Available via license: CC BY 4.0
Content may be subject to copyright.
our nal | Vol.4 | No4 | Year 2014
Croatian Teacher Competencies Related to the Creation
and Implementation of Education Policy
V K*, B R I B
is research was conducted in order to gain a preliminary insight into
the general orientation and range of opinions of primary and second-
ary school teachers in Croatia toward the a) importance of their compe-
tencies related to the education policies; b) cognition and mastering of the
competencies related to the education policies; c) the actual activity of pri-
mary and secondary school teachers in the creation and implementation
of education policies. Research data were collected on the basis of a survey
methodology, using an online questionnaire in the form of a Likert scale.
In addition, the questionnaire contained two open questions. e analysis
of results has clearly shown that primary and secondary school teachers in
this research evaluated their competencies related to the education poli-
cies to be an important part of the competency prole of teachers. Teach-
ers have made relatively high evaluations of their cognition and mastery of
the competencies related to the education policy processes within school.
In contrast, somewhat lower evaluations have been given to the mastery
of competencies associated with the knowledge of education system, i.e.
activity outside the school context. e evaluations of scale items related
to the preconditions and personal activity in decision making and the im-
plementation of education policy within the school vary in the range of
average values or slightly above that.
Keywords: education policy, school management, teachers’ compe-
tencies, teaching profession, educational reforms, teachers’ decision
making
*Corresponding Author. University of Rijeka, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in
Rijeka, Department of Education, Croatia; vkovac@ri.hr
University of Rijeka, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Rijeka, Department of
Education, Croatia
University of Rijeka, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Rijeka, Department of
Education, Croatia
Kompetence hrvaških učiteljev v povezavi z
oblikovanjem in implementacijo izobraževalnih politik
V K*, B R I B
Raziskava je bila izvedena za pridobitev preliminarnih informacij o
splošni orientiranosti in različnih mnenjih osnovnošolskih in
srednješolskih učiteljev na Hrvaškem o: a) pomembnosti njihovih
kompetenc, povezanih z izobraževalnimi politikami; b) poznavanju in
obvladanju kompetenc, povezanih z izobraževalnimi politikami; c) de-
janskih aktivnostih osnovnošolskih in srednješolskih učiteljev pri obli-
kovanju in implementaciji izobraževalnih politik. Podatki so bili zbrani
s pomočjo ankete; uporabljen je bil spletni vprašalnik v obliki Likertove
lestvice. Poleg tega je vprašalnik obsegal še dve odprti vprašanji. Analiza
rezultatov je jasno pokazala, da osnovnošolski in srednješolski učitelji,
ki so sodelovali v raziskavi, ocenjujejo svoje kompetence, povezane z
izobraževalnimi politikami, kot pomemben del kompetenc učiteljev.
Učitelji so sorazmerno visoko ocenili svoje poznavanje in obvladanje
kompetenc, povezanih s procesi izobraževalnih politik znotraj šole.
Nasprotno pa so nekoliko nižje ocenili obvladanje kompetenc, poveza-
nih s poznavanjem izobraževalnega sistema, kot na primer aktivnosti zu-
naj šolskega konteksta. Ocene postavk lestvic, povezanih s predpogoji in
z osebnimi aktivnostmi pri odločanju in implementaciji izobraževalnih
politik znotraj šole, se gibajo okrog povprečnih vrednosti ali nekoliko
nad njimi.
Ključne besede: izobraževalne politike, vodenje v šoli, učiteljeve kom-
petence, poklic učitelja, izobraževalne reforme, odločanje učiteljev
our nal | Vol.4 | No4 | Year 2014
Introduction
In most international reports that specify the factors of successful edu-
cation systems and schools (such as, OECD, , ; Sahlberg, ), among
the most commonly specied factors are a high degree of participation of te-
achers (along with school principals and their associates) in making decisions
on important aspects of school (and the education system) performance, and
the appreciation of teaching profession in society. Apart from the declarative
level, the content of major policy documents that guide the development of the
education system at the international and national levels provides very little
knowledge about the actual eorts of the authorized decision makers in educa-
tion policies aimed at strengthening the professional capacities and the role of
teachers as active participants in the creation of education policy.
Describing the eect of global eld in education policy, Rizvi and Lin-
gard () argue that global education policy is established, created, dissemi-
nated and implemented in a dierent manner in comparison to when indivi-
dual nation states had central authority over it. Nowadays, the main guidelines
for the creation of global education policy stem from policy documents and ac-
tivities of international and transnational organizations such as the OECD, the
World Bank, UNESCO and the EU. Furthermore, new actors have taken part in
the creation of education policies, thus developing new (oen interconnected)
vertical and horizontal forms of education management (Connolly & James,
). In addition, value-driven orientations, which are specically refracted in
the relation between the advocacy of economic eciency of education and the
maintenance of social equality and justice through education are undergoing
changes as well (Ben-Peretz, ). One of the consequences of these actions
is the creation of a certain distance between the place and the actors through
whom (global) policies are formed and the place and the actors through whom
those policies will be implemented (locally). State authorities, as mediators in
these processes, oen show a stronger tendency to meet the global trends, while
teachers, who are direct implementers of policy decisions in their schools and
classrooms, are rarely consulted on the issues relevant to the implementation.
e result of this type of relationship can be seen in the frequent dissatisfacti-
on of teachers with policy decisions, diculties during implementation and,
At the time of the completion of this research, working paper “Strategy for Education, Science
and Technology” (Government of the Republic of Croatia, ) has been published and sent to
a public hearing. e introduction points out that “Croatia recognizes education and science, as
well as their development, as priorities that can bring long-term stability, economic prosperity
and security of cultural identity” (p. ), while the autonomy of institutions and professionals in
the eld of education and science is recognized as the basic principle on which this strategy is
based.
ultimately, in unsuccessful reforms. is paper is based on the assumption that
the success of the education system and educational reforms depends largely on
the professional capacities and willingness of teachers to implement new decisi-
ons in their everyday school practice (Fullan, , ). erefore, this paper
will pay attention to the role of teachers in the adoption and implementation of
key decisions at the school level.
Trends in global education policies: strengthening of
teachers’ competencies
Experts agree that the ultimate goal of global education policies is to
enable citizens to eectively take part in and benet from the global world eco-
nomy (OECD, ). A more thorough review and comment on signicant
(global) education policy initiatives and documents, especially teacher educati-
on, is available in more recent publications (e.g. European Commission, ;
Valenčič-Zuljan & Vogrinc, ). e review starts with the emphasis on the -
nal decades of the th century as the beginning of changes and new challenges
in (teacher) education. e professional education of teachers is listed as one
of the indicators for monitoring the implementation of the Lisbon objectives
in the eld of education (European Council, ). Nowadays, this particular
form of education is one of the indicators for monitoring the implementation
of the objectives of the Europe Strategy, in which one of the emphasized
priorities is investment in human resources and education. is type of an in-
vestment is seen as a contribution to the economic development of a country.
Recently, international research and debates about teachers’ competen-
cies have been extremely dynamic. erefore, their lists of teachers’ competen-
cies are constantly updated in line with the changes and challenges that teachers
face in the context of the eects of global education policies. e most inu-
ential comparative study of (teachers’) competencies was driven and carried
out under the TUNING Educational Structures project in Europe (Gonzales
& Wagenaar, ). Recent studies dealing with competencies have also been
conducted in Croatia. For example, research has been conducted on quality of
teacher education and other aspects of the teaching profession from the per-
spective of primary school teachers (Pavin, Rijavec, & Miljević-Riđički, ).
e rst part of the questionnaire, conducted for the purpose of that research,
contained the elements regarding major areas of teacher’s work. Teachers had
to evaluate the list of competencies with regard to the degree of acquisition
during their initial education and with regard to the degree of satisfaction with
the content, organization and execution of the initial education. In connection
our nal | Vol.4 | No4 | Year 2014
to that, it is important to mention studies on (teacher’s) competencies that, in
addition to the nding on the situation in Croatia, also provide a comparative
aspect of the Croatian position in relation to other countries in the region (e.g.
Spasovski, ).
e current study has resulted in the creation of a comprehensive list of
teachers’ competencies grouped into several fundamental areas of professional
performance. Moreover, it resulted in an interpretation of teachers’ evaluations
on the importance of mastering certain (groups of) competencies. ere is a
list of teacher’s competencies divided into four groups of competencies: a)
competencies related to values and upbringing of the child, b) competencies
related to the understanding of education system and contributions to its de-
velopment, c) competencies related to knowledge of the subject area, pedagogy
and curriculum and d) competencies related to self-evaluation and professional
development. e research results indicate that in the (initial) teacher educa-
tion programs the least represented elements are those that develop competen-
cies related to the social role of teachers, understanding the education system and
education policy or raising awareness of the importance of their contribution to
the development of education. is information is signicant, since it is in com-
pliance with development perspectives and the role of teaching profession in
the context of successfully coping with the challenges of the global education
policies (such as, Rizvi & Lingard, ; OECD, ; Ben-Perez, ). ese
are the following competencies (Spasovski, ): willingness (of teachers) to
participate in public debates on education topics; monitoring and participating
in the activities of relevant bodies at various levels of education system; the abi-
lity to participate in projects in the eld of education; understanding national
priorities in education; willingness to cooperate with the local community in
organizing program activities (e.g. organising practical training in local busi-
nesses); ability to anticipate new labour market requirements related to educa-
tion; ability to conduct research for the advancement of education; understan-
ding of legislation and authority in education; willingness to cooperate with the
stakeholders of health and social institutions; and willingness to participate in
school development plans.
Competencies that belong to this group can also be found in other lists
used in recent studies: the ability to identify potential links between aspec-
ts of education theory and education policy and practice, understanding the
structure and purpose of education systems, the ability to understand the pro-
cess of development and change in the community, the ability to understand
trends in education and recognition of their implications (Drudy, Gunnerson,
& Gilpin, ). According to three studies that support the development of
school policies (Piesanen & Välijärvi, ), the teachers’ competencies that
were found to be particularly important were those dealing with cooperation,
collaboration and leadership.
Moreover, the list of the so-called secondary professional roles of pri-
mary and secondary school teachers that were discussed in the TALIS rese-
arch must be mentioned. rough those roles, teachers must respond to the
expectations of the wider community. e list of roles consists of the ability to
communicate eectively with a range of stakeholders within and outside the
school on issues related to education; knowledge of education policy and orga-
nization of the education system, the ability to participate in public debates on
education policy from the perspective of the implementation education policy
in schools and cooperation in managing schools (Scheerens, ). Debates on
the expected professional competencies of teachers are closely connected with
the organization of their initial and permanent professional development, as
well as other settings of their professional identity. However, current debates
and research do not provide data on the extent to which national education
policies empower the desired professional capacity of teachers.
Position and Role of Teachers in the Adoption and Im-
plementation of the Key Decision in Education Policies
Two groups of research bring signicant information on dierent aspects
of the position and role of teachers in adoption and implementation of decisions:
those who deal with policy implementation at the education system level and
those who observe dierent aspects of school management (Kovač et al., ).
Most research on policy implementation emphasizes its two main dimen-
sions. e rst is the success of the implementation, i.e. the extent to which the
policy has been implemented into practice to suits its purpose. e second is the
eciency of implementation, i.e. the extent to which the implementation of policy
has achieved the desired improvements in practice (McLaughlin, ; Fitz et al.,
; Honig, ; Fuhrman et al., ; Cooper et al., ). e success and the
eciency of policy implementation depends on the mutual interaction of various
factors, the most prominent of which are those related to the characteristics of in-
dividual policy decisions and those related to the environments in which specic
policy decisions should be implemented (Honig, ).
Assuming that in the study of education policy teachers are commonly
seen through their role in the implementation of important policy decisions,
it is important to draw attention to the increasing advocacy of the expansion
of their role and competence prole. e course and characteristics of policy
our nal | Vol.4 | No4 | Year 2014
implementation will largely depend on the roles that teachers occupied in the
earlier stages of the policy process. Most education policy researchers indicate
that the knowledge of the nature of relationships that existed between the vari-
ous participants in the stage of making policy decision is crucial for under-
standing the policy implementation process (e.g. McLaughlin, ; Honig,
). At the same time, it is important to overcome the distance between
the “top” and the “down” (Fuhrman et al., ). e importance of overcom-
ing this distance is conrmed by the results of the recent PISA study (OECD,
, ), which associates successful education systems with a higher level
of autonomy of schools and teachers in making key decisions. However, this
nding should be viewed in the context of other factors that characterize the
individual education systems: strengthening the autonomy of teachers will not
have a positive eect if the process is not followed by ensuring/strengthening
the professional capacity of teachers for qualitative decision making.
During the implementation of an education policy, one must always rely
on the ability and possibility of teachers and other professionals to interpret
and reinterpret the policy in a way that suits their knowledge, beliefs and val-
ues attributed to specic policies (McLauglin, ; Fitz et al., ). In other
words, teachers, as professionals, rarely execute instructions “from above” with-
out prior consideration of the appropriateness, signicance and the possibility
of adapting policy decisions to the real practice in which the implementation is
expected to take place. erefore, in the situations of “top-down” decision mak-
ing, it is very likely that the implementation will not fully correspond to the in-
tentions of a decision maker. However, these phenomena cannot be considered
to be desirable or undesirable without prior analysis, since they usually reect
positive motives, i.e. focused on nding the best practices for the benet of
end-users. e incorrect implementation sometimes happens due to the lack of
necessary competencies and other capacities or because of personal frustration
caused by the loss of certain resources aer the implementation of new policies
(Palmer & Snodgrass Rangel, ).
Desurmont et al. () considered the dierent roles and types of
teachers’ participation in educational reforms. e researchers started with the
reforms that were more oen initiated by the national government. In those
type of reforms, the modes of teachers’ involvement were created from the “top
e results of the PISA study (OECD, ) show that the connection between school autonomy
and students’ achievement can be seen in the allocation of autonomy. In particular, in the
creation of curriculum, in assessment process and in making decisions on the allocation of
resources. Regarding this issue, Croatia, among the countries who participated in the PISA
study, has one of the lowest degree of autonomy (the value of the achieved index of autonomy is
-.). It is important to mention that Croatia has a complete absence of autonomy in the issues
regarding the election of school principals, i.e. in dening their authorities and responsibilities.
down” perspective. Accordingly, the researchers noticed the most frequent
modes of involvement: a) low level of involvement, when only a few selected
experts / representatives of teachers participate in the preparation of the reform
documents; b) participation through representatives of trade unions (which
may or may not be regulated by law as an obligatory way of involvement); and c)
large numbers of consulting teachers. e last item can be realized through par-
ticipation in pilot projects, precisely structured public discussions or through
participation in larger studies in which the teacher serves as a direct source of
relevant information.
e current tendency of strengthening the involvement of teachers in the
reform process is explained via the intention of achieving two basic goals: gath-
ering information from those who have the best knowledge of the actual school
conditions (which may facilitate the implementation of the reform) and reducing
resistance in the implementation of reforms. Even though Croatia did not partici-
pate in this research, it can be assumed that Croatia does not apply those modes
of teachers’ involvement that ensure their strong participation in reforms.
Recent research results of various aspects of school management and
education systems (e.g. Jackson & Marriott, ; Jarvis, ; Somech, ;
Hallinger & Heck, ; Hulpia et al., ) indicate that school management is
a process that enables the crucial connection of school classrooms, individual
schools and the education system as a whole, integrating internal processes to
improve schools with externally induced reforms. rough its series of com-
parative studies and publications dedicated to school management, the OECD
specically advocates the strengthening of the so-called distributive manage-
ment forms of school and school systems (Pont et al., ). ose forms are
considered to be the more distinct guidelines for the development of educa-
tion policy at the global level. e distribution of management roles and re-
sponsibilities to teachers and other professionals within and outside the school
(special attention ought to be paid to school boards) has appeared due to the
increased scope of roles and responsibilities of school principals. It is assumed
that schools have become overly complex organizations that operate in an
increasingly complex environment. erefore, it is very dicult for a single
In the pilot-research, the results of which are presented in this paper, teachers were asked
to describe their perception of the most important trends in the Croatian education policy.
Among others, they described basic programs and projects at the national level in which they
take part, the adoption of which made signicant changes in ther daily work. e most cited
projects are: standardization of the national curriculum in elementary schools (Croatian
National Educational Standard) and other interventions relalated to the inovation of curriculum
(introducing new content such as education on health and citizenship), implementation of State
Graduation Exam in secondary schools, the strenghtening of lifelong education policy and the
application of self-evaluation of schools.
our nal | Vol.4 | No4 | Year 2014
person or a small group of employees responsible for the school management to
make appropriate decisions. Involving teachers in the decision-making process
is positively associated with the increased eciency of schools, labour produc-
tivity and professional capacity of teachers, student achievement, as well as with
the formation of desirable characteristics of a school’s climate and environment
(Bruggencate et al., ; Robinson et al., ; Choi Ho Wa., ). Advocacy
of the distributive type of school management is based on four assumptions:
decisions in which teachers take part will be more qualitative, teachers’ motiva-
tion to implement them will be stronger, realization of their professional capac-
ity will be better, and their job satisfaction will be higher.
Somech () emphasizes that the appropriate involvement of teachers
in the decision-making process must satisfy four basic assumptions: the inclu-
sion must be dened by the ocial policy of the school management, their par-
ticipation must be direct, the inuence on decision making must be powerful,
and the issues to be decided upon must be perceived as important. It should be
noted that true characteristics of the distributive school management include
the equal access of all participants to the necessary resources and equal right
to vote in the decision-making process. Jackson and Marriot () observed
and compared the eciency of schools in respect to their organizational fea-
tures. Moreover, they evaluated dierent combinations of the level of inuence
that school principals and teachers have on making key decisions. ey con-
cluded that the most successful schools are those in which school principals
and teachers make high evaluations of their level of inuence on the decision-
making process. e abovementioned research determined that a mere .
of schools appertain to the most desirable category. Similar tendencies can be
observed in the studies that compare the degree of inuence of teachers in mak-
ing key decisions in relation to the inuence of other stakeholders inside and
outside the school. e more successful schools are those in which teachers and
other stakeholders make high evaluations of their inuence on the decision-
making process. Moreover, those schools are characterized by the presence of
(desirable) characteristics of the distributive type of management.
If only the legal and formal assumptions for the functioning of distribu-
tive management in Croatian schools were to be analysed, it could be relatively
quickly concluded that the practice of distributive management is strongly rep-
resented and well established in these aspects. ere is a wide range of stake-
holders who have an ensured participation in decision-making on various
Within the PISA study, school principals answered the question regarding the frequency of
taking certain activities, such as involvement of teachers in those processes. e value of index
of managing school with the involvement of teachers for Croatian schools is only ..
aspects of school performance. Moreover, the function of the Teacher Coun-
cil enables all teachers and professional associates to participate in decision-
making on a range of school activities. In contrast, the structure of the School
Board provides regular participation of representatives of parents and founders
in the decision-making process. However, an insight into the role, structure and
scope of work of these bodies provides only information on their purpose, on
the composition of the members who strive to achieve this purpose, and on the
inventory of their activities.
In the context of Croatian education policy, there is lack of sucient
empirical data on teachers’ qualication for participation in the creation and
implementation of key decision in education policy. Moreover, there is little
data on the realization of the necessary assumptions for giving teachers a more
active role in the school management. erefore, empirical research has been
conducted in order to obtain insight into the realization of those assumptions.
Purpose, Objective and Research Method
is research was conducted in order to gain preliminary insight into
the general orientation and range of opinions of teachers employed in primary
and secondary schools on the issues of teachers’ competencies related to the
education policy. Apart from an insight into the issue and into a general ori-
entation and range of opinions, an additional purpose of this research is to
create a theoretical and empirical basis for the operationalization of a more
extensive research project in this issue. In particular, this purpose is related to
the research of specic roles of various stakeholder and interferences in their
interaction that can cause dysfunction in the system.
erefore, the research questions are as follows:
. What are the perceptions of primary and secondary school teachers in
Croatia towards the importance of teachers’ competencies related to the
creation and implementation of education policies?
. How do Croatian teachers evaluate their actual cognition and mastering
of competencies related to the education policy?
Duties and responsibilities of the educational institutions in pre-tertiary education in Croatia
are divided among bodies (authorities) of dual orientation of expertise. For some of the bodies,
the main purpose is to take care of the resources necessary for the operation (material, human,
nancial, etc.), and they are usually appointed as the governing bodies, e.g. School Board in
elementary and secondary schools. Others are oriented towards the successful realization of
pedagogical processes and are called professional bodies of educational institutions, e.g. primary
and secondary Teacher Councils, developmental pedagogical services and the principal who
connects and coordinates the work of both (Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Ocial
Gazette No. /).
our nal | Vol.4 | No4 | Year 2014
. How do Croatian teachers evaluate their actual participation in the crea-
tion and implantation of key decisions at the school level?
Regarding the above-stated questions, the collection of the quantitative
data was based on the evaluation of the provided statements according to the
level of agreement. Additionally, teachers were given two open questions. In
the rst, they were asked to state positive features of Croatian education policy
and in the second they were asked to state negative features of the same policy.
ematic categories of data were selected based on the collected and analysed
responses (Milas, ). e selected categories provide deeper understanding
and facilitate the interpretation of data on the motivations, roles and actual ac-
tivities of teachers in making key decisions in education policy. e recognition
of teachers as important factors of education policy constitutes an important
group of desirable features of education policy. As for the negative features,
several selected categories support the results of this research: comments focu-
sed on the poor status of teachers and the teaching profession, the inadequacy
of decisions in relation to pedagogical profession, and distrust in the work of
educational authorities.
e research is intended to be a preliminary determination of the orien-
tation and range of opinions towards the importance of mastering the compe-
tencies in education policy and participation in the implementation of policy
decisions. Consequently, simple random samples were not extracted from the
population group. Instead, a modied random sample group of participants
were extracted from population group in throughout Croatia. e procedure
consisted of a random selection of seven counties from the list of all Croatian
administrative territorial units ( counties). e research included prima-
ry and secondary school teachers from all the schools in the selected counties.
e questionnaire was distributed via county or city oces for education.
Data were collected via an online questionnaire in the form of Likert
scale in which informants had to evaluate the given statements according to the
level of agreement to a specic statement: “” meaning strongly disagree and “”
strongly agree. Anonymity was guaranteed to all participants and the average
time to ll in the questionnaire was minutes. e questionnaire was available
to participants for a period of two weeks. In a cover letter, the questionnaire
was explained in detail, starting from the purpose of research, basic concepts to
the key role of the research participants. Data analysis was performed using the
SPSS statistical program. Descriptive statistics (shown as the mean, standard
deviation and percentages) was used in the analysis of the collected data. A
T-test for independent samples was used in order to determine the dierence
in evaluations of certain statements with regard to the separate independent
variables (discussed below).
e list of the evaluated teachers’ competencies related to education
policy is content-wise and logically validated and in compliance with recent
pieces of research presented in the theoretical part of the paper (Pavin, Rijavec,
& Miljević-Riđički, ; Drudy, Gunerson, & Gilipin, ; Spasovski, ;
Scheerens, ). Moreover, the list is aligned with policy recommendations
that dene new primary/secondary school teachers’ competencies.
e importance and mastery of the derived competencies was evaluated
through ten statements (scale items). Incentives and the actual participation of
teachers in designing and implementing policies were evaluated through eight
statements. It is important to state that this research did not include an eva-
luation of the role of teachers in the decision-making process with respect to
dierent types of decisions, e.g. at the school level or at the education system
level (such as in OECD, ; Jackson & Marriott, ). Instead, the research
opted for nding the general evaluation of the role of teachers in decision-ma-
king processes.
Apart from opinions, the questionnaire collected the following features
of participants: gender, qualications, work experience, type of school in which
they are employed, subject area and status with regard to the realized professi-
onal progression. However, the analysis of these variables generally showed no
statistically signicant dierences in the examined opinions.
Analysis and Interpretation of Results
Teachers’ evaluation on importance of competencies related to
education policy
e presented results (Table ) clearly show that teachers evaluated all
the competencies related to policies as an important part of their competency
prole (average evaluations are around and above ). Even though this type of
data seems expected and uninteresting, its actual signicance emerges when
placed into the context of the current curriculum for the Teacher Education
Program at Croatian universities. In fact, content related to these competencies
is rarely or not at all present in the initial education and in the lifelong learning
program for Croatian teachers. However, one must not ignore the fact that all
groups of competencies, within the range of completely irrelevant to very im-
portant, were evaluated as important or very important. e result may indicate
that teachers expect a certain level of their involvement in dealing with activi-
ties that go beyond their primary professional role (teaching students).
our nal | Vol.4 | No4 | Year 2014
Table . Teachers’ evaluations on the importance of competencies related to
education policy
Statements
Importance of
competencies
M SD
Abilitytoadapttheeducationalprocesstotherequirementsofthe
labourmarket 4.44 0.778
Knowledgeoflegislationrelatedtoeducation(law,regulations,decisi-
ons,strategies,etc.) 4.32 0.799
Understandingoftheeectsoftheglobaltrendsonactivitiesintea-
chingandschoolpractice 4.28 0.764
Knowledgeofglobaltrendsineducation 4.27 0.785
Qualicationforactiveparticipationinthepreparationofdevelopment
plansforschool 4.26 0.873
Qualicationforactiveparticipationinprojectsandresearchrelatedto
thedevelopmentofeducation 4.23 0.818
Abilitytotakeinitiativeinmakingdecisionsrelatedtoschoolperfor-
mance 4.20 0.871
Capacitytoactivelyparticipateinpublicdebatesoneducationtopics 4.09 0.906
Qualicationforactiveparticipationinactivitiesofrelevantgoverning
bodiesattheschoollevel(schoolboards,etc.) 4.09 0.882
Knowledgeoftheeducationsystemstructureatthenationallevel
(structure,educationlevel,numberandcompositionofdecision-ma-
kingbodiesrelatedtoeducationandeducationsystem,etc.)
3.93 0.912
Teachers’ self-evaluation on cognition and mastering of the
competencies related to education policies
e results of evaluations of the cognition and mastering of each com-
petence (Table ) indicate that teachers provide relatively high evaluations of
their cognition and mastering of all the competencies, especially those related
to their activities within the educational institution. Most of those statements
were evaluated with an average value greater than . Competencies related to
the knowledge of education system, i.e. actions outside the framework of the
educational institution, were evaluated slightly lower.
Table . Teachers’ self-evaluation on cognition and mastering of teachers’
competencies related to the cognition of education policy
Statements
Cognition and
mastering of the
competencies
M SD
Iamabletoparticipateintherelevantgoverningbodyattheschool
level(schoolboards,etc.) 4.31 0.871
Iamabletoparticipateintheprojectsandresearchrelatedtothe
developmentofeducation 4.25 0.785
Iamabletoadapttheeducationalprocesstotherequirementsof
labourmarket(content,mode) 4.24 0.799
Iamabletoparticipateinthepreparationofdevelopmentplansfor
school 4.24 0.854
Iamabletotaketheinitiativeinmakingdecisionsrelatedtoschool
performance 4.19 0.903
Ihaveknowledgeofglobaltrendsineducation 4.02 0.756
Ihaveknowledgeoftheeducationsystemstructureatthenational
level(structure,educationlevel,numberandcompositionofthedecisi-
on-makingbodiesrelatedtoeducationandtheeducationsystem,etc.)
3.99 0.895
Iamabletoparticipateinpublicdebatesoneducationtopics 3.97 0.863
Iunderstandtheeectsofglobaltrendsonactivitiesinteachingand
schoolpractice 3.9 0.862
Iknowthelegislationrelatedtoeducation(laws,regulations,decisions,
strategies,etc.) 3.88 0.85
e results of t-test for independent samples showed a signicant dif-
ference between the evaluations of primary school employees and secondary
school employees. e dierence is seen in two statements: Understanding the
eects of global trends on activities in teaching and school practice (t () =
-., p <.) and e ability to take the initiative in making decisions about
school performance (t () = -., p < .). In both cases, secondary school
employees provide higher evaluations, which may lead to the assumption that
secondary school employees participate more frequently in decision-making
processes.
However, teachers’ evaluations of the importance and mastery of the
competencies related to the understanding and implementation of education
policy should be interpreted with certain restrictions. In fact, self-evaluations
related to mastery of competencies should not be viewed as indicators of the
actual mastering of these competencies. Instead, they should be viewed as a
potential capacity of teachers to participate in decision-making processes at the
school level.
our nal | Vol.4 | No4 | Year 2014
Evaluations of assumptions and activity of teachers in creation and
implementation of decisions in domain of education policy
It should be noted that statements provided in the questionnaire are
fully compliant with trends that are being advocated through relevant policy
documents in the eld of education, as well as through the reports on (factors
of) eciency of education systems. erefore, the values that rarely exceed the
average of teachers’ evaluations do not reect a favourable situation that can en-
sure the success and sustainability of educational reforms (Table ). e evalu-
ations of statements related to the awareness and personal activity in making
policy decisions and implementing them at the school level vary in the range of
average values or slightly above that.
Table . Evaluations of assumptions and activity of teachers in creation and
implementation of education policies at the school level
Statements related to the assumptions and activity in creation and
implementation of education policies at the school level M SD
Iamregularlyinvolvedinprofessionaltrainingprograms. 4.58 0.747
Iamregularlyinformedonimportantissuesofschoolperformance. 3.54 1.203
Theprincipalencouragesmetomakechangesattheschoollevel. 3.39 1.277
Schoolenvironmentissupportiveofmywork. 3.38 1.202
Myopinionisappreciatedinmakingkeydecisionsattheschoollevel. 3.19 1.201
Iactivelyparticipateintheimplementationofeducationalreforms. 3.05 1.192
Informationneededforthesuccessfulimplementationofeducational
reformsareavailabletous. 2.91 1.167
TheschoolwhereIworkiswellequipped. 2.86 1.241
e results of t-test showed a signicant dierence between the evalua-
tions of teachers who have made professional progression and those who have
not. e dierence is seen in two statements: Regular involvement in profes-
sional training programs (t () = ., p < .) and Availability of required
information for the successful implementation of educational reforms (t ()
= ., p < .). In both cases, teachers who made professional progression
make higher evaluations of the provided statements. Bearing in mind the ac-
tivities that Croatian teachers have to undertake in order to gain the right to
professional progression (Elementary and Secondary Education Act, ), it
is possible to assume that the more appropriate system of rewarding teachers
could signicantly contribute to the enhancement of desirable trends of involv-
ing teachers in these processes.
e relatively low evaluations of their active participation in the imple-
mentation of educational reforms (M = .) leads to the assumption that na-
tional educational authorities failed to implement modes of the high level of
involvement of teachers (Desurmont et al., ). However, this information
may indicate that the implementation of those modes did not result in desired
eects. In this context, particular attention should be paid to the responses that
teachers provided to open questions. ose responses conrm that their mes-
sages and opinions do not reach the education authorities, even in situations
in which there is a formal opportunity to engage in a public debate on making
dra decisions. e consequences of this situation can be seen in adoption of
decisions that are not appropriate for the teaching environment. In fact, teach-
ers frequently report such situations:
• “ere are no public debates before the introduction of changes.”
• “Every reform is implemented haphazardly, teachers are not even asked
for an opinion, and when they are randomly asked, their opinion is not
appreciated.”
• “Creators of education policies are oen not familiar with the actual
conditions in schools and the possibility of realizing the set objectives.”
• “People who create education policies do not work in schools, most of
them never worked in schools.”
In addition, the following comments illustrate low evaluations of active
participation in the implementation of reforms:
• “Experts are not contacted in terms of reforms. Always jumping in de-
cision-making, without the prior analysis. No experimental programs.
Everyone comes, dragging their own people along with them, and ma-
kes changes.”
• “Education policy is not created by teachers who are competent to im-
plement it into practice.”
Low evaluations of material conditions (M = .) are also closely re-
lated to low evaluations of participation in the implementation of decisions, as
evidenced by the following statement:
• “Frequent reforms, badly thought though, haphazard, and teachers have
to adjust and nd a way to realize it; a lot of schools do not have the
conditions for implementation, so then, how will the students acquire
the necessary competencies? First, everything should be well prepared,
nancially secure, and then go into the realization; then, the success
(motivation / realization) would be much better.”
our nal | Vol.4 | No4 | Year 2014
Judging by the teachers’ statements, low evaluations of their participa-
tion in the implementation of education reforms is likely associated with a poor
status of teachers and teaching profession in society. Moreover, it is associated
with the lack of condence in the performance and competence of the repre-
sentatives of education authorities. Commenting on the unfavourable status of
teachers and teaching profession, teachers most oen singled out poor treat-
ment by the education authorities and other entities that are associated with
school performance.
• “Teaching sta is not paid enough and therefore is unmotivated.”
• “Downgrading teachers and their rights in the process of teaching.”
• “e dignity of teachers has been degraded. Successful teachers do not
receive any ‘bonus’ or award, other than a pat on the shoulder. You can’t
live on that.”
A low score of evaluations of the availability of information needed for
the successful implementation of reforms (M = .) is another indicator of
underutilized potential for strengthening the involvement of teachers in the
creation and successful implementation of reforms.
• “Participants of education have lack of information.”
• “Reforms and changes are chaotic, under-planned and they are imposed
to teachers without explanation.”
In this case, teacher training possibilities should be noted. In fact, the
Agency for Education provides possibilities that are partially related to the pro-
fessional preparation of teachers for the implementation of the ongoing projects
and programs. However, teachers point to some limitations in this segment:
• “Lack of resources for professional training and systematic guidance of
teachers in the implementation.”
• “Due to a lack of nances, a small number of teachers participate in
professional training and projects.”
Since being informed is a necessary condition for teachers’ successful
and active involvement, it is imperative to nd and implement mechanisms
that will encourage teachers to use the available information. Moreover, those
mechanisms may serve as a powerful factor in raising awareness of the impor-
tance of their role in creating and implementing educational reforms.
Finally, as expected, evaluations related to the activity of teachers in
decision-making processes at the school level have higher values. is can
partially be claried by the legally acquired right to make decisions through
collective participation in school management bodies. However, low evalua-
tions of statements related to the appreciation of teachers’ opinions in decision-
making process (M = .) and principal’s encouragement to make changes at
the school level (M = .) should be noted. It seems that the acquired right to
make decision oen relies on participation in bodies that are mainly advisory
and are not involved in making a large number of decisions relevant for the
school performance.
Discussion and conclusions
e analysis of results clearly showed that the participants in this rese-
arch evaluated teachers’ competencies related to the education policies as an
important part of competency prole of primary and secondary school tea-
chers. Teachers have made relatively high evaluations of their cognition and
mastering of the competencies, especially those related to activities within
school. In contrast, somewhat lower evaluations have been given to the mas-
tering of competencies associated with the knowledge of education system, i.e.
activities outside the school context. ree important messages can be derived
from this part of research. First, attention should be given to the designers of
teachers’ education programmes, emphasizing the necessity for inclusion the
development of this particular set of competences as a part of initial teacher
education, with reference to Fullan’s () assumption about the necessity of
linking all levels of management of the education system in order to ensure
successful and sustainable educational reform.
e second message of this research should be referred to decision-ma-
kers at the highest (national) level of authority. e message is the following:
primary/secondary school teachers in Croatian schools should be strongly in-
volved in the process of creating education policy, with better appreciation of
their professional competencies and capacities. Research results conrm that
their messages and opinions do not reach the education authorities, even in
situations in which there is a formal opportunity to engage in a public debate
on making dra decisions.
e third message should be directed to the school principals: the pro-
cess of stronger involvement should start with the creation of better conditions
for strengthening their role in decision-making processes at the school level.
Research indicates a serious lack of information needed for the successful im-
plementation of educational reforms in spite of various teacher training possi-
bilities, which are partially related to the professional preparation of teachers
for the implementation of the ongoing projects and programs. Empowered and
our nal | Vol.4 | No4 | Year 2014
involved teachers can ensure the adoption of more appropriate decisions, ai-
med at improving school and teaching achievements.
e results can also be interpreted in the context of debates about the
appropriateness of certain decisions in an actual school situation. A number of
the reviewed teachers’ statements have reported insucient material conditions
of schools, or on adoption of decisions that are not appropriate for certain scho-
ol environment. e ndings of the similar research studies point to decision
makers who do not take sucient account of the variety of local conditions in
which certain decisions or innovations will have to take place (Honig, ).
Undesirable consequences of such practice usually lead to teachers’ negative
perceptions towards educational authorities, distrust in quality and appropria-
teness of decisions made by politicians, opinion that key decisions are made by
individuals who are not familiar with the teaching practice. e results of this
research are not signicantly dierent from the results of similar studies in ot-
her national systems. Experts from the Centre for Education Policy in Belgrade
(Pantić & Čekić -Marković, ) report similar results based on the analysis of
data collected via interviews with focus groups of teachers in Serbia. However,
dierences in the relationship between “politicians” and “practitioners” are a qu-
ite common phenomenon in the context of education policy (Kovač, ). e-
refore, the obtained results should be seriously considered. Moreover, desired
approaches to solving or mitigating the identied problems should be dened.
Finally, it is important to bear in mind that research results give optimis-
tic assumptions for a more active involvement of teachers in process of decision
making: positive results of self-evaluations of teachers in terms of their profes-
sional capacity, agreement in evaluation of the importance of competencies for
participation in the creation and implementation of education policies, and a
mostly positive attitude towards the necessity of involvement of teachers in the
process of decision making. According to the announcements of national and
international authorities in the eld of education policy, educational reforms
will surely continue to be implemented in full intensity. Greater success and
sustainability of those reforms will be ensured through the improvement of
communication links between all levels of the education system management
and through the improvement of competencies of all relevant stakeholders in
this process. erefore, the continued research of this issue is one of the impor-
tant strategic objectives. Topics that were opened in this research indicate to the
necessity of research extension and particularly to the necessity of collecting
data from several other groups of stakeholders. In doing so, Fullan’s assumption
() on the importance of the vertical and horizontal interconnection within
the education system would be entirely fullled.
Note:
“e research of teachers’ competencies and roles in the creation and
implementation of education policies” is a part of a scientic research project
“University and the external environment in the context of the European inte-
gration processes” (--). is project was, in the period from
to , supported by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the
Republic of Croatia. e survey was conducted in September . is work
has been supported in part by the University of Rijeka under the project “Inves-
tigating school leadership in Croatian schools” (....).
References
Ben-Peretz, M. (). Policy-Making in Education. A holistic approach in response to global changes.
Lanham: Rowman & Littleeld Education.
Bruggencate, G., Luyten, H., Scheerens, J., & Sleegers, P. (). Modeling the Inuence of School
Leaders on Student Achievement: How Can School Leaders make a Dierence? Education
Administration Quarterly, (), –.
Choi Wa Ho, D. (). Teacher Participation in Curriculum and Pedagogical Decisions: Insights
into Curriculum Leadership. Educational Management Administration&Leadership. Retrieved
.. from http://ema.sagepub.com/content///
Connolly, M., & James, C. (). Reections on Developments in School Governance: International
Perspectives on School Governing Under Pressure. Educational Management and Leadership, (),
–.
Cooper, B. S., Cibulka, J. G., & Fusarelli, L. D. (). Handbook of Education Politics and Policy. New
York: Routhledge.
Desurmont, A., Forsthuber, B., & Oberheidt, S. (). Levels of Autonomy and Responsibilities of
Teachers in Europe. Brussels: Eurydice.
Drudy, S., Gunnerson, L., & Gilpin, A. (Eds.) (). Reference Points for the Design and Delivery of
Degree Programmes in Education. Bilbao: Universidad de Deusto.
EC/EACEA/Eurydice. (). Key Data on Teachers and School Leaders in Europe. Luxemourg:
Publications Oce of the EU.
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (). Ocial Gazette, / .
European Council. (). Council Conclusions of May on a Strategic Framework for European
Cooperation in Education and Training. Ocial Journal of the European Union. Retrieved .. from
http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:::::EN:PDF
European Commission. (). Europe - A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.
Retrieved .. from http://www.mobilnost.hr/prilozi/__Europa_.pdf
Fitz, J., Halpin, D., & Power, S. (). Implementation Research and Education Policy: practice and
prospects. British Journal of Educational Studies, (), –.
our nal | Vol.4 | No4 | Year 2014
Fuhrman, S. H., Cohen, D. K., & Mosher, F. (). e State of Education Policy Research. eoretical
Concepts and Research Methods. Mahwah, New Yersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
Fullan, M. (). All Systems Go: e Change Imperative for Whole System Reform. ousand
Oaks, California: Corwin.
Fullan, M. (). e New Meaning of Educational Change. New York: Teachers College, Columbia
University.
Gonzales, J., & Wagenaar, R. (Eds.) (). Tuning Educational Structures in Europe. Universities’
contribution to the Bologna Process. Bilbao: Universidad de Deusto.
Government of the Republic of Croatia. (). Strategy for Education, Science and Technology:
working material. Zagreb: Government of the Republic of Croatia. Retrieved .. from http://
www.vlada.hr/hr/preuzimanja/strategije/strategija_obrazovanja_znanosti_i_tehnologije_radni_
materijal_rujan_/strategija_obrazovanja_znanost_i_tehnologije_radni_materijal/(view_online)/
Hallinger, P., & Heck, R. H. (). Leadership for Learning: Does Collaborative Leadership Make a
Dierence in School Improvement? Educational Management, Administration and Leadership, (),
–.
Honig, M. I. (). New Directions in Education Policy Implementation. Confronting Complexity.
Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Hulpia, H., Devos, G., & Van Keer, H. (). e Relation Between School Leadership from a
Distributed Perspective and Teachers’ Organizational Commitment: Examining the Source of the
Leadership Function. Education Administration Quarterly, (), –.
Jackson, K. M., & Marriot, C. (). e Interaction of Principal and Teacher Instructional Inuence
as a Measure of Leadership as an Organisational Quality. Educational Management & Leadership,
(), –.
Jarvis, A. (). e Necessity for Collegiality: Power, Authority and Inuence in the Middle.
Education Administration and Leadership, (), –.
Kovač, V., Rafajac, B., Buchberger, I., & Močibob, M. (). Education Policy from the Perspective
of Teachers in Croatia. Napredak. In press.
Kovač, V. (). Approaches to education policy analysis. In V. Previšić, N. N. Šoljan, & N. Hrvatić
(Eds.), Pedagogy – towards lifelong education and knowledge-based society (pp. –). Zagreb:
Croatian Pedagogical Society.
McLaughlin, M. W. (). Learning from Experience: Lessons from Policy Implementation.
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, (), –.
Milas, G. (). Research methods in psychology and other social sciences. Zagreb: Naklada Slap.
OECD. (). PISA Results: What Makes a School Successful? – Resources, Policies and
Practices (Volume IV). Retrieved .. from http://dx.doi.org/./-en
OECD. (). PISA Results: What Makes Schools Successful? Resources, Policies and Practices
(Volume IV). PISA, OECD Publishing.
Palmer, D., & Snodgrass Rangel, V. (). High Stakes Accountability and Policy Implementation:
Teacher Decision Making in Bilingual Classrooms in Texas. Educational Policy, (), –.
Pantić, N., & Čekić-Marković, J. (Eds.) (). Teachers in Serbia: attitudes towards profession and
education reforms. Belgrade: Center for Education Policies.
Pavin, T., Rijavec, M., & Miljević-Riđički, R. (). Perception of the quality of teacher education
and some aspects of teaching profession from the perspective of primary school teachers. In V.
Vizek – Vidović (Ed.), Lifelong education of teachers: multiple perspectives. Zagreb: Institute for Social
Research in Zagreb.
Piesanen, E., & Välijärvi, J. (). Education and Training : ree studies to support School Policy
Development – nal report. Finnish Institute for Educational Research. Retrieved .. from
http://ktl.jyu./img/portal//TEC_FINAL_REPORT_th_Apr_WEB.pdf?cs=
Pont, B., Nusche, D., & Moorman, H. (). Improving School Leadership. Volume : Policy and
Practice. Paris: OECD.
Rizvi, F., & Lingard, B. (). Globalizing Educational Policy. London: Routledge.
Robinson, V. M. J., Lloyd, C. A., & Rowe, K. J. (). e Impact of Leadership on Student
Outcomes: An Analysis of the Dierential Eects of Leadership Types. Educational Administration
Quarterly, (), –.
Sahlberg, P. (). Lekcije iz Finske. Zagreb: Školska knjiga.
Scheerens, J. (Ed.) (). Teachers’ Professional Development: Europe in international comparison.
Luxembourg: Oce for Ocial Publications of the European Union.
Somech, A. (). Participative Decision Making in Schools: A Mediating-Moderating Analytical
Framework for Understanding School and Teacher Outcomes. Education Administration Quarterly,
(), –.
Spasovski, O. (). Teacher Competence as a Basis for Teacher Education: Tuning Teacher
Education Curricula in Five Western Balkan Countries. In B. Hudson, P. Zgaga, & B. Åstrand (Eds.),
Advancing Quality Cultures for Teacher Education in Europe: Tensions and Opportunities (pp. –).
Umeå: Umeå School of Education, Umeå University.
Valenčič – Zuljan, M., & Vogrinc, J. (Eds.) (). European Dimension of Teacher Education:
Similarities and Dierences. Ljubljana, Kranj: Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana, e
National School of Leadership in Education.
our nal | Vol.4 | No4 | Year 2014
Biographical note
V K, dr., is associate professor at the University of Rijeka –
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Education. Her re-
search interest has been rstly focused on the education policy, management
and leadership in higher education, while the recent research focus has been
also focused on the education policy, management and leadership within the
pre-tertiary education. She is currently appointed as the head of Doctoral Study
Programme of Education and as the head of the Center of Teacher Education.
B R, dr., is full professor at the University of Rijeka – Fac-
ulty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Education and former
dean of the faculty. His main research interest has been focused on the sociol-
ogy of education, education policy and management, methodology of educa-
tional research, methodology of cultural research and statistics. He is currently
a principal investigator of a research project Investigating School Leadership
From a Distributed Perspective in Croatian Schools supported by the Univer-
sity of Rijeka. He was a winner of the National Award „Ivan Filipović“ for his
contribution in higher education in .
I B is junior researcher at the University of Rijeka – Fac-
ulty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Education. Her recent
research focus is concerned with the eld of the education policy, management
and leadership within the pre-tertiary education. Her interest is also concerned
with the critical thinking, reading and writing, didactics and philosophy of
education. She is currently doctoral student at Doctoral Programme in Educa-
tion at the University of Rijeka – Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences,
Department of Education.
