6 Sodobna pedagogika/Journal of Contemporary Educational Studies Let./Vol. 76 (142) Številka 2/2025 Str. 6–9/pp. 138–140 Uvodnik V prvem delu revije najprej objavljamo dva prispevka, ki se nanašata na ter- ciarno raven izobraževanja. V prvem se avtorici ukvarjata z izzivi visokošolskih učiteljev pri spodbujanju kritičnega mišljenja pri študentih, v drugem pa so na podlagi pilotne raziskave, izvedene med študenti, analizirani nekateri pozitivni vidiki ter potencialne pasti uporabe velikih jezikovnih modelov pri branju in ana- lizi družboslovnih besedil. Sledita dva prispevka, v katerih se avtorice ukvarjajo s tematiko motnje avtističnega spektra. Najprej je predstavljena in analizirana opazovalna shema otrok za strokovne delavce in delavke v vrtcih, nato pa sledi pregled literature o pomenu zgodnje navezanosti otrok z motnjo avtističnega spektra. Prvi del revije zaključuje strokovni prispevek, v katerem avtorice pred- stavljajo praktični primer uporabe pravljice kot didaktičnega sredstva pri pouku slovenščine kot drugega/tujega jezika in ruščine kot tujega jezika. V drugem delu revije objavljamo tri prispevke v angleškem jeziku, ki pokrivajo različna področja. Prvi se nanaša na razumevanje vrednotenja v osnovnošolskem izobraževanju ter na povezavo med razumevanjem tega vrednotenja in njegovim izvajanjem v pedagoški praksi. Drugi prispevek obravnava kulturno odzivno pou- čevanje v okviru dopolnilnega izobraževanja, tretji pa raziskuje različne potenciale orodij generativne umetne inteligence. Predstavljene ugotovitve so relevantne tudi v kontekstu vzgoje in izobraževanja v Sloveniji. V nadaljevanju sledi nekoliko podrobnejša predstavitev prispevkov. Nataša Makovec in Jurka Lepičnik Vodopivec v prispevku z naslovom Izzivi visokošolskih učiteljev pri spodbujanju kritičnega mišljenja – sistematični pregled literature opozorita na pomen razvoja kritičnega mišljenja kot ključnega cilja visokošolskega izobraževanja. Kot izpostavita, gre za koncept, ki je premalo raziskan in pomanjkljivo opredeljen, predvsem s stališča načinov poučevanja in merjenja njegovih učinkov. Na podlagi pregleda in analize 18 znanstvenih člankov, objavljenih v zadnjih petih letih, izzive visokošolskih učiteljev pri spodbujanju kritičnega mišljenja razdelita v štiri skupine. Na izzive, ki so povezani z usposob- ljenostjo učiteljev, s političnimi in družbenimi razmerami, s študenti in pomanj- kljivo definicijo kritičnega mišljenja ter s tem povezanim metodološkim okvirom. Ugotavljata, da potrebujejo visokošolski učitelji podporo pri razvoju pedagoških in digitalnih kompetenc ter kompetenc za spodbujanje kritičnega mišljenja, štu- denti pa ustrezno pripravo in spodbude za aktivno sodelovanje v učnem procesu. Potencial vidita tudi v aktivnih metodah dela, podprtih z digitalnimi rešitvami, hkrati pa opozorita, da je uspešnost teh metod odvisna od usposobljenosti učitel- jev, tehnološke infrastrukture ter sposobnosti študentov za sprejemanje povratnih informacij in samostojno učenje. Ocenjujeta, da bo v prihodnje treba oblikovati ustrezno metodologijo, na temelju katere bo možno postaviti merila in kriterije za preverjanje učinkov. Živa Kos in Jasna Mažgon v prispevku z naslovom Izzivi uporabe umetne inteligence pri študijski analizi družboslovnih besedil pokažeta tako izzive kot pri- ložnosti, ki jih prinaša umetna inteligenca v izobraževanju. Izhajajoč iz rezultatov 7 Jeznik pilotne raziskave, sta epistemološke in metodološke pristope velikih jezikovnih modelov (ChatGPT in Microsoft Copilot) primerjali s tradicionalno, samostojno analizo literature (poglobljeno branje) in odkrivali razlike v rezultatih. Raziskava, v kateri je sodelovalo 17 študentov prvega letnika magistrskega študija sociologije, vodi k ugotovitvi, da veliki jezikovni modeli sicer lahko optimizirajo oblikovanje povzetkov in zagotavljanje osnovnih informacij, a hkrati, kot zapišeta avtorici, postavljajo pod vprašaj poglobljenost in nepristranskost. Obetaven način za izbol- jšanje strategij učenja in poučevanja avtorici prepoznata v hibridnem pristopu, ki orodja umetne inteligence združuje s tradicionalnimi metodami branja in poglo- bljene analize. Avtorici opozorita tudi na številne dileme glede zanesljivosti in verodostojnosti informacij, vloge učitelja in učenja. Eno izmed rešitev prepoznata v vodeni uporabi velikih jezikovnih modelov v pedagoškem procesu. Maša Vidmar, Manja Veldin, Claudio Paolucci, Gabriele Giampieri in Gaja Jamniker Krevh v prispevku z naslovom Zgodnje socialne interakcije: predstavitev in uporabnost opazovalne sheme otrok za strokovne delavce in delavke v vrtcih predstavljajo opazovalno shemo NEMO, ki je bila razvita na Univerzi v Bologni, nadgrajena pa v sklopu evropskega projekta NEMO. Opazovalna shema je namenjena strokovnim delavcem v vrtcu za opazovanje zgodnjih socialnih inte- rakcij ter odkrivanju morebitnih primanjkljajev in spremljanju otrok. Zasnovana je s pomočjo semiotike ter temelji na opazovanju telesne in predjezikovne interakcije med malčkom in skrbnikom, na otrokovi zmožnosti uglaševanja. Oblikovana je bila z namenom razvijanja občutljivosti strokovnih delavcev za pojavljanje morebitnih skrb zbujajočih značilnosti v zgodnjih socialnih interakcijah med dojenčki/malčki (od devet do 18 mesecev) in odraslimi osebami. Primanjkljaji v socialni interakciji in socialni komunikaciji so namreč znaki, ki se lahko pojavljajo pri posameznikih z motnjami avtističnega spektra. V pilotnem testiranju v Sloveniji se je izkazalo, da je opazovalna metodologija NEMO koristna za usmerjanje opazovanja vzgojiteljev, v manjši meri pa je bila prepoznana kot uporabniku prijazna. Podobno spodbudni so bili rezultati pilotnih preizkušanj v še štirih sodelujočih državah. Kljub pilotni izvedbi avtorji v sklepu poudarijo, da je opazovalna shema uporabna za izboljšanje spremljanja otrok z morebitnimi primanjkljaji, kar omogoča zgodnji dostop do ustreznih odzivov, ta pa lahko izboljša tako kakovost življenja otroka kot njegove družine. S tematiko motnje avtističnega spektra se v prispevku z naslovom Zgodnja obravnava družin za razvoj varne navezanosti otrok z motnjo avtističnega spektra ukvarjata tudi Maša Orel in Zlatka Cugmas. Proučujeta razlike v zgodnji navezanosti pri otrocih z normativnim razvojem in tistimi z motnjo avtistične- ga spektra. Prav za slednje avtorji ugotavljajo manjši delež varne navezanosti. Razlogi za to so različni, avtorici pa v ospredje postavita dejavnike družine, ki lahko ovirajo razvoj varne navezanosti otroka s starši. Opravili sta sistematični pregled raziskav iz obdobja zadnjih šestih let. Ugotovili sta, da se avtorji usmerjajo v proučevanje specifičnih značilnosti staršev otrok z motnjo avtističnega spektra oziroma družin. Identificirane raziskave so bile opravljene na razmeroma majhnih vzorcih, z različno metodologijo, raznolikimi spremenljivkami in tudi rezultati so bili občasno neskladni. Avtorici ugotavljata, da lahko s prepoznavanjem in 8 Sodobna pedagogika/Journal of Contemporary Educational Studies Jeznik razumevanjem značilnosti posamezne družine pripravimo učinkovito podporo v zgodnji obravnavi družin in otrok, kar lahko vodi v izboljšanje kakovosti življenja celotne družine. Avtorici sta oblikovali tudi priporočila za nadaljnje raziskovanje področja zgodnje navezanosti otrok z motnjo avtističnega spektra in smernice za zgodnjo obravnavo, ki spodbujajo navezanost otrok. Teja Petrovčič, Hana Kuhar in Manca Perko so avtorice strokovnega prispevka z naslovom Pravljice kot didaktično sredstvo pri pouku slovenščine kot drugega/tujega jezika in ruščine kot tujega jezika: praktični primeri poučevanja. Avtorice v prispevku analizirajo vpliv ljudskih pravljic pri pouku tujega jezika. Zanima jih tako njihov vpliv na razvoj otrok in mladostnikov na jezikovnem, čustvenem in spoznavnem področju kot tudi vrednost, ki jo pravljice prinašajo v smislu informacij o kulturi naroda, njegovih običajih in jeziku. V prvem delu članka analizirajo položaj slovenščine kot drugega/tujega jezika ter ruščine kot tujega jezika v slovenskem izobraževalnem sistemu ter opišejo položaj umetniških besedil, zlasti pravljice kot literarne zvrsti, v okviru pouka slovenščine in ruščine kot tujih jezikov. Ponazorijo razlike v vlogi pravljic v učnih načrtih za slovenščino oziroma ruščino in pojasnijo izvor teh razlik. Osrednji del članka opisuje praktična primera uporabe ljudskih pravljic pri pouku slovenščine kot drugega/tujega in ruščine kot tujega jezika, ki ju lahko učitelji vključijo v svoje ure ter prispevajo k bogatejši in zanimivejši učni izkušnji za učence. Avtorice ugotavljajo, da imajo slovenske in ruske ljudske pravljice kot didaktično sredstvo veliko jezikovnih in besednih značilnosti, ki pripomorejo k razvoju jezikovnih zmožnosti in so lahko učencem v podporo pri učenju slovenščine kot drugega/tujega jezika in ruščine kot tujega jezika. Prvi prispevek v angleškem delu revije je nastal v soavtorstvu Alene Le- tina, Suzane Tomaš in Alme Škugor, njegov naslov je Zasnova in praktično izvajanje preverjanja in ocenjevanja znanja z vidika osnovnošolskih učiteljev na Hrvaškem. Gre za predstavitev rezultatov raziskave, v kateri je sodelovalo 261 osnovnošolskih učiteljev na Hrvaškem. Avtorice so proučevale pojmovanja učiteljev o preverjanju in ocenjevanju znanja v osnovnošolskem izobraževanju, zlasti pa povezanost njihovih pojmovanj s praktičnim izvajanjem preverjanja in ocenjevanja znanja. Ugotovile so, da obstaja statistično pomembna povezava med tem, kako učitelji pojmujejo preverjanje in ocenjevanje znanja ter praktičnim izva- janjem le-tega. Avtorice v ospredje postavljajo pomen razmisleka o zanesljivosti preverjanja in ocenjevanja znanja, o vlogi teh procesov pri spodbujanju razvoja učencev, dojemanju preverjanja in ocenjevanja znanja kot orodja za zagotavljanje kakovosti delovanja šole in učiteljev ter tudi o pomenu priprave na izpite. Zanima- lo jih je tudi, ali pojmovanja, ki jih imajo učitelji, vplivajo na to, kolikšen pomen pripisujejo bolj formativnim vidikom kontinuiranega preverjanja oz. spremljanja in spodbujanja razvoja učencev, kolikšen pomen pa končnemu ocenjevanju znanja. Drugi prispevek v angleškem jeziku z naslovom Experts’ Point of View on Culturally Responsive Teaching for Remedial Education se nanaša na tematiko kulturno odzivnega poučevanja v okviru dopolnilnega izobraževanja. Avtorji Salehuddin Al As Anuas, Nurfaradilla Mohamad Nasri in Mohd Norazmi Nordin v njem predstavljajo rezultate raziskave, opravljene med 30 pedagoškimi 9 Uvodnik strokovnjaki, katere namen je bil identifikacija elementov, potrebnih za obliko- vanje strategije kulturno odzivnega poučevanja v okviru dopolnilnega izobraže- vanja v osnovni šoli za učence z nezadostnimi jezikovnimi zmožnostmi. Sodelujoči v raziskavi so potrdili šest osrednjih elementov, ki so jih avtorji identificirali za model kulturno odzivnega poučevanja. To so ustrezna strokovna usposobljenost učiteljev, interakcija, razredni ekosistem, načrtovanje in izvedba pouka, vredno- tenje ter vključenost različnih oblik podpore. Rezultati raziskave dajejo vpogled v eno od strategij kulturno odzivnega poučevanja z namenom pomagati učencem z nezadostnimi jezikovnimi zmožnostmi. Revijo zaključujemo s prispevkom Dan Li in Narine Binti A. Samah z naslovom Generativna umetna inteligenca v inkluzivnih razredih: spodbujanje so- cialne interakcije, personaliziranega učenja in metakognitivnih spretnosti. Namen prispevka, ki temelji na analizi 20 znanstvenih besedil, je raziskati potencial oro- dij generativne umetne inteligence za različne prilagoditve v inkluzivnih šolskih skupnostih. Prispevek izhaja iz teorij socialnega konstruktivizma, teorije sodelo- vanja med človekom in strojem ter metakognitivne teorije in obravnava tri glavna vprašanja: ovire, s katerimi se soočajo učenci v inkluzivnih razredih, nezmožnost enakovrednega sodelovanja učencev z različnimi težavami pri uporabi teh orodij ter posledice zanje. Opravljena analiza vodi k ugotovitvi, da lahko orodja genera- tivne umetne inteligence z odpravljanjem kulturnih in jezikovnih ovir izboljšujejo komunikacijske spretnosti, kar učencem omogoča bolj enakovredne interakcije z vrstniki. Uporaba orodij lahko spodbuja refleksijo, ustvarjalno reševanje proble- mov in različne skupinske aktivnosti. Spodbuja lahko tudi boljšo osredotočenost, olajša učenje ter zagotavlja različne prilagoditve procesa poučevanja in učenja, zato se zdi proučevanje potencialov generativne umetne inteligence v prihodnje še dodatno smiselno in pomembno. Vabljeni k branju! Katja Jeznik 110 Sodobna pedagogika/Journal of Contemporary Educational Studies Let./Vol. 76 (142) Številka 2/2025 Str. 6-9/pp. 110-113 Editorial The first section of this issue of the journal starts with two articles on ter- tiary education. The first one deals with the challenges for university teachers in promoting critical thinking in students, while the second one analyses some of the positive aspects and potential pitfalls of using large-scale language models in reading and analysing social studies texts, based on a pilot study among stu- dents. The following two papers deal with autism spectrum disorder. First, a child observation scheme for preschool educators is presented and analysed, followed by a review of the literature on the importance of early attachment for children with autism spectrum disorder. The first section of the journal concludes with an expert contribution in which the authors present a practical example of the use of fairy tales as a didactic tool in the teaching of Slovene as a second/foreign lan- guage and Russian as a foreign language. The second section of the journal contains three articles in English, covering different fields. The first one concerns the understanding of assessment in prima- ry education and the link between the understanding of this assessment and its implementation in pedagogical practice. The second paper looks at culturally re- sponsive teaching in the context of remedial education, and the third one explores the different potentials of generative artificial intelligence tools. The findings are also relevant in the context of education in Slovenia. A more detailed presentation of the contributions now follows. In their article “Challenges for higher education teachers in fostering crit- ical thinking – A systematic literature review”, Nataša Makovec and Jurka Lepičnik Vodopivec emphasise the importance of developing critical thinking as a key goal of higher education. They argue that it is a concept which has been under-researched and under-defined, especially in terms of how it is taught and how its effects are measured. Based on a review and analysis of 18 scientific arti- cles published in the last five years, they divide the challenges for higher educa- tion teachers in promoting critical thinking into four groups: challenges related to teacher training, political and social conditions, students, and the lack of a defini- tion of critical thinking and the related methodological framework. They conclude that higher education teachers need support in developing pedagogical, digital and critical thinking competences, while students need adequate preparation and in- centives to actively participate in the learning process. They see potential in active learning methods supported by digital solutions, but point out that the success of these methods depends on the skills of the teachers, the technological infrastruc- ture and the students’ ability to receive feedback and learn independently. They believe that in the future, an appropriate methodology will need to be developed, on the basis of which it will be possible to establish criteria and benchmarks for verifying impact. Živa Kos and Jasna Mažgon’s article “Challenges of using artificial intel- ligence in the study analysis of social science texts” outlines both the challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence in education. Building on the results of 111 Jeznik their pilot study , they compared the epistemological and methodological approach- es of large language models (ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot) with traditional, in- dependent literature analysis (deep reading) and found differences in the results. The study, which involved 17 first-year MA students in sociology, leads to the conclusion that, while large language models can optimise summarisation and the provision of background information, they also call into question depth and im- partiality . The authors identify a promising way to improve learning and teaching strategies in a hybrid approach that combines AI tools with traditional methods of reading and in-depth analysis. Finally , the authors point to a number of dilemmas concerning the reliability and credibility of information, the role of the teacher and learning. One solution they identify is the guided use of large-scale language models in the educational process. In “Early social interactions: The presentation and applicability of a child observation scheme for preschool educators”, Maša Vidmar, Manja Veldin, Claudio Paolucci, Gabriele Giampieri and Gaja Jamniker Krevh present the NEMO observation scheme, developed at the University of Bologna and fur- ther developed in the framework of the European NEMO project. The observation scheme is designed for preschool educators to observe early social interactions and to detect and monitor children’s deficits. It was designed using semiotics and is based on the observation of the physical and pre-linguistic interaction between the toddler and the caregiver, that is to say , on the child’s capacity for attunement. Its aim is to develop educators’ sensitivity to the emergence of potentially worry- ing features in early social interactions between infants/toddlers (9–18 months) and adults. Deficits in social interaction and social communication are signs that may be present in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. In the pilot testing in Slovenia, the NEMO observation methodology proved to be useful for guiding the observation carried out by educators, but it was not found to be user-friendly to the same extent. Similarly encouraging were the results of pilot tests in the four other participating countries. Despite the pilot implementation, the authors con- clude that the observation scheme is useful to improve the monitoring of children with potential deficits, allowing early access to appropriate responses, which can improve the quality of life of both the children and their families. Maša Orel and Zlatka Cugmas also address the topic of autism spectrum disorder in their article “Early treatment of families for the development of secure attachment in children with autism spectrum disorder”. They study differences in early attachment between children with normative development and those with autism spectrum disorder. It is the latter that the authors find to have a lower proportion of secure attachment. The reasons for this vary, but the authors focus on family factors that can hinder the development of a secure attachment between children and their parents. They carried out a systematic review of research con- ducted over the last six years. They found that the authors focus on the specific characteristics of the parents or families of children with autistic spectrum dis- order. The identified studies were carried out on relatively small samples, with different methodologies, different variables and sometimes inconsistent results. The authors conclude that by identifying and understanding the characteristics 112 Sodobna pedagogika/Journal of Contemporary Educational Studies Jeznik of each family , effective support can be provided in the early treatment of families and children, which can lead to an improvement in the quality of life of the whole family. The authors also make recommendations for further research in the area of early attachment in children with autism spectrum disorder and provide guide- lines for early treatment that promotes children’s attachment. Teja Petrovčič, Hana Kuhar and Manca Perko are the authors of the expert paper “Fairy tales as a didactic tool in teaching Slovene as a second/foreign language and Russian as a foreign language: Practical teaching examples”. The authors analyse the impact of folk tales in foreign language teaching. They are in- terested in their impact on children’s and adolescents’ development in linguistic, emotional and cognitive domains, as well as in the value that fairy tales bring in terms of information about a nation’s culture, customs and language. The first part of the article analyses the position of Slovene as a second/foreign language and Russian as a foreign language in the Slovene education system and describes the position of fiction, especially fairy tales as a literary genre, in the teaching of Slovene and Russian as foreign languages. They explain the differences in the role of fairy tales in Slovene and Russian curricula and explain the origins of these differences. The main part of the article describes practical examples of the use of folk tales in the teaching of Slovene as a second/foreign language and Russian as a foreign language, which teachers can integrate into their lessons and contrib- ute to a richer and more interesting learning experience for their students. The authors conclude that Slovene and Russian folk tales as didactic tools have many linguistic and textual features that contribute to the development of linguistic abilities and can support learners in learning Slovene as a second/foreign lan- guage and Russian as a foreign language. The first paper in the English section of the journal was co-authored by Ale- na Letina, Suzana Tomaš and Alma Škugor. “The conception and practice of assessment from the perspective of primary education teachers in Croatia” is a presentation of the findings of a survey of 261 primary school teachers in Croa- tia. The authors examined the teachers’ understanding of assessment in primary education and the links between their understanding of this assessment and the latter’s implementation in pedagogical practice. They found that there is a sta- tistically significant correlation between teachers’ understanding of assessment and its implementation. The authors highlight the importance of reflecting on the reliability of assessment and marking, its role in promoting students’ develop- ment, the perception of assessment as a tool for ensuring the quality of school and teacher performance, and the importance of preparation for examinations. They also explored different assessment practices, asking whether teachers focus more on the formative aspects of monitoring and promoting pupils’ development, or on the final assessment. The second paper, “Experts’ Point of View on Culturally Responsive Teach- ing for Remedial Education”, discusses the topic of culturally responsive teaching in the context of remedial education. The authors Salehuddin Al As Anuas, Nurfaradilla Mohamad Nasri and Mohd Norazmi Nordin present the find- ings of a survey of 30 educators aimed at identifying the elements needed to de- 113 sign a culturally responsive teaching strategy in the context of remedial education in primary school for students with language deficiencies. The six core elements identified by the authors for a model of culturally responsive teaching were con- firmed by the participants in the study. They are: adequate teacher qualification, interaction, classroom ecosystem, lesson planning and implementation, evalua- tion, and the inclusion of different forms of support. The findings of this research provide insights into a strategy for culturally responsive teaching to help learners with deficient language skills. This issue concludes with Dan Li’s and Narina Binti A. Samah’s contri- bution “Generative AI in inclusive classrooms: Enhancing social interaction, per- sonalized learning, and metacognitive skills”. Based on an analysis of 20 scholarly articles, the aim of this paper was to explore the potential of generative artificial intelligence tools for different adaptations in inclusive school communities. Draw- ing on the theories of social constructivism, human-machine collaboration theo- ry and metacognitive theory, the paper addresses three main issues: the barriers faced by students in inclusive classrooms, the inability of students with different difficulties to participate equally in the use of these tools, and the consequenc- es for them. The analysis leads to the conclusion that generative AI tools can improve communication skills by breaking down cultural and linguistic barriers, allowing learners to interact more equally with their peers. Using the tools can encourage reflection, creative problem-solving and various group activities. It can also promote better focus, facilitate learning and provide various adaptations to teaching and learning processes. Therefore, exploring the potential of generative AI in the future seems to be of particular interest and importance. You are invited to explore the articles in this issue. Katja Jeznik Editorial