Study on the Possibilities for Improving the Teaching and Learning of Serbian As a Non-Mother Tongue in the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja
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Title of publication Study on the Possibilities for Improving the Teaching and Learning of Serbian as a Non-Mother Tongue in the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja Publisher Office of the Coordination Body of the Government of the Republic of Serbia for the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja Editors Natasa Boskovic, Danijela Nenadic, Milica Rodic, Jelena Marjanovic Proof-reader Milan Ajdzanovic Consulting Editor Ana Lukovic Pre-Press Production Perollo limited liability company, Belgrade Study on the Possibilities for Improving the Teaching and Learning of Serbian as a Non-Mother Tongue in the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja All terms used in the masculine grammatical gender in the study refer to both masculine and feminine genders of persons to which such terms refer Contents ABSTRACT 5 INTRODUCTION 9 I. CONTEXT – THE MUNICIPALITIES OF PRESEVO, BUJANOVAC AND MEDVEDJA 17 II. CONCEPTUAL AND LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK 23 II.1. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK - THE IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE IN THE INTEGRATION OF DIVERSE SOCIETIES 23 II.2. OUTLINE OF LEGISLATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA IN THE FIELD OF LEARNING SERBIAN AS A NON-MOTHER TONGUE 31 III. ANAL YSIS OF THE SITUATION, PROBLEMS AND RESULTS OF THE TEACHING OF SERBIAN AS A NON-MOTHER TONGUE IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN PRESEVO, BUJANOVAC AND MEDVEDJA 45 III.1. METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK AND RESEARCH DESCRIPTION 45 III.2. ANALYSIS OF THE CURRICULUM FOR SERBIAN AS A NON-MOTHER TONGUE FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS 55 III.2.1. Historical overview of the teaching of Serbian as a non-mother tongue and the curriculum for this subject 55 III.2.2. Serbian as a non-mother tongue in the present curriculum for primary education 59 III.2.3. Overview and commentary on the opinions of teachers concerning the curriculum for Serbian as a non-mother tongue 69 III.2.4. Observations on the curriculum for Serbian as a non-mother tongue 72 III.3. HOW THE CURRICULUM IS IMPLEMENTED IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN THE MUNICIPALITIES OF PRESEVO, BUJANOVAC AND MEDVEDJA 77 III.3.1. Description of the current situation 78 III.3.2. Analysis of responses from the teachers’ questionnaire 82 III.3.3. Qualifications of teachers 93 III.3.4. Analysis of responses from the pupils’ questionnaire 95 III.3.5. Summary observations on the results of pupils’ responses 107 III.4. ANALYSIS OF TEXTBOOKS FOR SERBIAN AS A NON-MOTHER TONGUE FROM THE 1ST TO THE 8TH GRADE OF PRIMARY SCHOOL 111 III.4.1. Overview of the structure and content of textbooks for Serbian as a non-mother tongue from the 1st to 4th grade of primary school 111 III.4.2. Overview of the structure and content of textbooks for Serbian as a non-mother tongue for the 5th to 8th grade of primary school 126 III.4.3. The use of textbooks in the teaching of Serbian as a non-mother tongue in primary schools in the municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja 137 III.5. Analysis of test results 141 III.5.1. Testing 141 III.5.2. Test structure 142 III.5.3. Test content 143 III.5.4. Analysis of the test results 149 III.5.5. Conclusion 168 IV. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVING THE TEACHING OF SERBIAN AS A NON-MOTHER TONGUE IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN PRESEVO, BUJANOVAC AND MEDVEDJA 171 IV.1. VIEWS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY DEPUTY FROM THE ALBANIAN COMMUNITY, THE PRESIDENTS OF THE PRESEVO, BUJANOVAC AND MEDVEDJA MUNICIPALITIES AND THE CHAIRMAN OF THE ANMC 171 IV.2. OPINION OF THE EDUCATIONAL ADVISOR OF LESKOVAC SCHOOLS AUTHORITY 176 IV.3. VIEWS OF PRINCIPALS OF 16 ALBANIAN-LANGUAGE PRIMARY SCHOOLS 177 IV.4. VIEWS OF THE PARENTS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS ON THE LEARNING OF SERBIAN AS A NON-MOTHER TONGUE 180 IV.5. VIEWS AND OPINIONS OF PUPILS 182 IV.6. VIEWS OF REPRESENTATIVES OF LOCAL MEDIA AND CIVIL SOCIETY 183 IV.7. VIEWS OF THE REPRESENTATIVES OF STATE ORGANS, MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATION, THE COMMERCIAL SECTOR AND EMPLOYEES 185 V. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVING THE TEACHING OF SERBIAN AS A NON-MOTHER TONGUE IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN PRESEVO, BUJANOVAC AND MEDVEDJA 189 Annex 1 – Experiences of the projects whose aim is the acquisition and improvement of knowledge of Serbian in the municipalities of Presevo and Bujanovac 199 Annex 2 – Tabular overview of pupils in schools in the municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja 211 Annex 3 – Questionnaires used in research in the field in the municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja 221 ABOUT THE AUTHORS 262 ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS 266 ABSTRACT ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to offer decision-makers and stakeholders a series of research findings and recom- mendations based on those findings for improving the teaching and learning of Serbian as a non-mother tongue, in the municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja. The main issues that have been dealt with in the research include an analysis of the situation in the sphere of learning and teaching Serbian as a non-mother tongue in Albanian-language primary schools in the aforesaid three municipalities, and problems and challenges faced by various actors involved in the process of learning Serbian and/or in ensuring the quality of the teaching of this subject. Based on the analysis of the situation, problems and possibilities, short-term, mid-term and long-term recommendations have been set out for improving the teaching of Serbian as a non-mother tongue in three municipalities in the south of Serbia. This abstract presents the main research findings, which are discussed in detail in the main body of this study. The need to produce this study arose from an ever-increasing awareness of facts over the past few years, stemming from reports and on the basis of the experiences of institutions and organizations of civil society, as well as international organizations, concerning the inadequate knowledge of Serbian among members of the Albanian national minority who live in the municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja. 5 Chapter I presents the context of the three municipalities with an emphasis on education and the learning of Serbian as a non-mother tongue. Presenting the context of the three municipalities is important for understanding the reasons for producing this study as well as for examining concrete possibilities for im- proving the teaching and learning of Serbian as a non-mother tongue in these areas, taking into account the specific local circumstances. Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja are municipalities in the south of Serbia characterized by the heterogeneity of the ethnic composition of the population. The integrative role of language in diverse societies served as the starting point in addressing the is- sue of the learning of Serbian as a non-mother tongue in the municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja. The conceptual framework of the study, presented in Chapter II, is based on a set of inter- national norms and standards in the field of human and minority rights, primarily those related to the integration of diverse societies. One of the objectives of this study is to provide a documented picture of the level of knowledge and problems regarding the learning of Serbian as a non-mother tongue in the three municipalities in the south of Serbia, so that language education policy, as a part of integra- tion policy, can develop towards fostering integration, with full respect for the diversity of all identities including linguistic identity. The applicable laws and regulations that, in the Republic of Serbia, govern the rights of national minori- ties, and above all the sphere of educating members of national minorities in their mother tongue, rep- resent a framework in accordance with which recommendations have been set out for the improvement of learning and teaching Serbian as a non-mother tongue in Albanian-language schools in the south of Serbia. An outline of the legislative framework is presented in Chapter II. The central part of the research is devoted to the pedagogical aspect of learning and teaching, and this is presented in the most extensive chapter, Chapter III. The methodology of the research is described in detail in that chapter. For the purposes of this study, tests were devised to check the level of knowledge of Serbian as a non-mother tongue for 4th and 8th grade students and used in 16 primary schools. Fur- thermore, the teaching of Serbian as a non-mother tongue was observed in the lower and higher grades. The curriculum for the subject of Serbian as a non-mother tongue has also been analysed, as well as current textbooks and handbooks for teachers approved by the Ministry of Education, Science and Tech- nological Development, the Institute for the Promotion of Education and the National Education Council for the teaching of this subject. Chapter III also contains an analysis of how the curriculum is implement- ed, and an analysis of teachers’ and pupils’ opinions and needs regarding learning and teaching. 6 The main finding of the research is that the teaching of Serbian as a non-mother tongue and the knowl- edge of pupils in primary schools in Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja are not at a satisfactory level. The fundamental problem that has been observed is that pupils cannot achieve spontaneous commu- nication in Serbian. According to the research findings, it is undeniable that the situation observed in the field has to be im- proved. To that end, some of the measures could include the preparation of updated teaching material, as well as the procurement of certain sets of textbooks that are currently not in use for the teaching in higher grades. When it comes to textbooks – as is after all the case with other ethnic communities – the presence of the Albanian ethnic community also needs to be more visible, both in textbooks and in other teaching aids.