Environmental Education in Serbian Primary Schools: Challenges and Changes in Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Teacher Training

Abstract

The protection of human health and the preservation of the environment are topics that form an integral part of the primary school curriculum in Serbia. However, research studies have shown that students do not have enough knowledge to contribute to the development of a healthy lifestyle and environmental awareness. The latest changes in school policy and curricula confirm that the relevance of environmental education has been recognized, but changes in school practice are yet to come. This article discusses the challenges encountered in the implementation of the intended curriculum and offers suggestions for changes to the curriculum, pedagogy, and teacher training in order to enhance environmental education.

Keywords:

• developing environmental awareness
• environmental education
• long-term personal perspective
• primary school curriculum

Notes

Macedonia is the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Serbia was at that time part of Yugoslavia.

Primary education in Serbia is compulsory and lasts eight years. The Ministry of Education sets the curriculum which is compulsory for all primary schools in the country.

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an international assessment of educational achievement in mathematics and science at the level of fourth and eighth grade of primary school. TIMSS is coordinated by the International Association for the Evaluation of Education Achievement—IEA. TIMSS was first administered in 1995 and is conducted every four years (www. timssandpirls.bc.edu).

The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international assessment that measures 15-year-old students’ reading, mathematics, and science literacy. PISA also includes measures of general or cross-curricular competencies, such as problem solving. PISA emphasizes the functional skills that students have acquired as they near the end of compulsory schooling. PISA is coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). PISA was first administered in 2000 and is conducted every three years (www.oecd.org/pisa).