The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in education has renewed interest in its role in inclusive teaching; however, disability-specific implementation pathways for Braille-literate learners remain underexplored. This conceptual paper examines how AI may support teachers in mainstream classrooms that include students who rely on Braille literacy. The analysis emphasises that accessibility in Braille-mediated learning depends not merely on modality substitution but on the structural organisation and navigability of instructional materials. Drawing on the Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIEd) literature, the paper frames AI as a teacher-governed accessibility support rather than an autonomous instructional agent. Three domains of potential contribution are identified: access to curricular materials, structured participation, and formative support. Key risks include structural distortion, overconfident AI outputs, and uneven language performance, which make systematic verification essential. The paper concludes that AI is most appropriately positioned as an accessibility co-pilot within teacher-led and blended instructional practices, warranting further empirical validation in real classroom contexts.
The aim of this paper is to determine the motivational potential of homework assignments in teaching German as a foreign language. The research was conducted as an experiment with parallel groups with students of the Faculty of Philosophy. One group was assigned traditional homework, while the other one was asked to complete the innovative assignments which involved the use of digital media, research tasks, and creative activities. The experiment lasted two semesters, after which the students filled out questionnaires on motivation and attitudes towards homework. They also took a language knowledge test. The research results show that homework can represent a significant source of motivation and indirectly positively impact student achievement in learning German, but only under specific conditions. The motivational effect of homework is particularly evident in situations where the assignments focus on the practical application of knowledge, include digital media and authentic content, and when they reflect students’ personal interests. Such homework has the potential to go beyond the traditional means of the learning content consolidation and become an important didactic instrument for stimulating motivation and developing independence in foreign language learning.
Educational outcomes, in a broader sense, can be expressed through indicators of the optimal functioning of students. One such indicator is life satisfaction. Life satisfaction is closely related to indicators of both physical and psychological functioning, as well as to achievements in various areas. Therefore, the issue of the relationship between parenting styles and children’s life satisfaction is of great pedagogical importance. This paper presents the results of a study that analyzed differences in life satisfaction among university students. A sample of 390 students was used to assess their perceptions of their parents’ upbringing practices in three categories: expectations and demands, praise and rewards, and criticism and punishment. Differences in life satisfaction were analyzed among groups of participants based on whether they perceived that their mothers and fathers applied these parenting practices to a greater or lesser extent, and whether the parents were consistent or not in the application of those practices. The results showed that higher life satisfaction was reported by participants whose parents were less demanding and had lower expectations, those whose parents used more praise and rewards, and those whose parents criticized and punished them less. The findings also support the view that both the type of parenting practices and the consistency between mothers and fathers in those practices are important for life satisfaction, although the results more strongly support the idea that the type of parenting practice has a greater influence than parental consistency. What matters for life satisfaction is not so much consistency between parents in itself, but whether that consistency involves parenting practices that are generally associated with higher life satisfaction.
The paper reperesents an overview of the key postulates and principles of symbolic interactionism of George Herbert Mead and Herbert Blumer, including the more recent concepts proposed by contemporary interactionists. The paper also discusses the postulates on the scientific method in social sciences put forward by German historian and philosopher Wilhelm Dilthey, the founder of hermeneutics, as well as the impact of his ideas on symbolic interactionism. The essence of the so-called circle of understanding as a hermeneutic approach to research in social sciences is also explained. The principles and key concepts of simbolic interactionism, such as social interaction, perspective, and gesture, are discussed in more detail. The authors of the paper emphasise the application of symbolic interactionism as a sociological theory in other social sciences and different areas of social relationships, culture, and art. They elaborate on the possible contribution of social interactionism to popular sociology, psychology of personality, media technology, marketing research, social interaction theory, identification of different forms of social inequality, as well as to family studies dealing with family identity, family roles, and family interaction. Special attention has been given to the potential of using symbolic interactionism in pedagogy. The authors also point out its wide aplicability in the analysis of educational processes and methods, the research of academic achievement, and in understanding the relationships among the actors in the educational process. They provide the examples of educational and teaching situations in which the symbolic interactionism tools can contribute to a better understanding of the processes and results of pedagogical interventions in different educational situations.
This study investigates generative AI’s impact on academic integrity through mixed-method analysis combining systematic literature review (2023-2025), comparative evaluation of six AI detection platforms, and policy analysis across EU and US contexts. Results reveal widespread AI adoption with 80% of students experimenting with AI tools and 50% using them without disclosure. Detection platform evaluation shows accuracy rates of 78-98% but persistent false positive risks affecting vulnerable populations. The technological arms race between generation and detection capabilities indicates inherent limitations in detection-based approaches. Policy analysis reveals fragmented governance where EU’s rights-based AI Act contrasts the US innovation-focused strategies, yet both face enforcement challenges when detection proves unreliable. The study identifies a shift from traditional plagiarism to “cognitive outsourcing” where students delegate thinking processes rather than copying content. We conclude that academic integrity requires moving from adversarial detection toward collaborative education helping students develop productive AI relationships. Recommendations include adaptive assessment designs, AI literacy programs, and equity-focused policies ensuring inclusive access to AI-enhanced education.
Given that teacher-student communication can impact one’s self-esteem and that self-esteem is a personal construct and an individual feeling of every person, it is necessary to investigate students’ views on teachers’ communication practices which contribute to their self-esteem. In this regard, the aim of this paper is to determine the perspective of students with a low or high self-esteem on the impact of teachers’ communication practices on their self-esteem. For this purpose we conducted research which included 120 respondents. We used the standardized Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale to determine the level of students’ self-esteem, the communication practices of teachers that influenced students’ self-esteem were identified by implementing a scale of teachers’ communication practices created specifically for the purposes of this research. The results showed that there is a statistically significant difference in the perceptions of students with high and low self-esteem about the impact of all the examined communication practices of teachers on their self-esteem. The results also indicate that the biggest differences in students’ perceptions were identified in the category of teachers’ participatory communication practices. The students with low self-esteem perceived them as less influential on their self-esteem, which is contrary to the perceptions of the students with high self-esteem. The potential pedagogical implications of the research findings refer primarily to raising teachers’ awareness on the significance of communication and the impact it may have on students’ personality. The communication should be adapted to the level of self-esteem of each individual student.
The paper analyses the perspectives of the parents of children with developmental disabilities within inclusive education. To understand better the position of the parents in this process, a review has been made of the key specificities of these families, the challenges and difficulties they face, their emotional experiences, and problems in functioning. The authors point out different motives and aspirations of parents regarding the education of their children, as well as the expectations from inclusive education when it comes to the benefits that this process can have. Different experiences the parents of children with developmental disabilities in inclusive education are presented, as ell as their perceptions of the usefulness of this process and various challenges and problems in its implementation. The importance of constructive cooperation between family and school is particularly emphasised as one of the key factors in improving the quality of inclusive education and roviding adequate support to parents and children. The paper looks at different ways of achieving school-family cooperation, as well as desirable practices of the school team and teachers that can make this cooperation of high quality and lead to the desired effects for all key stakeholders. The key mplications for educational practice in this area are elaborated in the paper as well.
The views of male and female teachers (N=172) from 11 primary schools in the city of Belgrade were investigated regarding the need for professional support in Music Education lessons in the first cycle of primary education, with the aim of improving the quality of music education teaching. The focus was on improving professional development. The descriptive method was used, and the applied research techniques included surveying (a questionnaire as an instrument designed for research purposes), testing (one question related to song recognition based on musical notation) and scaling (a Likert-type scale). The results of the research showed that the majority of respondents have a need for a certain type of support that can influence musical (career) development. While singing for or with students, they mainly rely on recorded music from CDs (64.5%), and only 11% are able to perform accompaniment on the piano, synthesizer or accordion, playing with both hands. In their work with students, the most demanding task for teachers is the musical literacy of students (70.3%). When it comes to the frequency of practical assistance from a professional, the majority stated that it is sporadic (44.2%). Among the types of support offered in the open-ended question, the respondents stated that they (40.7%) would like: cooperation with a music teacher (43.6%), attending an accredited seminar (22.7%), attending consultations with professors and assistants for music subjects from the faculty of music/music academy or faculty of teacher education (8.1%), all three types of support (7.6%), or some other type of support (1.7%).
Starting from the conceptual distinction between religious and devotional (faith-based) contents and their status in the educational systems shaped by the complex socio-political discourses of the former Yugoslav countries, the researchers focused on examining the representation of religious content in Science and Social Studies textbooks used in the first cycle of education. The study employed the methods of theoretical analysis and content analysis on a sample of 24 textbooks. The results showed that religious content in the textbooks is insufficiently, inconsistently, and unevenly interpreted; that the progression of the concept across grade levels is not clearly evident; and that there are significant differences in the representation and interpretation of religious content in the textbooks of the former Yugoslav countries. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses indicated that there is no consistent presentation of the category religion in Science and Social Studies textbooks of the former Yugoslav countries. The findings suggest the need for a more comprehensive treatment of the concept of religion in terms of representation, intensity, extent, and developmental progression.
The aim of the paper is to investigate whether, with the help of the visually given growing patterns, an abstract level of thinking can be reached, namely, whether students can determine the members of the sequence at distant positions and whether and how many of them can independently reach the level of generalization. The paper aims to define whether students, relying on visualization, can observe the rule of the growing pattern, determine terms at distant positions, and formulate the general term of the sequence. The research was done on the sample of 252 students and included three tasks requiring students to continue a visual pattern, represent relationships numerically, and express generalization symbolically. The obtained results show that the majority of the students observe the rule and determine the distant members of the sequence successfully, but a small number of them manages to write down the general member symbolically, indicating insufficiently developed understanding of the concept of a variable. The visual nature of the given tasks encourages functional thinking and allows students to make progress towards an abstract level of reasoning. The findings point to the value of visually assigned growing patterns as a support for the development of algebraic thinking and suggest the need for their greater representation in the teaching of mathematics in the lower grades of primary school.
The paper examines the suitability of the textbooks for learning German as a foreign language for students with dyslexia. The aim of the research is to analyse the structural characteristics of teaching materials to determine whether they contribute to learning in an inclusive environment. The method used in the paper is the content analysis of the textbooks of German as a foreign language and it belongs to the field of the qualitative-interpretive analysis. The analytical apparatus includes four categories, set in accordance with the results of the previous research and the defined goal of the research – formatting, design, accessibility of content, and the existence of alternative formats. The corpus consisted of the textbooks Prima Plus A1.1, Prima Plus A1.2, Prima Plus A2.1., and Prima Plus A2.2. The results show that the textbooks partially follow the principles of inclusive teaching. The font size is in accordance with the recommendations, but the typography is not adapted to students with dyslexia. The visual design is mainly functional because more than 70% of the illustrations have an educational role. Linguistic accessibility is reduced by the frequent use of italics, which is not in accordance with the pedagogical recommendations for working with dyslexic students. However, the electronic and audio versions significantly improve the suitability of the textbooks and meet the last criterion of the analysis.
Artefacts are the basic units of human material culture as objects created by people intentionally and purposefully. Teaching aids and materials are the basic artefacts in teaching, shaped and made to serve teaching purposes. The construction of the teaching purpose of artefacts that are not original teaching aids is the issue explored in this paper, while the aim of the paper is to examine the possibilities of constructing the purpose of such artefacts in terms of teaching. An assumption that the introduction of new artefacts, content, and methods is one of the foundations determining the teaching profession as a creative practice and the organization of teaching as a creative process is the general starting point of the research. In the paper, we examine the teachers’ conceptualization of introducing artefacts in the classroom, by presenting the results of a case study involving the approach of Damir Malešev, a philosophy teacher in “Isidora Sekulić” high school in Novi Sad. The main question in the case study is how to construct the teaching purpose of the newly introduced artefacts. A semi-structured interview was used for data collection, along with an open document (a proposal for teaching activities) as an additional segment of the interview. The results show that the teaching purpose of the artefacts is constructed in coordination with teaching areas and units, methods, and tasks, and in developing teaching activities and student tasks in accordance with teaching units, based on 1) teachers’ ideas about the key factors of teaching and 2) the key properties of the selected artefacts. This leads to the selection and introduction of the artefacts, determining their purpose, varying and combining their different properties, devising gestures with artefacts and creating a new artifact for the specific purpose of teaching. Teacher Malešev emphasizes visual, geometric, and graphic artefacts, a mirror and chess. By constructing the teaching purpose, artefacts become analogies and representations, exemplifying the teaching content – philosophical problems. They are based in philosophy and didactics and aligned with pedagogical and psychological-educational, as well as theoretical-research assumptions. Teacher reflections and practice are confirmed as inventive and innovative, and teaching as a field of creativity.
This paper looks at the application of generative artificial intelligence in primary education in the Republic of Serbia. The aim of the paper is to provide a comprehensive insight into the teachers’ level of awareness, attitudes, and practice regarding the use of the generative artificial intelligence in primary education in the Republic of Serbia. Based on the results of the empirical research, we will formulate recommendations for improving institutional support and professional training, as well as pedagogical models for the application of the generative artificial intelligence tools in teaching. The theoretical framework of the paper includes defining the concepts of artificial intelligence, as well as a review of the previous research in this area at the global and local levels. The research methodology is based on a quantitative approach, and the research results show the extent to which teachers are familiar with the concept of generative artificial intelligence, which tools they use and for which teaching activities, as well as what advantages and challenges they identify in their application. The research also provides an insight into teachers’ views on the ethical and legal aspects of using artificial intelligence, as well as on professional development.
Despite claims about the outdatedness of teaching methods during the 1990s, contemporary practice of foreign language teaching shows that the concept of methodology has remained a relevant pedagogical framework. The aim of this research is to examine the extent to which the principles of four historically significant methods — grammar-translation, direct, audiolingual, and communicative — are present in the contemporary instruction of Russian as a foreign language in Serbia. Instead of searching for the “best” method, the focus is on identifying individual principles and the way in which they are combined in teaching practice. The research was conducted by surveying 35 Russian language teachers working in primary and secondary schools across Serbia. The questionnaire was designed to examine indirectly, through specific teaching activities, the frequency of using the key principles of the mentioned methods. The results show that teachers most often apply the principles of the audiolingual method, while the use of the principles of the communicative method is the least common. A weak positive correlation was observed between the years of teaching experience and the application of the grammar-translation method, which indicates certain generational differences in teaching styles.
AI-mediated oral-practice tools offer scalable, low-stakes opportunities for second-language (L2) speaking practice, yet evidence of their pedagogical and affective impact remains limited. This quasi-experimental study investigated whether AI-mediated instruction enhances foreign-language anxiety (FLA), oral performance, and self-regulated learning (SRL) compared with blended and traditional human-taught instruction. A total of 150 learners (50 per group) from the English Department of Batna 2 University completed a six-week intervention integrating the AI pronunciation and fluency application ELSA Speak. Pre- and post-tests measured FLA, oral performance, and SRL. ANCOVAs controlling for baseline scores assessed adjusted group differences, and qualitative thematic analysis of reflective journals provided explanatory depth. Results revealed significant main effects of instructional mode on all outcomes: FLA (F(2,146) = 32.47, p < .001, partial η² = .31), oral performance (F(2,146) = 23.68, p < .001, partial η² = .25), and SRL (F(2,146) = 31.02, p < .001, partial η² = .30). AI-mediated learners reported markedly lower anxiety and higher performance and SRL than both comparison groups, with large standardized effect sizes (Hedges’ g ≈ 1.1–1.3). Qualitative findings identified four interrelated themes—emotional regulation, self-regulatory growth, pronunciation and fluency development, and technological motivation—highlighting how supportive feedback and autonomous practice fostered engagement and confidence. These results demonstrate that AI-mediated oral practice can meaningfully reduce anxiety, strengthen self-regulation, and improve L2 speaking outcomes within a short intervention. The study advances understanding of AI as an active pedagogical agent and supports its thoughtful integration alongside human instruction.
This paper investigates the satisfaction of the first-grade teachers with children’s achievements after attending the preschool curriculum. The aim of the research is to determine the influence of work experience, gender and place of work of the teachers on their attitudes and perception of children’s readiness to start school, as well as to present differences in teachers’ satisfaction with children’s preparation in relation to these factors. The subject of this research is an analysis of the structure of the sample of teachers and their satisfaction with the children’s preparation for school. The research sample comprises 46 teachers employed in urban and rural schools. A questionnaire composed of 14 items, rated on a five-point Likert scale, was used to assess teachers’ satisfaction with children’s school readiness. Factor analysis using the method of principal components (PCA) and Varimax rotation confirmed the adequate metric validity of the instrument (KMO = 0.712; Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity, p = 0.000). The results of the research showed that teachers mostly expressed satisfaction with the achievement of children who attended preschool institutions, especially in the domain of the developed social skills, basic academic knowledge and work habits. However, the need for additional work on encouraging children’s independence and developing critical thinking was highlighted. The conclusions of the research can contribute to the improvement of the preschool curricula and better cooperation between preschool institutions and primary schools in order to prepare children for school duties.
Selected physics contents (heat and sound) were taught through two pilot projects employing Inquiry-Based Science Education (IBSE) within a STEAM+X educational framework. This research investigated whether, and to what extent, primary school students can effectively interpret natural phenomena through the particulate nature of matter using Inquiry-Based Teaching Models (IBTMs). This quasi-experimental study with parallel groups involved 62 3rd and 4th grade students from two primary schools in Serbia. Students of both groups, experimental (E) and control (C), showed better results on the post-test compared to the pre-test, with the difference in achievement being more pronounced in the E group. The analysis of post-test achievement disparities between students from both groups revealed a statistically significant difference favouring the E group, thereby validating the efficacy of the implemented innovative teaching models on the content related to thermal and sound phenomena.
PISA testing results indicate that Serbian students have an unsatisfactory level of scientific literacy which is essential for successful adaptation to life changes caused by fast scientific growth in the 21st century. As creativity, critical thinking, and science process skills represent key 21st century skills that contribute to students’ scientific literacy, the present study aimed to determine whether project-based teaching of natural sciences could be used for their enhancement. The three research hypotheses stating that the project-based approach is more effective than the traditional approach to teaching of natural sciences in promoting students’ creativity (H1), critical thinking (H2), and science process skills (H3) were evaluated through meta-analysis. The meta-analysis encompassed 32 studies published between 2004 and 2024, whose results enabled the calculation of 35 Hedge’s g values. Following the application of the random effects model, the weighted mean Hedge’s g value higher than +1.000, which indicates a strong positive effect of the project-based approach, was obtained for each hypothesis. Consequently, it was concluded that all hypotheses posed in this study are correct, which confirms the high effectiveness of the project-based teaching of natural sciences in terms of the promotion of the key 21st century skills that contribute to students’ scientific literacy.
This paper looks at the application of generative artificial intelligence in primary education in the Republic of Serbia. The aim of the paper is to provide a comprehensive insight into the teachers' level of awareness, attitudes, and practice regarding the use of the generative artificial intelligence in primary education in the Republic of Serbia. Based on the results of the empirical research, we will formulate recommendations for improving institutional support and professional training, as well as pedagogical models for the application of the generative artificial intelligence tools in teaching. The theoretical framework of the paper includes defining the concepts of artificial intelligence, as well as a review of the previous research in this area at the global and local levels. The research methodology is based on a quantitative approach, and the research results show the extent to which teachers are familiar with the concept of generative artificial intelligence, which tools they use and for which teaching activities, as well as what advantages and challenges they identify in their application. The research also provides an insight into teachers' views on the ethical and legal aspects of using artificial intelligence, as well as on professional development. The obtained results contribute to a better understanding of the current state of practice, as well as to the formulation of specific recommendations for further development of tools and training, thereby encouraging the responsible and purposeful application of artificial intelligence in education.
The paper examines the suitability of the textbooks for learning German as a foreign language for students with dyslexia. The aim of the research is to analyse the structural characteristics of teaching materials to determine whether they contribute to learning in an inclusive environment. The method used in the paper is the content analysis of the textbooks of German as a foreign language and it belongs to the field of the qualitative-interpretive analysis. The analytical apparatus includes four categories, set in accordance with the results of the previous research and the defined goal of the research – formatting, design, accessibility of content, and the existence of alternative formats. The corpus consisted of the textbooks Prima Plus A1.1, Prima Plus A1.2, Prima Plus A2.1., and Prima Plus A2.2. The results show that the textbooks partially follow the principles of inclusive teaching. The font size is in accordance with the recommendations, but the typography is not adapted to students with dyslexia. The visual design is mainly functional because more than 70% of the illustrations have an educational role. Linguistic accessibility is reduced by the frequent use of italics, which is not in accordance with the pedagogical recommendations for working with dyslexic students. However, the electronic and audio versions significantly improve the suitability of the textbooks and meet the last criterion of the analysis.
