6 JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY EDUCATIONAL STUDIES 3/2013
Editorial
Dear readers, this year’s autumn issue of the Journal of Contemporary Edu-
cational Studies brings another wide and varied selection of scientific and expert 
articles whose authors address current pedagogical issues and problems.
The issue begins with Tibor Rutar’s article Dystopian future of education 
in the knowledge society, in which the author critically presents and analyzes the 
concept of the knowledge society, which has been transferred from the United 
States (where it was developed in the 1960s) to Europe in the last two decades. 
The author’s critique is predominantly focused on two aspects: (1) the statements 
boasted by the ideologies of the knowledge society are misleading; and (2) the 
implementation mechanisms of such a society have harmful consequences for the 
functioning and position of higher education and knowledge. The author’s analysis 
and critical argumentation demonstrates that what may initially seem to be a 
positive and widely accepted idea actually turns out to be both a direct and indirect 
subordination of educational and research activities for the requirements of the 
labor market. These requirements include becoming more flexible and serving 
as competitive coercion of the global market. Rutar shows that the assumptions 
of the knowledge society require the real subordination of science (education and 
research) to capital. This is evident indirectly by favoring the kinds of science that 
produce technological innovations and by giving priority to education that cre-
ates a workforce suitable for the flexible labor market. Additionally, the process 
is evident directly in the privatization of educational and research institutions, 
which are becoming market-oriented by profiting from selling their services.
The next article, Restrictions at German universities before the Nazi seizure 
of power and during the National Socialist consolidation by Taja Kramberger, 
examines the situation at German universities under National Socialism, when 
their autonomy and mission were threatened to such a degree that some univer-
sity staff, according to Kramberger, spoke even about the end of university. The 
author analyzes events at German universities in the 1930s, that is, during the 
establishment of the National Socialist regime in the country. Based on certain 
aspects of the development of German universities from the eighteenth century 
onward, she pinpoints the reasons that caused the abolishment of university au-
tonomy at the time of National Socialism (the so-called Führeprinzip and Selbst-
Gleichschaltung). At the time, university reform, at least in its early stages of the 
ideological transformation of the university environment, was supported by some 
of the most eminent names in German philosophy and university intelligence, 
such as Martin Heidegger and Hans Georg Gadamer. However, they may not have 
been entirely devoted to the ideas of National Socialism, but more because they 
saw it as “a suitable device” to “overcome academic Marxism and psychoanalysis.” 
Kramberger also emphasizes that we should not uncritically accept the assump-
tion that the National Socialist transformation of universities was a unique and 
irrational act of ideological fanatics, which disabled the possibilities for the con-
tinuity of historical influences or their revival.

Editorial 7
In their article Information competencies of using the Internet in education: 
A child’s right in schools in a networked society, Tamara Pribišev Beleslin and 
Tatjana Duronjić Tapavički address the issue of information literacy as the 
metaliteracy of the twenty-first century. The authors emphasize that one of the 
most important roles of educational institutions is equipping children with the 
symbolic tools they need to live and function in the digital age. The authors ap-
proach information literacy as a theoretical construct that encompasses a range 
of different skills and knowledge that is closely related to the development of 
technology, especially the World Wide Web and its impact on socialization. The 
results of their empirical research study, which was carried out on the population 
of 822 primary- and secondary-school students in the capital of Republika Srpska, 
shows that schools should develop a wider range of skills that would encourage the 
use of the Internet in teaching and learning. Similar to numerous other studies, 
the authors conclude that the majority of the time students spend on the Internet 
is used to satisfy their own personal needs, while only a small amount of time is 
used to research information related to school and learning. Despite that fact, the 
authors believe schools are below average in regards to introducing new technologies.
The always-topical issue is investigated by Majda Hafner in her contribution 
Slovenian teachers and their professionalism. The author presents the results of 
her qualitative research study, which reveals the opinions of nine primary-school 
teachers during the course of their professional development. The interviewed 
teachers perceive professionalism as the most important characteristic for suc-
cessful teaching, which the author believes demonstrates a traditional concept of 
the professional teacher. Following the teachers’ responses, Hafner underlines the 
special importance that her interviewees attach to lifelong learning and profes-
sional development. This, however, is the point where they frequently run into 
external obstacles, such as limited financial means and school managements’ 
unwillingness to encourage teachers to pursue additional professional training.
The next contribution in the journal is by Tomi Martinjak and it is based on 
the project of the same title, Children’s rights advocate – a child’s voice. The study 
was conducted between 2007 and 2008 as a pilot project in five locations throughout 
Slovenia under the patronage of the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic 
of Slovenia. The author introduces the role and importance that the children’s 
rights advocate has in the procedures where children in distress find themselves. 
He stresses the basic distinction between the children’s rights advocate and the 
authorized representative. According to Martinjak, the distinction predominantly 
lies in the children’s rights advocate’s ability to function completely independently 
and accomplish specific goals – hear the child’s genuine voice, opinions, wishes, 
and demands and pass them on to the relevant people and institutions – while 
following the child from the beginning of procedures and throughout the entire 
process. In contrast, the representative is assigned to the child for a single proce-
dure only. The author presents the case of a 12-year-old boy who found himself in 
a difficult family situation and acute distress as an example to outline the tasks 
and role of the children’s rights advocate when problem-solving scenarios that 
involve institutions and parents.

8 JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY EDUCATIONAL STUDIES 3/2013
This issue of the Journal of Contemporary Educational Studies also includes 
an interview with researcher Dr. Leopoldina Plut Pregelj by Robi Kroflič. L. Plut 
Pregelj has won recognition primarily as the author of numerous articles and books 
that address the fundamental topics of didactics and pedagogic psychology. In the 
interview, the interviewee focuses on her views on the theory of social construc-
tivism and its effect on didactics. Primarily, she discusses the teaching method of 
dialogue that is closely related to the topic of her monograph on listening, which, 
according to L. Plut Pregelj, is the foundation for teaching and education as well 
as teacher’s ethical positions in school.
The last contribution to this issue, Professor Gustav Šilih, Worthy of Pedagogical 
Remembrance, is dedicated to the memory of Professor Gustav Šilih on the 120
th
 
anniversary of his birth. Šilih’s work and significance for Slovenian pedagogical 
thought is presented by France Strmčnik. He emphasizes that Šilih was not 
only the theoretician of the unity of primary school, but that he also worked on 
its content and didactic reform. He had a visionary sense and an ear to incorpo-
rate the most promising pedagogical endeavors of the school-reform movement, 
such as teachers’ higher-degree education, school self-management, demystified 
sex education, democratic educational relationships, etc. The valuable work that 
Gustav Šilih accomplished characterized the period of Slovenian pedagogy between 
the world wars and after World War II when nothing pedagogically significant 
happened without his strong presence.
Jasna Mažgon, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief