LIFELONG EDUCATION PROGRAMMES FOR THE ACQUISITION OF PEDAGOGICAL COMPETENCIES IN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA – AN ANALYSIS WORKLOAD IN COMPULSORY SUBJECTS

Abstract

Quality of teaching process requires from the teacher completion of a certain master study program and good content knowledge as well as the acquisition of pedagogical competencies. Most often, teacher education programs are offered at universities, but in the Republic of Croatia there are also programs that provide pedagogical-psychological-didactic methodological education to all of those who did not acquire pedagogical competencies during their university education. Unlike most of the other European countries, the method of acquiring pedagogical competencies in the Republic of Croatia is regulated by law, which explicitly states mandatory areas and the total workload for those who want to acquire pedagogical competencies as a necessary condition for working in the educational system. The aim of this paper is a comparative analysis of the structure and content of programmes for the acquisition of pedagogical competencies of teachers in primary and secondary schools that are performed at higher education institutions in Croatia as additional programmes in lifelong learning The aim of this paper is also to identify similarities and differences between programmes with regard to the workload of students expressed in ECTS credits in the compulsory part of the programme, and to determine whether there is a need for harmonization of these programs at a national level. The results showed differences between analysed programmes with regard to ECTS credits and raised the idea that training in acquiring pedagogical competencies should be uniformed.