Jelena Cvetkoviæ Crvenica, Milica Jovanoviæ
University of Niš, Faculty of Arts
EVALUATION OF THE ACCREDITED PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
PROGRAM IN THE FIELD OF SOLFEGGIO IN SERBIA 2011 - 2019
Abstract
The paper presents an interdisciplinary research of accredited vocational training programs in the
field of solfeggio in the Republic of Serbia in the period 2011–2019. The obtained results showed a
striking lack of identification of progress in the domain of self-evaluation and the implementation of
programs, which is one of the characteristics of the pre-reform way of work. From the analyzes
performed, it can be concluded that there is a general legal framework for an adequate training
system for solfeggio teachers, but that organizational and substantive improvements to the catalog
of continuing professional development are needed.
Key words: solfeggio, vocational training, professional development, self-evaluation.
OCENA AKREDITIRANEGA PROFESIONALNEGA PROGRAMA
USPOSABLJANJA NA PODROÈJU SOLFEGGIO V SRBIJI 2011 - 2019
Izvleèek
V prispevku je predstavljena interdisciplinarna raziskava akreditiranih programov strokovnega
usposabljanja na podroèju solffeggia v Republiki Srbiji v obdobju 2011–2019. Pridobljeni rezultati
so pokazali presenetljivo pomanjkanje ugotavljanja napredka na podroèju samoevalvacije in
uporabnosti programov, kar je ena od predhodnih znaèilnosti delovanja pred reformami. Iz
opravljenih analiz je mogoèe sklepati, da obstaja splošen pravni okvir za ustrezen sistem
usposabljanja uèiteljev solfeggia, vendar so potrebne organizacijske in vsebinske izboljšave
kataloga stalnega strokovnega spopolnjevanja.
Kljuène besede: solfeggio, poklicno usposabljanje, strokovni razvoj, samoevalvacija
31
Jelena Cvetkoviæ Crvenica, Milica Jovanoviæ, EVALUATION OF THE ACCREDITED ...
Introduction
Teacher competences1, the center of pedagogical discussions of the contemporary society,
is still an insufficiently defined and investigated area. At the same time, teacher education
is a necessary segment of the improvement of the quality of the educational system and the
prerequisite for any serious reform of education (Ben-Pertz, 2000; Farrel & Fanwick,
2007; Lieberman & Miller, 2000). Modern education is based on competencies that are a
framework for the development and assessment of individuals in professional work and
everyday life. Teacher competencies directly depend on the extent students will develop
the necessary competences for living in the contemporary society.
Teacher Profile in Contemporary Teaching means that they are well aware of the structure,
scope and depth of teaching content, but also possess the ability to integrate related
content from multiple subjects for better didactic-methodical applicability. Adapting to
the individual characteristics of each student individually is equally important. It is
necessary that the teacher is also able to communicate systematically and be able to
analyze and synthesize the content of teaching in the thematic units. Simultaneously, it is
important that the teacher is adept in creating a form of teaching that both differentiates
and individualizes instructions so he can create a cheerful, working and stimulating
atmosphere in the classroom. The teacher possesses the ability to empathize and exibits a
system of values that developes positive attributes among students.
A teacher acquires and develops his professional competence by preparing for the
profession through higher education and through lifelong learning to implement quality
and productive teaching thus becoming a pedagogically and psychologically competent
teacher by implementing the teaching process.2 Lifelong learning3 implies the
development of pedagogical and cognitive skills that are focused on the continuous
transferance of one’s own personality, through formal and informal education and
reflection on their own practice. Such a set of competencies cannot be obtained through a
universal study program of a specific subject or a professional seminar, but quality teacher
competences are profiled by a lifelong process of learning and improvement, that largely
depends on the characteristics of an individual. Although the competencies of teachers
should be indisputable, as they have received an accredited degree in teaching from a
university, there are occasional problems of insufficient competence of music pedagogues
in practice. Initial education cannot provide teachers with the necessary knowledge and
32
GLASBENOPEDAGOŠKI ZBORNIK, 30. zvezek
1 The term competence can be terminologically defined as a complex combination of knowledge, skills,
abilities and attitudes necessary for carrying out certain activities, and possessing a whole range of
possible actions that can be taken and the ability to implement them. To be competent, in a wider context,
means the possession of professional, personal and work quality, knowledge, skills, qualifications, as well
as beliefs, attitudes and motivations that an individual can actively, professionally and efficiently operate
in a particular practical situation. In the narrower context of competence, they relate to the specific field of
work, and thus to the field of education and upbringing. The professional competence of teachers as well
as the issue of quality education, which could inevitably respond to the contemporary needs and interests
of the individual and society, includes the issue of education and professional development of teachers.
2 In the literature, in order to connect all these competences in one term, the term reflexive teacher (Pollard,
2005) is increasingly used.
3 It is necessary to make a distinction between lifelong education, which includes only organized learning
and lifelong learning, as a broader concept that includes every opportunity to acquire knowledge
throughout life.
skills that are needed to deal with all the different aspects of the profession within a rapidly
changing society (Fullan & Hargreaves, 2013).
As the educational systems require that a teacher should constantly update and refresh his
previously acquired pedagogical, psychological and didactic-methodical skills and
knowledge, teachers are additionally asked to transform their role as a person who enables
the process of education in the teaching process to be carried out, but who at the same time
educates (Antonijeviæ, 2010). The conditions for teachers to acquire new and upgrade
existing competencies important for the improvement of educational work are, therefore,
ensured by the established system of continuous professional development. Among the
different forms of professional development that vary in the level and quality of outcomes,
seminars in different fields represent an irreplaceable form of vocational training and
professional development. The goal of setting up and implementing various seminars is to
meet some of the basic needs of professionals in education in the field of their own
professional development.
The current system of professional development of teachers started in Serbia in 2002, and
now the seminar attendance has become the dominant framework for improving
professional competences. Vocational training of teachers in the domestic education
system is given as a need, but also a legal obligation, so teachers are obliged to achieve at
least 100 hours of professional development within five years, at least eighty hours
through the attainment of the professional development program approved by the Institute
for Advancement of Education and Upbringing (IAEU) or Minister of Education
(Rulebook on continuous professional development of teachers, educators and
professional associates, 2015).4 In accordance with the Law on the Foundations of the
System of Education and Upbringing in 2015 a new Rulebook on continuous professional
development and acquisition of the title of teachers, educators and professional associates
was adopted. It specifies the professional development of teachers and implies that
teachers constantly develop competences and professional advancement. The basic
elements of this system include the obligation to attend accredited programs of
professional development of programs that are created and realized by all interested
institutions and associations in the field of education and upbringing. The Institute for the
Advancement of Education and Upbringing (IAEU) accredited programs, compiles and
publishes a Catalogue of approved programs, and monitors the functioning of the entire
system. Teachers and schools are free to choose professional development programs from
this Catalog. The law stipulates that the finances for vocational training are provided by
local governments, and teachers receive evidence of participation from the implementers
in the form of certificates.
Solfeggio teacher competences
Within the broader context of teaching and learning, the perception of the professional
role of teachers of music schools also changes. Namely, moving the focus of the
pedagogical discourse towards the student, from the musical product to the musical
process, affects the entire teaching process. There is an increasing emphasis on
33
Jelena Cvetkoviæ Crvenica, Milica Jovanoviæ, EVALUATION OF THE ACCREDITED ...
4 “Official Herald of Republic of Serbia, No.” 86/2015: https://www.paragraf.rs/glasila/rs/
sluzbeni-glasnik republike-srbije-86-2015.html
developing a creative approach, the development of student autonomy with the ultimate
goal which implies the development of a complete musician. There are many reasons for
the improvement and modernization of the educational process, and one of the necessary
factors in the function of raising the quality of teaching is certainly innovation (Cvetkoviæ,
2015). 21st century learning is increasingly reflected in the development of a way of
musical thinking, not just the acquisition of skills. These variable roles and contexts set
different requirements for teachers and therefore require new skills and knowledge.
The musical-pedagogical discipline solfeggio (ital.) throughout the history of Serbian
music education exists as a teaching subject with almost identical educational-cognitive
and functional-practical goals, and they are reduced to: musical literacy, the process of
setting certain sound performances, comprehension, storing and recording music content
as well as acquiring the skill of voice reproduction of musical notation. In music literacy, it
is very important to bring children up to the content of the classroom to become a “musical
event”, regardless of the level of achievement (Miletiæ & Cvetkoviæ, 2017). Within the
three areas of solfeggio teaching (music theory, melody and rhythm), there are a number
of teaching elements that affect the success of realizating a complex task achieving
understanding of musical content and performance. Improving skills within solfeggio
teaching stimulates the development of musical potential, that is, the development of
musical abilities, both at the level of sensory ability and at the level of understanding
musical structure.
Solfeggio teaching in Serbia is realized at all three levels of music education (elementary,
secondary and higher education). During schooling, the requirements are upgraded, and
the achievement of the student in solfeggio is monitored through several teaching areas:
melody (singing and dictation), rhythm and theory of music. During music education,
through the three phases, covering a period of 10 to 14 years of continuous musical
training, the principle of the spiral curriculum is applied (Bruner, 1976). The content of the
subject is, at different ages, being approached in a new way in accordance with the
development level of the students, and thus the acquired knowledge and skills become
more complex, deepen and the level of expertise increases. The concept of study programs
in the Republic of Serbia at undergraduate music programs has been directed towards the
development of future teachers in the subject of solfeggio at schools for elementary and
secondary music education. Such a program provides an important role of methodology
for solfeggio teaching, a subject that, by its structure, develops basic competences for
musical-pedagogical work in elementary and secondary schools. Qualification
frameworks that are formed at the end of the undergraduate music pedagogy program are
related to the subject specific competences: personal competences (behavior and
response), cognitive competences (extracting important from the non-essential, skills of
selecting information), professional competence (knowledge from the profession),
development competence (improvement of teaching processes), work-action
competences (practical operation) and social competences (understanding of
interpersonal relationships and interpretation of group emotions) (Lediæ, Stanièiæ & Turk,
2013). The competencies of music pedagogy graduates represent a combination of
knowledge, understanding, skills and abilities (Gerasimoviæ & Miškeljin, 2009), as well
as understanding and thorough management of acquired knowledge and linking
34
GLASBENOPEDAGOŠKI ZBORNIK, 30. zvezek
knowledge from different fields (Gutvajn, Ðeriæ & Lukoviæ, 2011) in order to perform
complex musical pedagogical activities.
The stratification and complexity of musical art is directly reflected in solfeggio teaching.
Acquisition of concepts, phenomena and laws of music are achieved through the process
developing musical literacy, and later on the correlation of solfeggio teaching with the
teaching of musical instrument, counterpoint, harmony, musical form and musical styles.
In the Serbia educational system, special categories of competences that would apply to
teachers in music schools have not yet been defined. The intertwining of the roles of
teachers and their continuous overlapping in the teaching and learning process are
emphasized, pointing to the emergence of the so-called. dual identity in the practice of
music education, when the same person is both a teacher and an active performer
(Bogunoviæ et. al., 2013). Supporting both roles forms a pedagogue/teacher who has a
high level of musical and technical abilities, as well as expertis as a teacher and educator,
with the personal and social competencies necessary for taking pedagogical
responsibility.
Aim of research and hypotheses
The aim of this research was to evaluate the accredited professional training program in
the field of solfeggio in Serbia from 2011 to 2019. The subject of our analysis is the
Catalog of programs for employee professional development in education as a concrete
and operationalization of education policy, i.e. the intentions of the Law relating to
improving the quality of teachers’ work. The basic hypothesis relates to the impression
that within the framework of accredited professional training programs in the field of
solfeggio, knowledge and competences are acquired in a way that greatly fosters and
improves the teaching process; that there is not enough reference in certain areas and
methodology; that knowledge is not acquired in a way that provides the criticality and the
need for reflection on one’s own practice; that little attention is paid to research findigs in
which critical thinking would take a particular place.
Research Method
The research was based on the descriptive method. The processing of the received data
was performed in the statistical package IBM SPSS Statistics 20.0. As far as descriptive
statistics are concerned, frequencies (f) and percentages (%) were used. For statistical
analysis purposes a non-parametric Chi-square test was used.
Participants
The observed sample consists of 29 respondents (N=29), solfeggio teachers of five
Elementary and Secondary Music Schools in Leskovac, Aleksinac, Trstenik, Jagodina and
Uice5. A relatively small sample is the result of a small number of solfeggio teachers in
each of the Music Schools. The sample structure consists of 58 percent of women (58.6%)
35
Jelena Cvetkoviæ Crvenica, Milica Jovanoviæ, EVALUATION OF THE ACCREDITED ...
5 Music School “Stanislav Binièki” Leskovac, Music School “Vladimir Ðorðeviæ” Aleksinac, Music
School “Kornelije Stankoviæ” Trstenik, Music School “Vladimir Ðorðevic” Jagodina, Music School
“Vojislav-Lale Stefanoviæ” Uice
and 41 percent of men (41.4%). In relation to the years of service: less than 10 years
24.1%; 10–20 years 44.8%; over 20 years 31.0%. Most of the teachers teach at both
educational levels that are in the focus of our interest (44.8%), a smaller percentage only in
the Elementary (31.0%) and considerably lower only in Secondary School (24.1%).
Instrument of research
In order to obtain empirical quantitative research results and analyze the offer of catalog
seminars as prerequisite for improving the competence of solfeggio teachers, a survey by
systematic non-experimental testing was conducted, with a questionnaire designed for this
occasion which included tasks related to the need to determine: to what extent teachers
were informed about the accredited programs; whether the teachers are satisfied with the
offer of the seminar program; what they think about the importance of attending
accredited programs of professional development for their practical work; how they value
the acquisition of competencies from the perspective of the opportunity to improve their
own practice; what percentage of critical thinking is present about the way of acquiring
knowledge within the accredited programs of professional training in the field of
solfeggio. The questionnaire was preceded by a theoretical analysis of the contents of the
arts training program – subaltern music (musical art and general music), with emphasis on
the programs dealing with the Solfeggio subject in the catalogs of the program of
continuous professional development of teachers, educators and professional associates
from the school year 2011/2012 until 2017/20186.
Procedure
The survey was conducted at the end of the school year 2018/19. The analysis of the
program involved a thorough examination of existing catalog data, and solfeggio teachers
filled out the questionnaire individually in agreement with the researchers.
Results and discussion
By analyzing the offer of programs related to the Solfeggio7 subject, we examined the
representation of various areas. We focused on the target groups covered by the teacher
training program for the Solfeggio subject, having in mind the number of participants who
attended the seminar (Table 1).8
36
GLASBENOPEDAGOŠKI ZBORNIK, 30. zvezek
6 Catalogues of the program of continuous professional development of teachers, educators and
professional associates starting from the school year 2006/2007. contain over 300 programs in the field of
music. Seminars held before the school year 2011/2012. do not contain information about the evaluation,
so for this reason they are not the subject of our research. https://zuov.gov.rs/katalozi-
programa-stalnog-strucnog-usavrsavanja/
7 A number of 30 seminars related to the subject Solfeggio were singled out
8 The following information is given with the program name: catalog number; name, status and priority;
institution, professional association or association that reported it; author’s names; coordinator names,
addresses, phone numbers and e-mails; names of the carriers; titles of topics to be processed; target
groups; number of participants in the group and duration. From 2012/2014. priority areas of professional
development, competence information, general and specific goals of the offered programs were added on
the list. http://zuov.gov.rs/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/katalogusavrsavanja20122014.pdf
Table 1: Structure of the program
Cat
no. The program Aim group
The
number of
participant
s who
attended
the seminar
-
descending
845
"Good and bad sides of participation in
competitions. in children with outstanding musical
abilities"
EMS and SMS 973
402
"Application of an individualized educational plan
in working with children of outstanding musical
abilities. with a focus on European practice"
EMS and SMS 715
779
"Quality communication with parents-a
precondition for successful affirmation of
children's predispositions in art school"
EMS and SMS 539
803
"Introduction to Music: Innovation in
contemporary music pedagogy and Implementation
of creative methods in teaching"
EMS and SMS 414
758 "Methods in the processing of rhythmic materialsin Elementary and Secondary Music School" EMS and SMS 342
811 "Musical note" EMS and SMS 218
745 "Contemporary methods of learning music indifferent developmental phases of a child"
EMS and SMS 149
778 "The role of competition in music development ofStudents" EMS and SMS 144
878 "Rhythmic and melodic dictates in Elementary andSecondary Music School" EMS and SMS 119
886 "The theoretical-analytical approach to art ofphrasing" EMS and SMS 103
897
"Choral conducting - score analysis, manual
technique, chorus rehearsal and interpretation of
choral work"
EMS and SMS 95
785 "The use of piano in the solfeggio teaching inElementary and Secondary Music School" EMS and SMS 89
733
"Musical ensembles in Primary and Secondary
Schools - The shortest way from class to public
performance"
EMS and SMS 76
843 "I see. I hear. sing. play. correlation of instrumentteaching and theoretical subjects" EMS and SMS 74
960 "Music theory - Practical approach" EMS and SMS 72
392 "Methods in the processing of melodic materials inthe Elementary Music School" EMS 69
947 "Method of teaching rhythm" EMS and SMS 63
884 "Synchronization of solfeggio teaching elements inSecondary Music School" EMS and SMS 47
37
Jelena Cvetkoviæ Crvenica, Milica Jovanoviæ, EVALUATION OF THE ACCREDITED ...
975 "Application of baroque literature in vocal andinstrumental practice" EMS and SMS 34
887 "Technical problems and solutions in vocalpedagogy" EMS and SMS 30
403 "Application of artistic literature in the solfeggioteaching" EMS and SMS 24
794
"Methodology of work on the acquisition of
hearing performances about chord progression and
a music meter"
EMS and SMS 3
397 "From the song to the notes” 9 EMS /
412 "Synthetic music listening" EMS and SMS /
864 "Multimedia music workshop" EMS and SMS /
782 "Solfeggio - Dutch and Serbian experiences" EMS and SMS /
799
"The application of the playwright teaching in the
teaching contents of the subjects solfeggio. music
theory and general music"
EMS and SMS /
810 "The significance of the competition for themusical development of students" EMS and SMS /
944 "Correlation of solfeggio teaching withinstrumental teaching" EMS and SMS /
976
"Work on getting to know the basics of musical
literacy during the first and second cycle of
elementary education and upbringing"
EMS /
Table 2: Aim group of the program
Frequency Percent Valid Percent CumulativePercent
Elementary music school 3 10.0 10.0 10.0
Elementary and Secondary
music school 27 90.0 90.0 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0
Table 3 shows the most represented areas of solfeggio covered by the programs of
continuous professional development.
38
GLASBENOPEDAGOŠKI ZBORNIK, 30. zvezek
9 A considerable number of seminars held do not have evaluation information available.
Table 3: The most represented areas of the program
Frequency Percent ValidPercent
Cumu-
lative
Percent
rhythm and meter 2 6.7 6.7 6.7
Melodic 3 10.0 10.0 16.7
Perception 1 3.3 3.3 20.0
Dictations 1 3.3 3.3 23.3
music theory 1 3.3 3.3 26.7
all areas 3 10.0 10.0 36.7
teaching methods and techniques, literature 9 30.0 30.0 66.7
student support 5 16.7 16.7 83.3
rhythm and meter and melodic 1 3.3 3.3 86.7
rhythm and meter, melodic and perception 3 10.0 10.0 96.7
melodic, perception, dications 1 3.3 3.3 100.0
Total 30 100.0 100.0
The most represented are programs in the area of methods and techniques of work and
literature (30.0%); Programs relating to the support for talented students are covered with
16.7%; programs that improve competencies in the area of melody, rhythm and meter,
melody and perception are included in the catalog with 10.0%; programs relating
exclusively to the improvement of competences in the area of rhythm and meter are
represented with 6.7%, while all other categories are covered with 3.3% each, or one
program within the analyzed time period (perception, dictation, music theory, rhythm and
meter and melody, melody, perception and dictation). Data analysis implies that the areas
of rhythm and dictation necessarily require greater representation in vocational training
programs, bearing in mind the importance of these areas within the solfeggio teaching,
while a lot of space is dedicated to reviewing and analyzing the current domestic and
foreign instructional literature, with the consideration of relevant world schools and
methods with the aim of empowering teachers’ competencies within the mentioned areas.
The following table (Table 4) gives an insight into all programs according to the content.
39
Jelena Cvetkoviæ Crvenica, Milica Jovanoviæ, EVALUATION OF THE ACCREDITED ...
Table 4: Programs by content
40
GLASBENOPEDAGOŠKI ZBORNIK, 30. zvezek
Through catalog review, only some of the problems have opened up. Some program
parameters that are given in the Catalog due to the way they are presented and
implemented do not contribute to a better understanding of the program, on the contrary,
they make it more difficult for teachers to assess it and therefore choose. Our assumption
is that this is a consequence of insufficiently clear instructions for completing the
accreditation form, where the authors of the program had different understanding of the
questions they gave answers to, and sometimes the unexpected acceptance of everything
41
Jelena Cvetkoviæ Crvenica, Milica Jovanoviæ, EVALUATION OF THE ACCREDITED ...
that was written in the accepted proposals. Namely, according to the program parameters
given in the Catalog (title, target group, author, carrier, institution that supports the
program, topics, duration and number of participants) and from the position of solfeggio
teachers, we consider that the choice is not good due to the realization of the seminar itself.
The goals have not been formulated clearly, and in addition to the goals, the results are not
stated, i.e., which novelties and changes (knowledge, skills, competencies, attitudes,
behavior) such a training will bring, and thus, it makes it difficult to make a good decision
when choosing the program itself.
Then, the data evaluation of the program in many realized programs was missing,
although according to numerous studies (Guskey & Yoon, 2009) this is one of the key
parameters that separates successful professional development programs from the
unsuccessful ones. Although the profession of the authors and institutions come from
speak indirectly about the quality of the program, the affiliation and professions of the
author are absent. Furthermore, if the educational system wants teachers to acquire
applicable knowledge and master new competences, the type of training is very important.
When attending the training is rewarded with points that are related only to the number of
hours of training, the critically important criterion of how teachers have earned those
points, whether by listening passively or by actively reflecting on and practicing the
content in which they are trained is slipping away. Panels10 or Scientific meetings11 cannot
be a substitute for seminars12 where the active involvement of participants is required and
they cannot be equally scaled because their theoretical scope is not equal. Another missing
information is whether the program is genuine or executable (derived from another
program, or taken over, translated). The origin of the program is important information
especially in our environment where there are no elaborated mechanisms for the
protection of intellectual property rights13.
42
GLASBENOPEDAGOŠKI ZBORNIK, 30. zvezek
10 The panel is an organizational form of education with variable composition of participants and a shorter
duration (from 45 minutes to one hour and an hour), which implies the need to publicly talk about certain
topics, exchange of opinions, presenting different ideas and concerns, and thus most often involves more
interlocutors and auditorium. The aim of the tribune is to discuss a particular topic with the opposition of
different opinions and attitudes and to arrive at certain conclusions in the direct and vivid communication
with the participants. http://dodjohvidehnaucih.eu/celozivotno-ucenje/recnik/
11 Scientific meetings are one of the primary venues for scientists to present their new work to their
colleagues with the purpose of receiving feedback at an early stage of their research, and thus they are an
integral part of the process of science. They serve as an informal peer review that can help researchers to
develop, clarify, and refine their work as they proceed to write it up and submit it for formal review and
final publication. In addition, meetings allow researchers to hear about what others in their field and
related disciplines are doing, talk with colleagues from different institutions around the world, and learn
about new research, tools, and techniques that might be relevant to their work.
https://www.visionlearning.com/en/library/Process-of-Science/49/The-How-and-Why-of-Scientific-Me
etings/186
12 The seminar is an organizational form with a constant composition of the participants, which is mainly
applied when it comes to training in a particular field or specialization for performing certain tasks, and
thus assumes the starting point and the knowledge of participants to organize it. The duration is usually
limited to one to several days and can be run through several such time units, in which case it is a seminar
cycle https://www.visionlearning.com/en/library/Process-of-Science/49/The-How-and-Why-of-
Scientific-Meetings/186
13 CEES (Center for Evaluation in Education and Science: https://www.visionlearning.com/
en/library/Process-of-Science/49/The-How-and-Why-of-Scientific-Meetings/186 has been working on a
project to establish plagiarism in education and science in Serbia for two years now. The program reveals
plagiarism of texts, and a new suggestion is that national programs of education and science, such as this
Catalog, will be included in the analysis. The school should also be an educational institution and should
not support any type of forgery (plagiarism).
Some other forms of categorizing programs that could make it easier for teachers to decide
which program to choose are also missing. The programs are categorized only as
compulsory and optional (without specifying the criteria that distinguish between them),
although it would be desirable to classify them by the nature of training, in terms of
whether they are conceptual types or programs in which specific patterns of behavior are
learned, or whether the outcomes the training should accomplish are general, broadly
transferable, or limited, narrow transfer to only a few learning situations is possible. The
impression is that the offered programs were first collected and then sorted into more
general categories. Respecting thoughtful educational policy, the approach should be
different. Based on the planned national conception of teacher training, it is necessary to
define the categories of programs that teachers should attend, and in pre-prepared
categories sort out programs that pass accreditation. The categories thus set up would also
have the role of a guide, i.e. they would clearly communicate to teachers what is
considered to be a desirable and acceptable training profile, and what will be evaluated in
their work and taken into account for their license and advancement. The idea of
continuous work in a particular direction, upgrading, programming, moving from basic to
higher levels of training cannot be included in the ad hoc set of the current offer.
In addition, the function of some of the attached parameters of the offered programs is
unclear and debatable, and their realization is often such that it does not provide enough
relevant information about the program. In many cases there is no internal consistency and
program parameter compliance. This makes it difficult for teachers to make a decision
about what is most beneficial for their own professional development or the development
of the school they work in.
The discussion of these results will be supplemented by a comparison of the opinion of the
teachers of Elementary and Secondary Music Schools about accredited professional
training programs in the field of solfeggio and the importance for the improvement of
work and personal professional development.
By analyzing the questionnaire, the following data was obtained:
To the first question from the questionnaire: Whether for the improvement of work,
personal and professional development and the success of modern teaching, it is necessary
to attend accredited professional training programs in the field of solfeggio from the offer
of the Vocational Training of Teachers in Education of the IAEU, of a total of 29 teachers
86.2% expressed a positive response, while 13.8% of respondents consider that attending
accredited seminars does not have an impact on improving their work, personal and
professional development and the success of teaching (Chart 1). The results of the
Chi-Square Tests (Chart 2) show that there is no significant statistical difference in
opinion compared to the gender (x2=0.142; df=1; p=0.706), school type (x2=1.747; df=2;
p=0.417) and the the of service (x2= 4.971; df = 2; p = 0.083).
43
Jelena Cvetkoviæ Crvenica, Milica Jovanoviæ, EVALUATION OF THE ACCREDITED ...
Chart 1: Respondents’ attitudes on whether it is necessary to attend accredited professional
training programs in the field of solfeggio from the offer of the IAEU in order to improve the
work, personal and professional development and the success of modern teaching.
Chart 2: Differences in respondents’ attitudes on whether it is necessary to attend accredited
professional training programs in the field of solfeggio from the offer of the IAEU in order to
improve the work, personal and professional development and the success of modern teaching
with regard to gender, school and years of service
To the second question from the questionnaire: Are you satisfied with the offer of
accredited training programs in the field of solfeggio in the Catalog for Vocational
Training of Teachers in Education of the IAEU, 72.4% gave a confirmative answer, 13.8%
is not satisfied, and the same number (13.8%) of respondents did not answer this question
(Chart 3). No statistically significant difference in opinion was found (Chart 4) in relation
to gender (x2=0.338; df=2; p=0.844), type of school (x2=6.122; df=4; p=0.190) and the
length of service (x2= 11.884; df=4; p=0.018).
44
GLASBENOPEDAGOŠKI ZBORNIK, 30. zvezek
Chart 3: Respondents’ attitudes about satisfaction with the offer of accredited training programs
in the field of solfeggio in the Catalog for Vocational Training of Teachers in Education of the
IAEU.
Chart 4: Differences in respondents’ attitudes about satisfaction with the offer of accredited
training programs in the field of solfeggio with regard to gender, school and years of service
The claim that daily evaluation is necessary for contemporary teaching 58.6% of
respondents considered necessary, while a somewhat smaller number of respondents
(41.4%) did not confirm this claim (Chart 5). No statistically significant differences were
found (Chart 6) in terms of gender (x2=0.546; df=1; p=0.460); school type (x2=3.258;
df=2; p=0.196) and the length of service x2=2.201; df=2; p=0.333).
45
Jelena Cvetkoviæ Crvenica, Milica Jovanoviæ, EVALUATION OF THE ACCREDITED ...
Chart 5: Respondents’ attitudes on the necessity of daily evaluation for the success of
contemporary teaching.
Chart 6: Differences in respondents’ attitudes on the necessity of daily evaluation for the success
of contemporary teaching with regard to gender, school and years of service
To the fourth question from the questionnaire: How are you familiar with the accredited
vocational training programs in the field of solffeggio in the Catalog for Vocational
Training of Teachers in the Education of the IAEU, six qualified answers were offered to
the interviewed teachers. During the assessment (Chart 7), the surveyed teachers mostly
stated that they were informed Through the IAEU (24.1%) and Through the professional
councils within the school (20.7%); then by the number of respondents the following
answers are 1 – Through the seminar carrier and 4 – Independent (17.2%), 13.8% of
respondents were informed Through the psychological-pedagogical service of the school,
while a small number of respondents agreed with the last statement I’m not familiar with at
all (6.9%).
46
GLASBENOPEDAGOŠKI ZBORNIK, 30. zvezek
Chart 7: Respondents’ familiarity with the accredited vocational training programs in the field of
solffeggio in the Catalog for Vocational Training of Teachers in the Education of the IAEU.
When asked if they attended any of the offered accredited vocational training programs in
the field of solfeggio in the Catalog for Vocational Training of Teachers in the education
of the IAEU, most teachers answered affirmatively (93.1%), while 6.9% did not attend any
program (Chart 8).
Chart 8: The attendance of respondents to the accredited program – a seminar for professional
development from the field of Solfeggio in the Catalog of Vocational Training of Teachers in the
Education of the IAEU.
By comparing the data with the variable years of service, we notice that the respondents
who answered the question negatively belong to the group of teachers with a working
experience of over 20 years, which indicates that teachers with more years of work
experience tend to rely more on personal experience than attending seminars and
acquiring new competencies (Chart 9).
47
Jelena Cvetkoviæ Crvenica, Milica Jovanoviæ, EVALUATION OF THE ACCREDITED ...
Chart 9: Attendance to the accredited program – a seminar for professional development from
the field of solfeggio in relation to the years of service
To the question: Do you think that the attendance of the seminar influenced the
performance and placement of certain contents within the solfeggio teaching, the teachers
gave the following answers: 86.2% think that the attendance of the seminars influenced
their performance and placement of certain contents within the solfeggio teaching, while
13.8% of respondents opted for the claim I have no answer. The fact that there are no
negative answers shows that teachers generally recognize the importance of seminars for
quality teaching (Chart 10).
Chart 10: Respondents’ attitudes on the impact of the seminar attendance on the performance
and placement of certain content within the solfeggio teaching.
The next question referred to the contents that were placed in seminars and the possibility
of their implementation within the teaching. When asked if they have used some of the
48
GLASBENOPEDAGOŠKI ZBORNIK, 30. zvezek
content that was given to them at seminars, the majority of respondents replied
affirmatively (65.5%), 27.6% of the respondents opted for the answer several, and 6.9%
did not use the content from the seminar in teaching (Chart 11).
Chart 11: The possibility of seminar contents implementation within the teaching.
When asked: Do you think that attending seminars has refreshed and improved your
teaching? 89.7% of respondents think that attending seminars has refreshed and improved
their teaching, while 10.3% have no opinion on this issue.
Chart 12: Respondents’ attitudes on improvement of teaching through attending seminars.
When analyzing the data on the question: Did you attend the seminar only for the reason of
the obligation to collect the necessary points? we came across some divided opinions
(Chart 13); 41.4% of the respondents admitted that the seminar was attended only because
of the obligation to collect the necessary points, the same number (44.4%) of the
49
Jelena Cvetkoviæ Crvenica, Milica Jovanoviæ, EVALUATION OF THE ACCREDITED ...
respondents opted for a negative response, while 17.2% of the respondents did not answer
(I have no answer – 17.2 %).
Chart 13: Respondents’ attitudes on attending the seminars only for the reason of the obligation
to collect the necessary points.
The next question from the questionnaire was about teachers who did not attend any
accredited program – a training course for the field of professional training in the field of
solfeggio (Chart 14). As a reason for this, 3.2% of the total number of respondents stated
the financial issue14, while the same number (3.2%) considered that there were no
adequate working conditions.
Chart 14: Respondents’ reasons for not attending the seminars.
50
GLASBENOPEDAGOŠKI ZBORNIK, 30. zvezek
14 Pursuant to Article 45 paragraph 1 of the Law on the Government (“Official Herald of the Republic of
Serbia”, No. 55/05 and 71/05 – correction), The government brings the Strategy of development of
vocational education in Republic of Serbia in which a modified system of financing should be guided by
the needs of the labor market and be able to respond to the local needs. This means that the funding system
should support vocational schools to work with the labor market and ensure that each individual and each
region has the same status in the state budget: http://www.mpn.gov.rs/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/
Strategija_razvoja_strucnog_obrazovanja.pdf
When asked what is the most important area for assessing the effects of professional
development training seminars, teachers could choose one of the 6 offered answers (1 –
Mastering the skills needed for quality teaching, 2 – Better understanding of their own
educational needs due to professional development, 3 – Adopted new and extended
previous teacher knowledge, 4 – Improving the quality of the application of acquired
knowledge, 5 – Improving motivation for further professional development, 6 – Changing
teacher attitudes about quality teaching methods). The answers are largely uniform.
Namely, the largest number of respondents opted for the area of ??Mastering the skills
necessary for quality teaching and Adopted new and extended previous teacher
knowledge (24.1% for each claim), in the next place is The change of teacher attitudes
about quality teaching methods (17.2%), then with 13.8% Better understanding of your
own educational needs due to professional development and, ultimately, with the same
percentage ratio (10.3%) Improving the quality of the application of acquired knowledge
and Improving the motivation for further professional development (Chart 15).
Chart 15: Respondents’ attitudes on the most important area for assessing the effects of
professional development training seminars.
The teachers had the opportunity to express their attitudes on the ways in which the
evaluation of the effects of the seminar should be carried out. More than half of the
interviewed teachers (60.2%) said that the evaluation of the effects should be carried out in
the form of filling a survey, an assessment scale or another similar instrument. The reason
for this is the current practice of realization of the seminar, which implies that upon
completion of the training, the participants fill in the questionnaire evaluating the seminar,
which is determined by the IAEU. Therefore, it can be concluded that most teachers agree
with the form in which this procedure is currently being implemented. Furthermore,
according to the frequency, teachers listed the following procedures: Filling the
knowledge test (17.2%); Organization of respectable classes (10.3%); Submitting a
written report on the applied knowledge gained at the seminar (10.3%); No teacher opted
51
Jelena Cvetkoviæ Crvenica, Milica Jovanoviæ, EVALUATION OF THE ACCREDITED ...
for the interview as a way of evaluating the effects of the seminar, and there were not even
those who felt that evaluation was not necessary (Chart 16). As in the interpretation of the
results in terms of the field of impact assessment, the result obtained could be related to the
teacher’s perception of the load that different forms of evaluation imply.
Chart 16: Respondents’ attitudes on the ways in which the evaluation of the effects of the
seminar should be carried out.
Conclusion
Out of the total number of programs in the Catalog of programs for employee professional
development in education as a concrete and operationalization of education policy, within
the music domain, only one tenth of the programs is dedicated to the subject Solfeggio.
Analysis of the collected data revealed that teachers were informed about accredited
programs and noted their importance for work improvement and personal professional
development. The results of the conducted research confirmed the basic hypothesis that
within the framework of accredited professional training programs in the field of
solfeggio, knowledge and competences are acquired in a way that greatly fosters and
improves the teaching process, which can be seen from the content that is covered in
seminars, as well as from the respondents’ attitudes about the impact of the seminar on
their performance and placement of certain contents within the solfeggio teaching.
Teachers recognize the importance of continuous monitoring and evaluation of the effects
of professional training seminars and estimate that the key outcome of the training
sessions should be acquired by the knowledge and skills they need for teaching. Although
rich in content, with the encouragement of competencies from different areas within the
solfeggio teaching, as well as the inclusion of different aim groups, the number of
programs does not coincide with the vision of continuous progress, as evidenced by the
data that in the school year 2011/12 only three seminars for teachers of this subject were
realized.
52
GLASBENOPEDAGOŠKI ZBORNIK, 30. zvezek
The good part of the Catalog is that the programs are time-bounded, although we think that
a one-year accreditation for already proven programs should be longer. Of course,
dynamism allows the state to respond quickly to current needs. The Catalog’s useful value
is limited because it does not contain enough information for a valid selection of the
program, which can be improved by a more detailed program differentiation, which
confirms the sub-hypothesis that there is not enough reference in certain areas and
methodology. Therefore, it can be said that the third hypothesis that knowledge is not
acquired in a way that provides the criticality and the need for reflection on one’s own
practice is proven. Currently, there are no mechanisms in the education system that verify
what is being learned in teaching practice. This means that only attendance at the
seminars, reflected in the number of hours of training, is valued. Since the limit for the
duration of the seminar is set at 24 hours, it is therefore impossible to evaluate the time
after the training in which teachers should try to apply something from the learned. In this
way, it can be seen that the concept of teacher training that is based on the Catalog is
actually a one-time training. Unfortunately, in our country, the professional development
of teachers is reduced to the counting of training hours and the collection of papers that
prove it. The fourth hypothesis that little attention is paid to research findings in which
critical thinking would take a particular place. is proven too. This is a real situation in
practice, thus, in order to enable the criticality and the reflection of knowledge on one’s
own practice, the catalog could be enriched with a simple questionnaire that would help
teachers re-examine their own professional practice and make a diagnosis of their own
situation in order to make a good choice at their own expense.
When we consider the whole concept we can see there are concrete practical conditions
for the realization of training and a number of contextual and individual specificities, thus,
we can conclude that we have a general legal framework for a valid system of teacher
training, but it is necessary to change the way of its realisation in order to achieve the full
potential of teachers’ competences.
References
Antonijeviæ, R. (2010). Lièni ciljevi i preferencije struènog usavršavanja nastavnika. In
N. Potkonjak (Ed.), Godišnjak SAO za 2010. godinu: Nauèni skup SAO
„Osposobljavanje nastavnika za nove uloge” (p.673–684). Beograd: Srpska akademija
obrazovanja.
Ben-Pertz, M. (2000). When Teaching Changes, Can Teacher Education Can be Far
Behind?. Prospects, 30 (2), 215–224.
Bogunoviæ, B., Karan, G. & Dubljeviæ, J. (2013). Razvoj muzièki darovitih i veštine
izvoðenja u nastavi solfeða, In G. Gojkov i B. Vujasin (Eds.): Metodološki problemi
istraivanja darovitosti (u štampi). Vršac: Visoka škola strukovnih studija za
obrazovanje vaspitaèa Mihailo Pavlov.
Bruner, D. (1976). Proces obrazovanja. In T. Kovaè-Ceroviæ (Ed.), Psihologija u
nastavi. Beograd: Savez društava psihologa Srbije.
53
Jelena Cvetkoviæ Crvenica, Milica Jovanoviæ, EVALUATION OF THE ACCREDITED ...
Cvetkoviæ, J. (2015). Imanentni sluh i recepcija muzike. Niš: Univerzitet u Nišu, Fakultet
umetnosti u Nišu i Centar SANU.
Farrell, L. & Fenwick, T. (2007). World Year Book of Education 2007. Educating the
Global Workforce: Knowledge, knowledge work and knowledge workers. London and
New York: Routledge.
Fullan, M. & Hargreaves, A. (2013). Teacher development and educational change. New
York, USA: Routledge.
Gerasimoviæ, M. & Miškeljin, L. (2009). Kako studenti procenjuju znaèajnost opštih
kompetencija u visokom obrazovanju. In G. Zindoviæ Vukadinoviæ (Ed.), Nastava i
vaspitanje, 58(1) (p. 54–72). Beograd: Pedagoško društvo Srbije.
Guskey, T. R. & Yoon, K. S. (2009). What works in professional Development? Phi
Delta Kappan, Vol. 90, No. 07, 495–500. Bloomington, Indiana: Phi Delta Kappa.
Gutvajn, N. Ðeriæ, I. & Lukoviæ, I. (2011) Refleksije studenata pedagogije o buduæoj
profesiji i procesu traenja posla, Zbornik Instituta za pedagoška istraivanja, 43(2),
Beograd: Institut za pedagoška istraivanja.
Lediæ, J., Stanièiæ, S. & Turk, M. (2013). Kompetencije školskih pedagoga. Rijeka:
Filozofski fakultet.
Lieberman, A. & Miller, L. (2000). Teaching and Teacher Development: A New
Synthesis for a New Century. In R.S. Brandt (Ed), Education in a New Era (p. 47–65).
Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Miletiæ, A. & Cvetkoviæ, J. (2017). Perception and interpretation of traditional and
contemporary music in the teaching of musical literacy. International journal scientific
papers, Institute of Knowledge Management, Twelfth international scientific conference
KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT BORDERS Vol. 16.2 Vrnjaèka Banja, 921–927. Skopje:
Institute of knowledge management.
Pollard, A. (2005): Reflective teaching. London: Continuum.
Rulebook on continuous professional development of teachers, educators and
professional associates. (2015). Official Herald of the Republic of Serbia, No. 86/2015.
54
GLASBENOPEDAGOŠKI ZBORNIK, 30. zvezek
Povzetek
Kompetence uèiteljev so v središèu pedagoških razprav sodobne drube kot še vedno
premalo opredeljenega in raziskovanega obmoèja. Nadaljnje izobraevanje, ki temelji na
e usvojenih kompetencah, je referenèni okvir za razvoj in ocenjevanje posameznih
kompetenc pri strokovnem delu in vsakdanjem ivljenju. Ker izobraevalna reforma
doloèa, da uèitelj neprestano posodablja in osveuje svoje predhodno pridobljene
pedagoške, psihološke in didaktièno-metodiène spretnosti in znanja, so pogoji za
pridobitev novih in za nadgradnjo obstojeèih kompetenc, pomembnih za izboljšanje
vzgojno-izobraevalnega dela, zagotovljeni s sistemom stalnega strokovnega razvoja.
Sedanji sistem poklicnega razvoja uèiteljev se je v Srbiji zaèel v prvi polovici zadnjega
desetletja, izvajanje seminarjev je postal prevladujoèi okvir za izboljšanje strokovnih
kompetenc. Poklicno usposabljanje uèiteljev v domaèem izobraevalnem sistemu je
opredeljeno kot potreba, pa tudi kot zakonska obveznost, zato morajo uèitelji v petih letih,
doseèi vsaj 100 ur strokovnega izpopolnjevanja z doseganjem programa strokovnega
razvoja, ki ga je odobril Inštitut za promocijo izobraevanja (ZUOV)15 ali minister za
šolstvo. Inštitut za promocijo izobraevanja (ZUOV) akreditira programe, pripravlja in
objavlja Katalog odobrenih programov ter spremlja delovanje celotnega sistema, uèitelji
in šole pa lahko prosto izbirajo programe iz kataloga. Izhajajoè iz dejstva, da so seminarji
najpomembnejša oblika strokovnega razvoja, je bila izvedena interdisciplinarna raziskava
akreditiranih programov strokovnega usposabljanja na podroèju solffeggia v Republiki
Srbiji v obdobju 2011–2019. S preuèevanjem mnenja uèiteljev osnovnih in srednjih
glasbenih šol smo ugotavljali pomen in vlogo programov za izboljšanje dela in
osebnostnega razvoja. Z izvedeno teoretièno analizo je bil zaznan nizek odstotek
zastopanosti programov poklicnega usposabljanja na podroèju solfeggia v primerjavi z
drugimi akreditiranimi programi na podroèju glasbene vzgoje. Dobljeni rezultati so
pokazali presenetljivo pomanjkanje ugotavljanja napredka na podroèju samoevalvacije in
uporabnosti programov, kar kae na pretekli naèin delovanja pred reformami. Iz
opravljenih analiz je mogoèe sklepati, da obstaja splošen pravni okvir za ustrezen sistem
usposabljanja uèiteljev solfeggia, vendar je treba spremeniti naèin njegovega delovanja.
Analiza uporabne vrednosti ZUOV kataloga je pokazala, da ne vsebuje dovolj informacij
za veljavno izbiro programov, kar je vsekakor mogoèe izboljšati z reorganizacijo in
vsebinsko diferenciacijo kataloga.
55
Jelena Cvetkoviæ Crvenica, Milica Jovanoviæ, EVALUATION OF THE ACCREDITED ...
15 https://zuov.gov.rs/