-
ing literacy of underachievers. In the third chapter, Klaudija Šterman Ivančič
sheds light on the below-average performance of Slovenian students in read-
ing literacy in terms of motivation for reading and highlights potential sources
of encouragement for reading in youths in the context of social changes that
refer to the increasingly large amount of electronic texts and the use of infor-
mation and communications technology (ICT) for educational purposes.
The focus of the second part of the monograph is on attitudes, relation-
ships and emotions as important (non-cognitive) factors of student achieve-
ment. In the fourth chapter, Alenka Gril addresses the attitude of Slovenian
adolescents to knowledge in relation to academic achievement and proposes
some guidelines that could, within the learning process at school, foster intrin-
sic motivation, interest and positive evaluation of knowledge among adoles-
cents and thus contribute to a higher learning performance. In the fifth chap-
ter, by Tina Vršnik Perše, centre stage is taken by the significance of teachers’
professional development oriented towards changes in their subjective con-
ceptions and actions, that may indirectly impact the improvement of teaching
practices and consequently better student achievement. In the sixth chapter,
Tina Rutar Leban uses analyses of results of various studies to discuss rela-
tionships between parenting and teaching styles used for children and ado-
2 Although student underachievement in Slovenia has previously been addressed through numer-
ous individual and joint initiatives, projects and studies, it is beneficial that the European Semester
and non-achievement of the European benchmark have again encouraged the devotion of atten-
tion to this issue by means of new and diverse perspectives.
student (under)achievement: perspectives, approaches, challenges
demic achievement of Slovenian adolescents.2
The essential common denominator of the various perspectives, ap-
proaches and challenges of student (under)achievement presented in this
monograph is that they are focused on failure to achieve the European bench-
mark, which set the goal according to which »/.../ by 2020 the share of 15-year-
old underachievers in basic skills (reading, maths and science literacy) at EU
level ought to be under 15%.«
In the first part of the monograph, the focus is on understanding student
underachievement in modern societies, with the concept of reading litera-
cy at the forefront. In the first chapter, Urška Štremfel positions the academic
achievement of Slovenian adolescents within the European context, not only
in the sense of (non)achievement of the European benchmark, but mainly by
means of a description of modes of governance, through which the EU steers
its member states towards achieving strategic EU goals in the field of educa-
tion. In the second chapter, Mojca Štraus devotes special attention to an in-
depth analysis of the various factors associated with Slovenian students’failure
26 to reach the European benchmark in the field of reading literacy. Based on the
identified factors, she defines the levers that can be used to improve the read-
ing literacy of underachievers. In the third chapter, Klaudija Šterman Ivančič
sheds light on the below-average performance of Slovenian students in read-
ing literacy in terms of motivation for reading and highlights potential sources
of encouragement for reading in youths in the context of social changes that
refer to the increasingly large amount of electronic texts and the use of infor-
mation and communications technology (ICT) for educational purposes.
The focus of the second part of the monograph is on attitudes, relation-
ships and emotions as important (non-cognitive) factors of student achieve-
ment. In the fourth chapter, Alenka Gril addresses the attitude of Slovenian
adolescents to knowledge in relation to academic achievement and proposes
some guidelines that could, within the learning process at school, foster intrin-
sic motivation, interest and positive evaluation of knowledge among adoles-
cents and thus contribute to a higher learning performance. In the fifth chap-
ter, by Tina Vršnik Perše, centre stage is taken by the significance of teachers’
professional development oriented towards changes in their subjective con-
ceptions and actions, that may indirectly impact the improvement of teaching
practices and consequently better student achievement. In the sixth chapter,
Tina Rutar Leban uses analyses of results of various studies to discuss rela-
tionships between parenting and teaching styles used for children and ado-
2 Although student underachievement in Slovenia has previously been addressed through numer-
ous individual and joint initiatives, projects and studies, it is beneficial that the European Semester
and non-achievement of the European benchmark have again encouraged the devotion of atten-
tion to this issue by means of new and diverse perspectives.
student (under)achievement: perspectives, approaches, challenges
