Project leader dr. Zdenko Kodelja received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Republic of Slovenia in the field of Education in 2018. The reasoning states that Dr. Zdenko Kodelja, who devoted an important part of his research work to the issue of equity in education, significantly influenced education in Slovenia and, through his research, scientific and professional work, decisively contributed to the development of the educational system in Slovenia. Member of the project group dr. Slavko Gaber received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Republic of Slovenia in the field of Education in 2016. In the rationale, it is stated, inter alia, that dr. Slavko Gaber led the whole reform process of the educational system after the independence of Slovenia. Wide understanding of conceptual and systemic solutions for education and engagement of dr. Slavko Gaber in this field is based on his extensive research work in the field of sociology of education. His exceptional role in transferring rich experiences and knowledge into the pedagogical process is emphasised as well. The reputation of the project leader and member of the project group, highlighted also by these national awards, has certainly contributed to an even greater socio-economic impact of the numerous research results that we have prepared within the project. At the same time, the award contributed to even more invitations to appearances in various media, in which dr. Zdenko Kodelja and dr. Slavko Gaber presented important findings of their research work and, consequently, of this project.
E.01 National awards
»PI talks« are regular monthly discussions (round tables) organized by the Educational Research Institute together with the Trubar House of Literature on topical issues in the field of education and in the wider society. In the framework of the project, a PI talk was organized on the topic "Does neoliberalism (in education) activate resistance and other searches", in which dr. Zdenko Kodelja and dr. Slavko Gaber lead the discussion, moderated by dr. Urška Štremfel. All other members of the project team participated in the discussion as well. The PI talk focused on critical analysis of some of the essential characteristics of neoliberalism and its destructive impact on education in many countries. Based on the criticism we have been questioning, are there really some articulated alternatives for neoliberalism? We were considering the need and possibilities of structuring the capitalist, post-neoliberal rationality of modern society and the field of education. PI talk represents an important socio-economic achievement of the project in terms of its dissemination as well as spreading the debate on this important topic with various scientific, professional and political target groups that regularly attend PI talks. The accessibility of the clip of PI talk on the web enables its dissemination to the wider interested public. In addition to this, two other PI talks were organized within the project (3072855, 2898007), the project leader dr. Zdenko Kodelja also participated in another PI talk on the topic of equity in education as a discussant (3227223).
B.06 Other
COBISS.SI-ID: 3053399Dr. Slavko Gaber as guest professor at the Instituto Politecnico de Porto, Portugal conducted 20 hours of lectures for students, which in specific part (Equity and equality in school systems and education) deal with issue of equity in education. In the lectures the following topics were presented: - Exploring concepts of equity and equality in its roots and actual dimensions (Born equal; human - rights; how do school systems work and why); - Teleological and deontological ethics: ethical backgrounds in pedagogical practices, politics and discourses. (the building of an European identity through social and educational thinking); - Targeting inequality: roles of educational systems, schools and teachers. (the role of education in reducing social inequality; the role of the teacher in the reproduction of inequality; comparing efficiency/effectiveness in targeting inequality; meritocracy; mechanism to diminish inequality); - Equality, universality and the right to difference; acceptable inequality for equity; gender and equality. Socio-economic impact of guest lectures at foreign university is evident not only in the proliferation of Slovenian science abroad but also in the transfer of basic scientific knowledge to students (future generations of European teachers). Because these lectures are originally conduced at the Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana, socio-economic impact of these lectures is as well important for development of Slovenian educational space.
B.05 Guest lecturer at an institute/university
COBISS.SI-ID: 11439945Member of the project team dr. Ana Kozina is the leader and dr. Urška Štremfel is a member of the project "Hand in Hand: Social and Emotional Skills for Tolerant and Non-discriminative Societies (A Whole School Approach)” (2017-2020). The Hand in Hand is a large international project (eight partners from five countries) selected by the European Commission in the framework of Erasmus+ as a public policy experiment in the field of promotion of core values through education and training by addressing diversity within the learning environment. The aim of the project is to design and test a program that will support the social, emotional and intercultural skills of all actors involved in the educational process (teachers, students, school staff) with the aim of building cooperative and inclusive learning environments. The Hand in Hand project is based on the assumptions about the connection of social and emotional learning and the effectiveness of the education system, which dr. Ana Kozina has developed within the framework of this project. The socio-economic achievement of this project is thus reflected in the multiplication of acquired scientific knowledge in newly acquired project, which significantly upgrade the scientific results of this project. At the same time new acquired project expands and increases the visibility of the topic in the wider European scientific research community and public policy making (European Commission and Ministries of other member states). Members of the project team dr. Veronika Tašner and dr. Slavko Gaber are the leader and member of the targeted research project Gender Equality in Education (2018-2020). For a number of years, the research team of the project, as many experts in this field, pointed out that, in order to effectively achieve gender equality in school and society, and to reduce existing gender stereotypes, a permanent place should be provided in the field of education to topics addressing gender issues and gender equality in school curricula. In order to obtain a clear picture of the situation in the field, the research team analyse existing study programs from the perspective of the integration of gender equality issues into selected study programs at the level of tertiary education. In addition to some other goals, the results will be presented in terms of progress or decline in relation to the mentioned issues of gender equality. In this case, the socio-economic achievements of the present project are also visible in the multiplication of acquired knowledge in newly acquired projects, which significantly upgrade the scientific results of this project, while expanding and increasing the relevance of the study topic in the national space, both in scientific research and public policy decision making.
D.01 Chairing over/coordinating (international and national) projects
COBISS.SI-ID: 3036247Leader and member of the project team, dr. Zdenko Kodelja and dr. Slavko Gaber, at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, participated in the consultation of the President "On the responsibility of the state for the establishment, operation and monitoring of the implementation of the private elementary school program". In the discussion, the participants focused on those challenges that are essential for providing accessible and quality education in a modern changing society, with a special emphasis on the relationship between public and private schools. Dr. Zdenko Kodelja in his contribution addressed these challenges from the neoliberalism and equity point of view, two fundamental topics addressed in this project. Taking into consideration the fact that the purpose of the President's consultations is to "exchange various opinions, to confront civil society and politics and to find long-term acceptable or most appropriate decisions for Slovenia" and to dedicate "touching on the current dilemmas of a long-term character", the active participation of two members of the project group presents an important socio-economic achievement of the project in terms of confirming its social relevance and high applicative value for (education) policy making.
F.18 Transfer of new know-how to direct users (seminars, fora, conferences)
COBISS.SI-ID: 3363159