6 Sodobna pedagogika/Journal of Contemporary Educational Studies Let./Vol. 75 (141) Številka 3/2024 Str. 6-8/pp. 114-117 ISSN 0038 0474 Uvodnik V tretji številki letošnjega letnika predstavljamo pet prispevkov v sloven- skem jeziku, od tega dva tudi v angleškem prevodu, in še dva prispevka samo v angleškem jeziku. Avtorji in avtorice raziskujejo različna področja. Prvi prispevek se nanaša na kriterije akademske uspešnosti in enakost spolov ob ohranjanju akademske kakovosti. Drugi raziskuje samoopredelitve manjšinske skupine, ki jo določa diagnoza avtizem. Tretji in četrti članek se ukvarjata s pomenom umetnosti v vzgoji in izobraževanju. V enem so umetnostne prakse prepoznane kot zdra- vilo proti preobremenjenosti in demotivaciji učencev, v drugem pa je analiziran pouk književnosti v gimnazijskih programih. Ta del revije zaključuje strokovni prispevek, ki tematizira vprašanja družinskega nasilja in pomen preventivnih aktivnosti tako na ravni sistema kot konkretnih ukrepov na ravni posameznih ustanov, ki naj bi prispevale tako k večjemu prepoznavanju nasilja kot tudi k ustreznemu odzivu nanj. V angleškem delu poleg dveh prevodov sledita še dva članka. Prvi analizira učno diferenciacijo, individualizacijo in pristop persona- liziranega učenja, drugi pa pedagoški pristop zgodbanja pri pouku angleščine v srednji strokovni šoli. V nadaljevanju prispevke predstavljamo še nekoliko bolj obsežno in vabimo k branju. Živa Kos, Jasna Mažgon in Milica Antić Gaber v prispevku z naslovom Kriteriji akademske uspešnosti in enakost spolov predstavljajo analizo enakosti spolov na Filozofski fakulteti Univerze v Ljubljani, ki je nastala v okviru pro- jekta Horizont 2020 GEARING-Roles (Gender Equality Actions in Research Institutions to traNsform Gender ROLES). Avtorice so analizirale podatke, ki se nanašajo na različna področja institucionalnega življenja, s poudarkom na problematiki napredovanja v nazive. Ugotavljajo, da več žensk kot moških dlje časa ostaja v istem nazivu in da lahko ženske na akademski poti naletijo na več objektivnih in subjektivnih ovir, ob tem pa opozarjajo, da lahko politike in prakse, ki v akademskem polju spodbujajo enakost spolov, ogrožajo akademske standarde in načela kakovosti. Na koncu poudarjajo, da problematika enakosti in pravičnosti v akademskem prostoru presega tematiko enakosti spolov ter terja ponoven pre- mislek o mehanizmih, ki določajo dostope in napredovanja zaposlenih. Tina Žumbar in Irena Lesar se v prispevku Samoopredelitev odraslih oseb z diagnozo avtizem iz Slovenije, ki je objavljen v slovenskem in angleškem jeziku, lotevata zahtevne raziskovalne tematike, povezane z vprašanjem poimenovanja manjšinske družbene skupine oz. posameznika kot njenega pripadnika. Kot pou- darjata, je poimenovanje, še posebej manjšinskih družbenih skupin, pomembno, ker lahko deloma definira tudi položaj manjšinske skupine v odnosu do večinske skupnosti. V zadnjem obdobju se proučevanje poimenovanja usmerja na posamez- no manjšinsko skupino, ki se izreče o ustreznosti nekega poimenovanja. Avtorici na podlagi raziskave, ki sta jo izvedli med odraslimi osebami z avtizmom, ugotavl- jata, da med vprašanimi ni enotnega mnenja o tem, katero poimenovanje je najbolj ustrezno. Ob tem opozarjata na pomanjkljivost veljavne zakonodajne o opredelitvi oseb z avtizmom kot oseb z avtističnimi motnjami, ki je bila med anketiranimi 7 Jeznik prepoznana kot najmanj zaželena opredelitev. Na koncu avtorici postavita sklep, da je kljub temu, da tudi v Sloveniji, podobno kot v tujini, ni konsenza o uporabi različnih izrazov, zelo pomembno, da se zavedamo tudi konteksta, v katerem upo- rabljamo posamezen termin, in da v komunikaciji upoštevamo preferenco osebe, s katero in o kateri govorimo. Tudi prispevek z naslovom Preobremenjenost in demotivacija učencev: Kaj lahko ponudita vzgoja in izobraževanje z umetnostjo?, ki sta ga napisali Petra Štirn Janota in Darja Štirn, je objavljen tako v slovenskem kot angleškem jeziku. Avtorici se osredotočata na nekatere aktualne probleme sodobnega vzgoj- no-izobraževalnega sistema, ki so interpretirani kot dejavniki, ki lahko pri učencih vodijo do negativnih učinkov v smislu preobremenjenosti, pomanjkanja motivacije in ustvarjalnosti. Avtorici, podobno kot nekateri domači in mednarodni avtorji, vi- dita rešitev v vključevanju umetnosti v vzgojo in izobraževanje na vseh ravneh. Pri argumentaciji te teze izhajata iz primerov praks, ki so nastali v okviru obsežnega projekta SKUM – Razvijanje sporazumevalnih zmožnosti s kulturno-umetnostno vzgojo. Pozitivni učinki vključevanja umetnosti v pedagoški proces so bili zaznani kot večja angažiranost učencev, boljše razumevanje snovi in razvijanje kritičnega mišljenja. Našteto se zdi zadosten argument, da si tudi v prihodnje prizadevamo za to, da dobi umetnost ustrezno mesto znotraj vzgojno-izobraževalnega sistema. Vprašanje prvo-, drugo- in tretjeosebne izkušnje pri gimnazijskem pouku književnosti obravnava Karmen Strel. V prispevku z naslovom Odnos med avto- poetskostjo učencev in učitelja skozi prizmo dialoške pedagogike pri gimnazijskem pouku književnosti dialoško pedagogiko poveže z načeli avtopoetske pedagogike, ki vzgojo opredeljuje kot simetrično komunikacijo med avtopoetskimi sistemi (učenci in učitelji) kot nosilci različnih izkušenj. Skozi branje pri književnosti se učečim se odprejo priložnosti za, kot piše avtorica, posameznikovo dialoško srečevanje z lastnim(i) in tujimi življenjskimi svetovi. Ugotavlja, da trenutna zasnova pouka književnosti v gimnaziji, ki temelji na komunikacijskem modelu pouka in kompe- tenčnem pristopu, pri katerem je v ospredju razvoj literarne zmožnosti, omogoča izražanje tako prvoosebne kot drugoosebne in tretjeosebne izkušnje. Hkrati opo- zarja, da sistemski književni didaktični pristop zaradi poudarjanja tretjeosebne izkušnje pomeni zmanjševanje vloge dialoškega odnosa skozi prvoosebno izkušnjo učenca in učitelja. V sklepu avtorica naniza nekaj predlogov, ki se dotikajo tako sistemske kot čisto praktične ravni delovanja v prid spodbujanja predvsem prvo- in drugoosebne izkušnje med šolajočimi se ter ob tem dialoškosti. Sklop člankov v slovenskem jeziku zaokrožujemo s strokovnim prispevkom Jovite Pogorevc Merčnik in Damjane Jurman z naslovom Normativna ureditev in preventivna dejavnost na področju nasilja v družini v Sloveniji. Av- torici v prispevku predstavita izhodišča za oblikovanje zakonodajnih okvirov na področju nasilja v družini v Sloveniji ter pomen obravnav pri posameznih organih. Opišeta tudi naloge centrov za socialno delo, policije, zdravstvenih organizacij in vzgojno-izobraževalnih zavodov. Na primeru Centra za socialno delo Južna Primorska utemeljita pomen preventivnih dejavnosti. Kljub temu, da je bilo na ravni zakonodaje v zadnjem obdobju uvedenih nekaj sprememb, ki so usmerjene v preprečevanje nasilja v družbi, ugotavljata, da je treba v različne preventivne 8 Sodobna pedagogika/Journal of Contemporary Educational Studies Jeznik dejavnosti sistematično in kontinuirano vključevati različne ciljne skupine, še po- sebej vzgojno-izobraževalne ustanove. Avtorici pokažeta tudi na nekatere aktual- ne sistemske pomanjkljivosti, ki se nanašajo predvsem na nepovezano zbiranje po- datkov. Rešitev vidita v pristopu kontinuiranega ozaveščanja o nesprejemljivosti nasilja in preventivnega delovanja širše javnosti, tudi s pomočjo vzpostavljanja no- vih služb in delovnih mest ter skozi okrepitev povezovanja organov in organizacij s področja ob sodelovanju z lokalno skupnostjo. Angleški sklop poleg že omenjenih prevodov prispevkov avtoric Tine Žum- bar in Irene Lesar Samoopredelitev odraslih oseb z diagnozo avtizem iz Slove- nije ter Petre Štirn Janota in Darje Štirn Preobremenjenost in demotivacija učencev: Kaj lahko ponudita vzgoja in izobraževanje z umetnostjo? dopolnjujeta še dva prispevka. Avtor prvega z naslovom Individualizacija, diferenciacija in personalizacija učenja v sloveniji: nekateri historični in konceptualni vidiki je Damijan Štefanc. V članku obravnava razvoj in konceptualizacijo individualizacije in diferenciacije pouka ter personalizirano učenje v slovenski in jugoslovanski pedagoški teoriji od sredine 20. stoletja do danes. Osredotoča se predvsem na analizo prispevkov dr. Franceta Strmčnika. Avtor analizira, kako so nekatere njegove ideje vplivale na slovensko izobraževalno politiko in prakso po osamosvojitvi Slovenije. Pregled sprememb pri pristopih diferenciacije in individualizacije dopolnjuje s premislekom o personaliziranem učenju, ki postaja v zadnjem obdobju vse bolj pomemben koncept. Kljub obljubi, da bo tak pristop povečal zavzetost učečih se, pa vzbuja pomisleke glede prenosa odgovornosti za učne rezultate predvsem na učence, kar lahko po mnenju avtorja še poveča neenakosti v izobraževanju. Drugi angleški prispevek z naslovom Učinkovitost poučevanja angleščine kot prvega tujega jezika v srednji strokovni šoli s pristopom Storyline so pripravili Eva Boh, Karmen Pižorn in Janez Vogrinc. V njem analizirajo mednarodno priznan pedagoški pristop Storyline pri pouku angleščine v srednji strokovni šoli. Avtorji se v predstavljeni kvantitativni raziskavi, v katero so bili vključeni dijaki 1. letnika srednjih strokovnih šol različnih izobraževalnih programov, sprašujejo, ali uporaba tega pristopa pri pouku angleščine prispeva k boljšim dosežkom v znanju angleškega jezika; ali ta pristop vpliva na motiviranost dijakov za učenje jezika; pri katerih elementih pristopa Storyline so dijaki najbolj uspešni ter kakšna je povezanost med priljubljenostjo posameznih elementov pristopa in uspešnostjo na preizkusu znanja iz angleščine. Ugotovili so, da ta pristop privede do boljših dosežkov v znanju angleščine in dijake bolj motivira za učenje. Vabljeni k branju! Dr. Katja Jeznik, glavna urednica 114 Sodobna pedagogika/Journal of Contemporary Educational Studies Let./Vol. 75 (141) Issue 3/2024 Str. 6-8/pp. 114-117 ISSN 0038 0474 Editorial In the third issue of this year’s volume, we present five contributions in Slo- venian, two of which also in English translation, and two further articles only in English. The authors explore different fields. The first contribution concerns academic performance criteria and gender equality in the context of maintaining academic quality. The second looks into the self-definitions of a minority group defined by a diagnosis of autism. The third and fourth articles deal with the im- portance of the arts in education. One identifies arts practices as a remedy for students’ overwork and demotivation, while the other analyses literature lessons in grammar school programmes. This part of the journal concludes with an expert contribution on the issue of domestic violence and the importance of prevention activities both at the system level and concrete actions at the level of individual institutions, which should contribute to increasing the visibility of violence as well as to appropriate responses to it. In addition to the two translations, there are two articles in the English part of this issue. The first analyses learning dif- ferentiation, individualisation and the personalised learning approach, while the second analyses the Storyline pedagogical approach in the teaching of English in secondary vocational schools. Below, we present the articles in more detail and invite you to read them yourselves. Živa Kos, Jasna Mažgon and Milica Antić Gaber present an analysis of gender equality at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, in their paper ‘Ac- ademic performance criteria and gender equality’, which was conducted as part of the Horizon 2020 GEARING-Roles project (Gender Equality Actions in Research Institutions to traNsform Gender ROLES). The authors analyse data relating to different areas of institutional life, with a focus on tenure and promotion. They find that more women than men stay in the same academic title for longer and that women face more objective and subjective barriers in their academic careers, while pointing out that policies and practices that promote gender equality in academia can undermine academic standards and quality principles. Finally, they emphasise that the issue of equality and equity in academia goes beyond gender equality and calls for a rethink of the mechanisms that determine staff access and promotion. In their article ‘Self-identification of adults diagnosed with autism in Slo- venia’, published in Slovenian and English, Tina Žumbar and Irena Lesar ad- dress a challenging research topic of identifying a minority social group or an individual as a member of such a group. As they underline, naming, especially of minority social groups, is important because it can partly define the position of the minority group in relation to the majority community. In recent times, the study of naming has focused on the individual minority group, which decides on the appropriateness of a particular term. Based on a study of adults with autism, the 115 Jeznik authors conclude that there is a lack of consensus among the respondents about the most appropriate term. In this context, they point to the shortcomings of the current legislation, which describes persons with autism as persons with autistic disorders, which was identified as the least desirable term among the respondents. The authors ultimately conclude that although in Slovenia, as elsewhere, there is no consensus on the use of different terms, it is very important to be aware of the context in which we use each term and to take into account the preference of the person with whom and about whom we are speaking. The article ‘Overload and demotivation of students: what does education through art have to offer?’, written by Petra Štirn Janota and Darja Štirn, is also published in both Slovenian and English. The authors focus on some of the current problems of the contemporary educational system, which are interpreted as factors that can lead to negative effects in students in terms of overload, lack of motivation and lack of creativity. Like some other Slovenian and international authors, the authors of this article see the solution in integrating the arts into ed- ucation at all levels. In arguing this thesis, they draw on examples of the practices developed in the large-scale SKUM project – Developing Communicative Compe- tences through Cultural and Arts Education. The positive effects of integrating the arts into the educational process were increased student engagement, bet- ter understanding of the material and the development of critical thinking. This seems to be a sufficient argument for continuing our efforts to give the arts their rightful place in the education system. Karmen Strel discusses the issue of first-, second- and third-person ex- periences in grammar school literature lessons. In her paper ‘The relationship between the autopoietic nature of students and teachers through the prism of dialogic pedagogy in upper secondary general education schools’, the author links dialogic pedagogy with the principles of autopoietic pedagogy, which defines ed- ucation as symmetrical communication between autopoietic systems (students and teachers) as bearers of different experiences. Reading literary texts opens up opportunities for learners to engage, as the author writes, in a dialogic encoun- ter with their own and other people’s life worlds. She concludes that the current approach to teaching literature in grammar schools based on the communicative model and the competence-based approach, which focuses on the development of literary competence, allows for the expression of first-person, second-person and third-person experiences. At the same time, she points out that the systemic literary didactic approach, by emphasising the third-person experience, dimin- ishes the role of dialogic relationship established through students’ and teachers’ first-person experiences. In conclusion, the author makes some suggestions, both systemic and purely practical, in favour of expressing more first- and second-per- son experiences among learners and, in this context, a more dialogic approach. The series of articles in Slovenian is rounded off with an expert contribution by Jovita Pogorevc Merčnik and Damjana Jurman entitled ‘Legislation and 116 Sodobna pedagogika/Journal of Contemporary Educational Studies Jeznik preventive activity in the field of domestic violence in Slovenia’. The authors pres- ent the starting points for legislative frameworks in the field of domestic violence in Slovenia and the importance of addressing the issues by individual authorities. They also outline the tasks of centres for social work, the police, healthcare organ- isations and educational institutions. Using the example of the Centre for Social Work of Južna Primorska, they justify the importance of prevention activities. De- spite the fact that some legislative changes have been introduced in recent years to prevent violence in society, they note that it is necessary to involve different target groups, especially educational institutions, in various prevention activities systematically and continuously. The authors also identify some current systemic shortcomings, mainly related to fragmented data collection. They see the solution in continuous awareness-raising about the unacceptability of violence and in pre- ventive action for the general public, including through the creation of new ser- vices and jobs, and by strengthening the integration of bodies and organisations in the field and in cooperation with the local community. In addition to the already mentioned translations of the articles by Tina Žumbar and Irena Lesar (‘Self-identification of adults diagnosed with autism in Slovenia’) and Petra Štirn Janota and Darja Štirn (‘Overload and demotivation of pupils: What can education through the arts offer?’), the English section includes two more articles. The first one, ‘Individualisation, differentiation, and personalisation of learn- ing in Slovenia: Some historical and conceptual aspects’, is by Damijan Štefanc. His article discusses the development and conceptualisation of the individualisa- tion and differentiation of instruction and personalised learning in Slovenian and Yugoslav pedagogical theory from the mid-20th century to the present. It focuses mainly on the contributions made by Dr France Strmčnik. The author analyses how some of Strmčnik’s ideas have influenced Slovenian education policy and practice since Slovenia’s independence. He complements the review of changes in approaches to differentiation and individualisation with a reflection on person- alised learning, which has become an increasingly important concept in recent years. Despite the promise that such an approach would increase learner engage- ment, it raises concerns about the shift of responsibility for learning outcomes primarily to learners, which Štefanc argues could further increase inequalities in education. The second English article is ‘The effectiveness of the Storyline approach in teaching English as a first foreign language in secondary vocational school’ by Eva Boh, Karmen Pižorn and Janez Vogrinc. It examines the internation- ally recognised Storyline approach in English teaching in secondary vocational schools. In the present quantitative study, which involved first-year students from vocational secondary schools of different programmes, the authors ask (1) wheth- er the use of this approach in English language teaching contributes to better En- glish language outcomes; (2) whether this approach affects students’ motivation 117 Editorial to learn the language; (3) in which elements of the Storyline approach students are the most successful; and (4) what is the correlation between the popularity of the elements of the approach and performance in English language tests. They find that the Storyline approach leads to better English language performance and motivates students to learn more. We welcome you to engage with the articles. Dr Katja Jeznik, Editor-in-chief 114 Sodobna pedagogika/Journal of Contemporary Educational Studies Let./Vol. 75 (141) Issue 3/2024 Str. 6-8/pp. 114-117 ISSN 0038 0474 Editorial In the third issue of this year’s volume, we present five contributions in Slo- venian, two of which also in English translation, and two further articles only in English. The authors explore different fields. The first contribution concerns academic performance criteria and gender equality in the context of maintaining academic quality. The second looks into the self-definitions of a minority group defined by a diagnosis of autism. The third and fourth articles deal with the im- portance of the arts in education. One identifies arts practices as a remedy for students’ overwork and demotivation, while the other analyses literature lessons in grammar school programmes. This part of the journal concludes with an expert contribution on the issue of domestic violence and the importance of prevention activities both at the system level and concrete actions at the level of individual institutions, which should contribute to increasing the visibility of violence as well as to appropriate responses to it. In addition to the two translations, there are two articles in the English part of this issue. The first analyses learning dif- ferentiation, individualisation and the personalised learning approach, while the second analyses the Storyline pedagogical approach in the teaching of English in secondary vocational schools. Below, we present the articles in more detail and invite you to read them yourselves. Živa Kos, Jasna Mažgon and Milica Antić Gaber present an analysis of gender equality at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, in their paper ‘Ac- ademic performance criteria and gender equality’, which was conducted as part of the Horizon 2020 GEARING-Roles project (Gender Equality Actions in Research Institutions to traNsform Gender ROLES). The authors analyse data relating to different areas of institutional life, with a focus on tenure and promotion. They find that more women than men stay in the same academic title for longer and that women face more objective and subjective barriers in their academic careers, while pointing out that policies and practices that promote gender equality in academia can undermine academic standards and quality principles. Finally, they emphasise that the issue of equality and equity in academia goes beyond gender equality and calls for a rethink of the mechanisms that determine staff access and promotion. In their article ‘Self-identification of adults diagnosed with autism in Slo- venia’, published in Slovenian and English, Tina Žumbar and Irena Lesar ad- dress a challenging research topic of identifying a minority social group or an individual as a member of such a group. As they underline, naming, especially of minority social groups, is important because it can partly define the position of the minority group in relation to the majority community. In recent times, the study of naming has focused on the individual minority group, which decides on the appropriateness of a particular term. Based on a study of adults with autism, the 115 Jeznik authors conclude that there is a lack of consensus among the respondents about the most appropriate term. In this context, they point to the shortcomings of the current legislation, which describes persons with autism as persons with autistic disorders, which was identified as the least desirable term among the respondents. The authors ultimately conclude that although in Slovenia, as elsewhere, there is no consensus on the use of different terms, it is very important to be aware of the context in which we use each term and to take into account the preference of the person with whom and about whom we are speaking. The article ‘Overload and demotivation of students: what does education through art have to offer?’, written by Petra Štirn Janota and Darja Štirn, is also published in both Slovenian and English. The authors focus on some of the current problems of the contemporary educational system, which are interpreted as factors that can lead to negative effects in students in terms of overload, lack of motivation and lack of creativity. Like some other Slovenian and international authors, the authors of this article see the solution in integrating the arts into ed- ucation at all levels. In arguing this thesis, they draw on examples of the practices developed in the large-scale SKUM project – Developing Communicative Compe- tences through Cultural and Arts Education. The positive effects of integrating the arts into the educational process were increased student engagement, bet- ter understanding of the material and the development of critical thinking. This seems to be a sufficient argument for continuing our efforts to give the arts their rightful place in the education system. Karmen Strel discusses the issue of first-, second- and third-person ex- periences in grammar school literature lessons. In her paper ‘The relationship between the autopoietic nature of students and teachers through the prism of dialogic pedagogy in upper secondary general education schools’, the author links dialogic pedagogy with the principles of autopoietic pedagogy, which defines ed- ucation as symmetrical communication between autopoietic systems (students and teachers) as bearers of different experiences. Reading literary texts opens up opportunities for learners to engage, as the author writes, in a dialogic encoun- ter with their own and other people’s life worlds. She concludes that the current approach to teaching literature in grammar schools based on the communicative model and the competence-based approach, which focuses on the development of literary competence, allows for the expression of first-person, second-person and third-person experiences. At the same time, she points out that the systemic literary didactic approach, by emphasising the third-person experience, dimin- ishes the role of dialogic relationship established through students’ and teachers’ first-person experiences. In conclusion, the author makes some suggestions, both systemic and purely practical, in favour of expressing more first- and second-per- son experiences among learners and, in this context, a more dialogic approach. The series of articles in Slovenian is rounded off with an expert contribution by Jovita Pogorevc Merčnik and Damjana Jurman entitled ‘Legislation and 116 Sodobna pedagogika/Journal of Contemporary Educational Studies Jeznik preventive activity in the field of domestic violence in Slovenia’. The authors pres- ent the starting points for legislative frameworks in the field of domestic violence in Slovenia and the importance of addressing the issues by individual authorities. They also outline the tasks of centres for social work, the police, healthcare organ- isations and educational institutions. Using the example of the Centre for Social Work of Južna Primorska, they justify the importance of prevention activities. De- spite the fact that some legislative changes have been introduced in recent years to prevent violence in society, they note that it is necessary to involve different target groups, especially educational institutions, in various prevention activities systematically and continuously. The authors also identify some current systemic shortcomings, mainly related to fragmented data collection. They see the solution in continuous awareness-raising about the unacceptability of violence and in pre- ventive action for the general public, including through the creation of new ser- vices and jobs, and by strengthening the integration of bodies and organisations in the field and in cooperation with the local community. In addition to the already mentioned translations of the articles by Tina Žumbar and Irena Lesar (‘Self-identification of adults diagnosed with autism in Slovenia’) and Petra Štirn Janota and Darja Štirn (‘Overload and demotivation of pupils: What can education through the arts offer?’), the English section includes two more articles. The first one, ‘Individualisation, differentiation, and personalisation of learn- ing in Slovenia: Some historical and conceptual aspects’, is by Damijan Štefanc. His article discusses the development and conceptualisation of the individualisa- tion and differentiation of instruction and personalised learning in Slovenian and Yugoslav pedagogical theory from the mid-20th century to the present. It focuses mainly on the contributions made by Dr France Strmčnik. The author analyses how some of Strmčnik’s ideas have influenced Slovenian education policy and practice since Slovenia’s independence. He complements the review of changes in approaches to differentiation and individualisation with a reflection on person- alised learning, which has become an increasingly important concept in recent years. Despite the promise that such an approach would increase learner engage- ment, it raises concerns about the shift of responsibility for learning outcomes primarily to learners, which Štefanc argues could further increase inequalities in education. The second English article is ‘The effectiveness of the Storyline approach in teaching English as a first foreign language in secondary vocational school’ by Eva Boh, Karmen Pižorn and Janez Vogrinc. It examines the internation- ally recognised Storyline approach in English teaching in secondary vocational schools. In the present quantitative study, which involved first-year students from vocational secondary schools of different programmes, the authors ask (1) wheth- er the use of this approach in English language teaching contributes to better En- glish language outcomes; (2) whether this approach affects students’ motivation 117 Editorial to learn the language; (3) in which elements of the Storyline approach students are the most successful; and (4) what is the correlation between the popularity of the elements of the approach and performance in English language tests. They find that the Storyline approach leads to better English language performance and motivates students to learn more. We welcome you to engage with the articles. Dr Katja Jeznik, Editor-in-chief