Improving the Quality of In-Service Teacher Training System · Hvarska 7, HR-10000, Zagreb, Croatia . Tel/Fax: +385 1 6180 939 : [email protected] “The contents of this

Main Project Partner: A project implemented by: in association with:

Improving the Quality of In-Service Teacher Training System

ANALYSIS OF THE EXISTING ETTA INSETT SYSTEM AND ASSESSMENT OF THE NEEDS FOR IN-SERVICE

TRAINING OF TEACHERS

ANALYSIS OF THE EXISTING ETTA INSETT SYSTEM AND ASSESSMENT OF THE NEEDS FOR IN-SERVICE

TRAINING OF TEACHERS

April 2013

IPA Component IV – Human Resources Development 2007-2009 The European Union Programme for Croatia

EuropeAid/130730/D/SER/HR

Report title: Analysis of the existing ETTA INSETT system and assessment of the needs for in-service training of teachers

Report compiled by: Dr. Sergij Gabršček (1st and 2nd version)

Prof. Dr. Paul Roeders (revised 3rd and final version)

Design of the methodology, the instruments, their implementation and analyses

Dr. Sergij Gabršček

Data collection: Goran Klić

With valuable inputs from: Members of Working Group (WG) 1: Boris Vampula, MSK; Darko Tot, Social Pedagogue; Oleg Đaković, PhD, Tomislav Tomasić, Prof, Teodora Dubrović, Prof, Vlade Matas, Prof, Željka Knezović, Prof, Ivana Biljan, Prof, Viktorija Hržica, Prof, Franjo Hrvoje Hviždalek, BEc. Members of the Project Team: M.Ed. Divna Šipoviќ; M.Sc. Sanja Urek; M.A. Renata Ozorlić Dominić; M.Sc. Sanja Milović; Members of Working Group 2 Stakeholder Representatives (Ministry of Science, Education and Sports, Agency for Vocational Education and Training and Adult Education, Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes, National Centre for External Evaluation of Education, CARNet)

Project Title: Improving the Quality of In-Service Teacher Training System

Project Reference Number: EuropeAid/130730/D/SER/HR

Contract No: IPA 4.1.3.3.03.01c01

Contracting Authority: Agency for Vocational Education and Training and Adult Education, Department for Financing and Contracting of EU programmes

Project Manager: Irena Rozić Qeta

Main Project Partner: Education and Teacher Training Agency

Project Managers: Sanja Milović / Renata Ozorlić Dominić

Contractor: SPAN Consultants “BINCK36”, Binckhorstlaan 36, 2516 BE The Hague, The Netherlands

Project Director: Rutger-Jan Schoen

Team Leader: Prof. Dr. Paul Roeders

Project office: Hvarska 7, HR-10000, Zagreb, Croatia Tel/Fax: +385 1 6180 939 [email protected]

“The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of SPAN Consultants and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union”.

Table of contents

Annexes: ....................................................................................................................................................... 6

Executive summary ....................................................................................................................................... 7

1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 11

2. Background ............................................................................................................................................. 13

3. Methodology ........................................................................................................................................... 15 3.1. Analysis of documents and the on-line information system ...................................................................... 15 3.2. The survey and TNA ................................................................................................................................... 15

4. Analysis of data in the ettaedu system ..................................................................................................... 18

5. Analysis of part 1 of the questionnaires: appreciation of the INSETT system ............................................. 24 5.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 24 5.2. General data .............................................................................................................................................. 24

5.2.1. Gender ............................................................................................................................................... 24 5.2.2. Age ..................................................................................................................................................... 25 5.2.3. Work experience ............................................................................................................................... 25 5.2.4. Work experience in education ........................................................................................................... 25 5.2.5. The level of qualification ................................................................................................................... 26 5.2.6. Region ................................................................................................................................................ 26 5.2.7. Educational institution – the workplace of the respondents ............................................................ 26 5.2.8. Subject areas ..................................................................................................................................... 27 5.2.9. Promotion into the position of mentor or adviser ............................................................................ 27

5.3. Analysis of training events in 2011 ............................................................................................................ 28 5.3.1. Participation in in-service teacher training programmes .................................................................. 28 5.3.2. Attendance at ETTA training events (2011, number of events) ........................................................ 28 5.3.3. Attendance at ETTA training events (hours of teacher training) ....................................................... 28 5.3.4. Types of training events attended ..................................................................................................... 29 5.3.5. Preference for training event types and methods ............................................................................ 29 5.3.6. Criteria for selecting in-service training programmes ....................................................................... 30 5.3.7. Annual in-service training plans in schools ........................................................................................ 31 5.3.8. Individual influence on the annual in-service training plan............................................................... 31 5.3.9. Design of the annual plan of in-service training in educational institution ....................................... 32 5.3.10. Implementation of the annual plan for in-service training ............................................................. 32 5.3.11. Opportunity to participate in all in-service training a respondent is interested in ......................... 32 5.3.12. Topics and areas that should be more represented ........................................................................ 33

5.4. Evaluation of the INSETT provided by the ETTA ........................................................................................ 34 5.4.1. Attending the INSETT programmes ................................................................................................... 34 5.4.2. Fulfilment of professional development needs ................................................................................. 35 5.4.3. Fulfilment of personal development needs....................................................................................... 35 5.4.4. Timing of INSETT ................................................................................................................................ 35 5.4.5. Quality of the ETTA in-service training programmes ......................................................................... 35 5.4.6. ETTA support to INSETT ..................................................................................................................... 36

6. Focus group discussions: SWOT analysis ................................................................................................... 37 6.1. Strengths ................................................................................................................................................... 37 6.2. Weaknesses ............................................................................................................................................... 38

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Analysis of the existing ETTA INSETT system and assessment of the needs for in-service training of teachers April 2013

6.3. Opportunities ............................................................................................................................................. 40 6.4. Threats ....................................................................................................................................................... 41

7. Analysis of part 2 of the questionnaires: teachers’ competences .............................................................. 42 7.1. The importance of teachers’ competences for the teaching profession .................................................... 43 7.2. The need for improvement of teachers’ competences .............................................................................. 46 7.3 The rated competences: importance and needs for improvement - comparisons between groups .......... 47

7.3.1. Teachers – assessment of individual competences ........................................................................... 48 7.3.2. County coordinators of teacher training – assessment of individual competences ......................... 54 7.3.3. ETTA Advisers – assessment of individual competences ................................................................... 56 7.3.4. List of most important areas for training .......................................................................................... 57

8. Analysis of part 3 of the questionnaire: management competences ......................................................... 59 8.1. County Coordinators of Teacher Trainings (CCoTT) ................................................................................... 60 8.2. School Directors ......................................................................................................................................... 61 8.3. ETTA Senior Advisers ................................................................................................................................. 62

9. Conclusions recapitulated and recommendations .................................................................................... 64 9.1. General ...................................................................................................................................................... 64 9.2. The on-line INSETT management system .................................................................................................. 66 9.3. The ETTA INSETT system ............................................................................................................................ 67 9.4. Data collection and analysis ...................................................................................................................... 68 9.5. INSETT planning ......................................................................................................................................... 69 9.6. Analysis of teachers’ competences – importance for the teaching profession .......................................... 70 9.7. Analysis of teachers’ competences – training needs ................................................................................. 71

Annex 1. – The five questionnaires used in the survey ................................................................................. 75

Annexes:

• Annex 1 - The 5 questionnaires used in the survey



Executive summary The enhancement of in-service teacher training (INSETT) is recognised as a strategic priority for Croatia’s national social and economic development. Different strategic documents emphasise the need for ‘’continuous improvement of the competences of teaching staff’’ and rank ‘’continuing professional training of teachers’’ as one of the four key development priorities for the education sector. There is a critical need for a review of the INSETT system in Croatia, and the development of a new strategy, new plans and programmes through which all teachers may gain the skills and knowledge they need. The EU funded project “Improving the Quality of the In-Service Teacher Training System” is supporting these efforts. The mandate for the implementation of in-service teacher training is provided in the legislation, making the Agency the central institution for in-service teacher training in general education in Croatia. In accordance with the Act on the Education and Teacher Training Agency1 the Republic of Croatia authorised the Agency to “participate in monitoring, improvement and development of education in the areas of pre-school, primary and secondary-school education, adult education. As a part of its activities, the Agency organises and provides training for educational staff and principals, unless stated differently by separate regulations“. Component 1 of the project focused on an analysis of the current INSETT system of the Education and Teacher Training Agency (ETTA) and existing training needs of ETTA’s target groups. This report outlines the results obtained, looking at different features of the existing system. Its analysis of quantitative and qualitative aspects did not take into account any of the training events that are offered by other providers, as that is beyond the scope of this study and the project as a whole. The analysis of the ETTA INSETT system was carried out in a number of stages. following the logical sequence of (a.) collecting the information needed to obtain a clear picture of the existing ETTA INSETT system from a technical viewpoint, (b.) collecting information on the perception of the system by its users and (c.) a users’ training needs assessment (TNA). Existing documents on INSETT in Croatia were reviewed, producing a general overview of the existing system. More detailed information about the INSETT activities of the ETTA were collected from the ettaedu information system, used for publishing and managing training events and certification of the participants. The main source of information about the qualitative aspects of the system was generated through questionnaires, referring to the training events attended in 2011 and soliciting the opinion of different groups of educational staff on, and their experience with, the present ETTA INSETT system, as well as their preferences for training provisions. The first (general) part of the questionnaires was designed to provide additional information about the existing system of INSETT run by the ETTA. It asked the five groups of respondents (teachers, school counsellors, school directors, county coordinators of teacher training (CCoTT) and ETTA senior advisors) how they perceive and experience the INSETT system, how it meets their needs and what they think about its relevance and quality. The second part of the questionnaire presented the respondents with a set of teachers’ competences, asking them to rate their importance and to indicate the needs for improvement of the competences’ areas. The first two parts of the questionnaire were addressed to all the five groups. For ETTA senior advisors (SA), school directors and CCoTT the questionnaire included an additional third part addressing managerial competences.

1 Act on the Education and Teacher Training Agency (Official Gazette 85/2006)



In total 7944 teachers, 546 school directors, 1088 school counsellors, 647 CCoTT and 71 ETTA SA completed the questionnaire. Additional information about the INSETT was collected during focus group meetings of representatives of the five groups involved in the study. The analysis provided a good insight into the existing system of teacher training. The conclusions in the report are based on analysis of the data collected, on the results of the focus group meetings, on discussions with the members of the project team, working groups for Component 1 and Component 2 and comments from the stakeholders to whom the first results of the analysis and TNA were presented. A list of conclusions with recommendations is included in the last chapter of the report. The most important are summarised in the following paragraphs. The competences teachers acquire in their initial training are seen as insufficient for the challenges awaiting them in the education system. This has a direct impact on the in-service training needs of novice teachers who should acquire additional knowledge and skills, particularly in the areas of pedagogy, psychology, didactics, teaching methodology and assessment of learning outcomes. The co-operation of the ETTA with the higher education institutions, in particular faculties of teacher education, is seen as important, but still insufficient. There is a lack of research and co-operation with research and development organisations, which reduces the potential of ETTA capacities in training. In order for the in-service teacher training to efficiently support professional development, a coherent policy on professional development should be adopted on the national level and a set of teacher competences agreed and adopted on the levels of initial education, apprenticeship and continuing professional development. This synergy would facilitate the development of standards for the teaching profession that could be integrated in the Croatian Qualifications Framework. Article 115 of the Primary and Secondary Education Act defines the main components of in-service training programmes. Quality assurance in the present INSETT system could be improved, however, e.g. by the establishment of a programme accreditation system. Although evaluation questionnaires are used for training events, feedback on the quality and relevance of INSETT is presently not used and should be systematically collected, as it is important for the future planning of training activities. Evaluation of the impact of training events on teachers’ performance in schools is also lacking, which is the responsibility of schools. The existing rules on promotion specify the obligation of regular in-service training within the MoSES system. However, neither a system of accreditation of (all) in-service teacher training programmes nor clear criteria for recognition (for the purposes of promotion) of the certificates of participation obtained in the programmes of other providers exist. There are various in-service teacher training events offered by other providers that are not registered in the ettaedu system, of which majority are charged for, which often limits the possibility of participation. Participation in such programmes is paid by the school or by the individual, i.e. educational workers themselves. The quality of the ETTA programmes is rated between good and very good and educational staff in schools can rely on help and support from ETTA SA, which is seen as one of the strengths of the Agency. The day to day support and communication with ETTA SA is appreciated. There is still a hidden potential in the existing system in the network of CCoTT, which represents the link between ETTA and the teachers. Although ETTA SA attend in-service training events individually, it should be noted that no professional development strategy for ETTA SA is in place and there is no systematic monitoring of the training needs of the Agency’s staff.



Plenary sessions are not the most frequently attended type of training events for teachers; the most attended are pedagogical workshops and examples of good practice. According to the preferences expressed, a change of paradigm is needed, moving from the existing teacher training approach to teachers’ professional development. The preferred types of training are events focusing on examples of good practice, pedagogical workshops and fieldwork. Plenary sessions are the least favoured in all groups. Only one tenth of the training events are actually carried out using e-learning methods, but their importance in education is increasing. E-learning incurs lower costs compared to other forms and it can be made available in remote areas in Croatia. It allows for high quality provision and an individualised approach, through the possibility it gives to individuals to select a convenient time for training, set their own pace of learning, and choose options or levels of difficulty appropriate for their own competences. ETTA prepares an INSETT offer for each calendar year, which is used by schools as the basis for planning their financial resources for INSETT, although their work is organised around the academic year. According to this analysis, only about half of the planned activities are realised in whole or in part, and this lack of realism in planning might be the result of the two a-synchronous time systems. Participation in training events also depends on the funds available, and according to the responses received, two thirds of training participants depend on the availability of financial support (which shows a tendency of decreasing). Furthermore, there is no system of training needs analysis in place at the school level that could help, in a systematic way, to define priorities for the annual INSETT plan for the school staff. The main interests for training topics as expressed by teachers are in the areas of teaching methodology, work with special needs students (both those with difficulties and gifted), subject knowledge, subject methodology, pedagogy and psychology. The least interesting are school management, education policy and andragogy. Apparently the areas of higher priority are those directly related to their work in school: the more general topics, whether at school level or beyond, are of lesser importance. The results of the survey show that the ETTA INSETT system programmes meet the needs of school directors and CCoTT well, but to a somewhat lesser extent teachers’ and school counsellors’ ones. The teachers’ rating of the timing of in-service teacher training during non-teaching days is slightly above average. However, they are under pressure if they wish to attend a training event outside that time frame, as the school has to provide a replacement and no formal system for substitute teachers is in place. The set of competences proposed is relevant and may be a good basis for discussion of the development of a Croatian framework of teachers’ competences as part of the Croatian Qualification Framework (CroQF). The results of the analysis of competences, asking for an indication of importance to the teaching profession, show that all five groups of respondents rated all the competences listed between ‘fairly’ and ‘highly important’ for the work in school. All the groups rated the same ten competences as the most important. They address the development of independence in student learning, promotion of problem solving, critical thinking, inquiry and creativity and facilitating independent and collaborative learning. Teachers2 are expected to have the ability to define and present the aim of a lesson clearly, to direct students to different learning resources and educational programmes, to use appropriate communication strategies and to build a rapport with students so as to facilitate open communication. In the paradigm change from teacher-oriented to student-centred teaching and learning, they have to adapt their work to the students’ individual learning needs and support them in their individual learning paths. They need to share knowledge of educational initiatives and perspectives for better

2 The term »teacher« in this document includes preschool teachers, primary and secondary school teachers.



teaching in the school team, exchange professional experience, acquisition of knowledge, understanding and development of skills and provide professional support to colleagues. They are responsible for their own professional development and for identifying gaps in their own competences, and common competence framework would greatly facilitate that. Some results may suggest a different understanding of competences across different groups of respondents. Discussions in the focus groups showed that the concept of teacher competences needs to be further discussed; in particular teachers, seem to be insufficiently familiar with the concept. The results of the analysis of the training needs of teachers show that there is a large difference between the results of the assessment of the teachers and the CCoTT and the evaluation by the ETTA SA. ETTA SA think that teachers’ needs for improvement are significantly higher than the teachers themselves think. The spread of results among groups of respondents, which refer to the training needs, is much wider than when ranking the importance of the competences.. An overview of training needs is outlined, which can serve as an input into the development of a new teacher-training strategy. Two competences are seen as far more important than others by all respondents: Foster the development of independence in student learning and Provide learning experiences that promote problem solving, critical thinking, inquiry and creativity. These were assigned the highest level of training need. This shows that the focus of teaching is shifting towards student-centred teaching and learning for a creative and critical individual, but that its application in the classroom still requires support. The list of teachers’ competences was seen as a starting point for discussing which competences teachers need to develop. At different levels of their career path, competences may change: another set of competences might be needed, or simply the same competences at a different level, with a different standard. The aim of this survey was to see how the teachers perceive themselves; the results can be seen as one of the inputs needed in defining the set of standards that will be formalised in the CroQF. Regardless of the composition of the final set, it identifies the important elements to be incorporated. The competence-based TNA questionnaire was integrated into the ettaedu system and can be used for on-line assessments of training needs before preparing the annual ETTA INSETT plans. A detailed analysis of the data collected through the questionnaires for different groups of teaching staff shows that they have different training needs, which have to be taken into account when planning training events. This could lead to more focused, effective and efficient INSETT system with optimal use of available resources. The instruments that have been developed, the database of responses and results of the analysis, can contribute to a significant improvement of the existing procedures for ETTA INSETT planning. This evidence based approach should enhance the INSETT system in Croatia with both quality and transparency


1. Introduction The project "Improving the Quality of In-Service Teacher Training System" is part of a wider endeavour in Croatia to ensure continuous improvement of the education system. The project is designed to strengthen the quality of general education in Croatia at the national level, with a special focus on improving the institutional capacity of the Education and Teacher Training Agency (ETTA). Professional development of teachers is central to improving the quality of education in schools. Quality of education should in principle be guaranteed by a high standard of initial education, apprenticeship and continuing professional development of teaching and non-teaching staff. The ETTA is a public institution responsible, among other things, for in-service training of teaching and non-teaching staff in general education, from pre-school to secondary school level. Long-term development of this activity is directed by the Strategy for In-Service Training of Teaching and Non-Teaching Staff (2009-2013) which, along with years of experience and the existing legislation, serves as a starting point for this project. Changes in education and society place new demands on the teaching profession and the role of the ETTA is to provide efficient and effective in-service training that will enable teaching and non-teaching staff to meet new demands. Teachers are called upon to help young people become fully autonomous learners by acquiring key competences, rather than memorising information. Teachers are required to develop more collaborative and constructivist approaches to learning and are expected to be facilitators and classroom managers rather than instructors. New roles require training in a range of teaching approaches and styles, using the opportunities offered by the new technologies that respond to a demand for individualised learning, in classrooms containing a more heterogeneous mix of young people from different backgrounds and with different levels of ability. As with other modern professions, teaching and non-teaching staff have a responsibility to extend the boundaries of professional knowledge through reflective practice and systematic engagement in continuing professional development (CPD). To equip teaching and non-teaching staff with the necessary competences for their new roles, both a high-quality initial training and a coherent CPD process are required to keep them up to date in a knowledge based society. The system of in-service training should furnish the most important opportunity for this to be achieved. The objective of the project is to raise the quality, effectiveness and relevance of the in-service teacher training system of the ETTA, in support of the professional development of teaching and non-teaching staff. Its aim is to improve the quality of teaching and in turn the development of students’ competences. In this way the realization of the project objective will strengthen the general education system in the Republic of Croatia. The final outputs of the project will be a new ETTA INSETT Strategy 2014-2020 with a blueprint for an improved system of in-service training for teachers and non-teaching staff, ready for implementation and disseminated among the main stakeholders. The activities of the project are centred on three components:

1. An analysis of the current ETTA INSETT system and the existing Training Needs; 2. Preparing the ETTA INSETT Strategy 2014-2020 based on the INSETT and TNA report with

recommendations; 3. Developing an improved INSETT System.



Component 1 activities focused on the analysis of the existing ETTA INSETT system, taking into account different perspectives and the views of the most important stakeholders, so as to secure relevant data and feedback, in particular on its quality, timing and relevance.


2. Background The enhancement of INSETT is recognised as a strategic priority for Croatia’s national social and economic development. The Strategic Development Framework (SDF) states that ‘’continuous improvement of the competences of teaching staff’’ is required so that the education system will develop the knowledge and skills required by the labour market for development (SDF, 2006). The commitment to INSETT was also reflected in the Education Sector Development Plan (2005-2010), which ranked ‘’continuing professional training of teachers’’ as one of the four key development priorities for the sector. This assignment will support the Government of Croatia in implementing its commitment to reforming the INSETT system and ensuring the delivery of high quality, relevant, effective in-service teacher training. There were some changes after the elections in 2011. A set of new policy documents dealing with education (Strategy of Governmental Programmes 2012-14; MoSES Strategic Plan for 2013-15; Programme of the Government of Republic of Croatia, 2011-2015; Guidelines for Education, Science and Technology Strategy) address the in-service training of the educational staff. They underline that teachers’ professional competences are very important for the development of high quality education in Croatia. The MoSES recognizes that the professional development of teachers is central to raising quality in the schools. The Ministry and the Government also recognize the crucial role that competent and well-educated teaching staff play in determining the quality of education provided in the schools.

The ETTA INSETT strategy for the period 2009 -2013 describes the issues with which the ETTA is dealing in the in-service training of educational staff. It also sets the directions and mid-term objectives, priorities and suggested changes for ETTA in INSETT. The Strategy recognises the issues in the in-service training of educational staff not only as one of the priority tasks of a modern society, but also as the right and responsibility of all those involved in the process of education. It proposes guidelines and ways of organising in-service training in the ETTA context, as well as in the wider Croatian context, with financial underpinning from the national budget. There has been an institution for teacher support since 1864. In 2006, by the Act on the Education and Teacher Training Agency, the Institute of Education of the Republic of Croatia was renamed and restructured as the Education and Teacher Training Agency. In addition to the provision of INSETT to all teachers in all the phases of general education, ETTA is also responsible for the certification of novice teachers, for monitoring teachers and school counsellors (for promotion purposes), and participation in national school curricula development processes, amongst other areas. Usually, ETTA programmes are training events, delivered by ETTA advisers3 or by a network of experienced teachers who are trained and supported by ETTA senior advisers (SA) to offer training events at the regional level. They are called County Co-ordinators of Teacher Training (CCoTT) and they deliver training events three times per year. The number of ETTA SA was recently reduced to 104. The number of CCoTT, supported by the ETTA is 1,604. Each of them ran three training events in the year 2011. All in-service training events for primary and secondary school teachers are planned during non-teaching days; in practice this means during spring, winter and summer holidays for students. Such one-day in-service training does not disturb the organization of the teaching process, but it limits the time available to the ETTA SA for implementation. For other target groups, in-service training can be organized during teaching days, except Saturdays. CCoTT also organize in-service training events during teaching days, mainly in the afternoon. The

3 The term »adviser« is used throughout the document both for advisers and senior advisers, that work in ETTA.



disadvantage of this model is that all ETTA SA have in-service training events at the same time, and within such a time frame the participants cannot attend several in-service sessions simultaneously, so that it is difficult for the ETTA SA to cover the whole population in their charge. All in all there is a critical need for improvement of the INSETT system in Croatia, and the development of new strategies, plans and programmes through which all teachers may gain the skills and knowledge they need. Component 1 of the project focused on an analysis of the current ETTA INSETT system and an assessment of existing training needs. This report presents the results obtained, looking at different facets of the existing system. The analysis of quantitative and qualitative aspects did not take into account any of the training events offered by other providers, as that is beyond its scope.


3. Methodology The analysis of the ETTA INSETT system was carried out in a number of stages. It followed the logical sequence of (a) collecting the information needed to obtain a clear picture of the existing ETTA INSETT system from a technical viewpoint, (b) collecting information on the perception of the system by its users and (c) a users’ training needs assessment (TNA).

3.1. Analysis of documents and the on-line information system

The first step was to review existing documents on teacher in-service training in Croatia, including annual reports, annual planning, the existing ETTA strategy, national and regional studies on teacher in-service training, policy documents and some research papers, including a PhD on school director’s training. The aim was to secure an overview of the existing system of teacher in-service training. More details of ETTA activities were collected from the ettaedu information system, which was established in 2010 with the aim of publicising training events, to which teachers and non-teaching staff can apply and for which ETTA SA and CCoTT print official electronic attendance certificates, replacing the traditional versions. The system allows for the export of collected data and for carrying out different analyses.

3.2. The survey and TNA

The main source of information about the qualitative aspects of the system was based on questionnaires, referring to the training events attended in 2011 and soliciting the opinion of different groups of educational staff on, and their experience with, the present ETTA INSETT system, as well as their preferences for training provisions. It included five groups of respondents: teachers, school counsellors4, school directors, county coordinators of teacher training (CCoTT) and ETTA senior advisors. The first (general) part of the questionnaires was designed to provide information on the existing system of INSETT run by the ETTA and to see how the five groups perceive and experience the INSETT system, how it meets their needs and what they think about its relevance and quality. The second part of the questionnaires asked the target groups about the importance of teachers’ competences, how respondents see them and what the teachers’ needs are for training in those competences. The first two parts of the questionnaire were meant for all of the five groups. For ETTA SA, school directors and CCoTT the questionnaire had an additional third part addressing managerial competences. In the second part of the questionnaire a list of teachers’ competences is presented, which is based on the competence framework (CF) developed, agreed upon and documented5 in the Regional Network of Local Learning Institutions (adult education) project (EuropeAid/127475/D/SER/HR), implemented in Croatia during the period 2010-2012. The respondents were asked to grade each of the competences on a four-point scale assessing its importance for teaching and their need for training to improve that competence.

4 The term »school counsellor« means non-teaching staff in schools and includes psychologists, pedagogues, defectologists, social pedagogues and school librarians (stručni suradnik). 5 ROEDERS, P. (2011) Adult Educators' competences related to the European Qualifications Framework In: Matijević, M. & Žiljak,T. (Eds.), Andragogical Profession and Competences of Experts in Adult Education. Book of Proceedings. Zagreb: AVETAE.



Draft questionnaires for the five groups were prepared, discussed and reviewed during the meetings of the Working Group (WG) 1, as a result of which agreement on their content was reached and implementation could begin. The final version of the questionnaires is attached in Annex 1 to this report. The proposed CF was accepted by the working group and is utilised in all the five questionnaires. Teachers and CCoTTs answer directly and estimate their own competences, while the other groups assess the competences of the teachers under their responsibility (in case of school directors), or teachers as colleagues in the same school (in case of school counsellors), or teachers in general (in case of ETTA SA). There were different options for the implementation of the training needs assessment (TNA). The general agreement was that it should be an on-line survey, saving time and avoiding errors. It was also agreed that it should be part of the ettaedu on-line application system for training events (http://www.ettaedu.eu), giving the opportunity for later re-application of the survey, should the ETTA decide to use it at a later date. The surveys and questionnaires can be activated or deactivated by the portal administrator, specifying the start and end date of the survey. The on-line questionnaires were developed and implemented by adding them to the existing system. The questionnaires could only be answered when the user logged into the system, which prevented the same user from answering more than one questionnaire. The questionnaires were anonymous and all the information collected in this study has been treated confidentially. The first version of the on-line questionnaires was piloted by a small group of experts for the first feedback and any errors that were spotted were corrected. In the next phase they were sent to the members of the WG 1 and some ETTA SA who are participating in the present project. All comments were taken into consideration and the final version of the five questionnaires (teaching staff, school counsellors, school directors, CCoTT and ETTA Advisers) was prepared and uploaded onto the ettaedu.eu web portal. A motivation letter was prepared for all five groups, signed by the ETTA Director and the project Team Leader. E-mail messages were also prepared and sent to the five groups using a number of tools. It was agreed with CARNet that messages would be sent by their operator to the school e-mail addresses (in order to prevent spamming) of all teaching and non-teaching staff in the CARNet database (45.000). This e-mail message included the motivation letter as an attachment. The project sent a letter to the schools and school directors, also through CARNet, including the motivation letter as well. This proved to be an effective and efficient method. The members of the WG 1 also notified the teaching and non-teaching staff under their responsibility (school directors, school counsellors, and CCoTT). Information about the survey was also placed on different portals: skole.hr, ucitelji.hr and the official web page of the ETTA, as well as in the weekly magazine “Školske novine“. The questionnaires were activated on October 19, 2012. The messages with a motivation letter were sent to teaching and non-teaching staff on October 23, 2012 by CARNet and to the ETTA SA on October 29, 2012 by the ETTA management. The deadline for responses was set for November 10, 2012. The survey was implemented using a “non-probability” sample, as messages with the invitation letter were sent to all the education staff in the CARNet database and to all the schools and school directors together with the information about the survey and the links to the different questionnaires. All fully completed responses were taken into account. In total 7944 teachers, 546 school directors, 1088 school counsellors, 647 CCoTT and 71 ETTA SA completed the questionnaire. The responses were exported from the ettaedu system to an Excel table and imported into SPSS statistical software for analysis. Some questionnaires were submitted after the final deadline, but these have



not been taken into consideration in the present analysis. However, there is an option for the ETTA to re-analyse the data. Additional information about the INSETT was collected during a few (5) focus group meetings representing the same groups as in the questionnaires (teachers, school directors, school counsellors, CCoTT and ETTA SA). For each meeting 15 representatives of the groups were invited; however, the attendance was almost always less than anticipated. The focus group meetings were held in all the four ETTA locations (Zagreb, Rijeka, Split and Osijek). The main aim of the meetings was to carry out a SWOT analysis of the present ETTA INSETT system and gather additional information that could illuminate the results of the questionnaire analysis.


4. Analysis of data in the ettaedu system Analysis of the INSETT system in Croatia is restricted to the analysis of the training events organized and/or coordinated by ETTA, for which the participants receive certificates of attendance. This is also the focus of the present project; consequently, training events organised by other providers have not been included in the analysis. The main source of information was the ettaedu system, which was developed and implemented in mid-2010 to help both organisers and participants in the preparation and implementation of teacher training events, and to enable ETTA to monitor this area of their responsibility. The first version of ettaedu became available in June 2010. The number of users increased each year as more training events were offered through the system. By now there are more than 60.000 registered users, though not all of them come from the education sector. The latest data are as follows, by category of newly registered members per year: Table 1: Registered ettaedu users (from the education sector) Registered users 2010 2011 2012 Total

registered Total nr of teachers in

Croatia6

% registered in ettaedu

Pre–primary school teacher 405 3,344 2,997 6,746 10,466 64.5 Primary school teacher 10,020 16,428 6,943 33,391 32,394 103.1 Secondary school teacher 1,644 6,430 4,120 12,194 24,737 49.3 Assistant teacher7 2 92 101 195 n/a n/a School counsellor 1,410 2,303 1,016 4,729 n/a n/a School director 452 1,177 474 2,103 n/a n/a Total 13,933 29,774 15,651 59,358 67,597 87.8 The percentage of registered teachers in comparison to the overall number of teachers can only be calculated on the basis of the most recent general information (start of the school year 2011-2012), issued by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (CBS). The CBS data can only be used for a rough estimation of the participation of teaching and non-teaching staff in in-service training, since they are not specified for school directors, school counsellors and assistant teachers and furthermore they refer to the situation of a year before the survey was carried out. Looking at the total number of teachers (67,597), it can be concluded that the majority of the teachers (87.8%) are in the ETTA database and that they attended at least one training event. It is also clear that primary school teachers are most interested in attending ETTA INSETT events, whereas their secondary school colleagues show a lower interest. The pre-primary school teachers are in between these two. That the percentage of registered primary school teachers exceeds 100% may be due to the steadily growing number of teachers or other, unknown, reasons. Overall 6,706 training courses were organized from June 2010 to November 2012, with a total of 231,260 participants.

The ettaedu system consists of the following elements: • Training courses. Training organisers design professional training courses and publish them in the

system. Users can sign up for the training courses and after their completion ETTA advisers confirm their participation. The users’ registration/cancellation for a training course is confirmed via an automatic e-mail message. The providers/organisers of the courses are:

6 Figures at the start of the school year 2011-2012; Source: Statistical Information (2012). Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 7 In Croatian language: Pomoćni odgojno-obrazovni radnik



o ETTA Advisors/Senior Advisors o ICT edu o Mentors/advisers8 o CCoTT

• Users. They must be registered to be able to use all the functions of the system. They can update their personal data at any time. There are also users with additional rights:

o Administrator – can edit all the data and can edit the users’ rights o ETTA Adviser/Senior Advisor – can design and edit training courses, prepare reports, provide

certificates and archive training events o Questionnaire editor – can design questionnaires o CCoTT – can design and edit training courses, prepare reports, provide certificates and

archive training events • Surveys. • Competitions. Administrators can edit information on competitions; users can enter the number of

students who will participate. • Frequently asked questions and instructions • Reports

o ETTA Advisors and Senior Advisors o CCoTT

• General data o Types of institutions o Institutions o Professional Profiles o Subject areas o ETTA Advisers/Senior Advisers

There were some problems with the introduction of the IT supported system, as some of the users do not have basic IT knowledge and do not understand the function of the user name and password. They often mix user names and passwords from other systems (logon to personal computer, “e-matice” and so on). To help mitigate these problems, detailed instructions were prepared for users (how to register and sign in, how to sign up for a training course and everything else they need to know about the system). There is also a link to a ‘frequently asked questions’ (FAQs) section, providing information for troubleshooting, collected during direct guidance of users of the system. The number of different categories of educational staff per ETTA regional units, as registered in ettaedu, is given in the following table: Table 2: ettaedu users per regional offices and year of registration Users 2010 2011 2012 Total Pre–primary school teacher 405 3,344 2,997 6,746

Not defined9 2 7 9 Osijek 73 507 453 1,033 Rijeka 45 593 663 1,301 Split 16 404 679 1,099 Zagreb 271 1,838 1,195 3,304

Primary school teacher 10,020 16,428 6,943 33,391 Not defined 8 12 20

8 Mentors and advisers can provide school-based trainings. 9 »Not defined« signifies either no data available or ambiguous data given by the user.



Users 2010 2011 2012 Total Osijek 1,767 3,564 1,572 6,903 Rijeka 1,075 2,233 1,017 4,325 Split 1,061 3,757 1,615 6,433 Zagreb 6,117 6,866 2,727 15,710

Secondary school teacher 1,644 6,430 4,120 12,194 Not defined 3 5 8 Osijek 400 1,110 875 2,385 Rijeka 141 966 495 1,602 Split 289 1,425 756 2,470 Zagreb 814 2,926 1,989 5,729

Assistant teacher 2 92 101 195 Osijek 16 14 30 Rijeka 1 14 21 36 Split 1 17 23 41 Zagreb 45 43 88

School counsellors 1,410 2,303 1,016 4,729 Not defined 1 1 3 5 Osijek 291 344 179 814 Rijeka 177 322 147 646 Split 265 496 248 1,009 Zagreb 676 1,140 439 2,255

School director 452 1,177 474 2,103 Osijek 108 241 64 413 Rijeka 79 110 100 289 Split 66 268 116 450 Zagreb 199 558 194 951

Total 13,933 29,774 15,651 59,358 Without access to complete data on the numbers of teachers and non-teaching staff, it is not possible to assess the ratio of the education staff registered in the ettaedu system in the different regions. The number of CCoTT varies in the regional offices of ETTA, as shown in the table below. Table 3: Number of CCoTT per regional office and per year of registration

Users – county coordinators 2010 2011 2012 Total Primary school teacher 559 335 24 921

Osijek 117 73 7 193 Rijeka 98 49 5 151 Split 85 92 3 181 Zagreb 259 121 9 391

Secondary school teacher 178 239 22 442 Osijek 39 40 2 82 Rijeka 24 51 3 78 Split 38 47 2 87 Zagreb 77 101 15 195

School Counsellor 108 50 10 168 Osijek 25 8 2 35 Rijeka 16 8 2 26 Split 17 17 5 39 Zagreb 50 17 1 68

School director 31 37 5 73 Osijek 6 5 1 12 Rijeka 5 5 1 11 Split 3 11 1 15 Zagreb 17 16 2 35

Total 876 661 61 1,604 To obtain a rough impression of how many “customers” (teaching and non-teaching staff) are “served” per CCoTT and ETTA SA, ratios were calculated for each region. As no data were available on the total number of



teachers per region, these figures can only be based on the number of teachers registered in the ettaedu system. In fact, those figures tend to better reflect the reality, as the teachers who are not registered in the ettaedu system are the ones who anyhow are not served by the training providers in the ETTA INSETT system. On average each CCoTT is responsible for 37 educational staff. There are some differences, however. Compared to the rest, the numbers are higher for primary school teachers. The figures for the CCoTT under the regional office in Rijeka are generally lower and for those under the central office in Zagreb higher than for the other two regional offices. Looking at the number of educational staff for each ETTA SA, the emerging pattern of figures is quite similar. The average is 571 and comparably the SA in the central office in Zagreb have the highest number: 630. The figure for the regional office in Osijek is slightly above average and the regional ETTA office in Rijeka has the lowest in this case too. In practice these figures are higher for most of the ETTA SA. Each of them is a subject or subject area expert and is in charge of the organization of in-service training events for 800 to 1200 educational workers in that subject/area. Taking into consideration the fact that each ETTA SA has a number of other tasks as well, the figures are indicative for the workload of the ETTA SA. The figures may indicate an imbalance in the workloads of ETTA SA and CCoTT among the four ETTA offices. The regional ETTA office in Rijeka seems to have the most favourable figures; however, it has to be remembered that this office covers the most remote areas of Croatia, in the mountains and in some islands. In Component 3 of the project, these ratios will be analysed in more detail. The table below summarises the figures. Table 4: Ratios of educational staff per CCoTT and per ETTA SA

Users Number of educational

staff/CCoTT Number of educational

staff/ETTA SA Primary school teachers 36.26 Osijek 35.58 Rijeka 28.45 Split 35.54 Zagreb 39.87 Secondary school teachers 27.59 Osijek 29.09 Rijeka 20.54 Split 28.39 Zagreb 29.38 School counsellors 28.15 Osijek 23.26 Rijeka 24.85 Split 25.87 Zagreb 33.16 School directors 28.81 Osijek 34.42 Rijeka 26.27 Split 30.00 Zagreb 27.17 ETTA Overall average 37.01 570.75 Osijek Overall average 35.85 586.33 Rijeka Overall average 30.71 377.67 Split Overall average 35.72 487.67 Zagreb Overall average 40.52 630.05

The following table gives the number of participants at training events provided by different categories of organiser. Due to the continuous decrease of funds for in-service trainings on the level of CCoTT and increase of the total number of CCoTT, the minimum of in-service trainings they organize decreased from 4 (2010) to 2 (2013). However, the total number of trainings on the level of CCoTT increased. At the county level the



maximum number of participants in the training events was 50 to 90, while training events organized by the ETTA SA could take up to a couple of hundred participants, depending on the type of event. It can be seen that ETTA itself attracts nearly as many participants at their events as CCoTT (while the number of CCoTT is 1604, there are only 104 ETTA advisers10). While some training events are organised by other institutions or organisations and ETTA SA only co-ordinate and monitor the events, this still requires their time. Table 5: Participation at training events per regional offices and year of event

Year 2010 2011 2012 Total Training event - ETTA 3,461 37,895 54,074 95,430

Not defined11 10 20 30 Osijek 686 7,703 10,984 19,373 Rijeka 130 5,623 7796 13,549 Split 204 6,648 10,637 17,489 Zagreb 2,441 17,911 24,637 44,989

Training event - ICT Edu 4,426 4,426 Not defined 1 1 Osijek 758 758 Rijeka 977 977 Split 806 806 Zagreb 1,884 1,884

Training event – mentors/advisers (organised in schools) 2,497 2,497 Osijek 554 554 Rijeka 383 383 Split 276 276 Zagreb 1,284 1,284

Training event - CCoTT 28,330 84,778 113,108 Not defined 7 29 36 Osijek 4,099 15,886 19,985 Rijeka 3,336 10,442 13,778 Split 4,986 13,422 18,408 Zagreb 15,902 44,999 60,901

Total 3461 66,225 145,775 215,461 It is also interesting to see how many training events the educational staff attends annually. The table below gives the data for three years, and it reveals that some teachers (according to the ettaedu database) attended more than 30 events in a single year! Table 6: Number of participations at training events per year

Category 2010 2011 2012

Min Max Min Max Min Max Pre–primary school teacher 1 1 1 11 1 17 Secondary school teacher 1 5 1 28 1 31 Primary school teacher 1 3 1 13 1 24 Assistant teacher 1 4 1 14 School counsellor 1 4 1 20 1 27 School director 1 3 1 13 1 21 Highest value mentioned 1 5 1 28 1 31 The analysis also revealed that some ETTA Advisers/Senior Advisors organize a larger number of training events. Slightly more than 25% of the ETTA staff organizes more than 20 training events per year. The themes

10 The number of 104 ETTA SA was correct at the time of implementation of this analysis; the number is steadily decreasing and at the time of finalising the report (February 2013), the total number of ETTA SA had been reduced to 100. 11 »Not defined« signifies either no data available or ambiguous data given by the user.



of these events are mostly special needs education, pre-school education, religion, biology, chemistry, courses for lower-primary school teachers, integrative supervision, courses for School Counsellors and ICT. Other institutions carry out most of these training events and ETTA is simply a co-organiser. It also provides certification, but the responsibility still lies with ETTA Advisers/Senior Advisors.


5. Analysis of part 1 of the questionnaires: appreciation of the INSETT system The data collected in the survey on in-service teacher training represents the largest sample of education staff collected in Croatia to date. It allows for different kinds of analysis to be performed, comparing the five groups of teaching and non-teaching staff that were defined as focus groups for the analysis (teachers, school counsellors, school directors, CCoTT and ETTA Senior Advisers), reviewing their answers to common questions and providing correlations between different responses. The aim of the present analysis was to obtain an overview of the existing INSETT system from the perspective of these five groups and to compare the responses of the five groups so as to identify any significant differences and/or similarities. The aim of this part of the analysis was to isolate important and/or critical factors that would need attention in the preparation of the ETTA strategy on INSETT for 2014-2020.

5.1. Introduction

Teachers in pre-schools, primary and secondary schools are the largest and most important group of “clients” in in-service teacher training events, as shown in the tables from the ettaedu information system, where they represent nearly 90% of all registered users. The results of the analysis are presented both in narrative form, and as tables and diagrams. The results of the analysis for each group are compared and discussed, looking for similarities and differences. The discussion and interpretation of the results given in this report originated in the meetings with WG 1, which was involved in all the phases of the preparation, implementation and analysis of the results, a joint meeting of WG 1 and WG 2 (involved in the preparation of the new ETTA strategy) and a meeting with the relevant stakeholders. The questionnaires prepared for the five groups had a common section answered by all respondents, which is summarised and analysed in this chapter. The collected data provide a wealth of information that could be analysed in greater depth, according to the needs of the ETTA. The results of the analysis lead up to a series of conclusions and recommendations, which can feed into the new ETTA strategy 2014-2020. After revision the questionnaire can also be used in the future for similar analyses of the system and TNA.

5.2. General data

5.2.1. Gender

Among the respondents, the percentage of female respondents was 77-92% (the latter in case of the school counsellors). In the category of school directors the response was more balanced, with 53.7% of respondents being female. It is assumed that the response rate of different groups reflects the gender structure of the education sector. It is not possible to provide a comparison at the national level, as statistical data on the gender of educational staff is not available. Table 7: Respondents by gender

Gender Teachers School counsellors School Directors CCoTT ETTA SA Male 16.7 7.6 46.3 16.2 22.5 Female 83.3 92.3 53.7 83.8 77.5 Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%



5.2.2. Age

The distribution by age shows different curves for different groups. ETTA SA are older than the representatives of the other groups and they are all older than 30 years of age. It may also be noticed that CCoTT are generally younger than the others, with 26.1% of them being 29 or younger and less than 10% being older than 50. The distribution by age for teachers follows a normal age curve, indicating that responses from the entire age spectrum have been obtained, which is important for further analysis and comparison of responses between different age groups. Table 8: Respondents by age categories Age Teachers School Counsellors School Directors CCoTT ETTA SA < 25 0.6 0.8 0.2 2.0 25-29 14.6 18.4 8.8 24.1 30-39 33.1 29.0 28.8 42.0 12.7 40-49 30.6 25.6 43.6 24.7 43.7 50-59 16.6 21.7 18.7 7.1 38.0 > 60 4.6 4.5 0.2 2.0 5.6

Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

5.2.3. Work experience

There is a high percentage of school counsellors (nearly 20% with less than 5 years of work experience), higher than in any other group, but the distribution is similar to that of the teachers, with a homogeneous distribution of work experience across the years, both in those with less than 5 years of experience and those approaching retirement. The CCoTT have more work experience compared to the teachers, which shows their seniority. Nearly 90% of ETTA advisers have between 11 and 30 years of work experience. Table 9: Respondents by work experience

Work experience Teachers School counsellors School Directors CCoTT ETTA SA

< 5 15.3 19.8 0.212 1.9

5-10 23.4 24.5 3.3 12.5

11-20 30.0 21.9 21.6 36.5 36.6

21-30 20.9 24.7 41.0 33.1 53.5

31-40 10.5 8.9 33.9 16.1 9.9

Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

5.2.4. Work experience in education

The overall response pattern is similar to the one on the question regarding general work experience. It was to be expected that the representatives of ETTA SA and school directors would have longer professional experience in the education sector, as this is a precondition for the positions they occupy. Also here the CCoTT show their expertise by a longer period of work experience in education, compared to teachers and school counsellors. Comparison of the two tables also shows that most of the respondents have only worked in the education sector.

12 This figure must have been a mistake; probably the respondents misinterpreted the question as referring to the work experience in their present position only. Minimum 5 years of work experience in education is a requirement for the position of a school director.



Table 10: Respondents by work experience in education Work experience in education (years) Teachers School

counsellors School Directors CCoTT ETTA SA

< 5 17.5 22.9 0.213 2.2 1.4 5-10 24.8 26.7 6.2 13.6 5.6 11-20 30.7 22.0 24.2 40.5 45.1 21-30 18.3 20.7 38.5 29.8 40.8 31-40 8.7 7.7 31.0 13.9 7.0 Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

5.2.5. The level of qualification

Nearly 20% of teachers have only a 2-year higher education diploma, more than 15% of school directors and the same proportion of CCoTT in the sample. On the other hand there is a significant number of holders of a post-graduate diploma (in the case of ETTA SA over one third), which shows a high education level among those who advise schools. There are PhD holders in all groups. Table 11: Respondents by the level of qualification

Level of qualification Teachers School counsellors School Directors CCoTT ETTA SA 2-year teacher degree 18.9 1.7 15.8 15.0 graduate 78.1 94.7 78.4 78.7 64.8 postgraduate specialist 1.6 2.0 2.7 2.2 15.5 postgraduate - MA.Sc. 1.2 1.2 2.6 3.4 8.5 Ph.D. 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.8 11.3 Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

5.2.6. Region

Though the data were collected by county, the table below gives aggregated data - the number of participants in the survey according to the regions covered by ETTA’s central and regional offices. The figures in the table represent the percentage of each group of respondents working in a specific region. As training events are organized and coordinated at the level of regional offices, differences between regions were also taken into account in further analyses. The aim was also to see if there are any significant differences between the regions, which might subsequently lead to different recommendations for the organisation of training events. Without having access to precise statistical data on all the teachers, school directors and counsellors, it is impossible to estimate whether the coverage/percentage is representative for the total population. Table 12: Distribution of respondents over the regions

Region Teachers School counsellors School Directors CCoTT ETTA SA ETTA – Zagreb Central Office 48.1 42.1 43.6 49.6 42.3 ETTA – Osijek Regional Office 21.0 24.0 20.9 20.6 19.7 ETTA – Rijeka Regional Office 12.2 13.8 13.9 13.4 18.3 ETTA – Split Regional Office 18.6 20.2 21.6 16.4 19.7 Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

5.2.7. Educational institution – the workplace of the respondents

The table shows the level in the education system at which respondents from different groups work (and in the case of school directors used to work). It is divided into levels of pre-school, lower-primary school (Grades 1 to 4), upper-primary school (Grades 5 to 8), secondary school and teacher in a student’s home (other for the

13 This figure must have been a mistake; probably the respondents misinterpreted the question as referring to the work experience in their present position only. Minimum 5 years of work experience in education is a requirement for the position of a school director.



teachers’ column, while for school counsellors and CCoTT there is no indication of their affiliation). About half of the respondents work in secondary schools. Table 13: Respondents by educational institution

Level in the system Teachers School counsellors CCoTT pre-school 1.4 2.0 1.1 lower primary school 26.0 12.5 19.9 upper primary school 25.0 21.1 24.1 secondary school 46.0 53.7 48.4 other 1.6 10.7 6.5 Total 100% 100% 100%

5.2.8. Subject areas

In answering this question the respondents could select from a list of all subjects taught in school. They are more than 130 in number, so for the purposes of this analysis the data were aggregated into groups of subjects or subject areas. The percentage of responses for each of these groups is given in the table below. Only the answers of teachers are given. The database allows for further analysis of the responses according to the subject taught or the subject area, as required by ETTA SA for planning or analytical purposes. Table 14: Respondents by subject area

Subject area Teachers Classroom teaching 26.0 Mathematics, technical education, informatics 16.3 Croatian language and art 14.0 Sciences 11.9 Social sciences and humanities 11.6 Foreign languages 12.2 Professional subjects 3.7 Pre-school teacher 1.4 School Counsellor – rehabilitation specialist 1.4 Other 1.6 Total 100%

5.2.9. Promotion into the position of mentor or adviser

For teachers, school counsellors and school directors the number of respondents promoted to a higher professional level is the same, while for CcoTT the percentage is significantly higher, showing their higher level of experience and its importance in the process of their selection and appointment. In the case of school directors, the data give their status prior to attaining their present position14. Table 15: Promotion to higher professional levels

Professional level Teachers School counsellors School Directors CCoTT I have not been promoted 85.9 86.5 83.2 42.5 mentor 9.8 9.0 11.9 32.6 advisor 4.2 4.5 4.9 24.9 Total 100% 100% 100% 100%

14 Educators, teachers and school counsellors can be promoted into a higher professional level; mentors (first level) and advisors (second level). Elements of promotion include evaluation of the success of extracurricular professional activities and participation in in-service trainings, with at least 6 years of experience in teaching for mentors and 11 for advisors. Teachers are promoted into mentors and advisors for a period of five years and can be re-elected into the same position.



5.3. Analysis of training events in 2011

5.3.1. Participation in in-service teacher training programmes

The respondents were asked to indicate whether or not they participated in training events as trainees in 2011 and if they did, in how many training events. Please note that for the ETTA SA this question referred to the trainings they organised during 2011, not to the in-service training they attended as part of their professional development. Nearly all the education staff participated (from 98% of teachers up to 99.2% of CCoTT). There is a significantly high percentage of ETTA senior advisers (8.5%), compared to the other groups, who did not record organising any event in the INSETT programmes. Table 16: Participation in in-service teacher training programmes

Attendance Teachers School counsellors School Directors CCoTT ETTA SA Yes 98.0 98.2 99.1 99.2 91.5 No 2.0 1.8 0.9 0.8 8.5 Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

5.3.2. Attendance at ETTA training events (2011, number of events)

The table shows that most of the respondents attended up to 5 programmes in - 2011. The table also reveals that nearly 40% of the ETTA SA organised more than 11 training events in that year. It might be that some of the CCoTT included in their answers also the training events they organised themselves. Table 17: Attendance at ETTA training events (number of events)

Number of training events 2011 - ETTA Teachers School

Counsellors School

Directors CCoTT ETTA SA

0-5 85.8 75.8 83.2 65.8 29.6 6-10 13.4 23.3 16.3 29.2 31.0 11-15 0.6 0.7 0.4 4.5 18.3 16-20 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.5 21.1 Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

5.3.3. Attendance at ETTA training events (hours of teacher training)

Most of the participants attended training courses with a duration of up to 40 hours in 2011. A longer duration was recorded for ETTA SA, with 28.2% of advisers having organised more than 80 hours of training. Nearly 75% of teachers attended up to 20 hours of training organised by ETTA. The new proposal of the regulations for the promotion of teachers requires 20 hours of training annually as the minimum for promotion to the first level. The data show that this could be feasible. It has to be noted that training events organised by the ETTA last 6 to 8 hours and those organised by CCoTT last approximately 3 hours, thus adding to the required minimum of 20 hours that should be accumulated by individual teachers. Table 18: Attendance at ETTA training events (hours of teacher training)

Number of hours 2011 - ETTA Teachers School

Counsellors School Directors CCoTT ETTA SA

0-20 73.7 47.7 48.2 48.8 22.5

21-40 20.0 34.2 35.5 31.4 16.9

41-60 4.2 13.7 12.5 12.2 18.3

61-80 1.3 3.6 2.9 4.6 14.1

81-100 0.8 0.9 0.9 2.9 28.2

Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%



5.3.4. Types of training events attended

The questionnaire asked the respondents what types of training they attended in 2011 (more than one answer was permitted). The results in Table 17 are displayed as percentages of the replies given by all respondents. The events most attended are pedagogical workshops and examples of good practice. Many training events attended were school-based (which reportedly cuts costs for training); nearly 60% were exposed to examples of good practice. Only 10% of training sessions were carried out using e-learning methods. The table is organised according to the ranking list of teachers, but it also shows differences between groups. As a form of in-service training, plenary sessions are recorded differently among the groups of respondents, in case of teachers they are recorded in 48% of the cases, while in other groups the percentage is much higher, although it is in the last place in all groups according to preferences. Many training events are a combination of different forms, starting with plenary and then moving on to workshops and other forms. Modular training is currently offered for lower-primary school teachers in Zagreb, and for school directors. School and boarding school directors have been attending such in-service trainings for the third year in a row. Primary school teachers in Zagreb have been attending modular in-service trainings continuously since 2008/2009. Supervision and consultation-mentoring are the examples of in-service trainings that ETTA SA mainly prefer. E-learning as a form of training is less frequently represented, mainly cited by teachers and CCoTT (more than 10%) and rarely by ETTA advisers. This is surprising, taking in consideration the generally increasing importance of e-learning as a modality. During their discussions in the focus groups, representatives of the five groups expressed the view that training methods are becoming more active, with plenary sessions reserved for events with a larger number of participants and/or as introductions to training events, rather than as a main form. Table 19: Types of training events attended

Types of training events Teachers School Counsellors

School directors CCoTT ETTA SA

pedagogical workshops 71.0 75.1 64.1 79.8 97.2 good practice examples 58.6 72.6 67.9 81.6 83.1 plenary sessions 48.0 76.5 79.9 72.8 94.4 school-based in-service training 41.4 44.8 40.7 54.9 12.7 modular in-service training 25.3 27.4 50.7 36.6 46.5 field work 12.6 6.4 9.2 19.2 18.3 e-learning 10.1 5.1 8.1 14.5 5.6 school visits 9.5 12.0 20.5 14.8 100.0 other 9.5 10.3 11.2 8.0 1.4 round table 7.9 16.9 21.1 19.2 46.5 consultation-mentoring 7.5 10.7 7.3 15.8 29.6 supervision 3.0 9.3 4.6 3.9 14.1 study visits 3.6 3.9 11.2 7.1 14.1 training for trainers 2.2 4.3 3.3 6.6 12.7

5.3.5. Preference for training event types and methods

The analysis shows that a change of paradigm would be needed, namely from the existing traditional styles and methods of teacher training to ones that efficiently support teacher’s professional development. The table shows that the preferred forms of training are examples of good practice, followed by pedagogical workshops and fieldwork. Plenary sessions are the least attractive for all groups. Consultative-mentoring training is also



preferred by all the groups except for teachers. The picture is similar for supervision, where teachers show the least preference, and which is implemented by a small number of ETTA SA (11). E-learning has a relatively low preference, higher with the ETTA SA and at its lowest with school counsellors. This form of training is increasing in importance, mainly due to its lower cost compared to other forms, and affording a good opportunity for higher quality provision. It is especially appropriate because of its availability for remote areas in Croatia that are less well covered by traditional forms of training (where teachers have to travel greater distances, such as in mountainous areas and from islands). Even more important is the individual approach: it gives a chance for individuals to choose a time for their own training, to set their own pace of learning, to select segments or a level appropriate to their own competences. The analysis of variance shows that there are statistically significant differences between groups. In general, teachers have different preferences from other groups regarding training methods. Table 20: Preference for training event types and methods, using a scale from 1 to 5 (1 – the least; 5 – the highest preference)

Types of trainings/events Teachers School Counsellors

School Directors CCoTT ETTA Advisers

good practice examples 4.67 4.69 4.60 4.71 4.46 pedagogical workshops 4.30 4.27 4.29 4.51 4.66 field work 4.14 4.01 4.17 4.24 3.90 study visits 3.94 3.97 4.17 4.23 3.82 consultation-mentoring 3.88 4.18 4.12 4.16 4.18 school visits 3.88 3.92 4.12 4.08 4.06 school-based in-service training 3.81 3.89 4.23 4.01 3.31 modular in-service training 3.70 3.95 4.20 4.06 4.27 e-learning 3.54 3.32 3.55 3.63 3.11 round table 3.54 3.51 3.84 3.73 3.69 training for trainers 3.43 3.74 3.83 3.86 3.89 Supervision 3.32 3.97 3.84 3.68 3.68 plenary sessions 3.21 3.30 3.31 3.37 3.35

5.3.6. Criteria for selecting in-service training programmes

The analysis shows that for teachers, the primary criteria in selecting in-service training programmes is the importance to the teacher’s own job / educational process, followed by personal growth and development. This is in line with the balance that the educational institution is seeking between the personal needs of a teacher and the needs of the education system.

An interesting result is that school directors select training that is relevant for their school, but only 2.7% select the training that is relevant for implementing the policy of the educational authorities. In fact, the latter is the least relevant criterion for selecting training programmes, though it may be embedded in the first choice (importance for one’s own job and/or educational process), in particular if it is connected to new developments and changes in the education sector, such as new curricula and/or methodology. The school counsellors are very conscious of the needs of the job they perform in their school and cite that as a priority when selecting training programmes.

In only a small proportion of cases are education staff sent for training on the basis of someone else’s decision, implying that it was not their choice. The lowest percentage was with school directors, who are most independent in the selection of their training.



Table 21: Criteria for selecting in-service training programmes (% of responses of each group of respondents)

Criteria Teachers School Counsellors

School directors CCoTT

importance for one’s own job / educational process 94.7 95.4 72.3 96.4

personal growth and development 75.9 78.1 69.0 81.1

implementing the policy of educational authorities 10.2 12.6 2.7 17.3

others send me to in-service training programmes 8.4 6.0 0.0 6.0

Other 3.2 2.8 1.1 1.5

5.3.7. Annual in-service training plans in schools

Judging by the responses of those teachers who answered the questionnaire, it can be concluded that in 18% of the institutions in which they are working there is no annual INSETT plan. A similar response can also be seen in other groups, except for school directors, amongst whom only 8.6% say that they do not prepare an annual training plan. The main questions are: how are annual training plans prepared at the level of an educational institution, who is responsible for them and what approaches are adopted? ETTA prepares an annual INSETT plan, which provides schools with the basis for planning their financial resources. One of the difficulties is that the ETTA annual plan is prepared at the beginning of the calendar year, but this does not coincide with the school year. This may cause problems in co-ordinating the two systems. Table 22: Annual in-service training plans in schools Design of an annual in-service training plan Teachers School Counsellors School directors CCoTT

Yes 81.8 82.7 91.4 83.3

No 18.2 17.3 8.6 16.7

Total 100% 100% 100% 100%

5.3.8. Individual influence on the annual in-service training plan

In general, representatives of all the groups are active participants in designing the annual training plan, as most of them can influence its preparation. The proportion of those who have no influence is very low. The table also shows that most school directors do not exert exclusive influence, which is surprising as they decide on finances and should in principle be the managers of human resources in their school. The percentages of teachers who can exert full influence on the annual training plan and those who cannot influence it are very similar. In general, teachers are active participants in designing their annual training plan, since they feel that they can influence its preparation. The question is only: to what extent and how? Table 23: Individual influence on the annual in-service training plan Influence on the annual in-service training plan Teachers School counsellors School directors CCoTT

completely 17.5 20.8 25.3 24.0

partially 68.3 70.2 72.5 67.4

I cannot 14.2 8.9 2.2 8.7

Total 100% 100% 100% 100%



5.3.9. Design of the annual plan of in-service training in educational institution

All groups think that the school directors value and respect their proposals and needs, and that discussion is a part of the process. The highest percentage of school directors think that respecting personal training plans is the way the annual plans of in-service training are designed. Only one third of the school counsellors and CCoTT who completed the questionnaire think that the annual INSETT plan in the school involves the majority of the educational staff in its preparation. And only half of the teachers and the school directors share the same perception. Table 24: Design of the annual plan of in-service training in educational institution

Design of an annual in-service training plan Teachers School Counsellors School directors CCoTT

respecting personal training plans 56.8 51.1 41.8 48.1

with the participation of the majority of educational workers 49.6 33.2 52.2 30.6

on the basis of suggestions from the school director, without discussion 9.2 6.6 0.7 5.6

other 12.8 15.8 5.5 15.8

5.3.10. Implementation of the annual plan for in-service training

According to the analysis about half of the planned activities are realised in whole or in part. This also depends on the available funds; this is the main lever for realisation, as according to the responses received two thirds depend upon them for participation. It also shows that schools could prepare more realistic plans, which take into consideration the real situation regarding finances in the education sector. As mentioned above, less realistic planning might be the consequence of two different time systems being in operation: the school year for schools and the calendar year for the ETTA. There needs to be coordination between needs and planning at the school level and the ETTA offer. This should be done in stages, which would first provide information on training needs from the schools to the Agency, followed by the ETTA providing training appropriate to those needs, as the next step in the process. Table 25: Implementation of the annual plan of in-service training Implementation of the annual in-service training plan Teachers School

counsellors School directors CCoTT

Completely 27.6 19.4 22.3 30.4

Partially 27.3 32.0 39.9 24.4

Depending on available funds 59.0 66.0 71.4 60.6

According to the decision of the Director 12.3 13.2 4.0 14.4

Other 6.2 6.7 2.7 5.7

5.3.11. Opportunity to participate in all in-service training a respondent is interested in

From the data we can see that between 42% and 52% of the respondents in all groups (except for school directors where only one third of them replied positively) had the opportunity to participate in all the in-service training events in which they were interested. It is difficult to say if the fact that less than half of the respondents can attend all in-service training they are interested in is mainly due to a lack of financial resources or a lack of training courses on offer that meet the interests of the participants. Both factors need attention in an improved INSETT system.



Table 26: Opportunity to participate in all in-service training Participation in in-service training Teachers School counsellors School directors CCoTT

Yes 43.0 41.9 33.9 51.6

No 57.0 58.1 66.1 48.4

Total 100% 100% 100% 100%

5.3.12. Topics and areas that should be more represented

Those topics and areas that should be better represented are presented in table 27. They appear in the table in the order of ranking based on the frequency of responses given by the teachers (the largest group of respondents in the survey). The main interests expressed by the teachers are methodology, work with special needs children (both those with difficulties and gifted), professional content, subject methodology, pedagogy and psychology. The least interesting for them are school management (although the question of classroom management should be explored), education policy and andragogy. Other groups have a slightly different ranking order for topics and areas. For school directors school management is the most important, followed by almost the same list of topics as for teachers. For them, the area of EU in-service teacher training programmes and EU funds, apparently not a priority for other groups, is also very important. All the groups assigned a higher priority to the more specific topics that related to their daily work, and were less interested in topics at the level of the school or education in general. It should be noted that all the gradings are above average (3.00) and more than half of them are ranked as very important. Table 27: Topics and areas that should be more represented, using a Scale from 1 to 5 (1 – the least important; 5 – the most important)

Topics and areas that should be more represented Teachers School counsellors

School directors CCoTT

work with children with special needs (talented) 4.53 4.53 4.44 4.53

Subject knowledge 4.37 4.44 4.30 4.49

work with children with special needs (disabilities) 4.32 4.45 4.19 4.22

Subject methodology 4.31 3.92 4.00 4.46

psychological topics 4.23 4.49 4.25 4.30

pedagogical topics 4.10 4.38 4.20 4.16

application of ICT in teaching 3.87 3.80 4.09 4.00

prevention programmes 3.86 4.28 4.06 3.96

EU INSETT programmes and EU funds 3.82 3.99 4.22 4.07

development of Advisor competences 3.52 3.71 3.74 3.95

General Didactics 3.38 3.42 3.51 3.56

School Management 3.30 3.69 4.46 3.55

Education policy 3.25 3.33 3.74 3.44

Andragogy 3.20 2.96 3.34 3.32

There were statistically significant differences between groups (at the p < .05 level) for certain topics, while others were not statistically significant. These are shown in the table below. Not significant means that the groups agree on the topics and areas that should be better represented.



Table 28: Statistically not significant differences between groups Participation in in-service training - differences

Teachers - School

counsellors

Teachers - School directors

Teachers - CCoTT

School counsellors-

CCoTT

School counsellors -

School directors

School directors -

CCoTT work with children with special needs (talented) X X X X X

Professional content X work with children with special needs (disabilities) X

Subject methodology X X X psychological topics X X X pedagogical topics X X X application of ICT in teaching X X prevention programmes X X EU INSETT programs and EU funds X X

development of Advisor competences X

General Didactics X X X School Management X Education policy X X Andragogy X

5.4. Evaluation of the INSETT provided by the ETTA

The mean values of the responses of the different groups were compared and are shown in the tables below. The statements were graded on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 – strongly disagree; 5 – strongly agree)15. The 5-point scales used in this part of the survey and the one used for school grading in the Croatian education system show a high degree of similarity. This is taken into consideration in the interpretation of the results. A one-way between-groups analysis of variance was also conducted, to explore differences between the groups’ responses. There was a statistically significant difference (at the p < .05 level) for some of the answers, which are described below. Despite reaching statistical significance, the actual differences in mean scores between the groups were quite small.

5.4.1. Attending the INSETT programmes

All the groups supported the statement that they are able to attend all the INSETT programmes they need with an above average rating (3.30 for school counsellors as the lowest and 3.68 for CCoTT as the highest). This is in line with the answers to an earlier question, where half of the respondents said that they can attend all training events. From the results obtained it appears that the school counsellors are not able to attend all the training opportunities they need, which may also be due to the fact that some of these training events are organised by their professional associations. Table 29: Attending the INSETT programmes Teachers School counsellors School directors CCoTT

I am able to attend all in-service training programmes I need. 3.36 3.30 3.42 3.68

15 The figures based on this part of the questionnaire have to be taken with some care, because a bias cannot be excluded. As the questionnaires were included in the ettaedu website, although replies were given anonymously, there may have been a tendency to a more positive evaluation, as all respondents are to some extent dependent on the ETTA.



5.4.2. Fulfilment of professional development needs

The ETTA INSETT system caters best for the professional training needs of the school directors and CCoTT (over 3.70, a rating between ‘good’ and ‘very good’); teachers’ and school counsellors’ needs seem to be accommodated somewhat less. There is no statistically significant difference between teachers and school counsellors and between school directors and CCoTT. All other differences are statistically significant (at the p < .05 level). Table 30: Fulfilment of professional development needs Teachers School counsellors School directors CCoTT Available ETTA in-service training programmes fulfil my professional development needs.

3.45 3.44 3.78 3.72

5.4.3. Fulfilment of personal development needs

Similar responses to the above are also given for personal development, although average grades are lower (for about 0.2 of a grade) than in the professional development offer. Also in this case it appears that the programmes offered by the ETTA meet the professional development needs of school directors and CCoTT to a higher degree than the ones of teachers and school counsellors. There is no statistically significant difference between teachers and school counsellors and between school directors and CCoTT. All other differences are statistically significant (at the p < .05 level). Table 31: Fulfilment of personal development needs Teachers School counsellors School directors CCoTT Available ETTA in-service training programmes fulfil my personal development needs.

3.27 3.20 3.60 3.55

5.4.4. Timing of INSETT

Timing of in-service teacher training outside school hours is rated slightly above average by the teachers and better (by 0.3 of a grade by other groups). Teachers are under pressure if they wish to attend a training event outside that time frame, as the school has to provide a replacement for them and there is no formal system for this in place. There is a statistically significant difference between teachers and all other groups (at the p < .05 level). All other differences are statistically not significant. Table 32: Timing of INSETT Teachers School counsellors School directors CCoTT Available in-service training programmes are organized at an appropriate time. 3.42 3.73 3.77 3.68

5.4.5. Quality of the ETTA in-service training programmes

This statement obtained the highest grading in the entire series. The school directors and CCoTT assigned it a good grade (nearly 4); teachers and school counsellors’ graded it above 3.5. This shows that the education staff evaluates ETTA’s offer as above average, between ‘good’ and ‘very good’. The CCoTT gave it the highest grade, but they are actively involved in the preparation and implementation of the INSETT programmes, which might create some bias. A similarly high grade was given by school directors, which may be an indication of a good professional development programme for school directors.



There is a statistically significant difference between teachers and all other groups and between school counsellors and all other groups (at the p < .05 level). All other differences are statistically not significant. Table 33: Quality of the ETTA in-service training programmes Teachers School counsellors School directors CCoTT ETTA offers quality in-service training programmes. 3.63 3.74 3.89 3.94

5.4.6. ETTA support to INSETT

The provision of the support expected from the ETTA in the INSETT process is also seen as above average (3.50 and higher), showing that the education staff can rely on help and support from the ETTA advisers. This was also confirmed during the focus group meetings as one of the strengths of the Agency. Day to day support and communication with ETTA advisers is appreciated. The highest grade was given by school directors, which may suggest that their link with ETTA is the strongest. There is a statistically significant difference between (a) school directors on one hand and teachers and school counsellors on the other and (b) between CCoTT on one hand and teachers and school counsellors on the other (at the p < .05 level). All other differences are statistically not significant. Table 34: Support of the ETTA in-service training programmes process Teachers School counsellors School directors CCoTT ETTA provides the expected support in the in-service teacher training process 3.50 3.55 3.82 3.71


6. Focus group discussions: SWOT analysis While preparing the questionnaires for the s analysis of the existing INSETT system, it was decided that respondents would only be allowed to select from a defined set of answers, so no open-ended questions were used. The reason for this decision was the volume of anticipated responses, the short time available for implementation of the survey and the analysis of results and the limited resources available. The construction of the questionnaires allowed us to collect the data needed to secure an overview of the present system, but ran a risk of not obtaining enough insight into, or explanation of, some of the results. As a complementary means of acquiring additional data on the experiences and views of the different groups, and assisting with the interpretation of the results of the questionnaire survey, selected representatives of each group were invited to attend focus group discussions. The meetings with the five focus groups, each representing one of the groups participating in the survey (teachers, school counsellors, school directors, CCoTT ETTA SA), provided an opportunity to discuss in greater depth some of the aspects of the in-service teacher training run by the ETTA, as well as the factors and conditions influencing this segment of the education sector. There were differences between groups in their identification of the internal (strengths, weaknesses) and external (opportunities, threats) factors that are favourable and unfavourable to the ETTA INSETT system and its development, but there were also many similarities. The members of the focus groups did not merely select different factors, but also discussed them in some detail, which helped at a later stage in the interpretation of results. The presentation and discussion of the results of the focus group meetings in the working group also showed that, while ETTA and its experts were aware of the various factors listed, they had never before been so clearly revealed and described. The discussions showed that human resources (i.e. the teachers) are the most important factor, with all their strengths and weaknesses, and that in consequence financing the participation in training events might be the most critical element of the ETTA INSETT system. An overview of the results collected during focus groups discussions of the analysis in the five groups is given in the text below.

6.1. Strengths

The most important strength of the present system of ETTA INSETT is the fact that in-service training opportunities exist, that they are free of charge for the education staff (who do not have to pay for it personally, since funding is provided to the schools as part of the school budget), and that the implementing institution has enough capacity in its present situation to plan, coordinate and manage the programme. ETTA occupies a special position in the system as it is the agency at the intersection of education policies, educational institutions, educational staff and other stakeholders in the education system. The Agency implements the education policies of the state, but it has also an excellent overview of the education system at the level of the schools and individual areas of education. ETTA SA are characterised by their expertise, direct contacts with educational staff, intensive contacts with a collaborating pool of external experts and an organisational memory based on decades of work, which gives the ETTA a solid basis for the preparation and implementation of new INSETT training programmes. The mandate for INSETT is provided in the legislation and makes the Agency the central institution for in-service teacher training. This role is often challenged by a number of other institutions, which offer different training programmes, but under different conditions and without an official recognition for promotion. ETTA



supports some of the programmes offered by such institutions/organisations when they are considered to be important for developments in the education sector. The ettaedu.eu portal, offering both organisers/providers and education staff on-line information about ETTA training events, accessible and transparent applications, confirmation and certificate provision, is a strong tool to help monitor the training events organised under the aegis of ETTA. There is common agreement that human resources are one of the most important strengths of the present INSETT system provided by ETTA. Experts, ETTA SA, provide the necessary support for training organised at various levels – county, national and international. They are motivated and exhibit expertise in the areas they cover. With its network of CCoTT, ETTA is able to provide training that is seen as relevant and necessary by the beneficiaries: educators at the school level. ETTA SA have a general overview of the education system, combining specialized knowledge with experience in different jobs/positions before becoming advisers at the agency, and their experience through contact with educators in schools, professional monitoring and the implementation of education policies defined at the national level. The teachers’ confidence in the advisers responsible for their area is also an important factor. It is sometimes felt that the available potential is not fully used, in particular the CCoTT network, which represents the link between the ETTA and the educators. There is a considerable number of 1,604 CCoTT who plan and provide actual training at the county level. They are seen as competent individuals, who respond to training needs and try to bring them into line with the demands of the education system. Another important strength is the professionalism and expertise of individual teaching and non-teaching staff. They participate and contribute actively in teacher training events, and in many cases they are also part of the cascade training system, when after training they pass on the knowledge they acquired to their colleagues. In-service teacher training is an opportunity and a precondition for the promotion of teachers and school counsellors to different levels along their career path. This is one of the motivating factors, although according to the focus group discussions, a strong intrinsic motivation for professional development is apparent in many teachers who attend training events. It is true that there is still quite a large group of teachers/educators who do not attend any form of training at all; nevertheless, the actual number of registered users (who have attended at least one event) is more than 58,000 and increasing, compared to the estimated number (65,000) of all teaching and non-teaching staff in Croatia.

6.2. Weaknesses

There are a number of weaknesses, with differing levels of importance, which suggest possible areas for improvement. Competences of teachers acquired through the initial education are seen as insufficient for the challenges awaiting them in the education system. This has a direct impact on the in-service training needs of novice teachers who need additional knowledge and skills, particularly in the areas of pedagogy, psychology, didactics, teaching methodology and assessment of learning outcomes. Also in the TNA, these areas are identified as the ones in which teachers need to develop their competences. . This is considered to be a direct consequence of the insufficient links between teacher pre- and in-service training and the lack of a coherent policy of professional development on the national level which would include a common framework of competences for education staff at both novice and advanced level. This competence framework should be the basis for pre-, respectively in-service teacher training programmes, as well as for the definition of standards in the CroQF.



The most influential factor affecting teacher training, also seen as one of the main weaknesses, is financing participation in INSETT events. The budget available in the schools is diminishing (with the financial crisis also taking its toll). There is less money available to invite and remunerate the experts who carry out training (only 1,500 HRK), which makes it difficult to secure good experts and in particular experts from outside the county or the region, as travel costs become the main item of expense. The amount of training provided to educational staff (on the average three training events by CCoTT per year) seems insufficient for their professional development. There is some provision with a hierarchical structure of in-service training using a cascade model (advisors-CCoTT-teachers, school counsellors, school directors). This may be appropriate for conveying information, but definitely not so as part of capacity building for individuals. Some of the workshops are open to too many participants, and in this way their quality is reduced, in particular if the theme under offer requires smaller groups for training to be effective. In an effort to provide training to as many educational staff as possible, a plenary type of organisation may seem attractive. However, each training event dictates its own structure and methodological approach, which in turn determines the maximum number of participants who can profit from the training. Mentoring of novice teachers is regulated by law. A system of mentoring of new teachers in schools exists, but it is seen in most cases as a very formal or at least a formalised task. Except in rare cases, mentors provide support to novice teachers on the basis of their own experience. No specific training is offered to mentors of new teachers; good mentoring skills increase the quality of the induction process and by extension the quality of teaching after the induction period. Mentoring, as induction of new school directors, still does not exist and is not regulated by law. Given that there is no mandatory in-service training of school directors before they take up their position, the lack of mentorship is one of the unresolved problems. Similar concerns are being evoked with in-service training for the post-promotion levels of mentors or advisors for teachers and school counsellors, as no system has been developed to address their specific needs. It is also linked to the “underutilization” of mentors and advisors in schools and other education institutions. Except for promotion to higher levels, which also brings a higher salary, their role in the system has not been defined and their availability as a resource is often lost. As mentioned above, a paradigm shift is needed, from the traditional approach to pre-service and in-service training level towards CPD. This would allow the planning of individual professional development on the basis of defined competences, with standards set at different levels, taking into account not only the needs of the system, but also the personal developmental needs of individuals. It seems that there is a lack of a clear strategy for the education system as a whole, and the objectives that the system should achieve. This also leads to inconsistencies in the system of in-service teacher training, without clear long-term objectives and strategies for the training system itself. Article 115 of the Primary and Secondary Education Act defines the main components of in-service training programmes. Quality assurance in the present INSETT system could be improved, however, by the establishment of a system of programme accreditation. Although evaluation questionnaires are used for training events, feedback on the quality and relevance of INSETT is presently not used and should be systematically collected, as it is important for the future planning of training activities. Evaluation of the impact of training events on teachers’ performance in schools is also lacking, which is the responsibility of schools.



Motivation is also mentioned as an important issue. In many cases, there is a lack of intrinsic motivation for professional development in teachers, and the incentive system in the education system is not sufficient. As a consequence, some of them have never participated in INSETT. Another important theme for discussion is the training provided by providers other than ETTA. A number of training opportunities are on offer, the majority of them fee-paying, covering topics and areas outside the c list of ETTA INSETT programmes. The teaching and non-teaching staff who attend these, often in their free time, meet the cost of their participation from their own resources. Some of the training is compulsory for certain groups (for example for psychologists to obtain or retain a licence). Besides securing funding (in most cases they are quite expensive) there is the important issue of recognition of the certificates obtained, as they are not officially sanctioned and the training obtained is not accredited in the promotion process. This area needs both attention and a policy decision.

6.3. Opportunities

Quite a number of opportunities arise from the in-service teacher training run by the ETTA. The most important relates to Croatia’s membership of the EU in mid-2013, with increasing funding opportunities from EU resources, in particular the European Social Fund. This will open up possibilities for projects in the framework of EU Lifelong learning programmes, mobility of staff, exchanges and other forms of co-operation with other EU member states. Exchanges of experience, good practices and new developments in education are all areas that will lead to opportunities for the further development of education staff in Croatia. Co-operation between ETTA and other professional institutions, associations and organisations and other providers of INSETT is important for the continuing improvement of the in-service teacher training system. Different options can be explored to provide a comprehensive training system with clear divisions and roles for all the actors. Recognition of formal and informal training outside the ETTA would significantly contribute to the development of in-service training embedded in a wider CPD system within a life-long learning (LLL) approach. There is an unused wealth of expertise and experience in mentors and advisers in the education system. They should be used to help and guide fellow teachers, and should be given appropriate training for this role. Visibility is an important element in the education system. It should be linked to educational achievements, the perceptions of the teaching staff and communication with the wider public through the media, with the aim of communicating new developments in education proactively, not simply reacting when problems arise. By its mandate, ETTA has a privileged role in the INSETT system in Croatia. This should be explored further and developed so as to situate the Agency in a future-oriented landscape of in-service teacher training, offering high quality and attractive training, which responds both to the needs of the system and to the needs of individuals. E-learning is offering great opportunities for training and should be used more: not only deploying e-learning platforms, but also making use of other Web 2.0 based tools that allow more teachers to follow a variety of events. In particular, this is important for schools in remote areas. The introduction of licensing may become an extrinsic motivation for teachers, increase the need for in-service teacher training and further define the legal obligation for teachers to attend in-service training as part of the process of quality assurance in education. Awareness among educational staff should be increased of the need for lifelong learning, with a range of different learning opportunities, including a system of CPD.



6.4. Threats

The most pronounced threat is the constantly diminishing budget for in-service teacher training, which prohibits organisations from arranging high quality training events that meet teachers’ needs. This is linked to an overall lack of resources. Some other threats have also been recognized. One of these is that the competences of some school directors are inadequate. This can be seen as an important threat, because it influences the entire school environment. INSETT in general is based on the existing curricula, and training plans and programmes that are partially out-dated; the development of the INSETT is not keeping pace with educational innovation. There is often fragmentation in INSETT, as training events are offered as individual events, rather than as part of a comprehensive professional development programme. Modular programmes are the exception. A final important threat is that the development of programmes created within the framework of various projects is followed by a lack of funding once the project is over, putting the sustainability of these programmes at risk.


7. Analysis of part 2 of the questionnaires: teachers’ competences The second part of the questionnaire related to the competences of the educational staff. Competences are defined as a cluster of related abilities, commitments, knowledge, and skills that enable a person to perform a (professional) task effectively. The teachers were asked to assess the importance of a given set of competences for teaching and the school activities of the educational staff. They were asked to specify the importance of each competence in teaching (on the scale 0 to 3, 0 – not important at all; 3 – high importance) and the need for improvement (on the same scale 0 to 3, 0 – no need at all; 3 – high level of need). The list of competences applied in the questionnaire is based on frameworks for teachers’ competences in several other European countries, and is given in the table below. The aim of the analysis is to see how the education staff in general education perceive the proposed list of competences, on the assumption that the results obtained may serve as a basis for the new framework of teachers’ competences. Teachers and CCoTT were asked to assess the importance for their own work of the stated competences for teaching and school activities, based on their personal perspective, while school counsellors, school directors and ETTA SA were asked to assess the competences of the teachers they are supervising or collaborating with. Table 35: List of core competences and sub-competences CORE COMPETENCE 1: FACILITATING LEARNER-CENTRED INNOVATIVE LEARNING & WORK 1.1 Foster the development of independence in student learning. 1.2 Provide learning experiences that promote problem solving, critical thinking, inquiry and creativity 1.3 Initiate appropriate and purposeful opportunities for students to work collaboratively. 1.4 Integrate use of ICT and audio-visuals to enhance student learning. 1.5 Clearly define and present the aim of a lesson. 1.6 Identify and respond sensitively to the learning needs of an individual or group of students. 1.7 Develop and implement an exemplary programme to address the specific learning needs of an individual or group of students. 1.8 Evaluate exemplary work strategies used to address the specific learning needs of an individual or group of students. 1.9 Facilitate independent and collaborative learning. CORE COMPETENCE 2: ASSESSING AND MONITORING LEARNING PROCESSES AND OUTCOMES 2.1 Formulate learning outcomes. 2.2 Collect a range of evidence to monitor student learning outcomes. 2.3 Record evidence of student attainment of learning outcomes in order to inform ongoing planning and reporting processes. 2.4 Report student learning outcomes. 2.5 Participate in programme monitoring, recording and reporting activities. 2.6 Develop and apply fair and inclusive practices in assessment and reporting. 2.7 Develop and implement a range of exemplary assessment strategies. 2.8 Review the effectiveness of an exemplary assessment strategy. 2.9 Make consistent judgements on student progress and achievement based on a range of evidence. 2.10 Share knowledge and experience of using exemplary assessment strategies with colleagues. 2.11 Provide comprehensive, relevant information to students and other stakeholders. CORE COMPETENCE 3: DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING PROGRAMMES, SCHEDULES, TRAINING MATERIALS AND DIDACTIC METHODS 3.1 Support the design, implementation and monitoring of the curriculum or institutional policy. 3.2 Support the review of school curriculum or institutional policy. 3.3 Analyse the institute’s learning environment as input for designing programmes and institutional policy. 3.4 Lead the development and implementation of programme design and/or institutional policy. 3.5 Evaluate programmes and institutional policy. 3.6 Convince superiors to provide necessary technical support and additional materials.



CORE COMPETENCE 4: PROVIDING LEARNER GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING 4.1 Direct students to different learning resources and educational programmes. 4.2 Use appropriate communication strategies. 4.3 Build rapport with students to facilitate open communication. 4.4 Carry out individual training needs analyses and adapt the educational programme to students’ individual needs with appropriate support. 4.5 Recognise when to refer students to other services in-house or external and draw upon contacts with external counselling and guidance services. CORE COMPETENCE 5: FORMING PARNTERSHIP WITHIN AND OUTSIDE OWN INSTITUTION 5.1 Build partnerships with members of the wider educational community to support student learning. 5.2 Engage in team planning processes. 5.3 Contribute to team meetings. 5.4 Support the work of the team. 5.5 Motivate team members toward achieving quality outcomes. 5.6 Provide direction for team members. 5.7 Share knowledge of educational initiatives and perspectives to inform classroom practice. 5.8 Empower team members to take responsibility for tasks. 5.9 Promote cooperative decision-making processes. 5.10 Develop collaborative partnerships between the institution and the wider community. CORE COMPETENCE 6: PURSUING OWN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CREATIVITY 6.1 Demonstrate a strong, on-going commitment to professional learning. 6.2 Demonstrate proficiency in ICT for instructional and administrative functions. 6.3 Incorporate the experiences that learners bring from multiple life roles into the educational setting. 6.4 Support the induction of colleagues. 6.5 Share professional experience, knowledge, understanding and skills. 6.6 Provide professional support to colleagues. 6.7 Identify gaps in own competences on the basis of a competence framework analysis. 6.8 Develop and monitor own professional development plan. 6.9 Engage in reflective activities both individually and with others. 6.10 Integrate new educational methods and practices in designing learning arrangements and programmes.

7.1. The importance of teachers’ competences for the teaching profession

A comparison of the ways in which different groups perceive the importance of individual competences in teaching is given in the table below. For easier visual comparison of the results, cells for each competence and each group are coloured according to the following scheme, ranging from the least important to the most important. The scale was selected arbitrarily, from the lowest score to the highest, with colour intensity increasing:

2.00-2.20 2.21-2.40 2.41-2.60 2.61-2.80 2.81-3.00 Table 36: The importance of teachers’ competences in teaching

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Competence 1.1 2.91 2.93 2.91 2.92 2.92 Foster the development of independence in student learning. 1.2 2.89 2.93 2.89 2.94 2.92 Provide learning experiences that promote problem solving, critical thinking, inquiry and creativity 1.3 2.70 2.74 2.69 2.75 2.75 Initiate appropriate and purposeful opportunities for students to work collaboratively. 1.4 2.52 2.47 2.57 2.56 2.32 Integrate use of ICT and audio-visuals to enhance student learning. 1.5 2.71 2.72 2.77 2.82 2.82 Clearly define and present the aim of a lesson. 1.6 2.63 2.69 2.61 2.71 2.70 Identify and respond sensitively to the learning needs of an individual or group of students. 1.7 2.51 2.62 2.55 2.60 2.62 Develop and implement an exemplary programme to address the specific learning needs of an individual or group of

students. 1.8 2.42 2.55 2.49 2.55 2.63 Evaluate exemplary work strategies used to address the specific learning needs of an individual or group of students. 1.9 2.75 2.77 2.71 2.80 2.72 Facilitate independent and collaborative learning.



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Competence 2.1 2.57 2.67 2.71 2.79 2.85 Formulate learning outcomes

2.2 2.53 2.62 2.64 2.71 2.83 Collect a range of evidence to monitor student learning outcomes

2.3 2.38 2.47 2.52 2.55 2.68 Record evidence of student attainment of learning outcomes in order to inform ongoing planning and reporting processes

2.4 2.49 2.59 2.64 2.62 2.66 Report student learning outcomes

2.5 2.29 2.46 2.55 2.45 2.55 Participate in programme monitoring, recording and reporting activities

2.6 2.43 2.51 2.55 2.61 2.76 Develop and apply fair and inclusive practices in assessment and reporting

2.7 2.37 2.48 2.51 2.55 2.73 Develop and implement a range of exemplary assessment strategies.

2.8 2.68 2.72 2.74 2.78 2.73 Review the effectiveness of an exemplary assessment strategy

2.9 2.66 2.70 2.75 2.74 2.76 Make consistent judgements on student progress and achievement based on a range of evidence

2.10 2.53 2.60 2.58 2.59 2.58 Share knowledge and experience of using exemplary assessment strategies with colleagues

3.1 2.48 2.63 2.72 2.64 2.59 Support the design, implementation and monitoring of the curriculum or institutional policy

3.2 2.25 2.44 2.58 2.41 2.45 Support the review of school curriculum or institutional policy

3.3 2.36 2.53 2.65 2.50 2.32 Analyse the institute’s learning environment as input for designing programmes and institutional policy.

3.4 2.19 2.43 2.62 2.38 2.23 Lead the development and implementation of programme design and/or institutional policy.

3.5 2.23 2.49 2.62 2.44 2.42 Evaluate programmes and institutional policy.

3.6 2.63 2.59 2.61 2.72 2.42 Convince superiors to provide necessary technical support and additional materials.

4.1 2.83 2.85 2.85 2.89 2.77 Direct students to different learning resources and educational programmes

4.2 2.75 2.81 2.73 2.84 2.82 Use appropriate communication strategies.

4.3 2.88 2.88 2.86 2.92 2.85 Build rapport with students to facilitate open communication.

4.4 2.68 2.81 2.71 2.77 2.85 Carry out individual training needs analyses and adapt the educational programme to students’ individual needs with appropriate support.

4.5 2.77 2.81 2.69 2.78 2.61 Recognise when to refer students to other services in-house or external and draw upon contacts with external counselling and guidance services.

5.1 2.39 2.38 2.48 2.48 2.41 Build partnerships with members of the wider educational community to support student learning.

5.2 2.35 2.49 2.55 2.48 2.62 Engage in team planning processes.

5.3 2.33 2.52 2.52 2.48 2.48 Contribute to team meetings.

5.4 2.44 2.60 2.63 2.58 2.59 Support the work of the team.

5.5 2.41 2.59 2.66 2.61 2.55 Motivate team members toward achieving quality outcomes.

5.6 2.39 2.53 2.60 2.55 2.45 Provide direction for team members.

5.7 2.77 2.80 2.79 2.83 2.70 Share knowledge of educational initiatives and perspectives to inform classroom practice.

5.8 2.42 2.60 2.66 2.59 2.61 Empower team members to take responsibility for tasks.

5.9 2.44 2.57 2.63 2.60 2.58 Promote cooperative decision-making processes.

5.10 2.49 2.54 2.65 2.59 2.56 Develop collaborative partnerships between the institution and the wider community.

6.1 2.56 2.65 2.68 2.72 2.77 Demonstrate a strong, on-going commitment to professional learning.

6.2 2.55 2.56 2.61 2.66 2.38 Demonstrate proficiency in ICT for instructional and administrative functions.

6.3 2.53 2.56 2.47 2.58 2.54 Incorporate the experiences that learners bring from multiple life roles into the educational setting.

6.4 2.61 2.74 2.69 2.68 2.72 Support the induction of colleagues.

6.5 2.76 2.82 2.76 2.86 2.80 Share professional experience, knowledge, understanding and skills.

6.6 2.75 2.81 2.79 2.84 2.77 Provide professional support to colleagues.

6.7 2.71 2.77 2.72 2.83 2.85 Identify gaps in own competences on the basis of a competence framework analysis.

6.8 2.57 2.65 2.63 2.71 2.69 Develop and monitor own professional development plan

6.9 2.33 2.44 2.42 2.47 2.58 Engage in reflective activities both individually and with others.

6.10 2.66 2.71 2.69 2.79 2.73 Integrate new educational methods and practices in designing learning arrangements and programmes.

The results of this analysis show that all the five groups selected all the competences as being moderately important (2.00) to highly important (3.00) for the teachers’ work in school. This is an indication that the proposed set of competences is relevant and can serve as a good basis for discussion in the development of the Croatian framework of teachers’ competences as part of the CroQF. All the groups selected the following ten competences as the most important (with a grade higher than 2.75):

1.1 Foster the development of independence in student learning. 1.2 Provide learning experiences that promote problem solving, critical thinking, inquiry and creativity 1.5 Clearly define and present the aim of a lesson. 1.9 Facilitate independent and collaborative learning. 4.1 Direct students to different learning resources and educational programmes 4.2 Use appropriate communication strategies.



4.3 Build rapport with students to facilitate open communication. 4.4 Carry out individual training needs analyses and adapt the educational programme to students’ individual needs with appropriate support. 5.7 Share knowledge of educational initiatives and perspectives to inform classroom practice. 6.5 Share professional experience, knowledge, understanding and skills. 6.6 Provide professional support to colleagues. 6.7 Identify gaps in own competences on the basis of a competence framework analysis.

At the other end of the table, the least important competences as evaluated by teachers are the following (grade lower than 2.40, but still higher than 2.19):

2.3 Record evidence of student attainment of learning outcomes in order to inform ongoing planning and reporting processes 2.5 Participate in programme monitoring, recording and reporting activities 2.7 Develop and implement a range of exemplary assessment strategies. 3.2 Support the review of school curriculum or institutional policy. 3.3 Analyse the institute’s learning environment as input for designing programmes and institutional policy. 3.4 Lead the development and implementation of programme design and/or institutional policy (the least important!). 3.5 Evaluate programmes and institutional policy. 5.1 Build partnerships with members of the wider educational community to support student learning. 5.3 Contribute to team meetings. 5.6 Provide direction for team members. 6.9 Engage in reflective activities both individually and with others.

This list of less important competences by the teachers is interesting, as it includes areas of monitoring, assessment, development of the school curriculum (which is becoming important in the new curriculum development in Croatia), and team work including reflective activities. The lowest rating was given to leading the development and implementation of programme design and/or institutional policy, which may suggest that the respondents did not perceive their active participation in this area to be important. There is only a short list for less important competences for the other groups:

1.4 Integrate use of ICT and audio-visuals to enhance student learning (ETTA advisers) 3.3 Analyse the institute’s learning environment as input for designing programmes and institutional policy. (ETTA advisers, CCoTT) 3.4 Lead the development and implementation of programme design and/or institutional policy. 5.1 Build partnerships with members of the wider educational community to support student learning (school counsellors) 6.2 Demonstrate proficiency in ICT for instructional and administrative functions. (ETTA advisers)

It is interesting to note that ETTA SA graded the two competences linked to the use of ICT (competence 1.4 and 6.2) as very low. This is quite surprising, taking into account the growing importance of modern methods in education. Diverse results and a sometimes surprisingly low assessment of certain competences may suggest a different understanding of competences across different groups. Discussions in the focus groups showed that some groups, in particular teachers, are not familiar with the concept of competences, even though some of them are self-explanatory and seem quite clear. This is the case, in particular, for those competences that received a lower grading than expected. A broader discussion about the set of teachers’ competences in Croatia has not yet begun. With a precise definition of each competence and with the help of awareness building activities, the



teachers should have a clearer picture of the importance of the competences to be selected using adapted instruments.

7.2. The need for improvement of teachers’ competences

The assessment of need for improvement shows even more clearly that there may be different understandings of what individual competences mean. The question was to assess training needs for each competence in the set. The teachers and the CCoTT assessed their own training needs; ETTA SA were asked to assess the teachers’ needs, as they are attending lessons in schools. The comparison of how different groups see the need for improving individual competences in teaching is presented in Table 34. For easier visual comparison of the results, cells for each competence and each group were coloured according to the following scheme, from the less important to the most important. The scale was selected arbitrarily, from the lowest score to the highest, with colour intensity increasing:

1.00-1.50 1.51-2.00 2.01-2.50 2.50-3.00 Table 37: The need for improvement of teachers’ competences

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Competence 1.1. 1.99 1.98 2.72 Foster the development of independence in student learning. 1.2. 2.04 2.06 2.74 Provide learning experiences that promote problem solving, critical thinking, inquiry and creativity 1.3. 1.92 1.94 2.58 Initiate appropriate and purposeful opportunities for students to work collaboratively. 1.4. 1.91 1.92 2.22 Integrate use of ICT and audio-visuals to enhance student learning. 1.5. 1.49 1.67 2.51 Clearly define and present the aim of a lesson. 1.6. 1.74 1.77 2.49 Identify and respond sensitively to the learning needs of an individual or group of students. 1.7. 1.91 1.98 2.54 Develop and implement an exemplary programme to address the specific learning needs of an individual or group of students. 1.8. 1.87 1.95 2.53 Evaluate exemplary work strategies used to address the specific learning needs of an individual or group of students. 1.9. 1.77 1.80 2.56 Facilitate independent and collaborative learning. 2.1. 1.68 1.82 2.74 Formulate learning outcomes 2.2. 1.71 1.82 2.72 Collect a range of evidence to monitor student learning outcomes 2.3. 1.55 1.67 2.53 Record evidence of student attainment of learning outcomes in order to inform ongoing planning and reporting processes 2.4. 1.46 1.55 2.39 Report student learning outcomes 2.5. 1.53 1.61 2.35 Participate in programme monitoring, recording and reporting activities 2.6. 1.76 1.90 2.62 Develop and apply fair and inclusive practices in assessment and reporting 2.7. 1.77 1.94 2.67 Develop and implement a range of exemplary assessment strategies. 2.8. 1.71 1.81 2.56 Review the effectiveness of an exemplary assessment strategy 2.9. 1.79 1.87 2.60 Make consistent judgements on student progress and achievement based on a range of evidence 2.10. 1.65 1.72 2.33 Share knowledge and experience of using exemplary assessment strategies with colleagues 3.1. 1.62 1.71 2.39 Support the design, implementation and monitoring of the curriculum or institutional policy 3.2. 1.62 1.72 2.28 Support the review of school curriculum or institutional policy 3.3. 1.69 1.81 2.29 Analyse the institute’s learning environment as input for designing programmes and institutional policy. 3.4. 1.62 1.76 2.18 Lead the development and implementation of programme design and/or institutional policy. 3.5. 1.68 1.83 2.33 Evaluate programmes and institutional policy. 3.6. 2.03 2.07 2.28 Convince superiors to provide necessary technical support and additional materials. 4.1. 1.67 1.68 2.36 Direct students to different learning resources and educational programmes 4.2. 1.73 1.79 2.46 Use appropriate communication strategies. 4.3. 1.59 1.62 2.51 Build rapport with students to facilitate open communication. 4.4. 1.79 1.87 2.60

Carry out individual training needs analyses and adapt the educational programme to students’ individual needs with appropriate support.

4.5. 1.88 1.87 2.40 Recognise when to refer students to other services in-house or external and draw upon contacts with external counselling and guidance services.

5.1. 1.84 1.92 2.33 Build partnerships with members of the wider educational community to support student learning. 5.2. 1.68 1.79 2.42 Engage in team planning processes. 5.3. 1.61 1.71 2.36 Contribute to team meetings. 5.4. 1.58 1.68 2.43 Support the work of the team. 5.5. 1.68 1.83 2.47 Motivate team members toward achieving quality outcomes.



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Competence 5.6. 1.66 1.79 2.38 Provide direction for team members. 5.7. 1.74 1.73 2.50 Share knowledge of educational initiatives and perspectives to inform classroom practice. 5.8. 1.72 1.89 2.58 Empower team members to take responsibility for tasks. 5.9. 1.72 1.88 2.54 Promote cooperative decision-making processes. 5.10. 1.88 1.97 2.47 Develop collaborative partnerships between the institution and the wider community. 6.1. 1.71 1.65 2.56 Demonstrate a strong, on-going commitment to professional learning. 6.2. 1.75 1.69 2.21 Demonstrate proficiency in ICT for instructional and administrative functions. 6.3. 1.69 1.69 2.32 Incorporate the experiences that learners bring from multiple life roles into the educational setting. 6.4. 1.57 1.50 2.46 Support the induction of colleagues. 6.5. 1.61 1.55 2.44 Share professional experience, knowledge, understanding and skills. 6.6. 1.53 1.50 2.42 Provide professional support to colleagues. 6.7. 1.78 1.81 2.58 Identify gaps in own competences on the basis of a competence framework analysis. 6.8. 1.75 1.72 2.53 Develop and monitor own professional development plan 6.9. 1.68 1.72 2.42 Engage in reflective activities both individually and with others. 6.10. 1.91 1.98 2.60 Integrate new educational methods and practices in designing learning arrangements and programmes.

The results of the analysis show that the three groups have quite different perceptions of training needs. The teachers and CCoTT assessed their own training needs, while ETTA advisers evaluated the training needs of the teachers with whom they are working. The spread of results is much wider than was the case when assessing the relative importance of the competences for the teaching profession. It begins with an average need for improvement (1.50) and moves towards the highest possible level of need (3.0) with 2.74 being the highest (as evaluated by ETTA SA, for competences 1.2 Provide learning experiences that promote problem solving, critical thinking, inquiry and creativity and 2.1 Formulate learning outcomes). The results for teachers and CCoTT are very similar, as CCoTT are also teachers in schools. They both perceive their needs for training as being below a moderate level, but above the average. The lowest score for teachers was for the competence 1.5 Clearly define and present the aim of a lesson, as it is something that they know. CCoTT lowest priorities are 6.4 Support the induction of colleagues, and 6.6 Provide professional support to colleagues. The ETTA SA consider that teachers need more improvements in their competences than the teachers themselves suggest. ETTA SA think that the teachers have a high level of need for improvement (with most of them above grade 2.50). Fewer training needs were expressed only for the core competence 3, Designing and implementing programmes, schedules, training materials and didactic methods. More details on the training needs as perceived by the three groups are given in the following section.

7.3 The rated competences: importance and needs for improvement - comparisons between groups

A separate assessment of the importance of competences for work in school and of training needs does not give the whole picture of the development needs of teachers in schools. It is important to compare both parameters to evaluate which competences are important for work and for which of them teachers perceive a need for professional development. The results of three groups (teachers, CCoTT and ETTA SA) were selected for comparison. The teachers and CCoTT were assessing their own competences, while ETTA SA were asked to assess the competences of teachers. They are visiting schools, attending lessons and evaluating teachers’ performance. They have direct insight into the teachers’ work and indirectly into their competences.



On the basis of the results shown in the two tables in the previous section, a scatter diagram was constructed for each of the three groups, with importance for teaching plotted on the X-axis and the need for professional improvement plotted on the Y-axis. The axes drawn in the centre of the diagram represent the mean value of the competences, both for importance in teaching and need for improvement. The mean value for both assessments (importance and needs) is 1.5 (as the competences were assessed on a 0 to 3 scale). The values for importance for school work as assessed by all the groups are all over 2.0 and for the need for improvement over 1.5 (except for one competence, where the value is 1.49). This shows that all the competences are important for schoolwork and that the need for improvement is above average. In order to define priorities, the relative importance of the individual competences (variable 1), as well as the relative strength of the need for their improvement (variable 2) were assessed. A diagram (page 50) was constructed and divided into four quadrants, along the average value for each of the two variables. By this means each of the competences can be plotted in a two-dimensional space, defined by the two variables. In the diagrams for CCoTT and ETTA SA not only are the averages for the group itself drawn (dotted lines), but the average value for the teachers is also shown (by solid lines) as a comparison. Competences that lie in the upper right quadrant are seen by each of the groups as more important than the average and with a greater need for improvement than average. Those in the lower left quadrant are perceived as less important and with less need for improvement. Training should be primarily focused on the competences in the upper right quadrant, if the training is to be based on training need. From the replies of the respondents to other questions it is clear that some other factors influence ETTA’s offer of training courses, which may supersede the perceived (immediate) needs of the individual teachers. Examples are the implementation of the educational policy of the Government and instances where others select which in-service training programmes individual teachers should attend. This is also linked to the fact that up to now there has been no assessment of the training needs of teachers that could serve as basis for annual planning. In the following paragraphs, the results of different groups are compared with those of the self-assessment by the teachers. The comparison can be made on the basis of the mean values for teachers, which are shown on each diagram as solid lines within the diagram.

7.3.1. Teachers – assessment of individual competences

The diagram shows that two competences are seen as most important: 1.1 Foster the development of independence in student learning and 1.2 Provide learning experiences that promote problem solving, critical thinking, inquiry and creativity. The next set of competences seems less important for teachers, although higher than average, but with a high level of need for training:

1.3 Initiate appropriate and purposeful opportunities for students to work collaboratively 3.6 Convince superiors to provide necessary technical support and additional materials - similar need for improvement as competence 1.2 4.5 Recognise when to refer students to other services in-house or external and draw upon contacts with external counselling and guidance services, and 6.10 Integrate new educational methods and practices in designing learning arrangements and programmes.



Teachers also see a greater need for improvement than average in the following competences, although on average they find them less important for work in school:

1.4 Integrate use of ICT and audio-visuals to enhance student learning. 1.7 Develop and implement an exemplary programme to address the specific learning needs of an individual or group of students. 1.8 Evaluate exemplary work strategies used to address the specific learning needs of an individual or group of students. 5.1 Build partnerships with members of the wider educational community to support student learning. 5.10 Develop collaborative partnerships between the institution and the wider community.

This is also in line with their priorities for teacher training themes/areas as reported on in the first part of the questionnaire. At the other end of the scale, some competences do not seem very important to teachers and also do not appear to reflect any significant need for improvement:

2.5 Participate in programme monitoring, recording and reporting activities doesn’t seem very important to teachers. 3.2 Support the review of school curriculum or institutional policy. 3.4 Lead the development and implementation of programme design and/or institutional policy. 3.5 Evaluate programmes and institutional policy.

There is a below average need for improvement for those competences that are linked to their daily work, where it appears that teachers are confident about their ability to master them:

2.4 Report student learning outcomes 2.3 Record evidence of student attainment of learning outcomes in order to inform ongoing planning and reporting processes, 2.5 Participate in programme monitoring, recording and reporting activities less important with lesser need for improvement.

There are also some competences that are seen as important by the teachers, but with less need for improvement. These are linked to their daily work and it appears that the teachers are confident about mastering them:

1.5 Clearly define and present the aim of a lesson 6.4 Support the induction of colleagues. 6.5 Share professional experience, knowledge, understanding and skills. 6.6 Provide professional support to colleagues.

The diagram below shows the areas where teachers assessed that they need more or less capacity building.



Diagram 1: Scatter diagram of teachers’ competences’ importance and need for improvement, as seen by the teachers This graph gives a picture of the training needs expressed by the teachers. This way of collecting and representing the data can serve different purposes. It can be used to detect the general needs of the teaching staff for in-service training if the data are administered by the ETTA (or any other institution that is offering training). It can also serve teachers as a self-evaluation tool, to assess their individual training needs. The instrument can be further developed, changed or adapted to serve the needs of the educational community. It became an integral part of the ettaedu system and can be used for an on-line assessment of training needs before preparing the annual ETTA INSETT plan. The framework of teachers’ competences is a preliminary version and was presented as a starting point for discussion; it can be adapted to the needs of the education system and its actors. At different levels of the teachers’ career path, competences may change: this may imply another set of competences or simply the same competences at a different level, with a different standard. The aim of this exercise was to see how the teachers perceive themselves, and the results obtained could be also seen as an input in defining the set of standards to be prepared in the Croatian Qualification Framework (CroQF). Regardless of the final outcome it shows which competences are important and provides additional evidence for certain conclusions drawn using other tools. Analysis between groups

A one-way between-groups analysis of variance was conducted to explore differences between the training



needs of teachers, taking different factors into account. There was a statistically significant difference (at the p < .05 level) for some of the competences, which are described below. Despite reaching statistical significance, the actual differences in mean scores between the groups were quite small. Regions

There are statistically significant differences in training needs for a number of competences between teachers in the region that is covered by the ETTA office in Split on the one hand and in Zagreb on the other. Those competences are:

• All the competences within Core competence 1, except for 1.2 Provide learning experiences that promote problem solving, critical thinking, inquiry and creativity

• 2.4 Report student learning outcomes • 2.5 Participate in programme monitoring, recording and reporting activities • 2.10 Share knowledge and experience of using exemplary assessment strategies with colleagues • 2.11 Provide comprehensive, relevant information to students and other stakeholders • All the competences in Core competence 3, except for 3.6 Convince superiors to provide necessary

technical support and additional materials. For 3.4 Lead the development and implementation of programme design and/or institutional policy there is also difference between Rijeka and Osijek and Osijek and Zagreb and for 3.5 Evaluate programmes and institutional policy between Rijeka and Split.

• 4.1 Maintain current information about learning resources, educational opportunities and support services.

• 5.2 Engage in team planning processes. • 5.3 Contribute to team meetings. • 5.4 Support the work of the team. Difference also between Osijek and Split. • 5.5 Motivate team members toward achieving quality outcomes. • 5.8 Empower team members to take responsibility for tasks. • 6.1 Demonstrate a strong, on-going commitment to professional learning. • 6.2 Demonstrate proficiency in ICT for instructional and administrative functions. • 6.3 Incorporate the experiences that learners bring from multiple life roles into the educational setting. • 6.4 Support the induction of colleagues. • 6.8 Develop and monitor own professional development plan

The needs expressed are higher in the region outside Zagreb. This requires further analysis, and at the same time it shows that needs are not the same across Croatia, so that some regionalisation of programmes is necessary. Level of education provision

An analysis of needs according to the level of education at which teachers are working shows that there are statistically significant differences in training needs for all competences except 1.4 Integrate use of ICT and audio-visuals to enhance student learning and 3.6 Convince superiors to provide necessary technical support and additional materials. The differences are in most cases in the needs of lower-primary school teachers (Grades 1 to 4), in comparison with the needs of other teachers from different levels. There are also differences between the needs of pre-primary school teachers and others. Level of qualification

An analysis by the level of qualification also shows differences in the following competences: 1.4 Integrate use of ICT and audio-visuals to enhance student learning (between higher education (HE) and Diploma holder (D), and HE and Master degree (M)) 1.5 Clearly define and present the aim of a lesson. (HE and D)



1.8 Evaluate exemplary work strategies used to address the specific learning needs of an individual or group of students. (HE and D) 2.1 Formulate learning outcomes (HE and D) 2.3 Record evidence of student attainment of learning outcomes in order to inform ongoing planning (HE and D) 2.4 Report student learning outcomes (HE and D) 2.5 Participate in programme monitoring, recording and reporting activities (HE and D) 2.10 Share knowledge and experience of using exemplary assessment strategies with colleagues (HE and D) 2.11 Provide comprehensive, relevant information to students and other stakeholders (HE and D) 3.1 Support the design, implementation and monitoring of the curriculum or institutional policy. (HE and D) 3.2 Support the review of school curriculum or institutional policy. (HE and D) 3.3 Analyse the institute’s learning environment as input for designing programmes and institutional policy. (HE and D) 3.4 Lead the development and implementation of programme design and/or institutional policy. (HE and D; HE and M) 3.5 Evaluate programmes and institutional policy. (HE and D) 6.7 Identify gaps in own competences on the basis of a competence framework analysis. (HE and M)

These differences are mainly linked to the teachers with higher education (HE) (non-Diploma studies), who need more training than other groups. There is no significant difference between the teachers with Diploma post-graduate studies. It is interesting to note that there are no significant differences between holders of a HE diploma (2 year diploma) and holders of a PhD, while in those cases where there is a difference between HE and Master degree holders, this is generated by the lower score of the training needs of the Master degree holders. The main differences in training needs are in the areas of facilitating learner-centred innovative learning and work, assessing and monitoring of the learning process and outcomes and designing and implementing of programmes, the first three core competences. Gender

An analysis by gender showed that the male’s needs for improvement are higher than those for females in the following competences:

1.1 Foster the development of independence in student learning. 1.3 Initiate appropriate and purposeful opportunities for students to work collaboratively. 1.5 Clearly define and present the aim of a lesson. 1.6 Identify and respond sensitively to the learning needs of an individual or group of students. 1.9 Facilitate independent and collaborative learning. 2.1 Formulate learning outcomes 2.2 Collect a range of evidence to monitor student learning outcomes 2.3 Record evidence of student attainment of learning outcomes in order to inform ongoing planning and reporting processes 2.4 Report student learning outcomes 2.8 Review the effectiveness of an exemplary assessment strategy 2.9 Make consistent judgements on student progress and achievement based on a range of evidence 2.10 Share knowledge and experience of using exemplary assessment strategies with colleagues 3.1 Support the design, implementation and monitoring of the curriculum or institutional policy. 4.1 Maintain current information about learning resources, educational opportunities and support services. 4.2 Use appropriate communication strategies.



4.3 Build rapport with students to facilitate open communication. 4.4 Carry out individual training needs analyses and adapt the educational programme to students’ individual needs with appropriate support. 4.5 Recognise when to refer students to other services in-house or external and draw upon contacts with external counselling and guidance services. 5.4 Support the work of the team. 5.7 Share knowledge of educational initiatives and perspectives to inform classroom practice. 6.1 Demonstrate a strong, ongoing commitment to professional learning. 6.3 Incorporate the experiences that learners bring from multiple life roles into the educational setting. 6.4 Support the induction of colleagues. 6.5 Share professional experience, knowledge, understanding and skills. 6.6 Provide professional support to colleagues. 6.7 Identify gaps in own competences on the basis of a competence framework analysis.

The data show that males need more training in the core competence areas of facilitating learner-centred innovative learning and work, assessing and monitoring of the learning process and outcomes, providing learner guidance and counselling and pursuing their own personal development and creativity. Age

An analysis of needs according to the level of education at which teachers are working shows statistically significant differences in training needs for all competences, with the exception of 3.6 Convince superiors to provide necessary technical support and additional materials and 4.5 Recognise when to refer students to other services in-house or external and draw upon contacts with external counselling and guidance services. The main differences are between the younger and the older teachers. Interestingly there is no significant difference between teachers younger than 25 years and other groups, except for 3.4 Lead the development and implementation of programme design and/or institutional policy (with the difference with groups 25-29 and 30-39). Teachers above 50 articulated higher needs for training. Work experience

An analysis of needs according to work experience in education shows that there are statistically significant differences in training needs for all competences except for 3.6 Convince superiors to provide necessary technical support and additional materials and 4.5 Recognise when to refer students to other services in-house or external and draw upon contacts with external counselling and guidance services, 6.7 Identify gaps in own competences on the basis of a competence framework analysis and 6.8 Develop and monitor own professional development plan. The differences are, as in the previous case, especially between the older teachers and the others. Interestingly, here too senior teachers expressed a greater need for training. Promotion level

An analysis of need according to promotion levels shows that there are statistically significant differences in training needs for some competences, and that advisers with a higher level of promotion feel a greater need for improvement than those at lower levels, in particular when compared to those who have not received any promotion at all. The following competences were significantly different between the groups:

1.4 Integrate use of ICT and audio-visuals to enhance student learning. 1.8 Evaluate exemplary work strategies used to address the specific learning needs of an individual or group of 2.1 Formulate learning outcomes 2.2 Collect a range of evidence to monitor student learning outcomes 2.6 Develop and apply fair and inclusive practices in assessment and reporting



2.7 Develop and implement a range of exemplary assessment strategies. 3.2 Support the review of school curriculum or institutional policy. 3.3 Analyse the institute’s learning environment as input for designing programmes and institutional policy. 3.4 Lead the development and implementation of programme design and/or institutional policy. 3.5 Evaluate programmes and institutional policy. 6.1 Demonstrate a strong, ongoing commitment to professional learning.

Subjects/subject areas

An analysis of need according to the subject or subject area in which teachers are teaching shows that there are statistically significant differences in training needs for all competences except 3.6 Convince superiors to provide necessary technical support and additional materials. The pattern of differences is, however, quite ambiguous, suggesting that at present we can only conclude that training needs cannot be generalized and that training should be (at least in part) provided according to the needs of specific subject areas. Further analysis could be carried out by ETTA on the database of responses, investigating competences by subject or subject area in more detail.

7.3.2. County coordinators of teacher training – assessment of individual competences

The scatter diagram shows the responses of county coordinators for teacher training (CCoTT). The axes drawn in the centre of the diagram represent the mean value of competences, both for importance in teaching and need for improvement as they were defined by teachers. The dotted lines represent the main value of responses by CCoTT. The distribution of the competences in the responses of the CCoTT is very similar to the distribution of those from the teachers. This is logical, as CCoTT are also teachers working in schools, with additional responsibility for organising training events at the county level, in coordination with ETTA SA. The diagram shows that two competences are seen as the most important: 1.1 Foster the development of independence in student learning and 1.2 Provide learning experiences that promote problem solving, critical thinking, inquiry and creativity. Other competences seen as important for teaching and learning, where training needs are also higher than the average, are

1.3 Initiate appropriate and purposeful opportunities for students to work collaboratively, 2.9 Make consistent judgements on student progress and achievement based on a range of evidence 3.6 Convince superiors to provide necessary technical support and additional materials 4.4 Carry out individual training needs analyses and adapt the educational programme to students’ individual needs with appropriate support. 4.5 Recognise when to refer students to other services in-house or external and draw upon contacts with external counselling and guidance services. 6.10 Integrate new educational methods and practices in designing learning arrangements and programmes

The CCoTT also see the need for improvement in the following competences, although they find them less than average important for work in the school:

1.4 Integrate use of ICT and audio-visuals to enhance student learning. 1.7 Develop and implement an exemplary programme to address the specific learning needs of an individual or group of students.



1.8 Evaluate exemplary work strategies used to address the specific learning needs of an individual or group of students. 2.7 Develop and implement a range of exemplary assessment strategies. 5.1 Build partnerships with members of the wider educational community to support student learning. 5.10 Develop collaborative partnerships between the institution and the wider community.

Conversely, Competence 2.5 Participate in programme monitoring, recording and reporting activities does not seem very important to CCoTT, much the same as for teachers. The other less important areas for CCoTT are the following, and are also the same as for teachers:

3.2 Support the review of school curriculum or institutional policy. 3.4 Lead the development and implementation of programme design and/or institutional policy. 3.5 Evaluate programmes and institutional policy.

The lowest needs for improvement are for the competences: 2.4 Report student learning outcomes (below the average grade) 6.4 Support the induction of colleagues. 6.5 Share professional experience, knowledge, understanding and skills. 6.6 Provide professional support to colleagues.

Diagram 2: Scatter diagram of teachers’ competences as seen by CCoTT



7.3.3. ETTA Advisers – assessment of individual competences

The scatter diagram shows the responses of ETTA SA when assessing their teachers under their responsibility, not themselves. The axes drawn in a solid line in the centre of the diagram represent the mean value of competences, both for importance in teaching and in need for improvement as defined by teachers, to demonstrate the level of agreement between the teachers’ perception and that of ETTA SA. The mean values for ETTA SA are represented by dotted lines. The distribution of competences of teachers as perceived by the ETTA SA shows that their assessment of the importance of the competences for work in schools is similar to that provided by the teachers, but the need for improvement of competences is estimated to be much greater by them than by the teachers, for about 0.8 of a grade (on the 0 to 3 scale). This shows that ETTTA SA, who are organising INSETT events, judge that teachers need much more training than the teachers themselves believe. Such a large difference may seem paradoxical, and it would be interesting to explore the assumptions on which it is actually based. While it is true that the ETTA SA monitor teaching in schools, participate in training events and are able to follow the level of teachers’ competences, the difference is still surprising. As in all other cases, two competences are seen as the most important: 1.1 Foster the development of independence in student learning and 1.2 Provide learning experiences that promote problem solving, critical thinking, inquiry and creativity. Beside these, the most important competences with a higher priority for training are:

1.3 Initiate appropriate and purposeful opportunities for students to work collaboratively. 2.1 Formulate learning outcomes 2.2 Collect a range of evidence to monitor student learning outcomes 2.6 Develop and apply fair and inclusive practices in assessment and reporting 2.7 Develop and implement a range of exemplary assessment strategies. 2.9 Make consistent judgements on student progress and achievement based on a range of evidence 6.10 Integrate new educational methods and practices in designing learning arrangements and programmes.

Most of these are linked to the learning outcomes, assessment and monitoring of students based on the evidence collected. They also represent competences that need to be developed, taking into account changes in the educational paradigm, founded on learning outcomes and student centred teaching and learning. Similar importance is given also to the needs analysis, both for students and teachers: 4.4 Carry out individual training needs analyses and adapt the educational programme to students’ individual needs with appropriate support and 6.7 Identify gaps in own competences on the basis of a competence framework analysis.

At the other end of the scale, the following competences are seen as less important and with fewer needs for training: 1.4 Integrate use of ICT and audio-visuals to enhance student learning, 3.3 Analyse the institute’s learning environment as input for designing programmes and institutional policy, 3.4 Lead the development and implementation of programme design and/or institutional policy 3.6 Convince superiors to provide necessary technical support and additional materials, and 6.2 Demonstrate proficiency in ICT for instructional and administrative functions The last competence listed is surprising, as ICT is becoming increasingly important in teaching and learning.



Generally, ETTA SA believe that the teachers they are responsible for need to develop their competences further and estimate the need for teacher training to develop all competences to be much higher than the teachers themselves.

Diagram 3: Scatter diagram of teachers’ competences as seen by ETTA SA 7.3.4. List of most important areas for training

A comparison of the results between the teachers and ETTA SA shows agreement on thirteen competences (out of the first 20 that need training) where training is particularly needed. These are:

1.1 Foster the development of independence in student learning. 1.2 Provide learning experiences that promote problem solving, critical thinking, inquiry and creativity 1.3 Initiate appropriate and purposeful opportunities for students to work collaboratively. 1.7 Develop and implement an exemplary programme to address the specific learning needs of an individual or group of students. 1.8 Evaluate exemplary work strategies used to address the specific learning needs of an individual or group of students. 1.9 Facilitate independent and collaborative learning. 2.6 Develop and apply fair and inclusive practices in assessment and reporting 2.7 Develop and implement a range of exemplary assessment strategies. 2.9 Make consistent judgements on student progress and achievement based on a range of evidence



4.4 Carry out individual training needs analyses and adapt the educational programme to students’ individual needs with appropriate support. 6.7 Identify gaps in own competences on the basis of a competence framework analysis. 6.8 Develop and monitor own professional development plan 6.10 Integrate new educational methods and practices in designing learning arrangements and programmes.

From this list we can see that core competences on designing and implementing programmes, providing guidance and counselling and forming partnerships are not represented (except 4.4), which means that both groups agreed this is not a training priority. There are also some competences seen as a priority by the ETTA but not by the teachers:

2.1 Formulate learning outcomes 2.2 Collect a range of evidence to monitor student learning outcomes 2.3 Record evidence of student attainment of learning outcomes in order to inform ongoing planning and reporting processes 2.8 Review the effectiveness of an exemplary assessment strategy 5.8 Empower team members to take responsibility for tasks. 5.9 Promote cooperative decision-making processes. 6.1 Demonstrate a strong, on-going commitment to professional learning.

These are addressing learning outcomes, assessment, teamwork and commitment to professional learning. Conversely, the most important for teachers were:

1.4 Integrate use of ICT and audio-visuals to enhance student learning. 3.6 Convince superiors to provide necessary technical support and additional materials. 4.5 Recognise when to refer students to other services in-house or external and draw upon contacts with external counselling and guidance services. 5.1 Build partnerships with members of the wider educational community to support student learning. 5.7 Share knowledge of educational initiatives and perspectives to inform classroom practice. 5.8 Empower team members to take responsibility for tasks. 6.2 Demonstrate proficiency in ICT for instructional and administrative functions.

Teachers considered integration of the use of ICT and audio-visuals to enhance student learning to be one of the priorities for training, while for ETTA SA this was less so. This list of competences could serve as input information for the development of the ETTA INSETT strategy, in isolating the areas of teacher training that need attention.


8. Analysis of part 3 of the questionnaire: management competences The third part of the questionnaire was focused on the three groups needing management competences to carry out their tasks: school directors, ETTA SA and CCoTT. Management is part of the daily activities of the school directors, while both ETTA SA and CCoTT manage at least one activity: preparation and implementation of the INSETT events. For the assessment of the three groups we used the questionnaire that was developed and used in the EU project Comprehensive Strengthening of the Capacities of the Agency for Vocational Education and Training and Adult Education (Europeaid/127476/D/SER/HR) to assess the competences of the staff of the Agency. This competence-based questionnaire covered mostly transferable (often called core or generic) competences - personal, interpersonal, managerial and ICT related. Transferable (core) competences are those which are context-independent and are applicable across different institutional settings, occupations and tasks. A small number of organization-related competences were also included. For each competence there were two questions. The first asked the participants to evaluate the importance of that competence for their job with 0, 1 or 2 (0 – not important, 1 – important, 2 – very important). The second question asked to what extent an improvement is needed in this competence, again with 0, 1 or 2 (0 - no improvement needed, 1 – some improvement needed, training or other help would be useful, 2 – significant improvement is needed, training or other help is necessary). The table below presents the 41 competences that were assessed. School directors and ETTA SA on managerial positions assessed all competences, while other ETAA SA assessed all but the group Managerial Knowledge and Skills (last group, competences 31-41). For CCoTT the first 23 competences were selected, which are relevant for them in organizing TT events. Table 38: List of managerial competences GENERAL KNOWLEDGE PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS 1. Decision-making 21. Empathy 2. Teamwork 22. Self-confidence 3. Conflict resolution skills 23. Personal credibility 4. Managing stressful situations KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS RELEVANT TO THE INSTITUTION GENERAL PERSONAL SKILLS 24. General knowledge of institution 5. Written communication skills 25. Preparing proposals 6. Oral communication skills 26. General knowledge on teaching profession 7. Presentation skills 27. General knowledge of education system 8. Negotiation skills 28. European and Croatian Qualifications Framework 9. Time management 29. Basic ICT skills 10. Management of meetings 30. Advanced ICT skills 11. Attention to detail 12. Skills for building collaborative relationships MANAGERIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS 13. Orientation to service 31. Achieving focus 32. Motivating people ATTITUDES/PERSONAL STYLES 33. Leadership team 14. Professionalism 34. Encouraging others 15. Accountability 35. Control mode 16. Flexibility 36. Contributing to the development of others 17. Self-development 37. Change management 18. Focus on results 38. Planning 19. Initiative 39. Managing finances 20. Innovation 40. Managing people skills 41. Risk management



The questionnaire provides an opportunity to identify priorities. The principle is that competences which were identified as very important and at the same time with a significant need for improvement (answers 2 to both questions) deserve a high priority. Competences evaluated with 1 for one of the questions and 2 for the other (either important with significant need for improvement or very important with some need for improvement) can be considered a medium priority. Finally, competences evaluated with 1 to both questions (important, but not very important and with some need of improvement) are considered a lower priority. For visual identification the four levels of priorities can be coloured as illustrated in the graphic below:

Nee

d fo

r im

prov

emen

t

2 No need for

training Medium priority

High priority

1 No need for

training Low

priority Medium priority

0 No need for

training No need for

training No need for

training

0 1 2

Importance for job

The instrument is designed to assess the competences of individuals as part of their training needs analysis. Results can be presented in an Excel table, person by person, for each of the competences, and a brief table can be used to determine in a simple and accessible way which person needs what training. An important element of the original methodology was also the validation of results by line managers, giving them the opportunity to comment on and amend some of the suggested areas for development. For the purposes of this study we were not evaluating individual training needs, but were looking at responses within individual groups and calculating the average value for each group. We did not compare them, as they are different groups with different needs. In the graphs below the distribution of different priorities is presented and annotated.

8.1. County Coordinators of Teacher Trainings (CCoTT)

The biggest number of CCoTT expressed, as their highest priority, training in managing stressful situations (40.6%), development of conflict resolution skills, innovation, negotiation skills and skills for building collaborative relationships, all of which (except innovation) are relevant to their work as county coordinators.



Diagram 4: Management Training needs of CCoTT

8.2. School Directors

More than 50% of directors selected proposal preparation as the highest priority for their training. This is followed by managing finances, managing stressful situations, risk management, European and Croatian Qualifications Framework and conflict resolution skills, all of which were selected by more than 25% of school directors.

21.2

21.9

14.5

11

27.2

25.8

22.1

11.9

23.6

24.9

19.2

18.9

16.1

38.6

36.9

34.5

18.9

18.9

26.3

14.1

36.8

33.5

47.9

14.2

11

7.9

6.6

15.9

8.7

13

16.4

13.6

19.3

22.3

16.8

26.7

4.9

8.2

8.8

10.7

26.3

19.9

14.8

8.7

6.3

6.2

45.1

45.1

43.7

41.7

39.6

46.4

46.8

45

41.4

36.9

40.6

42.2

38.8

40.3

39.4

37.6

50.9

39.9

36.5

43

37.6

39.4

30

19.5

21.9

33.8

40.6

17.3

19.2

18.1

26.7

21.3

18.9

17.9

22.1

18.4

16.1

15.5

19.2

19.6

15

17.3

28.1

17

20.7

15.9

0 20 40 60 80 100

1. Decision-Making

2. Teamwork

3. Conflict resolution skills

4. Managing stressful situations

5. Written Communication Skills

6. Oral Communication Skills

7. Presentation Skills

8. Negotiation Skills

9. Time Management

10. Management of Meetings

11. Attention to detail

12. Skills for Building CollaborativeRelationships

13. Orientation to Service

14. Professionalism

15. Accountability

16. Flexibility

17. Self-development

18. Focus on Results

19. Initiative

20. Innovation

21. Empathy

22. Self-confidence

23. Personal credibility

no need for training

low priority

medium priority

high priority



Diagram 5: Management Training needs of school directors

8.3. ETTA Senior Advisers

Among the three groups, ETTA SA expressed the greatest need for training in all areas, as the highest priorities were assigned by more than 20% of respondents to all the competences. More than 40% of senior advisers need training in teamwork, conflict resolution, management of stressful situations, self-development, preparation of proposals, European and Croatian Qualifications Framework and motivating people. Advisers in management positions expressed their need for training in planning, management of people skills and risk management.

15.6

11.7

14.9

12.3

22.9

23

16.9

13.8

17.3

26.6

18.4

15.6

16

29

30.3

34

11.9

12.8

24.2

11.5

36.4

27.9

40.5

23

3.5

23

25.5

3.3

29.6

10.6

14.9

24.7

13.8

20.8

15.1

17.3

16.5

20.4

16.7

14.9

11.2

9.1

11.5

6.1

8

20.1

12.8

17.1

13.6

15.6

13.8

25.5

19.1

28.1

6.3

8

12.5

17.7

26.2

18.2

14.9

13.6

9.9

7.6

9.5

14.3

14.1

14.3

27.9

15.2

25.8

27.7

8.4

17.5

17.7

22.3

25.1

23.2

17.1

11

14.5

20.4

57.8

58.7

53.5

50.2

42.4

46.8

48.1

49.1

46.3

44.4

43.1

49.1

42.6

49.1

45.9

38.1

54.6

48.9

42.9

52

37.5

45.2

38.3

55.2

32

52

48

39.4

39.6

39.4

46.5

47.8

53.5

47.8

47.6

44.6

46.7

49.3

43.5

46.7

42

17.5

18

25.5

29.6

14.7

17.3

17.8

23.6

20.8

15.2

13

16.2

13.4

15.6

15.8

15.4

15.8

12.1

14.7

21.6

12.5

17.1

13.6

12.3

50.2

10.8

12.3

29.4

15.6

24.2

11

19.1

15.2

13.8

15.1

13

13.6

13.2

28.8

24

26.4

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

1.Donošenje odluka

2. Timski rad

3. Vještine rješavanja sukoba

4. Upravljanje stresnim situacijama

5. Pisane komunikacijske vještine

6. Usmene komunikacijske vještine

7. Prezentacijske vještine

8. Pregovaračke vještine

9. Upravljanje vremenom

10. Upravljanje sastancima

11. Usmjeravanje pozornosti na detalje

12. Vještine za izgradnju suradničkih odnosa

13. Orijentacija na službu

14. Profesionalnost

15. Odgovornost

16. Fleksibilnost

17. Samorazvoj

18. Fokusiranje na rezultate

19. Inicijativa

20. Inovacija

21. Empatija

22. Samopouzdanje

23. Osobni kredibilitet

24. Opće znanje o školi

25. Pisanje projektnih prijedloga

26. Opće znanje o radu nastavnog osoblja

27. Opće znanje o odgojno obrazovnom sustavu

28. Europski i Hrvatski kvalifikacijski okvir

29. Osnovne vještine IKT

30. Napredne IKT vještine

31. Postizanje usmjerenosti

32. Motiviranje ljudi

33. Rukovodstveni tim

34. Poticanje drugih

35. Naćin praćenja

36. Doprinos razvoju drugih

37. Upravljanje promjenama

38. Planiranje

39. Upravljanje financijama

40. Upravljanje ljudskim resursima

41. Upravljanje rizikom

nema potrebe

niska

srednja

visoka



Diagram 6: Management Training needs of ETTA Senior Advisers

15.1

11

15.1

12.3

13.7

19.2

19.2

12.3

21.9

19.2

15.1

11

13.7

27.4

27.4

19.2

11

11

12.3

6.8

28.8

26

39.7

20.5

6.8

13.7

20.5

6.8

28.8

11

13.6

10.3

5.2

10.9

7.3

3.6

1.8

7.3

3.7

1.9

1.9

5.5

11

5.5

6.8

11

4.1

4.1

6.8

12.3

19.2

24.7

11

27.4

4.1

2.7

4.1

6.8

20.5

20.5

12.3

8.2

9.6

4.1

15.1

20.5

19.2

12.3

21.9

13.7

24.7

30.5

13.8

19

14.5

25.5

23.6

23.6

14.5

29.6

27.8

28.8

43.8

35.6

35.6

37

49.3

39.7

46.6

41.1

32.9

32.9

39.7

42.5

34.2

35.6

38.4

46.6

41.1

37

34.2

41.1

32.9

38.4

31.5

42.5

28.8

46.6

42.5

27.4

27.4

34.2

32.2

32.8

39.7

38.2

32.7

36.4

38.2

38.2

29.6

27.8

25

35.6

42.5

43.8

43.8

26

37

30.1

39.7

32.9

28.8

20.5

35.6

24.7

32.9

31.5

30.1

41.1

31.5

32.9

39.7

30.1

26

24.7

21.9

43.8

20.5

24.7

43.8

30.1

30.1

23.7

43.1

36.2

36.4

34.5

36.4

36.4

40

37

42.6

44.2

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

1.Donošenje odluka

2. Timski rad

3. Vještine rješavanja sukoba

4. Upravljanje stresnim situacijama

5. Pisane komunikacijske vještine

6. Usmene komunikacijske vještine

7. Prezentacijske vještine

8. Pregovaračke vještine

9. Upravljanje vremenom

10. Upravljanje sastancima

11. Usmjeravanje pozornosti na detalje

12. Vještine za izgradnju suradničkih odnosa

13. Orijentacija na službu

14. Profesionalnost

15. Odgovornost

16. Fleksibilnost

17. Samorazvoj

18. Fokusiranje na rezultate

19. Inicijativa

20. Inovacija

21. Empatija

22. Samopouzdanje

23. Osobni kredibilitet

24. Opće znanje o školi

25. Pisanje projektnih prijedloga

26. Opće znanje o radu nastavnog osoblja

27. Opće znanje o odgojno obrazovnom sustavu

28. Europski i Hrvatski kvalifikacijski okvir

29. Osnovne vještine IKT

30. Napredne IKT vještine

31. Postizanje usmjerenosti

32. Motiviranje ljudi

33. Rukovodstveni tim

34. Poticanje drugih

35. Naćin praćenja

36. Doprinos razvoju drugih

37. Upravljanje promjenama

38. Planiranje

39. Upravljanje financijama

40. Upravljanje ljudskim resursima

41. Upravljanje rizikom

nema potrebe

niska

srednja

visoka


9. Conclusions recapitulated and recommendations The analysis of different aspects of the in-service teacher training organised by the ETTA provide a useful insight into the existing system of teacher training. It provided statistical data showing the volume of training events organised and the number of teachers who participated in these events. It also gave an insight into how different groups (teachers, school counsellors, school directors, CCoTT and ETTA SA), who are users (and some of them organisers, too) perceive the existing system, in particular its strengths and weaknesses and how they meet the needs of in-service teacher training. The conclusions are based on an analysis of the data collected, the results of the focus group meetings, discussions with the members of the project team, working groups for Component 1 and Component 2 and comments of the stakeholders to whom the first results of the analysis of the current ETTA INSETT and TNA were communicated. The conclusions and recommendations are grouped according to the area of analysis.

9.1. General

Competences of teachers acquired in their initial education are seen as insufficient to cope with the

challenges that are awaiting them in the education system. This has a direct impact on the in-service training needs of novice teachers who should acquire additional knowledge and skills, particularly in the areas of pedagogy, psychology, didactics, teaching methodology and assessment of learning outcomes.

Recommendation: Cooperation between initial education and in-service training should be fostered and guidelines on the professional development adopted on the national level, which includes common set of teacher competences on the level of initial education, apprenticeship and continuous in-service training.

Recommendation: Research and development projects should contribute to the decision-making process that refers to the improvement of the education system. Priority should be the development of teacher competence standards, based on an agreed competence framework, on the levels of novice and advanced teachers.

Discussions in the focus groups showed that decreasing the financial resources for the teacher training

events is seen as a serious weakness of the existing INSETT system. The budget available in schools is diminishing (with the financial crisis taking its toll, too). There is less money for inviting and paying experts to provide training, which makes it difficult to invite good experts, in particular experts who are not from the county or the region, as travel costs have become the main item of expense. Recommendation: Continuous and stable financing should be provided for INSETT. It might also

include “personal accounts“ for in-service trainings that would give educational staff more freedom in choosing training. The development of programmes in the framework of projects should be followed by securing financial resources after the termination of the project for the sustainability of these programmes. Croatia is joining the EU in mid-2013, which will enable increasing support from EU funds, in particular the European Social Fund, offering opportunities within the EU Lifelong learning programme in mobility of staff and exchange programmes. In addition other forms of co-operation with other EU countries should be explored. ETTA and schools should prepare themselves for these opportunities.

It was felt by the participants of the focus groups that there is no overall long-term strategy for the

education system as a whole. The objectives the system seeks to achieve are not clearly defined; this



may lead to an inconsistent INSETT system, without clear long-term objectives and strategies for the training system itself that ensure coherence for all its activities.

Recommendation: There needs to be a paradigm shift, encompassing all levels, from the existing traditional forms and methods of in-service teacher training towards forms and methods that efficiently support teachers’ professional development, as part of a lifelong learning approach in the education sector as a whole. A clear strategy should be developed for the whole education sector, based on a clear vision and defined objectives, providing coherence for all activities in the sector, including the system of in-service teacher training.

Although the ETTA designs in-service teacher training programmes in line with the provisions of the Article 115 of the Primary .and Secondary Education Act, a comprehensive quality assurance is missing in the INSETT system. The mechanisms for quality assurance of programmes and procedures are insufficiently developed and there is no feedback (except for evaluation questionnaires) on the results of in-service training and its quality and relevance. There is no evaluation of the impact of in-service training on the quality of teachers’ performance in schools.

Recommendation: A quality assurance system should be developed and implemented for all the phases of development and implementation of teacher training programmes. In addition to the evaluation questionnaires used for in-service trainings, procedures should be established to systematically and permanently analyse the collected feedback on the quality and relevance of the in-service training, in support of future planning of in-service training events.

Recommendation: The ETTA should support and encourage schools in the development of instruments to evaluate the impact of the in-service training on the teaching and learning process and achievement of learning outcomes by the students.

Figures on the ratio of teachers catered for by CCoTT and ETTA SA may indicate an imbalance in

workload among the regions. The figures show the high average number of educational workers for which each ETTA SA are responsible.

Recommendation: A potential imbalance in workload should be further analysed and if necessary corrected. To decrease the workload of all ETTA SA the ETTA should explore options for reducing the number of training events for larger groups, especially those with information transfer as their main objective. These can easily be replaced by e-learning programmes, video-conferences, newsletters or other web-based information systems.

There is a lack of coordination between the introduction of innovations in the education system and

in-service training, in particular when new curricula are introduced, frequently at short notice, putting a lot of pressure on ETTA SA and making their work more difficult.

Recommendation: There should be better coordination among education policy makers at all levels to provide in-service teacher training that serves the needs of the education system with its profound changes and the needs of individuals .General and specific short- and long-term goals should be defined and harmonized with the implementation capacity of the ETTA..

The system of promotion does not envisage promotion of school directors. Recommendation: A promotion system for school directors should be developed and linked to

the professional development of teaching and non-teaching staff.

The bulk of training offered by training providers other than the ETTA is fee-paying which often limits possibilities for participation. Teaching and non-teaching staff draw on their own resources or resources of the institution to attend them. The existing rules on promotion specify the obligation of regular in-service training within the MoSES system, however, there is no system of accreditation of all



in-service teacher training programmes and clear criteria for recognition (for the purposes of promotion) of the certificates of participation in the programmes of other providers. .

Recommendation: Co-operation between ETTA and other professional institutions, associations and organisations and other INSETT providers is important for the further improvement of in-service teacher training. Different options should be considered to create a comprehensive training system with clear divisions and roles for all actors, with the objective of covering all aspects of the training required. An accreditation/licencing system of in-service teacher training programmes should be established and existing rules should be harmonized.

Visibility is an important factor in an education system. It should be linked to educational achievements and show an appreciation of teaching staff; it should include communication with the wider public through the media, with the aim of broadening awareness of innovations in education.

Recommendation: ETTA should offer professional development programmes that improve communication with the public at a variety of levels. They could be offered at both institutional and individual levels, encouraging collaborative competences both inside and outside the institution. Visibility should also include promoting LLL as an important mechanism for continuing capacity building for individuals and defining the place of INSETT in LLL. The promotion of LLL requires awareness raising of the need for LLL and its various modalities, including INSETT. Cooperation with other institutions in the field of LLL should be advocated to create synergy.

A system of mentoring novice teachers in schools - exists, but in most cases it is seen as a very formal

or at least a formalised task. No mentoring system exists for school directors, taking office for the first time. No specific training is offered to mentors of novice teachers; good mentoring skills increase the quality of the induction process and consequently the quality of teaching after the induction period. Recommendation: The mentoring support system should be revised and further developed to

provide efficient support to novice teachers and new school directors. The mentoring support system should include in-service training in specific mentoring skills.

The system to address the training needs of teachers and school counsellors promoted to the level of

mentors and advisors in the schools is insufficiently developed. This is linked to the insufficient utilisation of the human resources of mentors and advisors in schools and other education institutions. Apart from promotion to higher levels, which also brings a higher salary, their role in the system is not defined and the potential of those educators as a resource is often lost. Recommendation: The role of mentors and advisors in schools should be reviewed to define

what their future role should be, in order to make better use of their experience and expertise.

9.2. The on-line INSETT management system

The main management information system for INSETT implemented by ETTA is the ettaedu system,

developed and implemented in mid-2010, to help both organisers and participants in the preparation and implementation of teacher training events, and providing ETTA with a tool with which to monitor this area of their activities. With around 60,000 registered users, it constitutes a source of information that can help ETTA to analyse and further develop the INSETT system.

Recommendation: The ettaedu system should be further developed with analytical tools, including on-line surveys of training needs that would give ETTA better instruments to tailor training to the needs of different groups of participants.



The Ettaedu information system offers basic support to INSETT activities, providing information, registration and certification of training events. It can generate data for annual reports on a variety of characteristics of implemented training events. Some resource intensive activities, however, are still carried out manually.

Recommendation: The Information system should be further developed to provide more support for activities in the annual planning of training events, their analysis and reporting. Information about individual training events, which is manually prepared for the catalogue of INSETT, could be provided as an electronic input into the database in ettaedu, with keywords serving as indices and drop-down menus with fixed choices. This would increase efficiency and transparency and allow for the preparation of statistical analyses, according to different parameters, and bring the existing system on to a higher level. Evaluation of training events could be integrated in the system as well, i.e. to be completed before being able to download the certificate of attendance. The most common form of analysis used for periodical reports could also be provided automatically. It is also of key importance to ensure regular funds for the continuous improvement of the system.

9.3. The ETTA INSETT system

The quality of the ETTA programmes was assigned the highest grading in the series of statements

about the ETTA INSETT system used in the survey, and this was followed by their support to education. This shows that the education staff can rely on help and support from ETTA SA, a judgement that was also confirmed during the focus group meetings as one of the strengths of the Agency. The day to day support and communication with ETTA SA is appreciated.

Recommendation: There is still room for improvement of the quality of the INSETT programmes offered by ETTA. With the development of the competence framework the specific training needs of the educational staff can be addressed more closely and assessed -on a regular basis.

There is still a hidden potential in the existing system, seen in the network of CCoTT, which represents

the link between ETTA and the teachers, school counsellors and school directors. There is a substantial number of CCoTT (1,604 at the time of the survey) who plan and provide actual training at the county level. They are seen as competent individuals who respond to the training needs of their trainees and try to bring them into line with the needs of the education system as a whole.

Recommendation: The existing training support structure should be reviewed and revised if necessary, to accommodate possible changes in training. While doing so, the expertise of trained staff, in particular CCoTT, mentors and advisors, should be fully exploited. When setting up an improved INSETT system, training for CCoTT should also be improved.

No in-service training strategy for ETTA SA is in place, and there is no systematic monitoring of the

training needs of the Agency’s staff. Recommendation: An in-service training strategy for ETTA SA should be developed. It should

define the key competences needed by advisers, and plan and implement training that meets the needs of the ETTA staff.

The lack of research and co-operation with research and development organizations, which restricts the potential of ETTA’s capacity to provide training, has been recognized.

Recommendation: ETTA should develop closer links with higher education institutions, in particular faculties of teacher education, research and development organisations and other



agencies from the field of education and teacher training. Partnerships and/or memoranda of understanding can provide the basis for joint projects and work.

ETTA SA are responsible for specific subject areas, which inhibits more interdisciplinary topics and

approaches in the training to be offered. Recommendation: The existing ETTA approach to the organization of in-service training

should be reviewed and an interdisciplinary approach to INSETT should be systematically developed.

Nearly 75% of the teachers have attended up to 20 hours of training organised by ETTA. The new

regulations for promotion of teachers specify 20 hours of training annually as a required minimum for promoting teachers into mentors. The data show that it would be feasible to enable all teachers to meet this requirement with a combination of participation in training implemented by the ETTA SA and training events implemented by CCoTT.

Recommendation: All educational staff should be given the opportunity to attend the number of training events during the school year required for promotion to a higher level and/or for meeting conditions for the announced licensing system.

Plenary sessions are not the most frequently attended type of training events for educational staff;

the most common are pedagogical workshops and examples of good practice. According to the preferences expressed, a change of paradigm is needed, moving from the existing in-service training approach to CPD. Preferred forms of training are events focusing on examples of good practice, pedagogical workshops and fieldwork. Plenary sessions are the least favoured by all groups. There are differences between the groups: in general, teachers have different preferences in relation to training methods.

Recommendation: Different forms of training events should be used in INSETT, with the focus on more active and interactive events. The specific needs of teachers in specific subjects or subject areas should also be taken into consideration. An additional analysis of teachers’ responses by subjects and/or subject area is recommended, as it may reveal more precise details on their preferences.

Only 10% of the training events are actually carried out using e-learning methods, but their

importance in education is increasing. E-learning is mainly used by teachers and CCoTT and rarely by ETTA SA. This approach incurs lower costs compared to other forms and it can be made available in remote areas in Croatia. It allows for a high quality provision and an individualised approach, through the possibility it gives to individuals to select a convenient time for training, set their own pace of learning, and select segments or levels of difficulty appropriate to their competences.

Recommendation: E-learning should be assigned a high priority in the development of training programmes. ETTA SA should participate in training using e-learning methods, as part of an awareness building process showing the potential and variety of e-learning.

9.4. Data collection and analysis

The data collected constitute an important source of information and lead towards the conclusions

and recommendations needed as an input into the development of the ETTA INSETT Strategy 2014-2020. The analysis provides an overview of the existing ETTA INSETT system. Subsequently, more comprehensive analyses could be carried out to provide answers to other questions that might be relevant for a more detailed planning of INSETT activities.



Recommendation: The database of collected responses could be further analysed according to the specific needs of the ETTA and its SA, e.g. regarding different groups and regions. As the infrastructure for these is already in place, the questionnaires prepared for the project may be re-used in the future, if necessary after revision.

It is difficult to assess how the sample of the respondents matches the actual population of educational staff. The only current, published and available data are general data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, which are insufficient for the requirements of a detailed analysis of the INSETT system.

Recommendation: ETTA should have access to general data about teaching and non-teaching staff for analytical and planning purposes. It is important to be able to correlate and compare basic data from the e-matica škola database with data from the ettaedu database in order to carry out a more detailed analysis, to prevent collecting the same information several times over and to avoid errors.

9.5. INSETT planning

The ETTA prepares an annual INSETT plan, which serves as the basis for schools to plan their financial

resources for INSETT. This plan is prepared at the beginning of the calendar year, while school INSETT plans are prepared at the beginning of the academic year. No system of training needs analysis is in place at the level of schools. According to the results of this analysis, only about half of the INSETT activities planned by schools are realised in whole or in part. This less realistic planning could be the result of two different time systems, academic year for schools and calendar year for the ETTA:

Recommendation: Coordination is needed between the needs assessment and planning at the level of schools and the ETTA offer. A system should be put in place through which either the schools provide the ETTA with the training needs of their employees, or the ETTA regularly assesses the training needs of the teachers, using the on-line questionnaire. On the basis of this information and other elements for planning, ETTA can plan and provide training that will optimally address training needs, both individual and those generated by the education system.

Participation in training events also depends on the funds available, as according to the responses

obtained, two thirds of participants in training events rely on additional financial resources. It also shows that institutions could prepare more realistic plans, taking into consideration the real situation regarding finance in the education sector. Only about half of the respondents in all groups (except for school directors) had the opportunity to participate in all the in-service training events in which they were interested.

Recommendation: ETTA’s annual planning of INSETT events should be firmly based on the finances available for the academic year. Information about training provisions should be available at the time of planning, as it influences decisions.

The greatest interest in training topics, as expressed by teachers, was for teaching methodology, work

with special needs children (both those with difficulties and gifted), professional content, subject methodology, pedagogy and psychology. The least interesting topics were school management, education policy and andragogy. This is in line with the responses given by all groups, citing as topics and areas of higher priority more specific items (i.e. those directly related to their profession), and showing less interest in general topics (i.e. at the level of the school or the education system in general).



Recommendation: There should be a balance between the provision of general topics, linked to policy and innovation issues in education, and more specific topics linked to daily work in school. This dichotomy could be solved by a paradigm shift from teacher training to a balanced system of professional development, based on a valid competence framework for teachers.

The responses show that school directors and CCoTT are most satisfied with the ETTA INSETT system

and teachers and school counsellors are less satisfied. Similar responses are also given for personal development. It seems that the programmes offered by the ETTA meet the needs of individuals to some extent.

Recommendation: The existing INSETT system should be further developed to cater better for the needs of all groups. The development of a competence framework for different groups and regular training needs assessments might provide a more coherent training system based on the professional development needs of all INSETT target groups.

The teachers’ rating of the timing of in-service teacher training outside school hours is slightly above

average. However, they are under pressure if they wish to attend a training event outside that time frame, as the school has to provide a replacement for them and there is no formal system for substitute teachers in place.

Recommendation: As some INSETT events can only be organised outside the usual school holiday period, a formal system should be instituted, which would enable teachers to attend in-service training also during teaching days.

9.6. Analysis of teachers’ competences – importance for the teaching profession

The results of the analysis show that all the five groups rated all the competences of teachers as being

between moderately important and highly important for their work at school. This is an indication that the set of competences proposed is relevant and can be a good basis for discussion in the development of a Croatian framework of teachers’ competences as part of the CroQF.

Recommendation: The proposed teachers’ competence framework evaluated during the survey should first be discussed within ETTA and compared with new developments in teachers’ competence frameworks in other EU countries. A stakeholder consultation procedure can then be initiated, so as to finalise a valid competence framework that will be the basis for pre- and in-service training of teachers.

All the groups rated the same ten teachers’ competences as the most important. They address the

development of independence in student learning, promotion of problem solving, critical thinking, inquiry and creativity and facilitating independent and collaborative learning. Teachers are expected to have the competences to define and present the aim of a lesson clearly, direct students to different learning resources and educational programmes, to use appropriate communication strategies and to build a rapport with students so as to facilitate open communication. In the paradigm shift from teacher-oriented to student-oriented teaching and learning, they have to adapt their work to the students’ individual learning needs and support them in their individual learning paths. They should share knowledge of educational initiatives and perspectives for better teaching within the school, exchange professional experience, knowledge, understanding and skills and provide professional support to colleagues. They are responsible for their own professional development, identifying gaps in their own competences on the basis of a competence framework analysis.



Recommendation: The ten most important competences should be analysed and compared with the actual training provision, in order to verify if the actual offer of training events sufficiently addresses these competences.

The list of competences rated as less important includes areas of monitoring, assessment,

development of the school curriculum (although it is becoming important in the new curriculum development in Croatia) and teamwork including reflective activities. The lowest rating was given to leading the development and implementation of programme design and/or institutional policy, which may show that they do not perceive their active role to be important.

Recommendation: The list of competences seen by educational staff as relatively less important should be further analysed to discover the reasons for such assessment, as most of these competences are considered by INSETT experts to be highly relevant for teaching.

ETTA SA rated the two competences linked to the use of ICT (Integrate use of ICT and audio-visuals to

enhance student learning and demonstrate proficiency in ICT for instructional and administrative functions) very low. This is surprising, taking into account the growing importance of using modern methods in education.

Recommendation: It is important to ascertain why ETTA SA see these competences as less important, and how this perception influences the provision of training in that area. Attention should be given to raising awareness of ETTA SA about the potential of, and options for the application of e-learning in INSETT. If necessary, training in those areas should be provided.

Diverse results and in a few cases a surprisingly low rating of the importance of some competences

might indicate a different understanding of their meaning in different groups. Discussions in the focus groups showed that some groups, in particular teachers, are not familiar with the concept of competences, although some of these are self-explanatory and appear quite precise. This is particularly true for competences which received a lower rating than expected. A broader discussion about the set of teachers’ competences in Croatia has not yet begun.

Recommendation: With a clear definition of each competence and with awareness raising activities, a clear picture of the importance of individual competences should be developed. Competences selected as valid for the Croatian education system could be assessed using an adapted survey instrument.

9.7. Analysis of teachers’ competences – training needs

The results of the analysis of the training needs of teachers show that there is a large difference

between on one hand the results of the assessment of the teachers and the CCoTT (who were evaluating their own training needs) and on the other the evaluation of the training needs of teachers/CCoTT by the ETTA SA working with them. ETTA SA think that the teachers need more improvement of their competences than they themselves believe.

Recommendation: A detailed analysis should be carried out to find out why there is such a large difference in the perception of training needs between the teachers and ETTA SA. Are ETTA SA overestimating the training needs or are the teachers underestimating them?

An overview of training needs for teachers is presented in the main text of the report, which can serve

as an input for developing in-service training strategies for teachers. Two competences are seen as far more important than the others by all respondents: Foster the development of independence in student learning and Provide learning experiences that promote problem solving, critical thinking, inquiry and creativity All respondents assigned them the highest level of training need. This shows that



the focus of teaching has shifted towards student-centred teaching and learning for a creative and critical individual, but that applying this in the classroom is still a weak area.

Recommendation: The two competences should be given the first priority in teacher training, alongside other competences that assigned a high priority. (See also the 4th recommendation below).

The list of teachers’ competences was defined as a starting point for discussing which competences

teachers need to develop. At different levels of their career path, competences may change: this could involve another set of competences or the same competence at a different level, with a different standard. The aim of this survey was to see how the teachers perceive themselves and the results obtained can be seen as an input into defining the standards to be prepared in the CroQF. Regardless of the composition of the final set, it shows the important elements of teachers’ competences and provides supporting evidence for some other conclusions in this report. This particular tool is by now an integral part of the ettaedu system and could be used for an on-line assessment of training needs before preparing the annual ETTA INSETT plan.

Recommendation: The approach implemented can be used in different ways. On one hand, it can be used to determine the general needs of the teaching staff if administered or surveyed by ETTA or any other training provider. On the other hand, it can also serve as a self-evaluation tool, made available to teachers to assess their own training needs. It can be further developed, changed or adapted to serve the needs of the educational community.

A detailed analysis by different groups within the teaching staff shows that there are statistically

significant differences in training needs: - between teachers in the region that is covered by the different ETTA offices, in particular between

Split and Zagreb. - according to the level of education at which the teachers are working (in most cases with the

needs of classroom teachers compared to those of other teachers from different levels, and between pre-primary school teachers and others).

- according to the teacher’s level of education (teachers with higher education - non-Diploma studies - need more training than the other groups). The main differences in training needs are in the areas of facilitating learner-centred innovative learning and work, assessing and monitoring of the learning process and outcomes and designing and implementing of programs, the first three core competences.

- according to gender: male teachers’ needs for improvement are higher than females in the following core competence areas: facilitating learner-centred innovative learning and work, assessing and monitoring of the learning process and outcomes, providing learner guidance and counselling and pursuing their own personal development and creativity.

- according to work experience/age: the main differences are between younger and older teachers. Teachers older than 50 years expressed higher needs for training.

- according to promotion levels for some competences, with individuals at a higher level of promotion feeling a greater need for improvement.

- according to the subject or subject area in which teachers are teaching: there are statistically significant differences in training needs for all competences except one, showing that training needs cannot be generalized. Recommendation: When planning teacher-training events, differences in training needs

should be considered, according to the categories presented above. Different factors should be taken into account to provide effective and efficient training. This is in particular important for the regional training needs and subject-based trainings.



ETTA SA consider the most important competences in which teachers need training to be those linked to learning outcomes, and assessment and monitoring of students based on the evidence collected. They also mention competences that have to be developed by taking into account the change in educational paradigm, based on learning outcomes and student centred teaching and learning. At the other end of the scale, among those competences with the lowest need for improvement are the integration of ICT and audio-visuals into the teaching and learning process to enhance student learning and demonstration of proficiency in ICT for instructional and administrative functions. This is quite surprising, given that ICT is becoming more important in teaching and learning.

Recommendation: ETTA should further explore the reason why their advisers think that training in ICT competences is a lower priority.

The comparison of the results obtained between teachers and ETTA SA shows that for thirteen

competences (out of the first 20 that need improvement) there is agreement that training is most needed. These are:

- 1.1 Foster the development of independence in student learning. - 1.2 Provide learning experiences that promote problem solving, critical thinking, inquiry and

creativity - 1.3 Initiate appropriate and purposeful opportunities for students to work collaboratively. - 1.7 Develop and implement an exemplary programme to address the specific learning needs of an

individual or group of students. - 1.8 Evaluate exemplary work strategies used to address the specific learning needs of an individual

or group of students. - 1.9 Facilitate independent and collaborative learning. - 2.6 Develop and apply fair and inclusive practices in assessment and reporting - 2.7 Develop and implement a range of exemplary assessment strategies. - 2.9 Make consistent judgements on student progress and achievement based on a range of

evidence - 4.4 Carry out individual training needs analyses and adapt the educational programme to students’

individual needs with appropriate support. - 6.7 Identify gaps in own competences on the basis of a competence framework analysis. - 6.8 Develop and monitor own professional development plan - 6.10 Integrate new educational methods and practices in designing learning arrangements and

programmes. Recommendation: These competences should be reviewed within the ETTA, together with the

main stakeholders, and the results obtained should serve as the basis for designing future training.

Some competences are seen as priority by ETTA SA but not by the teachers. They address learning

outcomes, assessment, teamwork and commitment to professional learning. On the other hand, among the more important priorities for the teachers were two on the use of ICT and audio-visuals to enhance student learning, which were rated less important by ETTA SA.

Recommendation: Discussions should be held on those competences and competence areas that have a different importance for the teachers and ETTA SA, but are part of the development process and changing paradigm in education.

Implementation of the instrument for the assessment of managerial competences of individuals in the

three groups that need management competences confirmed that it is a satisfactory and easy-to -administer instrument, which could be used by organisations to assess the training needs of their employees.



Recommendation: ETTA can use the TNA instrument for managerial competences to define priorities for tailoring training programmes for their senior advisers. The instrument can be implemented in its full form, providing an opportunity for validation of results by line managers, by commenting on and amending the suggested areas for training.

The analysis of training needs priorities in managerial competences shows that the main areas of

training for all three groups are: managing stressful situations, development of conflict resolution skills, innovation, negotiation skills and skills for building collaborative relationships.

Recommendation: The ETTA should provide training on these specific areas, as they are important for the successful implementation of the INSETT system and for the work of most of ETTA SA, school directors and CCoTT.

The school directors and ETTA SA also assigned proposal preparation, risk management and European

and Croatian Qualifications Framework the highest priority for their training in managerial competences.

Recommendation: ETTA should further analyse the training needs in those three areas and match them with the actual provision. In particular this is important for project proposal writing, as projects can contribute significantly to educational budgets for developmental purposes both in the Agency and in schools.

Among the three groups, ETTA SA evinced the greatest need for training in all areas. Priorities for

some of the listed competences were selected by more than 40% of ETTA SA. Recommendation: The training needs of ETTA SA should be reviewed in detail and used as the

basis for yearly individual professional development plans for ETTA SA.


ANNEX 1. – The five questionnaires used in the survey


1

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS – TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS

To teachers,

As you are one of the key and respectable participants in education policy making, we hereby invite you to participate in a teacher training needs analysis survey. Your knowledge, experience and attitudes in the area of research are of utmost importance and we would very much appreciate your cooperation. Your participation will directly affect the success of this research and, consequently, its results.

This questionnaire offers the opportunity for teachers and other stakeholders to provide input into education analysis and teacher training policy development. The questionnaires were prepared in direct cooperation with the participants of the EU project dealing with in-service teacher training and Education and Teacher Training Agency, and they will collect the answers from different groups that organize and participate in in-service teacher training processes in the Republic of Croatia. Please answer as best as you can as the results of the survey will show the training needs of the Croatian teachers. The goals is to use the information from the questionnaire for defining strategy and modernization of the existing system, improvement of education quality, with the aim to achieve better educational outputs and the quality of the education system in general.

Confidentiality

All information that is collected in this study will be treated confidentially. Results will be made available on the country level and you are guaranteed that you will not be identified in any report of the results of the study.

About the questionnaire

• With the help of this questionnaire we aim to obtain your opinion regarding different teacher competences and their importance for your job and your training needs assessment for each competence. Please answer the best you can.

• The questionnaire should take about 15 minutes to complete. • Guidelines for answering questions are typed in italics. Most questions can be answered by

marking the most appropriate answer, if not stated otherwise. • The questionnaire is divided into a number of pages for easier answering. Your responses are

recorded as you type them in but can be changed as long as you have not completed the questionnaire.

• When you have completed filling out the questionnaire please hit <End the survey>. This will submit your answers and you will no longer be able to make any changes.

Thank you for your answers!

2

A. General data

These questions refer to you, your education and time you spent in education. When answering these questions please check the appropriate box.

1. Gender: M F

2. Age: (scrolling menu)

3. Work experience: (scrolling menu)

4. Work experience in education: (scrolling menu)

5. The level of qualification you have achieved?

• higher expertise • high expertise • postgraduate specialist study • Master of Science • PhD

6. Which county is the educational institution where your work located in? (scrolling menu)

7. Which educational institution are you working in? In case your work in more than one educational institution, select the one where you have the most teaching hours

- preschool - elementary school - secondary school (gymnasium , vocational) (scrolling menu) - boarding school - unemployed

8. Which subject do you teach? (from the curriculum)

9. Have you been promoted to a higher professional level and if so, which one?

- I have not been promoted - mentor - advisor

3

B. Teacher training

The questions refer to your in-service training programmes in 2011. When answering these questions please tick the appropriate box.

1. Do you attend in-service teacher training programmes?

2. How many teacher trainings/events did you attend in 2011? (scrolling menu)

• in total • organized by the ETTA (CoCTT ,regional/interregional, national)

3. How many hours of teacher training did you attend in 2011? (scrolling menu)

• in total • organized by the ETTA

4. What types of trainings/events did you attend in 2011?

• plenary sessions • pedagogical workshops • examples of good practice • consultations-mentoring • modular in-service training • supervision • training for trainers • visitations • field work • in-service training for the members of Teacher Councils • e-learning • round table • study visits • other: ___________________________

5. What types and methods of trainings/events of educational staff do you prefer? Please mark one number on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 – the least; 5 – the most)

a) plenary sessions 1 2 3 4 5

b) pedagogical workshops 1 2 3 4 5

c) examples of good practice 1 2 3 4 5

d) consultations-mentoring 1 2 3 4 5

e) modular in-service training 1 2 3 4 5

4

f) supervision 1 2 3 4 5

g) training for trainers 1 2 3 4 5

h) visitation 1 2 3 4 5

i) field work 1 2 3 4 5

j) in-service training for the members of Teacher Councils 1 2 3 4 5

k) e-learning 1 2 3 4 5

l) round tables 1 2 3 4 5

m) study visits 1 2 3 4 5

• other: ___________________________

6. Which criteria do you use when selecting in-service training programmes? (multiple answers)

- importance for your own job / educational process - importance for the educational institution - personal growth and development - implementing the policy of educational authorities - others send me to in-service training programmes

other: ___________________________

7. Does your educational institution have an annual in-service training plan? Y N

8. To what extent can you influence the annual in-service training plan?

• completely • partially • I cannot

9. The annual plan of in-service trainings in your institution is designed:

• with the participation of the majority of educational workers • with respect to personal in-service training plans • on the basis of suggestions from the Director, without discussion • other

10. The annual plan of in-service trainings is implemented: (multiple answers)

• completely • partially • depending on available funds • according to the decision of the Director • other

5

11. Do you have the opportunity to participate in all in-service trainings you are interested in? Y N

12. Which topics and areas should be more represented? Please assess from 1 to 5 (1 – the least important; 5 – the most important)

a) Subject methods 1 2 3 4 5

b) Development of advisor competences 1 2 3 4 5

c) General Didactics 1 2 3 4 5

d) Andragogy 1 2 3 4 5

e) Professional contents 1 2 3 4 5

f) Application of ICT in teaching 1 2 3 4 5

g) School management 1 2 3 4 5

h) Work with children with special needs (students with disabilities) 1 2 3 4 5

i) Work with children with special needs (talented students) 1 2 3 4 5

j) Pedagogical topics 1 2 3 4 5

k) Psychological topics 1 2 3 4 5

l) Education policy 1 2 3 4 5

m) Prevention programmes 1 2 3 4 5

n) EU in-service training programmes and EU funds 1 2 3 4 5

Please indicate on the scale from 1 to 5 (1 – strongly disagree; 5 – strongly agree) how much the following statements apply to you:

13. I am able to attend all in-service training programmes I need. 1 2 3 4 5

14. Available in-service training programmes fulfil my professional development needs.

1 2 3 4 5

15. Available in-service training programmes fulfil my personal development needs.

1 2 3 4 5

16. Available in-service training programmes are organized at an appropriate time.

1 2 3 4 5

17. ETTA offers quality in-service training programmes. 1 2 3 4 5

18. ETTA provides the expected support in the in-service training process. 1 2 3 4 5

6

C. Training needs analysis This part of the questionnaire refers to the competences of teachers. Competences are defined as a set of acquired knowledge and skills, with the appropriate level of independence and responsibility in their application. Please assess the below given competences for teaching and other school activities of teachers.

Please specify:

• the importance of each competence for teaching and other school related activities of teachers:

0 – not important at all 1 – low importance 2 – moderate importance 3 – high importance

• the level of need for their improvement:

0 – no need at all 1 – low level of need 2 – moderate level of need 3 – high level of need

I. CORE COMPETENCE 1: FACILITATING LEARNER-CENTRED INNOVATIVE LEARNING & WORK

Importance for teaching

Need for improvement

0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 Foster the development of independence in student learning.

Provide learning experiences that promote problem solving, critical thinking, inquiry and creativity

Initiate appropriate and purposeful opportunities for students to work collaboratively.

Integrate use of ICT and audio-visuals to enhance student learning.

Clearly define and present the aim of a lesson.

Identify and respond sensitively to the learning needs of an individual or group of students.

Develop and implement an exemplary program to address the specific learning needs of an individual or group of students.

Evaluate exemplary work strategies used to address the specific learning needs of an individual or group of students.

Facilitate independent and collaborative learning.

7

II. CORE COMPETENCE 2: ASSESSING AND MONITORING LEARNING PROCESSES AND OUTCOMES



0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 Formulate learning outcomes.

Collect a range of evidence to monitor student learning outcomes.

Record evidence of student attainment of learning outcomes in order to inform ongoing planning and reporting processes.

Report student learning outcomes.

Participate in programme monitoring, recording and reporting activities.

Develop and apply fair and inclusive practices in assessment and reporting.

Develop and implement a range of exemplary assessment strategies.

Review the effectiveness of an exemplary assessment strategy.

Make consistent judgements on student progress and achievement based on a range of evidence.

Share knowledge and experience of using exemplary assessment strategies with colleagues.

Provide comprehensive, relevant information to students and other stakeholders.

III. CORE COMPETENCE 3: DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING PROGRAMMES, SCHEDULES, TRAINING MATERIALS AND DIDACTIC METHODS



0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 Support the design, implementation and monitoring of the curriculum or institutional policy.

Support the review of school curriculum or institutional policy.

Analyse the institute’s learning environment as input for designing programmes and institutional policy.

Lead the development and implementation of programme design and/or institutional policy.

Evaluate programmes and institutional policy.

Convince superiors to provide necessary technical support and additional materials.

8

IV. CORE COMPETENCE 4: PROVIDING LEARNER GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING



0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 Maintain current information about learning resources, educational opportunities and support services.

Use appropriate communication strategies.

Build rapport with students to facilitate open communication.


Recognise when to refer students to other services in-house or external and draw upon contacts with external counselling and guidance services.

V. CORE COMPETENCE 5: FORMING PARNTERSHIP WITHIN AND OUTSIDE OWN INSTITUTION



0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 Build partnerships with members of the wider educational community to support student learning.

Engage in team planning processes.

Contribute to team meetings.

Support the work of the team.

Motivate team members toward achieving quality outcomes.

Provide direction for team members.

Share knowledge of educational initiatives and perspectives to inform classroom practice.

Empower team members to take responsibility for tasks.

Promote cooperative decision-making processes.

Develop collaborative partnerships between the institution and the wider community.

9

VI. CORE COMPETENCE 6: PURSUING OWN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CREATIVITY



0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 Demonstrate a strong, ongoing commitment to professional learning.

Demonstrate proficiency in ICT for instructional and administrative functions.

Incorporate the experiences that learners bring into the educational setting from their multiple roles in life.

Support the induction of colleagues.

Share professional experience, knowledge, understanding and skills.

Provide professional support to colleagues.

Identify gaps in own competences on the basis of a competence framework analysis.

Develop and monitor own professional development plan.

Engage in reflective activities both individually and with others.

Integrate new educational methods and practices in designing learning arrangements and programmes.

1

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR EXPERT ASSOCIATES – TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS

To Expert Associates,


This questionnaire offers the opportunity for teachers and other stakeholders to provide input into education analysis and teacher training policy development. The questionnaires were prepared in direct cooperation with the participants of the EU project dealing with in-service teacher training and Education and Teacher Training Agency, and they will collect the answers from different groups that organize and participate in in-service teacher collect processes in the Republic of Croatia. Please answer as best as you can as the results of the survey will show the training needs of the Croatian teachers. The goals is to use the information from the questionnaire for defining strategy and modernization of the existing system, improvement of education quality, with the aim to achieve better educational outputs and the quality of the education system in general.

Confidentiality








Thank you very much for your co-operation!

2

A. General data


1. Gender: M F



4. How long have you been working in education? (scrolling menu)

5. The level of qualification you have achieved:





8. I perform the activities of an expert associate:

• as pedagogue • as psychologist • as defectologist • as social pedagogue • as librarian



3

B. Teacher training

The questions refer to your trainings in 2011. When answering these questions please tick the appropriate box.

1. Do you attend teacher trainings/events?

2. How many teacher trainings/events did you attend in the year 2011? (scrolling menu)





• plenary sessions • workshops • examples of good practice • consultations-mentoring • modular in-service training • supervision • training for trainers • visitation • field work • in-service training for the members of Teacher Councils • e-learning • round table • study visit • other: ___________________________

5. What types and methods of trainings/events of educational staff do you prefer? Please mark one number on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 – the least; 5 – the most)









4




l) round table 1 2 3 4 5


• other: ___________________________


- importance for your own job / educational process - importance for the educational institution - personal growth and development - implementing the policy of educational authorities - others send me to in-service training programmes - other: ___________________________




9. The annual plan of in-service training in your institution is designed:

• with the participation of the majority of educational workers • with respect to in-service training personal plans • on the basis of suggestions from the Director, without discussion • other

10. The annual plan of in-service training is implemented: (multiple answers)



12. Which topics and areas should me more represented? Please assess from 1 to 5 (1 – the least important; 5 – the most important)

a) Subject Methods 1 2 3 4 5


5













Please indicate on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 – strongly disagree; 5 – strongly agree) how much the following statements apply to you:


14. Available in-service training programmes fulfil my professional development needs.

1 2 3 4 5

15. Available in-service training programmes fulfil my personal development needs.

1 2 3 4 5


1 2 3 4 5



6

C. Training needs analysis This part of the questionnaire refers to the competences of teachers. Competences include the set of acquired knowledge and skills, with the appropriate level of independence and responsibility in their application. Please assess the below given competences for teaching and other school activities of teachers.

Please specify: • the importance of each competence for teaching and other school related activities of

teachers:
















7
























8






















9














1

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR SCHOOL DIRECTORS – TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS

To School Directors, As you are one of the key and respectable participants in education policy making, we hereby invite you to participate in a teacher training needs analysis survey. Your knowledge, experience and attitudes in the area of research are of utmost importance and we would very much appreciate your cooperation. Your participation will directly affect the success of this research and, consequently, its results. This questionnaire offers the opportunity for teachers and other stakeholders to provide input into education analysis and teacher training policy development. The questionnaires were prepared in direct cooperation with the participants of the EU project dealing with in-service teacher training and Education and Teacher Training Agency, and they will collect the answers from different groups that organize and participate in in-service teacher training processes in the Republic of Croatia. Please answer as best as you can as the results of the survey will show the training needs of the Croatian teachers. The goals is to use the information from the questionnaire for defining strategy and modernization of the existing system, improvement of education quality, with the aim to achieve better educational outputs and the quality of the education system in general.

Confidentiality

All information that is collected in this study will be treated confidentially. Results will be made available on the country level and you are guaranteed that you will not be identified in any report of the results of the study. About the questionnaire







2

A. General data


1. Gender: M F



4. How long have you been working in education: (scrolling menu)



7. Which educational institution did you work in before becoming a school director? In case you worked in several educational institutions please select the last one.

- preschool - elementary school - secondary school (gymnasium , vocational) (scrolling menu) - boarding school

8. Before becoming a school director, have you been promoted to a higher professional level and if so, which one?


9. Have you been a County Co-operator of Teacher Training? Y N

10. Which subject/subjects did you teach before becoming a school director? (scrolling menu)

3

B. Personal in-service training of school directors


1. Do you attend in-service trainings for educational staff? Y N

2. How many trainings/events did you attend in 2011? (scrolling menu)





• plenary sessions • workshops • examples of good practice • consultations-mentoring • modular in-service training • supervision • training for trainers • visitation • field work • in-service training for the members of Teacher Councils • e-learning • round table • study visit • other: ___________________________

5. What types of trainings/events of educational staff do you prefer? Please mark one number on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 – the least; 5 – the most)










4





• other: ___________________________


- importance for your own job / educational process - importance for the educational institution - personal growth and development - implementing the policy of educational authorities - others send me to in-service training programmes - other: ___________________________

7. Does your educational institution have an annual in-service training plan? Y N 8. To what extent can you influence the annual in-service training plan?


9. The annual plan of in-service trainings in your institution is designed:

• with the participation of the majority of educational workers • with respect to personal in-service training plans • on the basis of suggestions from the Director, without discussion • other

10. Annual plan of in-service trainings is implemented: (multiple answers)




a) Subject Methods 1 2 3 4 5




5











Please indicate on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 – strongly disagree; 5 – strongly agree) how much the following statements apply to you:


14. Available in-service training programmes offered by the ETTA fulfil my professional development needs.

1 2 3 4 5

15. Available in-service training programmes offered by the ETTA fulfil my personal development needs.

1 2 3 4 5

16. Available in-service training programmes are organized at an appropriate time (outside school days).

1 2 3 4 5



6

C. Training needs analysis This part of the questionnaire refers to competences of teachers. A competence is defined as a set of acquired skills and knowledge, with the appropriate level of independence and responsibility in their application. Please assess the below given competences for teaching and other school activities of teachers. Please specify:

















7
























8






















9














10

D. Specific competences Please take a look at the given set below of knowledge, skills, attitudes/personal styles and characteristics below and please specify:

• how important they are for the performance of your work

0 – not important 1 – important 2 – very important

• to what extent you need improvement in them:

0 – no need for improvement 1 – I need some improvement - training or other form of support will be useful 2 – I need significant improvement - training or other form of support is necessary

GENERAL SKILLS (They refer to interaction with others, individuals or groups)

Importance for my job

Need for own improvement

0 1 2 0 1 2 1. Decision-Making – considering the data available, identifying opportunities and making timely decisions.

2. Teamwork – it is the ability to contribute to work teams and improve their effectiveness through personal commitment to supporting colleagues, sharing knowledge and fostering a positive team spirit.

3. Conflict resolution skills – using appropriate interpersonal styles and methods to reduce tension and conflict with other people, dealing with others in an effective manner through the antagonistic situation, finding a way to achieve agreement on issues relating to conflict by enabling insight into the issues from different perspectives.

4. Managing stressful situations – the ability to continue effective action despite being exposed to pressure and maintain self-control in case of being faced with hostile conduct or provocation.

GENERAL PERSONAL SKILLS (Skills which you personally have and use)



0 1 2 0 1 2 5. Written Communication Skills – expressing ideas, messages, etc. clearly and concisely in writing by the proper use of punctuation and grammatically correct way to use forms, styles, tables, graphs and other ways of presenting complex information, selecting the right form of communication and communication channels.

11

6. Oral Communication Skills – receiving and expressing ideas, messages, etc. orally in a clear manner and ensuring that they understand using various techniques of oral communication - active listening, examining, interpreting, clarifying, summarizing and adapting communication style to other people and contexts.

7. Presentation Skills – ability to plan and maintenance of oral and written communications that are relevant and persuasive in relation to the target audience, using appropriate language and examples, stories, by analogy, to evoke, and it graphs the information displayed in a clear manner with high performance.

8. Negotiation Skills – gathering support from other people for ideas, proposals, projects, etc., using arguments that provide answers to troubling questions and sensitive topics, seeking win-win solutions.

9. Time Management – ability to use own time and other time in the most efficient way, which means that everyone must be accurate and take into account the time, do their work without delay or postponement, identifying tasks that are a priority.

10. Management of Meetings – ability to organize and maintain effective and efficient meetings.

11. Attention to detail – ability to manage one’s own work and the work of others, to serve the purpose, to avoid any mistakes and to be noticed details that might affect the quality of work.

12. Skills for Building Collaborative Relationships – ability to develop, maintain and strengthen partnerships with others inside or outside the organization who can provide information, assistance and support.

13. Orientation to Service – it is the understanding the needs of individuals or groups internally or externally who receive information, instructions, training or other service and demonstrating a positive attitude towards them during the service, also includes finding ways to prevent or resolve problems in a timely and professional manner.

ATTITUDES/PERSONAL STYLES Importance for my job


0 1 2 0 1 2 14. Professionalism – being committed to and capable of performing their professional duties by applying high professional standards in their work and behaviour with peers in a fair manner and with due respect.

15. Accountability – assuming full responsibility for the results, identifying and addressing the deficient areas that can affect the quality of work and systematic informing of superiors/leaders on progress, issues and potential problems.

16. Flexibility – openness to different and new ways of doing things, readiness to change ways of doing things which has so far preferred one.

12

17. Self-development – the possibility of taking action to achieve their own professional development through learning from experience, search and ready to accept feedback from others and identify their own needs for training and finding opportunities for learning.

18. Focus on Results - focus on the desired end result of their work or work of one's work unit, setting goals that are challenging, directing efforts in achieving the objectives and achieving or exceeding them.

19. Initiative – determining what needs to be done and proposing or carrying out the same before they are requested or required to be the situation.

20. Innovation – developing and supporting the introduction of new and improved methods, products, processes or technology.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS Importance for my job


0 1 2 0 1 2 21. Empathy – it is the ability to identify and interpret feelings and concerns of others during communication and to act accordingly.

22. Self-confidence – belief in your own ability to perform the work and objectives.

23. Personal credibility – expression of personal responsibility, confidence and trust at work, acting in a fair and ethical manner.

SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE RELEVANT TO THE SCHOOL Importance

for my job Need for own improvement

0 1 2 0 1 2 24. General knowledge of the school – general understanding of the school and its activities, knowledge of organizational structure, mission, vision and strategies, major policies and procedures, etc.

25. Preparing proposals – the knowledge and skills that are important for the preparation of project proposals funded by the EU.

26. General knowledge on the work of educational staff – knowledge about the activities: on monitoring, standards, curricula, quality assurance, etc.

27. General knowledge on education system – on the organization of the system, monitoring in education, standards, curricula, quality assurance, etc.

28. European and Croatian Qualifications Framework – general knowledge of the European and Croatian Qualifications Framework, present and future development of the frameworks.

29. Basic ICT Skills – using Windows, MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), web, e-mails, etc. (ECDL).

13

30. Advanced ICT Skills – use of advanced application software tools, e.g. for the analysis of data on the web, communication within the professional network, e-rooms for groups of software, time management, etc.

MANAGERIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS Importance for my job


0 1 2 0 1 2 31. Achieving Focus – ability to develop goals that are supported by organizational strategy, and communicate them to subordinates.

32. Motivating People – ability to support and encourage individuals and teams, so they gave their best, giving recognition and praise at the right time and motivation through personal example.

33. Leadership Team – The ability to successfully achieve more working together groups of recognizing and encouraging behaviours that contribute to teamwork.

34. Encouraging others – expressed confidence in the ability of employees to be successful, especially during the performance of new challenging tasks, delegating significant responsibility and authority, giving employees some freedom in deciding on a way to achieve their goals and resolve issues.

35. Control mode – taking responsibility for the work of employees by setting clear goals and expectations, monitoring progress against the goals, providing immediate feedback and problem-solving mode, and key issues.

36. Contributing to the Development of Others – willingness to delegate responsibility and work with others and training them how to develop your skills.

37. Change Management – providing support, initiating, sponsoring and implementing organizational change, helping others in the successful management of organizational change.

38. Planning – ability to plan, prioritize and organize tasks in an effective way to work is driven by organizational unit must be done and was done.

39. Managing Finances – use the best possible financial and material resources that are available in performing the required tasks.

40. Managing People Skills – the amount of work planning, employment (including the selection and holding interviews), conducting introductory training, managing the effects of labour, management compensation system, recognizing the need for professional training and learning management, career development, resolving disciplinary and grievance procedures.

41. Risk Management – review of potential risks in terms of financial issues, ethical issues, conflicts of interest, diversity issues, etc., forecasting and planning of preventive measures.

1

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR SENIOR ADVISORS IN ETTA – TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS

To advisors,

As you are as Senior Advisor in the Education and Teacher Training Agency, one of the key actors in education policy making, we hereby invite you to participate in a teacher training needs analysis. Your knowledge, experience and attitudes in the area of research are of utmost importance and we would very much appreciate your cooperation. Your participation will directly affect the success of this research and, consequently, its results.

This questionnaire for Senior Advisors is one of the questionnaires designed for different stakeholders to provide input into education analysis and teacher training policy development. The questionnaires were prepared within the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) Component IV – Human Resources Development, as a part of the project “Improving the Quality of the In-service Teacher Training System”, financed by the EU; the Main Project Beneficiary is the Education and Teacher Training Agency. Please answer as best as you can as the results of the survey will show the training needs of Senior Advisors and provide input for defining strategy and modernization of the existing ETTA in-service training system, improvement of education quality, with the aim to achieve better educational outputs and the quality of the education system in general.

Confidentiality

All information that is collected in this study will be treated confidentially. Results will be made available on the country level and you are guaranteed that you will not be identified in any report of the results of the study. About the questionnaire

• With the help of this questionnaire we aim to obtain information about the existing in-service trainings you organize within the ETTA and the ones you use for your own in-service training; your opinion regarding different teacher competences in educational institutions and your own competences, as the basis for strengthening the capacity of the Education and Teacher Training Agency and for defining areas that need improvement.






2

A. General data These questions refer to you, your education and time you spent in education and in the Education and Teacher training Agency. When answering these questions please check the appropriate box.

1. Gender: M F



4. How long have you been working in education? (scrolling menu)

5. How long have you been working in the ETTA? (scrolling menu)

6. Formal education level:

• graduate study • postgraduate specialist study • postgraduate - Master of Science • PhD

7. What is your status in the ETTA?

• employee • external associate

8. Which subject area do you cover as an advisor? (scrolling menu, from the database)

9. How many teachers are you responsible for? (scrolling menu)

10. Which educational institution did you work in before coming to the ETTA? (multiple answers)

- preschool institution - elementary school - secondary school (scrolling menu) - boarding school

11. Have you been promoted to a higher professional level before coming to the Agency? If your answer is yes (Y), which is the highest level?


12. Have you been a County Co-ordinator of Teacher Training? Y N

3

B. Organization and implementation of in-service trainings

The questions refer to in-service trainings you organize/implement for educational staff. When answering these questions please tick the appropriate box.

1. Do you organize in-service trainings for educational staff? Y N

2. How many conferences did you organize in 2011? (scrolling menu)

• in total

3. How many hours of in-service training did you attend in 2011? (scrolling menu)

• in total

4. What types and methods of trainings/events did you use?

• plenary sessions • workshops • examples of good practice • consultations-mentoring • modular in-service training • supervision • training for trainers • discussion • field work • in-service training for the members of Teacher Councils • e-learning • round table • study visit • other: ___________________________

5. How many times did you have independent lectures/workshops in the period between 1 January 2011 to date? (scrolling menu)

• at your own conferences • at the conferences organized by other colleagues-advisors • county teacher trainings • interregional teacher trainings • at state conferences • at international conferences

6. What types and methods of trainings/events for teaching and non-teaching staff do you prefer? Please assess on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 – the least; 5 – the most)



4






h) discussion 1 2 3 4 5






• other: ___________________________

7. Which forms and methods of in-service training do you find successful? Please mark the one number on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 – the least successful; 5 – the most successful)








h) discussion 1 2 3 4 5






8. Which criteria do you find important when organizing in-service training programmes? Please mark the answer on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 – the least important; 5 – the most important)

a) importance for the educational process 1 2 3 4 5

b) importance for the educational institution 1 2 3 4 5

c) importance for personal growth and development of educational workers

1 2 3 4 5

5

d) importance for the educational system 1 2 3 4 5

e) following modern trends 1 2 3 4 5

f) implementing the policy of educational authorities 1 2 3 4 5

g) other (explain below) 1 2 3 4 5 Other_______________________________

9. Do you have enough financial resources to organize training events?

10. Can you provide quality lecturers?

• yes • mostly yes • mostly no • no

6

C. Personal in-service training of advisors The questions refer to your personal in-service trainings in the Education and Teacher Training Agency. When answering these questions, please tick the appropriate box.


• with the participation of the majority of advisors • with respect to in-service training personal plans • on the basis of suggestions from the Director and Managing Board • I do not know


• completely • partially • depending on available funds • according to the decision of the Director and Managing Board • other

3. In which subject areas do you need in-service training? Please assess on the scale from 1 to 5 (1 – the least necessary; 5 – the most necessary)















• other: ___________________________

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4. What are the methods of your personal in-service training? Please answer how much you use them on a scale from 1 to 5 (0 –I do not use them, 1- I use the least; 4 – I use the most)

a) Conferences you organize 0 1 2 3 4

b) Conferences organized by the ETTA 0 1 2 3 4

c) ETTA international cooperation projects 0 1 2 3 4

d) In-service organized by other institutions 0 1 2 3 4

e) Formal education 0 1 2 3 4

f) Following professional literature 0 1 2 3 4

g) National conferences 0 1 2 3 4

h) International conferences 0 1 2 3 4

i) e-learning 0 1 2 3 4

j) Exchange of experiences with colleagues 0 1 2 3 4

• other: ___________________________



6. Available in-service training programmes fulfill my professional development needs.

1 2 3 4 5

7. Available in-service training programmes fulfill my personal development needs.

1 2 3 4 5


1 2 3 4 5

9. I am able to attend all in-service training programmes I am interested in. 1 2 3 4 5

10. I am able to attend quality in-service training programmes. 1 2 3 4 5

11. ETTA provides an additional support in the in-service training process. 1 2 3 4 5

8

D. Training needs analysis This part of the questionnaire refers to the assessment of competences of teachers for whom you organize in-service trainings / conferences. A competence is defined as a set of acquired skills and knowledge, with the appropriate level of independence and responsibility in their application. Please assess the below given competences for teaching and other school activities of teachers. Please specify:

















9
























10






















11














12

E. Specific competences of senior advisors Please assess the importance of advisor competences below and the need for their improvement. Competences include the set of knowledge, skills, attitudes/personal styles and characteristics. Please define for each competence


0 – not important, 1 – important 2 – very important


0 – no need for improvement 1 – need some improvement - training or other form of assistance will be useful 2 – need significant improvement - training or other form of assistance is necessary

This part of the questionnaire assesses how you see your personal competences and where you feel the need for improvement. That will be the basis for the analysis of needs for strengthening the capacity of the ETTA and for defining the areas its advisors need improvement in.




0 1 0 1 0 1 1. Decision-Making - considering the data available, identifying opportunities and making timely decisions.


3. Conflict resolution skills - using appropriate interpersonal styles and methods to reduce tension and conflict with other people, dealing with others in an effective manner through the antagonistic situation, finding a way to achieve agreement on issues relating to conflict by enabling insight into the issues from different perspectives.

4. Managing stressful situations - the ability to continue effective action despite being exposed to pressure and maintain self-control in case of being faced with hostile conduct or provocation.

13




0 1 0 1 0 1 5. Written Communication Skills - expressing ideas, messages, etc. clearly and concisely in writing by the proper use of punctuation and grammatically correct way to use forms, styles, tables, graphs and other ways of presenting complex information, selecting the right form of communication and communication channels.

6. Oral Communication Skills - receiving and expressing ideas, messages, etc. orally in a clear manner and ensuring that they understand using various techniques of oral communication - active listening, examining, interpreting, clarifying, summarizing and adapting communication style to other people and contexts.

7. Presentation Skills - ability to plan and maintenance of oral and written communications that are relevant and persuasive in relation to the target audience, using appropriate language and examples, stories, by analogy, to evoke, and it graphs the information displayed in a clear manner with high performance.

8. Negotiation Skills - gathering support from other people for ideas, proposals, projects, etc., using arguments that provide answers to troubling questions and sensitive topics, seeking win-win solutions.

9. Time Management - ability to use own time and other time in the most efficient way, which means that everyone must be accurate and take into account the time, do their work without delay or postponement, identifying tasks that are a priority.

10. Management of Meetings - ability to organize and maintain effective and efficient meetings.

11. Attention to detail - ability to manage one’s own work and the work of others, to serve the purpose, to avoid any mistakes and to be noticed details that might affect the quality of work.

12. Skills for Building Collaborative Relationships - ability to develop, maintain and strengthen partnerships with others inside or outside the organization who can provide information, assistance and support.


ATTITUDES/PERSONAL STYLES Importance


0 1 0 1 0 1 14. Professionalism - being committed to and capable of performing their professional duties by applying high professional standards in their work and behaviour with peers in a fair manner and with due respect.

14

15. Accountability - assuming full responsibility for the results, identifying and addressing the deficient areas that can affect the quality of work and systematic informing of superiors/leaders on progress, issues and potential problems.

16. Flexibility - openness to different and new ways of doing things, readiness to change ways of doing things which has so far preferred one.

17. Self-development - the possibility of taking action to achieve their own professional development through learning from experience, search and ready to accept feedback from others and identify their own needs for training and finding opportunities for learning.


19. Initiative - determining what needs to be done and proposing or carrying out the same before they are requested or required to be the situation.

20. Innovation - developing and supporting the introduction of new and improved methods, products, processes or technology.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS



0 1 0 1 0 1 21. Empathy - it is the ability to identify and interpret feelings and concerns of others during communication and to act accordingly.

22. Self-confidence - belief in your own ability to perform the work and objectives.

23. Personal credibility - expression of personal responsibility, confidence and trust at work, acting in a fair and ethical manner.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS RELEVANT TO THE ETTA



0 1 0 1 0 1 24. General knowledge of ETTA - general understanding of the ETTA-and its activities, knowledge of organizational structure, mission, vision and strategies, major policies and procedures, etc.

25. Preparing proposals - the knowledge and skills that are important for the preparation of project proposals funded by the EU.

26. General knowledge on ETTA activities – knowledge of the work done by ETTA departments – on monitoring, standards, curricula, quality assurance, professional exams, advancement, in-service trainings.

15

27. General knowledge on education system– on the organization of the system, monitoring in education, standards, curricula, quality assurance, etc.

28. European and Croatian Qualifications Framework – general knowledge of the European and Croatian Qualifications Framework, present and future development of the frameworks.

29. Basic ICT Skills - using Windows, MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), web, e-mails, etc. (ECDL).

30. Advanced ICT Skills - use of advanced application software tools, eg. for the analysis of data on the web, communication within the professional network, e-rooms for groups of software, time management, etc.

If you do not hold a managerial position go to the end of the questionnaire and press “Continue” The following questions should be filled in only by those who have a managerial function according to the Rule Book on the Internal Organization and Classification of Work Posts and Positions in the ETTA. MENAGERIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS



0 1 0 1 0 1 31. Achieving Focus - ability to develop goals that are supported by organizational strategy, and communicate them to subordinates.

32. Motivating People - ability to support and encourage individuals and teams, so they gave their best, giving recognition and praise at the right time and motivation through personal example.

33. Leadership Team - The ability to successfully achieve more working together groups of recognizing and encouraging behaviours that contribute to teamwork.

34. Encouraging others - expressed confidence in the ability of employees to be successful, especially during the performance of new challenging tasks, delegating significant responsibility and authority, giving employees some freedom in deciding on a way to achieve their goals and resolve issues.

35. Control mode - taking responsibility for the work of employees by setting clear goals and expectations, monitoring progress against the goals, providing immediate feedback and problem-solving mode, and key issues.

36. Contributing to the Development of Others - willingness to delegate responsibility and work with others and training them how to develop your skills.

37. Change Management - providing support, initiating, sponsoring and implementing organizational change, helping others in the successful management of organizational change.

38. Planning - ability to plan, prioritize and organize tasks in an effective way to work is driven by organizational unit must be done and was done.

16

39. Managing Finances - use the best possible financial and material resources that are available in performing the required tasks.

40. Managing People Skills - the amount of work planning, employment (including the selection and holding interviews), conducting introductory training, managing the effects of labour, management compensation system, recognizing the need for professional training and learning management, career development, resolving disciplinary and grievance procedures.

41. Risk Management - review of potential risk in terms of financial issues, ethical issues, conflicts of interest, diversity issues, etc., forecasting and planning of preventive measures.

1

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR COUNTY CO-ORDINATORS OF TEACHER TRAINING – TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS

To County Coordinators of Teacher Training,


This questionnaire offers the opportunity for teachers and other stakeholders to provide input into education analysis and teacher training policy development. The questionnaires were prepared in direct cooperation with the participants of the EU project dealing with in-service teacher training and Education and Teacher Training Agency, and they will collect the answers from different groups that organize and participate in in-service teacher training processes in the Republic of Croatia. Please answer as best as you can as the results of the survey will show the training needs of the Croatian teachers. The goals is to use the information from the questionnaire for defining strategy and modernization of the existing system, improvement of education quality, with the aim to achieve better educational outputs and the quality of the education system in general.

Confidentiality







• When you have completed filling out the questionnaire please hit <End>. This will submit your answers and you will no longer be able to make any changes.


2

A. General data


1. Gender: M F



4. How long have you been working in education: (scrolling menu)






8. Which subject do you teach? (from the curriculum)



3

B. Teacher training


1. Do you attend teacher trainings/events?

2. How many teacher trainings/events did you attend in the year 2011? (scrolling menu)





• plenary sessions • pedagogical workshops • examples of good practice • consultations-mentoring • modular in-service training • supervision • training for trainers • visitations • field work • in-service training for the members of Teacher Councils • e-learning • round table • study visits • other: ___________________________

5. What types of trainings/events of educational staff do you prefer? Please mark one number on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 – the least; 5 – the most)










4



l) round tables 1 2 3 4 5


• other: ___________________________


- importance for your own job / educational process - importance for the educational institution - personal growth and development - implementing the policy of educational authorities - others send me to in-service training programmes

other: ___________________________





• with the participation of the majority of educational workers • with respect to personal in-service training plans • on the basis of suggestions from the manager, no discussion • other ___________________________


• completely • partially • depending on available funds • according to the decision of the Director • other ___________________________

11 . Do you have the opportunity to participate in all in-service trainings you are interested in? Y N





5














14. Available in-service training programmes offered by the ETTA fulfil my professional development needs.

1 2 3 4 5

15. Available in-service training programmes offered by the ETTA fulfil my personal development needs.

1 2 3 4 5

16. Available in-service training programmes are organized at an appropriate time (outside school days).

1 2 3 4 5



19. ETTA provides enough programmes for a successful management of County Teacher Trainings.

1 2 3 4 5

6

C. Training needs analysis This part of the questionnaire refers to the competences of teachers. Competences are defined as a set of acquired knowledge and skills, with the appropriate level of independence and responsibility in their application. Please assess the below given competences for teaching and other school activities of teachers.

Please specify:

















7
























8






















9














10

SPECIFIC COMPETENCES

Please take a look at the given set below of knowledge, skills, attitudes/personal styles and characteristics below and please specify:


0 – not important 1 – important 2 – very important


0 – no need for improvement 1 – I need some improvement - training or other form of support will be useful 2 – I need significant improvement - training or other form of support is necessary




0 1 2 0 1 2 1. Decision-Making - considering the data available, identifying opportunities and making timely decisions.


3. Conflict resolution skills - using appropriate interpersonal styles and methods to reduce tension and conflict with other people, dealing with others in an effective manner through the antagonistic situation, finding a way to achieve agreement on issues relating to conflict by enabling insight into the issues from different perspectives.

4. Managing stressful situations - the ability to continue effective action despite being exposed to pressure and maintain self-control in case of being faced with hostile conduct or provocation.




0 1 2 0 1 2 5. Written Communication Skills - expressing ideas, messages, etc. clearly and concisely in writing by the proper use of punctuation and grammatically correct way to use forms, styles, tables, graphs and other ways of presenting complex information, selecting the right form of communication and communication channels.

11

6. Oral Communication Skills - receiving and expressing ideas, messages, etc. orally in a clear manner and ensuring that they understand using various techniques of oral communication - active listening, examining, interpreting, clarifying, summarizing and adapting communication style to other people and contexts.

7. Presentation Skills - ability to plan and maintenance of oral and written communications that are relevant and persuasive in relation to the target audience, using appropriate language and examples, stories, by analogy, to evoke, and it graphs the information displayed in a clear manner with high performance.

8. Negotiation Skills - gathering support from other people for ideas, proposals, projects, etc., using arguments that provide answers to troubling questions and sensitive topics, seeking win-win solutions.

9. Time Management - ability to use own time and other time in the most efficient way, which means that everyone must be accurate and take into account the time, do their work without delay or postponement, identifying tasks that are a priority.

10. Management of Meetings - ability to organize and maintain effective and efficient meetings.

11. Attention to detail - ability to manage one’s own work and the work of others, to serve the purpose, to avoid any mistakes and to be noticed details that might affect the quality of work.

12. Skills for Building Collaborative Relationships - ability to develop, maintain and strengthen partnerships with others inside or outside the organization who can provide information, assistance and support.


ATTITUDES/PERSONAL STYLES Importance


0 1 2 0 1 2 14. Professionalism - being committed to and capable of performing their professional duties by applying high professional standards in their work and behaviour with peers in a fair manner and with due respect.

15. Accountability - assuming full responsibility for the results, identifying and addressing the deficient areas that can affect the quality of work and systematic informing of superiors/leaders on progress, issues and potential problems.

16. Flexibility - openness to different and new ways of doing things, readiness to change ways of doing things which has so far preferred one.

12

17. Self-development - the possibility of taking action to achieve their own professional development through learning from experience, search and ready to accept feedback from others and identify their own needs for training and finding opportunities for learning.


19. Initiative - determining what needs to be done and proposing or carrying out the same before they are requested or required to be the situation.

20. Innovation - developing and supporting the introduction of new and improved methods, products, processes or technology.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS Importance


0 1 2 0 1 2 21. Empathy - it is the ability to identify and interpret feelings and concerns of others during communication and to act accordingly.

22. Self-confidence - belief in your own ability to perform the work and objectives.

23. Personal credibility - expression of personal responsibility, confidence and trust at work, acting in a fair and ethical manner.

Documents

Improving the Quality of In-Service Teacher Training System · Hvarska 7, HR-10000, Zagreb, Croatia . Tel/Fax: +385 1 6180 939 : [email protected] “The contents of this