Suchergebnisse

Delfi metoda se već nekoliko desetljeća koristi kao prognostička metoda kojom se dobivaju podaci iz specifičnih područja istraživanja, a na temelju mišljenja i predviđanja stručnjaka toga područja. Osmišljena kako bi ukazala na trendove i mogući napredak u pitanjima koja se prvenstveno odnose na gospodarstvo, ekonomiju i politiku, uspješnošću u rezultatima pokazala se izuzetno prikladnom i u kvalitativnim istraživanjima odgoja i obrazovanja. Razlog je taj što su suvremena istraživanja usmjerena upravo na predviđanja uspješnosti određenih promjena i reformi u području odgoja i obrazovanja. Provedbi delfi metode u suvremenim istraživanjima u prilog ide ubrzani razvoj i napredak elektroničkih medija, odnosno digitalizacija komunikacije. Time se otvaraju drugačije i bolje mogućnosti provedbe delfi metode, razmjeni informacija, pristupu ispitanicima i obradi podataka. Ovaj rad donosi prikaz delfi metode, počevši od svrhe njene primjene do detaljnih metodoloških smjernica. Rad prvenstveno sadrži osvrt na rezultate suvremenih kvalitativnih istraživanja koja su delfi metodom pristupila problematici u pitanjima odgoja i obrazovanja. Ovim se radom također donose razmatranja uspješnosti primjene delfi metode u odgoju i obrazovanju, ali i neke dileme oko provedbe te istraživačke metode, a koje nalazimo u rezultatima suvremenih istraživanja ovog područja. ; Delphi method was used for several decades as a prognostic method by which information is retrieved from the specific areas of research, and is based on the opinions and predictions of experts in the field. Designed to highlight the trends and possible progress on issues primarily related to the business, economy and politics, the success of the results proved that method can also be very convenient in qualitative research studies in education. Reason for this scientific question lies in a fact that contemporary research studies are particularly focused on predicting the success of certain changes and reforms in the field of education. Implementation of the Delphi method in current research studies is supported by the rapid development and progress of the electronic media, especially digitization of communication. This opens different and better possibilities for implementation of the Delphi method, as well as for the exchange of information, access to respondents and data processing. This paper provides the overview of the Delphi method, starting from the purpose of its application to the detailed methodological guidelines. It primarily includes review of the results of the contemporary qualitative research studies that approached to the issues of education applying the Delphi method. This paper also reviews observations of successful application of the Delphi method in research studies in education, but also some dilemmas of implementation of this method that are found in results of the contemporary studies in this field of research.

Cilj projekta Razvoja kohortnog longitudinalnog istraživanja (ECDP), financiranog u okviru OBZOR2020 programa Europske Komisije je razviti konkretne modele nove europske istraživačke infrastrukture za koordinaciju budućeg velikog europskog kohortnog 25 godišnjeg longitudinalnog istraživanja o dobrobiti djece i mladih. ECDP projekt usmjeren je na uspostavljanje uspješne istraživačke infrastrukture i budućeg EuroCohort istraživanja kroz: (a) razvijanje podrške među ključnim donositeljima politika te nacionalnim agencijama zaduženima za financiranje istraživačkih infrastruktura i anketnih prikupljanja podataka; (b) razvijanje znanstveno izvrsnog nacrta budućeg longitudinalnog anketnog istraživanja ; te (c) uspostavljanje stabilnog operativnog okvira koji jamči logističku opstojnost budućeg EuroCohort istraživanja. Cilj jedne dionice projekta je oformiti savjetodavnu grupu djece (CYPAG) te kroz fokusne grupe utvrditi dječju perspektivu o dobrobiti, što im znači riječ "dobrobit", što pod tim pojmom podrazumijevaju, kao i njihovo razumijevanje etičkih pitanja u longitudinalnim istraživanjima dobrobiti djece. S dvadesetak djece, starosti od 10 do 15 godina, predstavnicima različitih posebno angažiranih skupina djece u različitim područjima od tehničkih, sportskih do prirodoslovnih i društvenih, odnosno djece uključene u nacionalne i lokalne relevantne organizacije, djece iz vijeća učenika, djece iz dječjeg gradskog vijeća, djece iz relevantnih nevladinih organizacija, te djece uključene u sportske organizacije, održane su tri fokusne grupe. Dio djece pripada skupinama kao što su: djeca iz manjinskih skupina, djeca rastavljenih roditelja, djeca iz jednoroditeljskih obitelji, djeca iz udomiteljskih obitelji, djeca s poteškoćama, djeca s kroničnim bolestima, te djeca koja žive u siromaštvu. Prikazani su rezultati kvalitativnog istraživanja o tome kako djeca doživljavaju različite aspekte dobrobiti i što smatraju najvažnijim čimbenicima koji utječu na njihovu dobrobit, kako bi se prema njihovom mišljenju trebala izvoditi longitudinalna istraživanja dobrobiti djece te kako uključiti djecu u longitudinalna istraživanja dobrobiti, koja ih etička pitanja u provođenju longitudinalnih istraživanja s djecom najviše brinu i kako bi ih oni riješili. Dobiveni rezultati pokazuju da djeca i mladi svojim razumijevanjem dobrobiti te načinom naglašavanja važnosti vođenja računa o privatnosti i pravima djece i mladih kao sudionika znanstvenih istraživanja mogu značajno doprinijeti kvaliteti istraživanja dobrobiti, stoga ih je iznimno važno i korisno uključiti aktivno u planiranje i provođenje longitudinalnog istraživanja dobrobiti djece i mladih. ; The European Cohort Development Project (ECDP) is financed from the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme to create specific models for a European Research Infrastructure that will provide, over the next 25 years, comparative longitudinal survey data on child and young adult well-being. The infrastructure developed by ECDP will subsequently coordinate the first Europe wide cohort survey, named EuroCohort. This will be achieved through the following three objectives: (a) building support from key political policymakers with a brief which covers child well-being as well as national funding agencies tasked with infrastructural spending on science and survey data collection; (b) developing a scientifically excellent research design; (c) establishing a robust operation al framework that will ensure the logistic integrity of EuroCohort. The aim of one section of the project is to set up a Children and Young People's Advisory Groups (CYPAG) and to identify, through focus groups, a children's perspective on well-being, examine the meaning of the word 'well-being', as well as gather information of their understanding of ethical issues in longitudinal research on child well-being. Three focus group were conducted with about 20 children, in the age between 10 and 15, representatives from various fields of specially engaged groups of children, including technical, sports, science and social field, children involved in national and local relevant organizations, children from student councils, children from children's city council, children from relevant nongovernmental organizations and also children involved in sports organizations. Some of the children belong to groups such as minorities, children of divorced parents, children from single-parent families, children from foster families, children with disabilities, children with chronic illnesses, and children living in poverty. The results of a qualitative study are presented on how children experience different aspects of well-being, what they consider to be the most important factors affecting their well-being, how in their opinion longitudinal studies of child well-being should be conducted, how to include children in longitudinal studies of well-being, what ethical issues are they most concerned with within longitudinal research with children and how they can be addressed. The results show that children and young people, through their understanding of well-being and by emphasizing the importance of taking into account the privacy and rights of children and young people as participants in scientific research, can significantly contribute to the quality of well-being research, so it is extremely important and useful to involve them actively in planning and conducting a longitudinal study of the well-being of children and young people.

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) has emerged as a promising climate change mitigation mechanism in developing countries. This article examines the national political context in 13 REDD+ countries in order to identify the enabling conditions for achieving progress with the implementation of countries' REDD+ policies and measures. The analysis builds on a qualitative comparative analysis of various countries' progress with REDD+ conducted in 12 REDD+ countries in 2012, which highlighted the importance of factors such as already initiated policy change, and the presence of coalitions calling for broader policy change. A follow-up survey in 2014 was considered timely because the REDD+ policy arena, at the international and country levels, is highly dynamic and undergoes constant evolution, which affects progress with REDD+ policy-making and implementation. Furthermore, we will now examine whether the 'promise' of performance-based funds has played a role in enabling the establishment of REDD+. The results show a set of enabling conditions and characteristics of the policy process under which REDD+ policies can be established. The study finds that the existence of broader policy change, and availability of performance-based funding in combination with strong national ownership of the REDD+ policy process, may help guide other countries seeking to formulate REDD+ policies that are likely to deliver efficient, effective and equitable outcomes.Policy relevance Tropical forest countries struggle with the design and implementation of coherent policies and measures to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. Evidence on which factors and configurations are crucial to make progress towards these challenging policy objectives will be helpful for decision makers and practitioners at all levels involved in REDD+. Key findings highlight the importance of already initiated policy change, and the availability of performance-based funding in combination with strong national ownership of the REDD+ process. These findings provide guidance to REDD+ countries as to which enabling conditions need to be strengthened to facilitate effective, efficient and equitable REDD+ policy formulation and implementation.

ArchiteXt Mining: Spanish modern architecture through its texts (1939–1975) istraživački je projekt koji je financirala Vlada Španjolske putem poziva za "projekte izvrsnosti" Ministarstva gospodarstva i konkurentnosti 2015. godine. Projekt ima za cilj istražiti novo gledište i razmotriti posebnosti suvremene španjolske arhitekture. Unatoč sve većem uspjehu primjene analize podataka kao alata u nizu disciplina, istraživanja na području teorije arhitekture nikada se nisu najefikasnije koristila ovim tehnologijama. Španjolske i međunarodne okolnosti razvoja moderne arhitekture pomno su razmatrane kvalitativnim istraživanjem, koje je uspostavilo opće teorijske osnove. Sada je vrijeme za započinjanje novoga dubinskog istraživanja na temelju objektivnih podataka. Da bismo odgovorili na ovaj izazov, predlažemo primjenu tehnika "rudarenja teksta" (engl. text mining) kako bi se iskoristili najbolji izvori podataka na ovom području: arhitektonska periodika. Svrha je stvoriti snažnu bazu podataka koja će biti javno dostupna znanstvenoj zajednici na internetu. Dakle, ovaj projekt ispunjava nekoliko ciljeva e-istraživanja: olakšati informatizaciju istraživanja podataka, podržati svaku fazu prikupljanja podataka i upravljati analizama velikih podataka uz pomoć posebnih alata. ; ArchiteXt Mining: Spanish Modern Architecture through Its Texts (1939–1975) is a research project funded by the Government of Spain through the 2015 Call for "Excellence Projects" of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. This project aims to explore a new viewpoint and look into the special features of Spanish modern architecture. Despite the increasing success of using data analysis as a tool in a variety of disciplines, research on architectural theory has never made the most efficient use of these technologies. The Spanish and international circumstances of modern architecture development have been scrutinized through qualitative research, which has established a shared theoretical ground. It is now time to start a new in-depth research based on objective data. To address this challenge, we propose the application of text mining techniques to take advantage of the best data source in the field: architectural periodicals. The purpose is to create a powerful database hosted on a public website for the scientific community. Thus, this project fulfils several e-Research objectives: to facilitate the computerization of data research, to support every stageof data collection, and to manage big data analyses with thehelp of specific tools.

Istraživači javnih politika od druge polovice 20. stoljeća sve više analitičke pažnje posvećuju prijenosu javnih politika iz jednog političkog djelokruga u drugi. Pritom se koriste konceptima poput difuzije, konvergencije i transfera javnih politika. Transfer javnih politika, najmlađi od navedenih pristupa, dobiva na zamahu nakon druge polovice devedesetih godina prošlog stoljeća te je u posljednjih dvadeset godina izrastao u respektabilan, naveliko citiran I korišten istraživački pristup. Ovaj se rad može shvatiti kao historijat istraživanja prijenosa javnih politika između političkih djelokruga. Pored pregleda evolucije pristupa ponudit će se i izvorna sistematizacija i demarkacija različitih studija. Rad se zaključuje uvidom kako su studije transfera distinktivne u odnosu na studije konvergencije i difuzije. Odlikuje ih procesni analitički fokus, usmjerenost na razumijevanje djelovanja aktera, kvalitativna metodologija te korištenje malih uzoraka. U radu se zastupa mišljenje kako su studije transfera javnih politika izvrstan heuristički alat jer omogućuju multidimenzionalno istraživanje procesa stvaranja javnih politika. ; From the second half of the twentieth century policy scholars are increasingly devoting their attention to the transference of policy from one political jurisdiction to another. Concepts such as policy diffusion, convergence and transfer are being used to elucidate the modern-day policy process. Policy transfer, the youngest of these approaches, has been gaining momentum from the second half of the nineties and has grown into a respectable, widely cited and used research frame. This article is a historical account of policy transfer research. In addition to examining the evolution of similar approaches (diffusion, convergence, and transfer), the original systematization and demarcation of different studies is offered. The paper concludes with the insight that policy transfer studies are distinctive in relation to convergence and diffusion studies. They are characterized by an analytical focus on processes, on understanding of policy actors' actions, on qualitative methodology, and using small samples. The paper concludes that policy transfer studies are an excellent heuristic tool because they enable a multidimensional research of the policy process.

The first decade of the 21st century has brought with it two important breakthroughs in the study of comparative politics. The first one concerns the availability of data. Nowadays, access to a wide range of information sources for a large number of countries in the world can be gained without too much effort. The second one concerns the methodological achievements made in recent years. Today, sophisticated multi-level analyses can be conducted fairly easily. Among qualitatively oriented researchers, Charles Ragin has made a significant contribution by introducing the fs/QCA-technique into the field of political science. However, the growing amount of data & the new methods not only open up new possibilities for the researcher. The present article explicitly deals with the problems related to the use of multi-level analyses & fs/QCA in comparative political research. In addition, attention is drawn to the drawbacks of using survey data from heterogeneous settings. Adapted from the source document.

The current situation in the field of education demands teachers who are capable of functioning in new learning scenarios where the possibilities offered by ICT for information acquisition and communication processes are enormous. In this sense, it is necessary to have postgraduate programs that contribute to the development of digital skills in teachers. The main purpose of this work is to propose the curricular design for a Master's program in Education, Mention in Management of Learning Mediated by ICT, offered by Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo in Ecuador. For this, a qualitative research was undertaken in order to characterize and determine the most important features of each module of the curriculum. A documentary research design was applied through the PICOC method (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Context). The result of this work was a curricular mesh that consists of 12 study modules wherein aspects such as: digital literacy for the new society were addressed; didactics in new digital environments; the design and development of content and digital resources for learning; new ways of learning and innovating in education; as well as research in educational technology.

The authors analyze the use of the focus groups method as a qualitative form of research, which bases its analysis & interpretation primarily on the interaction between respondents. They clarify the possibilities, ways & methodology of its application, & compare it with related methods, pointing out its advantages & shortcomings. Examples are provided of the method's increasingly frequent application in scientific practice, after decades of its successful application for market research purposes, especially in marketing & in public relations. In the social sciences, it is mostly used as a complementary method, ie., as a supplement to related methods, & as a method for pre-testing & operationalization of research instruments. Focus groups allow deep inquiry into reasons, attitudes, values, motives, meanings, beliefs... Adapted from the source document.

U članku predstavljamo kvalitativno istraživanje svakodnevne građanske prakse dijela Čeha, s posebnim naglaskom na ulogu novih medija. Temi smo pristupili tako da smo se orijentirali na sadržaj, a ne na medije. U fokusu našeg istraživanja jesu načini na koje su građanske prakse strukturirane u užem i širem društvenom i političkom kontekstu te kako te kontekste doživljavaju postsocijalistički građani iz sela i velikih gradova. Uzimajući u obzir navedene kontekste, analizirali smo ulogu novih medija i građanske prakse u svakodnevnom životu. Istraživanje se temelji na polustrukturiranim dubinskim intervjuima s 22 politički i javno aktivna građanina, a pokazalo je da se Česi suočavaju sa sličnom krizom u institucionalnoj politici kao što je to slučaj i u starijim demokracijama. Istraživanje je također otkrilo razlike u načinu informiranja između sela i gradova, kako u participacijskim praksama tako i u načinima kako građani koriste nove medije. Međutim, istraživanje nije dokazalo da su novi mediji radikalno transformirali građanstvo, već je pokazalo da je došlo do suptilnih pomaka u praksi i do pragmatičnog miješanja komunikacije licem u lice i tradicionalnih medija (tiskani mediji, sustavi razglasa, oglasne ploče) s novim komunikacijskim tehnologijama. ; The article discusses qualitative research on the mundane civic practices of some Czechs, with a specific focus on the role of new media. It works with a context-oriented approach in order to avoid media-centrism. Our research is focussed on the ways in which civic practices are structured by immediate and wider social and political contexts and how they are experienced by post-socialist citizens from villages and large cities. The role of new media and the place of civic practices in everyday life is analysed with respect to these contexts. The research based on semi-structured in-depth interviews with 22 politically and publicly active citizens indicates that Czechs experience a similar crisis in relation to institutional politics as their counterparts in long established democracies and it reveals tell-tale differences between the social spaces of villages and cities both in participatory practices and in civic uses of new media. However, the study does not indicate a radical, new media-driven transformation of citizenship, rather it suggests subtle shifts in practices and a pragmatic mixing of face-to-face communication and traditional media (print, public address systems, noticeboards) with new communication technologies.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a widely debated concept among academics, practitioners and non-practitioners. By definition, CSR concerns the economic, legal, political, environmental and social responsibilities of a business to its stakeholders and society at large. The conventional view of the role of business in society is to act as a market place and make a profit, in a space where demand meets supply. However, extending the role of CSR to include ethical responsibilities often raises questions of why and how? In this thesis, a qualitative research design was used to examine how businesses, more specifically Swedish food retailers, approach their extended responsibilities in society. The analysis focused in particular on collaborations between retail food businesses and other actors. Food retailers hold a key position in forming a link between producers and consumers in the value chain. They are socially and economically tied to a number of problems facing consumers on local level and in the wider global community, such as climate change, food security and public health. Such problems are often complex and based on value conflicts among various stakeholders, and therefore cannot be resolved in isolation. In conditions of social connectedness, responsibility lies with all actors, with businesses considered to have a privileged position in terms of their negotiating power and ability for collective action. The food retail sector is therefore an interesting empirical setting for studying CSR. In four empirical studies, different CSR activities in Swedish food retailers' approaches to taking responsibility for social, environmental or political issues linked directly or indirectly linked to their operations were scrutinised. These activities included different forms of stakeholder engagement, such as partnership, dialogue or multi-stakeholder initiatives. The results indicated that through CSR, food retailers in collaboration with other actors can co-create value and proactively engage in driving (social) change. Responsibility can thus be viewed as the shared objective of collaborations between businesses, organisations and society at large, rather than being attributable to a single actor.

Smallholder farmers are defined as key actors in the implementation of Agenda 2030, based on their importance for food security and poverty reduction, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. This is also true for South Africa, where smallholder farming has attracted considerable policy attention in an attempt to break the trend of rural poverty and the legacy of the apartheid era. One issue of concern is the long-term decline in arable production in fields, reflecting a wider trend of de-agrarianisation among peasantries and smallholders all over the world. In South Africa this withdrawal from field cultivation is compensated to an extent by intensification in garden cultivation. This thesis explores how smallholders perceive the role of these two different crop cultivation practices in their daily lives. The empirical data were collected during an ethnographic field study in rural South Africa in early 2020 using a variety of qualitative research methods. Drawing on the theoretical concepts of lifeworld and system world together with perspectives of livelihoods, the study shows that household agricultural production is being downscaled, with most households prioritising the continuation of garden cultivation. Garden cultivation draws upon capabilities that most households can access and is viewed as a taken-for-granted activity within the lifeworld of smallholders. Field cultivation emerges as a deliberate choice made by households who are able to access sufficient family labour and financial capital. Furthermore, arable production in fields is based on long-term experience of government involvement, resulting in a commonly shared view that a government presence in field farming is something to be expected even today. It would appear that this commonly shared view enables agricultural projects and certified seeds to be introduced that are disembedded from smallholders' local conditions, mirroring a policy belief in a New Green Revolution for Africa. This finding suggests that garden cultivation can serve as an example of crop cultivation that is attuned to local conditions, indicating the direction smallholders could take if they are to fulfil their role as promoters of sustainable development in line with Agenda 2030.

Visoko obrazovanje važan je segment pripreme za tržište rada svih studenata koji upisujući pojedini fakultet žele steći potrebnu edukaciju za rad u odabranom području. Zemlje Europske Unije, pa tako i Hrvatska, ulažu u razvoj visokog obrazovanja kroz različite operativne programe koji pridonose dostupnosti obrazovanja za sve kategorije građana. Otvorenost visokog obrazovanja svakom članu društva temelj je inkluzivne obrazovne politike Europske Unije. Obrazovne politike postaju područje interesa cijele europske zajednice jer se društvo znanja vidi kao temelj gospodarske konkurentnosti Europe na globalnom tržištu. Cilj je rada ispitati kako stručnjaci koji rade u službama podrške za studente s invaliditetom doživljavaju poštovanje prava na visoko obrazovanje studenata s invaliditetom na Sveučilištu u Zagrebu. Riječ je o kvalitativnom istraživanju provedenom u 2019. godini putem polustrukturiranih intervjua, dok su podaci obrađeni primjenom tematske analize. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 10 stručnjaka koji rade u službama podrške za studente s invaliditetom na Sveučilištu u Zagrebu. Rezultati ukazuju na pozitivne primjere poštovanja prava na visoko obrazovanje, ali identificiraju i postojeće slabe točke koje je potrebno unaprijediti u skladu sa suvremenim postavkama inkluzivnog europskog društva. Promjene u budućnosti potrebne su u područjima standardizacije asistencije i prijevoza, prilagodbe infrastrukture, redovite edukacije nastavnog osoblja, senzibilizacije studenata te u razvoju ljudskih resursa u uredima za studente s invaliditetom. ; Higher education plays a pivotal role in preparing students for the labour market by providing education at the university level required for work in the chosen field. The EU member states, including Croatia, invest in higher education through different operational programmes to increase access to education for all citizens. Equal access to higher education for all is at the core of EU education policies for inclusion. Moreover, the education policy importance rises on the European agenda as the concept of knowledge society becomes central to European competitiveness on the global market. This paper aimed to examine how professionals employed by support services for students with disabilities perceive the respect of the right to higher education for students with disabilities at the University of Zagreb. The paper is based on qualitative research from 2019, which involved semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis of data. The research included 10 professionals employed by the support services for students with disabilities at the University of Zagreb. Although the results indicated certain good practice examples of respecting the right to higher education, they also pointed out the challenges that ought to be addressed in line with contemporary inclusive practices in Europe. In the future, improvements are recommended in the following areas: standardising assistance and transportation, adapting infrastructure, continuing training of the teaching staff, raising student awareness and human resource development at the Office for Students with Disabilities.

Cilj je ovoga rada prikazati razvoj lokalne proračunske politike u smjeru veće‎ proračunske transparentnosti. Provedena je studija slučaja Bjelovara u kojoj su‎ korištene dvije kvalitativne metode prikupljanja podataka – intervju i selekcioniranje ‎dokumenata. Prikupljena građa kodirana je prema pravilima kvalitativne ‎analize sadržaja. Četiri su glavna elementa političkog odlučivanja o bjelovarskoj‎ proračunskoj politici: transparentnost kao cilj, aplikacija Transparentno‎ kao osnovni informacijski instrument, gradonačelnik zajedno sa svojim suradnicima‎ kao ključni akter i građani kao glavna ciljana skupina. Analiza pokazuje ‎kako su zajednička temeljna načela i lokalne proračunske politike i koncepta‎ dobrog upravljanja transparentnost i odgovornost. Podaci navode i na zaključak ‎kako su to nužni, ali ne i dovoljni uvjeti za ostvarenje dobrog upravljanja, s obzirom ‎na to da njihovo uvođenje ne osigurava veću participaciju neformalnih aktera,‎ posebice udruga civilnog društva. Ovaj rad predstavlja politološki pogled‎ na ovu prvenstveno ekonomski analiziranu temu, te kroz uvide o empirijskom ‎slučaju pokazuje važnost procesne dimenzije transparentnosti – važno je i koliko ‎se transparentno odlučuje o proračunu, a ne isključivo transparentnost samog‎ proračuna.‎ ; This paper aims to describe the development of local budgetary policy towards‎ increased budget transparency. A case study of Bjelovar was undertaken, for‎ which the two qualitative data collecting methods were used – interviewing‎ and document analysis. The collected data were coded in accordance with the ‎rules of qualitative content analysis. There are four main elements of the decision-‎making process within Bjelovar's budgetary policy: the transparency as a‎ main goal; the application "Transparent" as instrument of nodality, as central ‎instrument; the mayor, along with his associates, as a leading actor; and the citizens‎ as a principal target group. The analysis shows how common principles of‎ the local budgetary policy and the concept of the good governance are transparency ‎and accountability. Still, those seem to be necessary but not sufficient ‎conditions for realization of good governance, as their introduction does not‎ insure higher participation of unofficial actors, especially not of non-governmental ‎organizations. This research paper offers a political science insight on ‎an economic topic and it underlines the importance of the procedural aspect ‎of the transparency; in other words – transparency of budgetary decision-making ‎is important at least as much as transparency of budget itself.‎

Teacher education at both pre-service and in-service levels is a crucial factor in terms of developing democratic schools. Pre-service education is the first step in the professional development of teachers. Perhaps democratic education should commence at this stage. For this reason it is important to know pre-service teachers' opinions about democratic education and the characteristics of democratic schools. This study aims to investigate pre-service primary teachers' perceptions about democratic education and the main characteristics of democratic schools. The study was designed within basic qualitative research approach. The study group consists of six primary pre-service teachers who attend the 4th year of teacher education programme at a faculty of education. A semi-structured interview form was used for data gathering. Data were analysed using the "content analysis" method. The findings of the study illustrate that pre-service teachers conceptualize the term of democracy with different words based on their experiences; what is more, pre-service teachers have not fully internalized the concept of democracy. The results of the study show that according to pre-service teachers, democracy education can be realized through thematic learning and hands-on activities. It is recommended that policy makers should be aware of the atmosphere of democratic schools and that a curriculum should be designed thematically, which includes democracy in all attainment targets. ; Obrazovanje učitelja na razini osposobljavanja budućih učitelja i na razini usavršavanja zaposlenih učitelja ključan je faktor za razvoj demokratskih škola. Obrazovanje budućih učitelja prvi je korak u profesionalnom razvoju učitelja. Stoga bi možda i demokratsko obrazovanje trebalo započeti na toj razini. Upravo je zbog toga važno znati kakva stajališta imaju budući učitelji o demokratskom obrazovanju i o karakteristikama demokratskih škola. Cilj ovoga istraživanja jest proučiti percepciju budućih učitelja primarnoga obrazovanja o demokratskom obrazovanju i o osnovnim karakteristikama demokratskih škola. Istraživanje je oblikovano u okviru kvalitativnoga pristupa istraživanju. Skupina koja je sudjelovala u istraživanju sastojala se od šest budućih učitelja primarnoga obrazovanja koji su upisani u četvrtu godinu programa za obrazovanje učitelja na učiteljskom fakultetu. Za dobivanje podataka koristio se polustrukturirani intervju. Podatci su analizirani primjenom metode "analize sadržaja". Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju da budući učitelji koncipiraju pojam demokracija različitim riječima i na osnovi njihovih iskustava; štoviše, budući učitelji nisu u potpunosti usvojili pojam demokracija. Nadalje, prema stavovima budućih učitelja, demokratsko obrazovanje može se ostvariti putem tematskog i praktičnog učenja. Savjetuje se da tvorci obrazovne politike budu u potpunosti osviješteni o atmosferi demokratskih škola te da se kurikul tematski osmišljava, što uključuje demokratičnost na svim razinama postignuća.