Page 46 - Štremfel, Urška, ed., 2016. Student (Under)achievement: Perspectives, Approaches, Challenges. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut. Digital Library, Documenta 11.
P. 46
strategic documents, not (yet) established a national benchmark for reducing
the percentage of underachieving students. According to the European Com-
mission this could contribute to a stronger commitment of national actors to
achieving this goal. Study findings (Štremfel, 20013) have indicated that the
new mode of governance of the EU towards achieving common goals not only
calls upon the member states, but also upon individual key actors, which gives
reason to infer that establishing a national benchmark does not hold particu-
lar significance. Results of the same empirical study (ibid.) have confirmed that
even though the actors (policy makers, experts, stakeholders) within the Slove-
nian educational space are, according to their own judgement, not adequately
familiar with the European benchmarks, they nevertheless feel responsible for
achieving them. This reflects what has also been pointed out in theoretical as-
sumptions: fear about being below average (governance by comparison) and
the feeling of responsibility in achieving the common goals (output-oriented
governance), which the new mode of governance causes in the involved key
actors. This also confirms the assumption that the new mode of governance
steers the activities and behaviour of the actors from afar, which results in sec-
46 ond thoughts about the (non)selective adoption of European objectives and
guidelines in the national educational space. However, this is not necessari-
ly evident from the content of national documents, but from altered beliefs of
the actors involved.
The final aspect of the OMC impact also needs to be mentioned, one that
relates to the paradigm shift in the national educational space. A shift from
a knowledge-based society to a knowledge-based economy has (through its
emphasising the effectiveness of educational systems in guaranteeing eco-
nomic growth) resulted in the focus of education in Slovenia also being on
the assessment of outcomes and setting new quality management standards.
These are clearly noticeable from the increasing number of evaluations of ed-
ucational programmes and institutions (Kos Kecojević and Gaber, 2011). Some
authors (e.g. Biesta, 2007; Cort, 2010) believe that a shift to an outcome-based
education is closely connected to the concept of evidence-based policy mak-
ing. Findings of the aforementioned study on the adoption of European agen-
das in the Slovenian educational space (Štremfel, 2013) confirm that the de-
velopment of evidence-based education in Slovenia has been prompted by
Slovenia’s participation in European integrations, and that the development of
the concept in Slovenia is evident from an increasingly wide scope of external
assessment of knowledge and educational studies. Some authors (e.g. Kodel-
ja, 2005: 221) point out that in spite of the perceived increase in participation in
the aforementioned studies, some countries (Slovenia included) are still facing
an inadequately perfected institutional structure for processing and interpret-
ing the data from these studies. In accordance with the theoretical assump-
tion of governance of problems, the author of this paper adds that increas-
student (under)achievement: perspectives, approaches, challenges
the percentage of underachieving students. According to the European Com-
mission this could contribute to a stronger commitment of national actors to
achieving this goal. Study findings (Štremfel, 20013) have indicated that the
new mode of governance of the EU towards achieving common goals not only
calls upon the member states, but also upon individual key actors, which gives
reason to infer that establishing a national benchmark does not hold particu-
lar significance. Results of the same empirical study (ibid.) have confirmed that
even though the actors (policy makers, experts, stakeholders) within the Slove-
nian educational space are, according to their own judgement, not adequately
familiar with the European benchmarks, they nevertheless feel responsible for
achieving them. This reflects what has also been pointed out in theoretical as-
sumptions: fear about being below average (governance by comparison) and
the feeling of responsibility in achieving the common goals (output-oriented
governance), which the new mode of governance causes in the involved key
actors. This also confirms the assumption that the new mode of governance
steers the activities and behaviour of the actors from afar, which results in sec-
46 ond thoughts about the (non)selective adoption of European objectives and
guidelines in the national educational space. However, this is not necessari-
ly evident from the content of national documents, but from altered beliefs of
the actors involved.
The final aspect of the OMC impact also needs to be mentioned, one that
relates to the paradigm shift in the national educational space. A shift from
a knowledge-based society to a knowledge-based economy has (through its
emphasising the effectiveness of educational systems in guaranteeing eco-
nomic growth) resulted in the focus of education in Slovenia also being on
the assessment of outcomes and setting new quality management standards.
These are clearly noticeable from the increasing number of evaluations of ed-
ucational programmes and institutions (Kos Kecojević and Gaber, 2011). Some
authors (e.g. Biesta, 2007; Cort, 2010) believe that a shift to an outcome-based
education is closely connected to the concept of evidence-based policy mak-
ing. Findings of the aforementioned study on the adoption of European agen-
das in the Slovenian educational space (Štremfel, 2013) confirm that the de-
velopment of evidence-based education in Slovenia has been prompted by
Slovenia’s participation in European integrations, and that the development of
the concept in Slovenia is evident from an increasingly wide scope of external
assessment of knowledge and educational studies. Some authors (e.g. Kodel-
ja, 2005: 221) point out that in spite of the perceived increase in participation in
the aforementioned studies, some countries (Slovenia included) are still facing
an inadequately perfected institutional structure for processing and interpret-
ing the data from these studies. In accordance with the theoretical assump-
tion of governance of problems, the author of this paper adds that increas-
student (under)achievement: perspectives, approaches, challenges
