Page 29 - Šolsko polje, XXX, 2019, št. 5-6: Civic, citizenship and rhetorical education in a rapidly changing world, eds. Janja Žmavc and Plamen Mirazchiyski
P. 29
i. elezović ■ civic and citizenship education in croatia ...
homophobia and ignoring the role of organizations of civil society, and
also having a distrust in the power of citizens to influence the situation in
state and society. These results had led the authors to conclude that goals,
contents and methods of programs of political education on the second-
ary level had to be revised to foster their affective component.
The latest research which is somewhat parallel in content and struc-
ture to the previous one, has been done by the GOOD Initiative15 in co-
operation with GONG and Institute for Social Research in 2015. A rep-
resentative sample included 1146 students of final grades of high schools
– both gymnasiums students and three, four and five year VET programs
students – from six Croatian regions (Bagić and Gvozdanović, 2015). Stu-
dents showed a limited knowledge of basic political concepts and consti-
tutional political order, and especially showed a lack of political informa-
tiveness. On average, high school students in finishing grades gave correct
answers to 9 out of 19 questions which tested political knowledge. The
significant difference in political knowledge was found between students
in gymnasium and three-year VET programs, while students of four and
five-year VET programs were in between these two groups. Political val-
ues and attitudes of students were measured by using the scale of nation-
al exclusiveness, relationship towards own nation and national tradition,
gender roles, homosexuals, totalitarian systems and membership in EU.
Students leaving high schools demonstrated only a declarative acceptance
of democratic principles and national minority protection, but in real life
situations they were more inclined to the limitation of these rights and
freedoms. Despite the fact that they have shown a preference towards ban-
ning some parties, media or limiting freedom of speech, it should be em-
phasised that these attitudes were diversified i.e. authoritarian attitudes
did not dominate, but were present in the amount that cannot be ignored.
Regarding the content of school programs, students reported on insuffi-
cient representation of socially and politically relevant themes while their
political informativeness was reduced to consuming social network con-
tent and peer conversations. The differences in the perception of the school
climate indicates the different normative and value aspects of school life
which has an effect on (not) having a democratic school culture.
The results of another research on needs, problems and the potential
of the youth in Croatia from 2013 on a representative and stratified sam-
ple of 2000 respondents age 15 to 29 (Ilišin and Spajić-Vrkaš, 2015) con-
15 ”GOOD Initiative” since 2008 serves as the platform that gathers more than 50 NGOs
involved in non-formal education and human rights. The main aim of the Initiative is the
systematic and high-quality implementation of HRE and EDC in Croatian education sys-
tem. More information available at: http://goo.hr/good-inicijativa/
27
homophobia and ignoring the role of organizations of civil society, and
also having a distrust in the power of citizens to influence the situation in
state and society. These results had led the authors to conclude that goals,
contents and methods of programs of political education on the second-
ary level had to be revised to foster their affective component.
The latest research which is somewhat parallel in content and struc-
ture to the previous one, has been done by the GOOD Initiative15 in co-
operation with GONG and Institute for Social Research in 2015. A rep-
resentative sample included 1146 students of final grades of high schools
– both gymnasiums students and three, four and five year VET programs
students – from six Croatian regions (Bagić and Gvozdanović, 2015). Stu-
dents showed a limited knowledge of basic political concepts and consti-
tutional political order, and especially showed a lack of political informa-
tiveness. On average, high school students in finishing grades gave correct
answers to 9 out of 19 questions which tested political knowledge. The
significant difference in political knowledge was found between students
in gymnasium and three-year VET programs, while students of four and
five-year VET programs were in between these two groups. Political val-
ues and attitudes of students were measured by using the scale of nation-
al exclusiveness, relationship towards own nation and national tradition,
gender roles, homosexuals, totalitarian systems and membership in EU.
Students leaving high schools demonstrated only a declarative acceptance
of democratic principles and national minority protection, but in real life
situations they were more inclined to the limitation of these rights and
freedoms. Despite the fact that they have shown a preference towards ban-
ning some parties, media or limiting freedom of speech, it should be em-
phasised that these attitudes were diversified i.e. authoritarian attitudes
did not dominate, but were present in the amount that cannot be ignored.
Regarding the content of school programs, students reported on insuffi-
cient representation of socially and politically relevant themes while their
political informativeness was reduced to consuming social network con-
tent and peer conversations. The differences in the perception of the school
climate indicates the different normative and value aspects of school life
which has an effect on (not) having a democratic school culture.
The results of another research on needs, problems and the potential
of the youth in Croatia from 2013 on a representative and stratified sam-
ple of 2000 respondents age 15 to 29 (Ilišin and Spajić-Vrkaš, 2015) con-
15 ”GOOD Initiative” since 2008 serves as the platform that gathers more than 50 NGOs
involved in non-formal education and human rights. The main aim of the Initiative is the
systematic and high-quality implementation of HRE and EDC in Croatian education sys-
tem. More information available at: http://goo.hr/good-inicijativa/
27
