Attitudes of Primary Education Students in Slovenia and Slovakia Towards the Constructivist Approach to Primary Science Education

Abstract

The constructivist approach emphasizes the active role of the pupil in the educational process and his/her ability to construct new knowledge based on experience and previously acquired knowledge. The presented research is aimed at investigation of primary education students' attitudes towards constructivism and whether there are any differences between Slovak and Slovene students in this context. Study programs in both countries have their own specifics and emphasize different aspects of teaching and learning. Therefore, the study plans of the primary education program in both education faculties were taken into consideration. Q method was used as the research method, which enables objective discovery of individuals’ notions of a certain research problem. The research revealed that most of the students have a positive opinion about constructivism as a teaching approach. Some education areas show a Slovak and Slovene students have a different attitude towards constructivism. The groups have a distinctively different opinion regarding the role of the teacher, group work and the use of experiments in class.