Differences in motor abilities among the students of the Department of Kinesiology in Osijek

The aim of this research was to determine the differences in motor abilities between two generations of students of the Kinesiology Department with the Faculty of Education in Osijek, as part of Basic Kinesiological Transformations course and also to determine the differences based on gender. Subject sample consisted of 112 students of Kinesiology, of which 53 subjects were from the first generation and 59 subjects from the second. Tests for assessment of motor abilities of repetitive power and strength were pull-ups, sit-ups, chest presses and back squats. A significant difference in motor abilities between the two generations of Kinesiology Department students was observed only in the motor test for assessment of repetitive power – pull-ups - among male students, whereby male students of the second generation achieved significantly better results. Differences between the two generations of female students have not been observed in any of the assessment tests. While analysing the differences based on gender, it has been observed that male students achieve significantly better results than female students in all the assessment tests of power and strength, except in sit-ups. The reason for the significant differences observed between the two generations of students of the Kinesiology Department only in the test for assessment of repetitive power – pull-ups – probably lies in the fact that the pull-ups, because of the complexity needed for executing them correctly, have caused a higher degree of motivation while training, whereas other tests did not appear to be equally motivating. The differences observed based on gender correspond to standard differences which appear as a result of sexual dimorphism, even though the subjects in question were a homogenised group of kinesiology students.

Social networks for better education and better grades

The goal of the paper is to show the results of a research conducted among students of Medical School Osijek on the use of social media as tools for exchanging educational content with their teachers, which leads to a better adoption of the content and better grades. Teachers and students learn about social media through preventive programs. The research method is an online survey conducted in 10 class departments. Results: Modern social media used in teaching enable better communication between students and teachers, faster information flow and easier preparation of students for school as well as development of a positive attitude on the use of social media in the teaching process.

The importance of the promotion of university sport on the faculty level – case analysis

The ways of informing students about the activities which are organized on a faculty or university level daily present an increasing challenge. The very aim of this work is to analyze and compare ways of informing students of the Faculty of Education about the sport activities on the faculty and university level. The way of informing students about the activities will be compared with the ways of informing about general sport activities in order to identify possible deviation from two different types of activities. Promotion being one of the marketing elements, so is the appliance of adequate promotion tools very important in all social processes. Numerous examples, especially in sport, proved that the activities of the sport participants will not be successful without the adequate use of promotion. University sport in developed countries surely occupies an important place in the academic community; from that point of view it is very important to determine the way of managing the university sport. The university sport in the Republic of Croatia is becoming more significant element of students' activities every day, and the promotion contributes to that. Apart from comparing the ways of informing about sport and regular activities, this paper will provide the time comparison of the mentioned researches between 2014 and 2020. The comparison of the same data with the time lag will provide the best picture of the changes in the ways of informing in a 6-year-period. The obtained results have shown that even after six years, students continue to prefer certain communication channels, i.e. they remain primary.

Kinesiology terminology in Croatian sign language

The kinesiological areas of education, sport, sports recreation and kinesitherapy of children and youth with hearing impairment present a methodological and didactical problem, which occurs due to the specific characteristics that people with hearing impairment possess. The communication aspect of the work with children and youth with hearing impairment is considerably limited. Therefore, to ensure an optimal and continuous kinesiological process, it is important to know all the specificities of working with them. The main goal of this paper is to outline some general recommendations and adjustments related to the work with children and youth with hearing impairment in kinesiological areas. Special attention will be given to the communication systems and the presentation of kinesiological terminology in the Croatian sign language in order to optimize the communication aspect. This professional paper is an introduction to a more comprehensive manual on the specifics of children and youth with hearing impairment in the motor environment, specialties of kinesiological education, with the addition of general recommendations and adaptations for work and a wider presentation of kinesiological terminology in the Croatian sign language. The basic knowledge on the methodological, didactic and communication approach to children and youth with hearing impairment in the field of kinesiological education, as well as other kinesiological orientations will be given to the educators, teachers and professors who are not sufficiently informed and adequately educated in this field during their studies, as well as to the current students of the same orientations.

Physical activity level of students of the Faculty of Education during the COVID -19 virus epidemic

Physical activity is an integral part and a vital factor in our lives. Scientists consider physical inactivity to be a major public health problem of the 21st century (Blair, 2009). The objective of this paper was to determine the physical activity level of students of the Faculty of Education in Osijek during the COVID-19 virus epidemic. Furthermore, the paper analyzed the difference in physical activity levels between male and female students. There were 100 participants included in the research, 50 female and 50 male students. The level of physical activity in students was assessed via a short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ - SF). The results indicate an average high level of physical activity in all students. There is a statistically significant difference between male and female students, with male students being more physically active than female students.

The role of a pedagogue in the advancement of teaching in a contemporary school

An expert associate pedagogue is a key carrier of the developmental-pedagogical activity in a school. The aim of this activity is to foresee, design, encourage, and guide the development of the educational activity of a school for the purpose of synchronizing the needs of students and their developmental potentials. A pedagogue’s area of work is extremely large. It refers to attendance in all areas of the developmental-pedagogical process, starting with planning and programming and goes all the way to the evaluation of the achieved results. Also, the pedagogue has an important role in the advancement of the developmental-pedagogical process, from monitoring the educational process to organizing professional development and implementation and encouragement of active research. Monitoring the developmental-pedagogical process refers to monitoring the achievements of developmental and educational plans and programs and the quality of monitoring the same, monitoring of the actualization of extracurricular activities and the direct actualization of the developmental-pedagogical process. Professional development modernizes the knowledge of the teachers which they gained during the beginning of their education and perfects their professional skills. The role of the pedagogue is to encourage teachers and motivate them for active research with which teachers solve perceived problems and advance their practice towards the set goals. Using theoretical analysis, this paper will give an overview of certain areas of a pedagogue’s methods in teaching and school with an emphasis on more contemporary context. The aim of this paper is to provide an insight into certain areas of action of an expert associate pedagogue, which are in service of improving the educational process of a contemporary school.

Benefits and dangers of the internet from the perspective of parents of primary school students

The aim of this study was to examine parents' perceptions of the online benefits and dangers that their children encounter. Ninety-six parents participated in the study (82.3% mothers and 17.7% fathers). Participants, parents of children attending primary school, filled out a questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic questions and a scale of attitudes about the benefits and dangers of electronic media (computers, the Internet and mobile phones). The results of the research showed that the frequency of the Internet use is related to the parents’ perception of the benefits and dangers of the Internet. It was found that the more often parents use the internet, the less danger they perceive, and more benefits, and vice versa, the less often they use the Internet, they perceive more dangers and fewer benefits. At the same time, the results showed that the level of parental education is not significantly related to their perception of the benefits or dangers that their children encounter on the Internet. By increasing awareness of this issue and examining the actual state, teachers can specifically educate children and also parents about the safe use of the Internet.

Construction and Validation of the Parental Assessment Questionnaire for Children’s Emotional Competence (URPEKD)

The aim of the research was to construct and validate The Parental Assessment Questionnaire for Children's Emotional Competence (URPEKD). The factorial structure, reliability, validity and sensitivity of the whole questionnaire, as well as the discriminability of individual items were checked, and the best items selected to be captured by the measurement construct were selected. Factor analysis resulted in a two-factor solution that explained 59.845 % of the total variance. The first factor that is saturated with eight items is called The perception, understanding and expression of one's emotions. The second factor that is saturated with six items is called Perception, understanding, and expression of others' emotions. The reliability of the entire scale, as well as its subscales is satisfactory. The construct validity of the URPEKD instrument was verified by its association with a similar instrument for students - UEK-45 (Takšić, 2002). There is a significant correlation between the stated factors of both questionnaires indicating satisfactory validity. The instrument is suitable for the use of measuring primary school children’s emotional competence by their parents.

Parental and educational perception of mutual responsibility and the influence of certain factors on successful mutual partnership cooperation

The partnership of educators and parents is in the centre of scientific interest and is one of the fundamental principles of good practice in kindergartens. Often the educators experience such a partnership as stressful in their professional mode of action (Epstein, 2013; Bleach, 2015). This paper seeks to highlight the need to strengthen the professional knowledge and skills of educators to build and develop partnerships with parents. They can be achieved in the course of their professional development, by means of active participation and altering of the existing practices. Therefore, the aim of this research was to examine attitudes and the opinions of parents and educators about their cooperation and partnership. The sample consists of 203 parents and educators from the institutions for early and preschool education from the City of Zagreb and Zagreb County. Hypotheses have been set that are related to the assessment of the importance of cooperation through the participants' own responsibility and also the influence of factors that influence a successful parent educator partnership. Results suggest that respondents highly value mutual collaborative relationships, but do not recognize partnerships as a higher form of cooperation between educators and parents.

The effects of implementing a gratitude development program on the quality of life and happiness of upper elementary school students

The aim of this paper is to test the impact of the implementation of gratitude development program on the quality of life and happiness of sixth, seventh and eighth grade elementary school students. The total of 79 students of one elementary school from a rural part of Eastern Croatia participated in the research, divided into experimental (N = 39) and control (N = 40) groups. The gratitude development program was conducted once a day for a period of four weeks. The Personal Well-Being Index for School Children and the Subjective Happiness Scale were administered before and after the program. The results were processed by a two-way analysis of variance with repeated measurements on the first factor. There was a significant increase in the level of overall quality of life and specific quality of life domains in the experimental group in comparison to the control group. There were no significant changes in happiness level in the experimental group after the program. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the relationship of gratitude, the quality of life and the experience of happiness. Also, the results indicate the importance of using psychological interventions that can improve the quality of life of students in the educational context. The paper extensively discusses the usefulness of this research and its implications for future research.