Studies in Teaching and Education

Curriculum Theorycide! Calling for an Itinerant Curriculum Theory

João Paraskeva — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0100

The curriculum field faces a ‘theorycide’, which is not necessarily the absence of a theory, but the yoke of a ‘non-theory theory’ momentum which has worsened, especially in the last half of the last century. Drawing on a critical, anticolonial, and decolonial theoretical framework, my aim in this essay is to examine the hegemonic and counter-hegemonic Eurocentric debates in our field, but within the context of modernity and its eugenic coloniality, the Prosperous reason, thus framing the epistemicidal nature of the field. In so doing, the essay dissects the contemporary theoretical hemorrhage we face as a field, what I have called ‘curriculum involution’ and ‘curriculum imparity.’ A lethal theoretical void has emerged from the epistemological civil war within and between dominant and counter-dominant traditions, triggering what I call the theorycide. The article advocates a way out of such ‘involution’ through an itinerant curriculum theory, a non-derivative anti-colonial and de-colonial approach responsive to the world’s epistemological difference, and diversity. The essay frames ICT as a declaration of epistemological independence against the scientific monumentalism of Eurocentrism that egregiously dehumanizes the legitimacy of Caliban’s reason.

Literature Teachers’ Views on Ecocritical Pedagogy: A Preliminary Study in Serbia

Branka B. Ognjanović, Milica A. Kandić — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0100

The paper explores teachers’ perspectives on the presence and relevance of ecocritical pedagogy in literature education within Serbian elementary and secondary schools. Despite the growing global recognition of the educational potential of ecocriticism – defined as an interdisciplinary study of the relationship between literature and the environment – its application in Serbian curricula remains limited and underexamined. The study aimed to investigate potential differences across education levels (lower and upper grades of elementary school and secondary school), teaching experience, and teachers’ perceptions of the possibilities and challenges regarding the integration of ecocritical pedagogy. A mixed-methods approach was employed using both quantitative and qualitative survey data from 213 teachers. Findings indicated that teachers generally lack familiarity with ecocriticism and perceived ecocritical pedagogy, on average, as more relevant than it is currently represented in education. Statistically significant differences emerged by education levels: teachers of lower elementary grades scored highest on both presence and relevance subscales. Most teachers, however, valued the development of critical thinking as a central outcome of ecocritical pedagogy and expressed willingness to integrate it into practice. No significant differences were observed by teaching experience. The results highlight the need for structured support to bridge the gap between theoretical potential and classroom implementation, as teachers recognize literature’s capacity to contribute to holistic, interdisciplinary environmental education, encouraging critical thinking, empathy, and student engagement with contemporary, real-world issues.

Улога педагога у реконципирању приправничко- менторске праксе у предшколској установи: приказ акционог истраживања

Marija Pavlović Malović — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0100

У светлу покушаја конципирања улоге педагога у предшколској установи као лидерске улоге у процесу увођења и одржавања промене, рад приказује деловање педагога у домену подршке професионалном развоју васпитача и то кроз приказ реконципирања приправничко менторске праксе у Установи. Професионални развој васпитача који обухвата и процес увођења у посао одвија се у заједници и обликован је културом установе док са друге стране, може утицати на промену културе. Рад приказује акционо истраживање покренуто од стране практичара педагошкиње, спроведено у Предшколској установи „Др Сима Милошевић“ у Земуну, у периоду од септембра 2022. до маја 2025. године. Предмет истраживања јесу програм и пракса увођења приправника васпитача у посао као окосница успостављања и развијања рефлексивне праксе у заједници учења у установи. Истраживање осветљава изазове у имплементацији Програма оријентисаног ка успостављању рефлексивне праксе у заједници учења и указује на могуће стратегије за превазилажење изазова. Закључци указују да постигнуте промене у систему знања, умења и вредности, како на нивоу појединаца, тако и на нивоу заједнице доприносе унапређивању квалитета реалног програма. Реефинисање улога практичара и односа моћи у Програму и у истраживању продубили су осећај оснажености код васпитача као однос поверења и подршке између стручних сарадника и васпитача. Реконципирање приправничко менторске праксе, као плански уведена промена у образовну праксу поставило је темеље за даље развијање рефлексивне праксе у заједници учења у Установи. Одрживост покренуте промене зависиће од континуираног одржавања квалитета али и даљих тежњи ка системском утемељењу кроз институционализацију нових образаца рада и ширење у систему кроз даљу дисеминацију и умрежавање са другим установама и праксама.

Analysis of Seventh-Grade Students’ Performance in National Mathematics Competitions by Topic and Task Type: A Comparison of Specialized and Regular Classes

Aleksandar Milenković, Milan Milikić, Nenad Vulović — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Mathematics competitions are increasingly attracting the researchers’ attention in the field of mathematics education, as they offer numerous benefits to students — from deepening and broadening their knowledge to developing problem-solving skills. Given that seventh-grade students in the Republic of Serbia have, for many years had, the opportunity to attend specialized classes for mathematically gifted students (SM classes), the question arises whether grouping these students in homogeneous classes affects their performance in national mathematics competitions. The aim of this paper is to make a detailed comparison of the performance of students from SM and regular classes in the national competitions and to analyze the tasks in which the two groups statistically significant differences. The analysis of students’ performance in 50 competition tasks showed that SM students achieved statistically significantly better results in 23 tasks,while the students from the regular class only performed better in one task. Greatest differences in favor of SM students were observed in number theory, followed by geometry and combinatorics, with the smallest differences in algebra tasks. SM students were significantly more successful in solving proof-based tasks than their peers from regular classes. A detailed analysis of tasks content suggests that the differences in performance may be due to the broader and deeper mathematical education that SM students have, as well as their superior ability to synthesize various mathematical concepts and statements in the problem-solving process. The results of this study can serve as a guide for both teachers and students in preparing for mathematics competitions.

A ROUTE TO UNDERSTANDING SYMBOLS IN ALGEBRA: FROM REAL-LIFE SITUATIONS TO SYMBOLIC LANGUAGE

Nenad Milinković, Sanja Maričić, Elvira Kovacs — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0100

In this paper, the authors present a learning framework for introducing letters as symbols for the unknown and variable that is based on real-life situations, their modeling and translation into algebraic language. In the empirical part of the paper, we conducted research with the aim of investigating the effects of such an approach on the development of algebraic symbolism in the minds of the students in the lower grades of primary school. The research was conducted on a sample of 257 fourth-grade students of primary school in the Republic of Serbia, by using an experimental method with parallel groups. The research results show positive effects of the implemented approach on a better understanding of symbolic notation and a greater degree of algebraic generalization. These results confirm the hypothesis that introducing algebraic symbols through real-life problems and context-related activities can significantly improve students’ ability to correctly interpret and use algebraic notation.

Cross-Linguistic Influences in the Simultaneous Learning of French and English Among Algerian Primary School Third Graders

Saida Tobbi — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Multilingual reforms increasingly place young learners in classrooms where two new languages are taught side by side. Yet little is known about how such contexts shape cross-linguistic influence (CLI) at the very start of formal instruction. This study examines Algerian Grade 3 pupils’ simultaneous acquisition of French and English following the 2022 reform that introduced English alongside French in primary schools. A mixed-methods design combined diagnostic tests with 372 pupils, questionnaires with 48 teachers, and interviews with 60 parents to capture both transfer patterns and the conditions in which they arise. The findings show that CLI is systematic rather than random. Pupils consistently defaulted to French, producing predictable lexical (32%), phonological (28%), and orthographic (22%) transfers. These patterns reflected structural overlap between the languages but were also reinforced by French’s entrenched dominance in Algerian education. Teachers frequently relied on French to scaffold instruction, while parents, lacking English competence, provided support mainly in French. The study advances theory by showing that CLI is not only cognitive but also socially conditioned. Pedagogically, it highlights the need for teacher training in multilingual methods and contrastive pedagogy, while at the policy level it underlines that symbolic promotion of English requires sustained investment in resources and teacher development.

IDENTIFYING WEAKNESSES IN READING LITERACY AMONG THE TOP-RANKING PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN LITERATURE IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

Mirjana M. Stakić, Zona Mrkalj — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0100

The results of international assessments, such as PIRLS (2021) and PISA (2022), indicate that primary school students in the Republic of Serbia achieve significantly lower results than the international average when it comes to advanced levels of reading literacy. Therefore, a study was conducted to identify weaknesses in the reading literacy of seventh- and eighth-grade students who achieve the best results in the field of literature. The sample included 410 students who participated in the 2024 National Literature Competition Literary Olympiad. In order to identify their weaknesses in reading literacy, the study was based on the following research tasks: 1. Determine the types of tasks used to assess reading literacy in the National Literature Test; and 2. Analyze students' success in solving these tasks. To achieve the first research task, a content analysis method was applied to the measuring instrument (official tests from the National Competition). Tasks were identified (five per grade level), followed by an analysis of content elements, task types, and specific learning outcomes related to reading literacy. To assess students’ success in solving these tasks, descriptive statistical measures and a nonparametric chi-square test were used. The obtained results show that final-year primary school students who excel in literature perform worse in understanding scientific and technical texts compared to literary texts, as well as in understanding literary texts whose context (historical, social) is unfamiliar to them. This finding has pedagogical implications, highlighting the importance of promoting various reading strategies and motivation as a predictor of reading literacy success.