Page 187 - Šolsko polje, XXX, 2019, št. 5-6: Civic, citizenship and rhetorical education in a rapidly changing world, eds. Janja Žmavc and Plamen Mirazchiyski
P. 187
Povzetki/Abstracts
Ines Elezović
CIVIC AND CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION IN THE REPUBLIC
OF CROATIA: 20 YEARS OF IMPLEMENTATION
Twenty years after the first Civic and Citizenship Education programme
emerged in the Republic of Croatia, although data-based and compre-
hensive debates on its implementation, monitoring and cycles of improv-
ing CCE curriculum were never organized, this area of education is no
longer being widely discussed. CCE is implemented and thought of as a
cross-curricular interdisciplinary theme in all grades and subjects of the
ISCED levels 1 to 3. In general, most of the recent research, both with
school students and the youth in Croatia, showed a lack of in-depth
knowledge of civic and citizenship contents, democratic attitudes and
active engagement. At the same time students showed interest towards
this subject area and a willingness to participate in more interactive and
openelessons (Spajić-Vrkaš, 2015) and developed highly positive views to-
wards the EU and the European dimension (Losito et al., 2018). The first
attempt of the independent CCE curriculum (2012) had four cycles, three
functional dimensions – knowledge and understanding, skills and com-
petences, attitudes and values – and six structural dimensions: culture,
ecology, economy, human rights, politics and society. This multifaceted
approach was abandoned in favour of a more simplistic structure and con-
tent focused on only three areas – human rights, democracy and social
community – in the current valid programme (Ministry of Science and
Education, 2019). At the same time, teacher preparation programmes and
185
Ines Elezović
CIVIC AND CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION IN THE REPUBLIC
OF CROATIA: 20 YEARS OF IMPLEMENTATION
Twenty years after the first Civic and Citizenship Education programme
emerged in the Republic of Croatia, although data-based and compre-
hensive debates on its implementation, monitoring and cycles of improv-
ing CCE curriculum were never organized, this area of education is no
longer being widely discussed. CCE is implemented and thought of as a
cross-curricular interdisciplinary theme in all grades and subjects of the
ISCED levels 1 to 3. In general, most of the recent research, both with
school students and the youth in Croatia, showed a lack of in-depth
knowledge of civic and citizenship contents, democratic attitudes and
active engagement. At the same time students showed interest towards
this subject area and a willingness to participate in more interactive and
openelessons (Spajić-Vrkaš, 2015) and developed highly positive views to-
wards the EU and the European dimension (Losito et al., 2018). The first
attempt of the independent CCE curriculum (2012) had four cycles, three
functional dimensions – knowledge and understanding, skills and com-
petences, attitudes and values – and six structural dimensions: culture,
ecology, economy, human rights, politics and society. This multifaceted
approach was abandoned in favour of a more simplistic structure and con-
tent focused on only three areas – human rights, democracy and social
community – in the current valid programme (Ministry of Science and
Education, 2019). At the same time, teacher preparation programmes and
185
