Comparison of primary education and English language teaching in Croatia and Norway

master's thesis

• Author: Ivona Starešinčić
• Mentor: Kristina Cergol (mentor)
• Committee member: Lovorka Zergollern-Miletić (predsjednik povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Silvija Hanžić Deda (član povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Kristina Cergol (član povjerenstva)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Teacher Education; Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2023-07-04, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: HUMANISTIC SCIENCES; Interdisciplinary Humanistic Studies; Teaching Methods in the Humanistic Sciences
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: HUMANISTIC SCIENCES; Philology; Anglistics

Abstract

English is one of the most important languages. We communicate through language more than any other media, which makes language our primary source of communication, with English earning a title of a global language through becoming a prioritized foreign language in schools (Crystal, 2003, p. 4). English language became the most common second language among the countries, as well as one of the most widely spoken official languages. According to Crystal (2003, pp. 11-13), there are many advantages to learning the English language, as it is not only the language of academia and the lingua franca of the world, but also opens many doors to different media and cultures and facilitates communication between different cultures on the international level.
In Croatia and Norway, English as a second (foreign) language is an official subject in primary schools. The subjects are held according to the national curriculum that is specific to each country. The focus of this thesis is to first compare primary education in Croatia and Norway according to ISCED 11. According to the Eurostat website, “International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) is the reference international classification for organising education programmes and related qualifications by levels and fields.” After the comparison of the primary education itself, the focus will be put on national curricula and the English subject curricula. The Croatian and Norwegian Ministries of Education have each established their own curriculum. The next step is to examine the assessment methods used in primary schools and compare the differences between Croatia and Norway. The Glossary of Education reform (2015) defines assessment in education as a “wide variety of methods or tools that educators use to evaluate, measure, and document the academic readiness, learning progress, skill acquisition or educational needs of students.” The goal of this thesis is to notice the differences and similarities in the primary education, focusing on the school system itself and the curriculum structure, and English subject curricula that these two distinct countries have.

Abstract (croatian)

Engleski je jedan od najvažnijih jezika na svijetu. Komuniciramo putem jezika više nego bilo kojeg drugog medija, što čini jezik našim primarnim izvorom komunikacije, a engleski je dobio titulu globalnog jezika postavši prioritetni strani jezik u školama (Crystal, 2003, str. 4). Engleski jezik postao je najveći drugi jezik na svijetu, kao i jedan od najgovorenijih službenih jezika. Prema Crystalu (2003, str. 11-13), postoje mnoge prednosti u učenju engleskog jezika, budući da je to ne samo jezik akademije i lingua franke, već također otvara mnoga vrata prema različitim medijima i kulturama, te se koristi za osiguravanje komunikacije između različitih kultura na međunarodnoj razini.
U Hrvatskoj i Norveškoj, engleski jezik je službeni predmet kao strani jezik u osnovnim školama. Predmeti se održavaju prema nacionalnom kurikulumu koji je specifičan za svaku zemlju. Ovim će se radom najprije usporediti osnovno obrazovanje u Hrvatskoj i Norveškoj prema ISCED-u 11. Prema web stranici Eurostata, „Međunarodna standardna klasifikacija obrazovanja (ISCED) je referentna međunarodna klasifikacija za organiziranje obrazovnih programa i srodnim kvalifikacijama.“ Nakon usporedbe osnovnoškolskog obrazovanja, ovaj rad će se usredotočiti na nacionalne kurikulume i predmetne kurikulume nastave engleskog jezika. Hrvatska i Norveška imaju vlastite kurikulume koja su izdana od strane hrvatskog i norveškog ministarstva obrazovanja. Sljedeći korak je usmjeravanje pozornosti na vrednovanje u osnovnim školama prema službenoj dokumentaciji, kao i usporedba vrednovanja u Hrvatskoj i Norveškoj. Pojmovnik reforme obrazovanja (2015) definira vrednovanje u obrazovanju kao „širok izbor metoda ili alata koje nastavnici koriste za evaluaciju, mjerenje i dokumentiranje akademske spremnosti, napretka u učenju, stjecanja vještina ili obrazovnih potreba učenika.“ Krajnji cilj ovog diplomskog rada je uočiti razlike i sličnosti u osnovnom obrazovanju, s naglaskom na sam školski sustav i strukturu kurikuluma te predmetne kurikulume engleskog jezika koje imaju ove izrazito različite zemlje.

• Keywords: English language; primary education; curriculum; assessment
• Keywords (croatian): engleski jezik; primarno obrazovanje; kurikulum; ocjenjivanje
• Language: english
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:147:811068
• Study programme: Title: Integrated Undergraduate and Graduate University Programme of Study of Primary Teacher Education and Integrated Undergraduate and Graduate University Programme of Study for Primary Teacher Education with English and German Language; Study programme type: university; Study level: integrated undergraduate and graduate; Academic / professional title: magistar/magistra primarnog obrazovanja (magistar/magistra primarnog obrazovanja)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2023-07-17 10:55:00