Post Scriptum

The Use of Mobile Technology as a Tool for Learning and Academic Development from the Perspective of Students in the Social Sciences, Humanities, and Musical Arts

2025-12-30T22:21:19+00:00

This paper examines the use of mobile technology as a tool for learning and academic development from the perspective of students in the social sciences, humanities, and musical arts. The research, conducted through focus group discussions, aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of students from the Faculty of Philosophy (social sciences and humanities programs) and the Academy of Music at the University of East Sarajevo regarding the application, efficiency, and effectiveness of mobile technologies in the educational process.The findings confirmed the main hypothesis concerning differences in the use,perceived efficiency, and educational functions of mobile technologies between students of the social sciences and humanities and those of the musical arts. While both groups recognize mobile technologies as valuable educational tools, their usage patterns and technological needs differ significantly, depending on the specific demands of their academic fields. Students in the social sciences and humanities primarily use mobile technologies for accessing information and communication, whereas music students emphasize the practical, audiovisual, and creative functionalities of mobile devices.The results indicate that mobile technologies enhance flexibility, provide on demand access to educational materials, increase interactivity, support personalized learning, foster student collaboration, and improve time management. However,several challenges were identified, including distractions, insufficient technical support, and a lack of alignment between educational applications and the specific requirements of different academic programs.The study’s implications highlight the importance of a deeper understanding of discipline-specific applications of mobile technologies and the development of strategies for their effective integration into the teaching and learning process.Successful implementation requires continuous teacher training, adequate institutional support, and access to diverse multimedia content that promotes
creativity and research-based learning.

European Union education policy as an imperative for public administration reform in the education sector of Bosnia and Herzegovina

2025-12-31T08:27:36+00:00

Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing many challenges, especially the problem of adjusting educational policies to the standards of the EU. Considering the determination of BiH towards the European path, the reform of the education sector and public administration in that sector is necessary in adjusting to the European values and practices. The EU educational policies present the fundamental directions that can help BiH in improving education quality, strengthening institutional framework, and a better education system management. The reform of the public administration in the education sector in BiH should be based on principles of a good management, transparency and efficiency which are the key to the functioning of the EU education system. In that regard, this paper will present the possibilities of adjusting to the EU standards, and implementations of the modern education programs, as well as the ways of creating the education system in Bosnia and Herzegovina which is inclusive, efficient and ready for the challenges of the 21st century. The reform of the public administration in the education sector presents a long-term process which requires coordinated efforts on all authority levels with the aim of overcoming political, economic and administrative challenges. The introduction of modern educational technologies, the improvement of the personnel resources, the digitalization of the system and the unification of the education standards, are the key steps to improving the education quality in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Challenges and opportunities of legal education in the 21st century the impact of artificial intelligence

2025-12-31T12:41:12+00:00

The 21st century presents unprecedented challenges and opportunities for legal education, driven by the rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into legal practice. This paper explores the transformative impact of AI on traditional legal education, emphasizing the need for curricular reform to equip future lawyers with interdisciplinary knowledge and technological proficiency. It highlights how AI tools enhance legal research, streamline workflows, and redefine legal services, while also addressing ethical considerations such as bias, privacy, and accessibility. The study advocates for an innovative, student-centered approach to legal education, incorporating experiential learning and AI-based methodologies to prepare students for an evolving legal landscape. The findings underscore the critical role of educators in fostering adaptability, critical thinking, and ethical awareness, ensuring that legal professionals remain relevant in a technology-driven world.

Education reform in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton

2025-12-31T13:30:18+00:00

The reform of modern education is based on a paradigm shift in learning and teaching, focusing on placing students at the center of the teaching process and learning outcomes. This transformation requires changes in education policies, the role of students and teachers, teaching methods, professional development for educators, and the modernization and improvement of the teaching process. Over the past two years in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (HNK), the Pedagogical Institute Mostar has endeavored to make strides in these areas, especially in primary education.

This work highlights the importance of educational changes driven partly by students' low achievements in international assessments like PISA and TIMSS. Following analysis and testing conducted by the Pedagogical Institute Mostar, decisions were made to revise and supplement primary education curricula.

In addition, the work details the requirements of the reform process for primary education. A comprehensive analysis of the existing Curriculum and Program (NPP) was conducted, resulting in the creation of documents, methodologies for curriculum development, and guidelines used in drafting revised curricula. Based on identified needs, a selected group of 50 teachers from various subjects was involved in creating the updated NPP. Training sessions were continuously organized and implemented.

Simultaneously, teacher performance was monitored across three domains—linguistic-communicative, socio-humanistic, and natural sciences—within three primary schools that applied an experimental curriculum. Feedback was regularly gathered at group and individual levels, and theoretical tasks outlined in the curriculum were directly implemented in teaching.

The final assessment of the quality of these revisions to the primary education curriculum will come through external evaluations of students' achievements.

Empirical analysis of uneven assessment criteria in elementary school

2025-12-31T13:49:41+00:00

This study examines criterion-referenced and norm-referenced assessment in education, aiming to explore vertical and horizontal variations in student grading. The research focuses on analyzing academic performance across different subjects and schools in order to determine whether significant discrepancies exist in grading practices and how the application of various assessment approaches may influence overall educational outcomes. The empirical analysis includes a quantitative examination of average grades, grade ranges, and standard deviations to assess the variability in grading.The findings indicate the presence of inconsistencies in assessment criteria, both among teachers within the same institution based on student age or grade level, and across teachers from different schools. Certain subjects are consistently assigned higher or lower average grades, suggesting the existence of uneven grading standards. Norm-referenced assessment allows for comparisons of student achievement across samples, highlighting areas with higher educational standards as well as those in need of targeted interventions. In light of these findings, the study concludes that there is a pressing need to standardize criterion-referenced assessment among teachers to ensure fairness and consistency in evaluating student knowledge, regardless of the school they attend. These insights may serve as a foundation for further research and the development of improved educational policies.

Reflections on the teaching profession

2025-12-31T14:53:04+00:00

The teaching profession is one of the most challenging professions, especially considering contemporary developments in science and society. Like any other profession, teaching must adapt to various social changes and needs; however, it is also obligatory to uphold the best interests of the child. Consequently, high expectations are placed on teachers by the entire community, which can lead to feelings of incompetence and affect their work productivity. An additional burden for teachers may be the constant reevaluation of their career choice, often triggered by excessive pressure associated with the teaching role. Therefore, the aim of this research is to examine teachers' willingness to choose the same profession again based on their attitudes and to identify and analyze the factors influencing the formation of these attitudes.

Creative approaches to learning and teaching through alternative models of education

2025-12-31T15:04:40+00:00

Traditional educational systems are often structured to emphasize the reproduction of knowledge, rigidly defined curricula, and standardized teaching methods. While such an approach may provide basic education to a wide number of students, there is growing dissatisfaction with this model, and increasing evidence shows that it fails to sufficiently foster creativity, critical thinking, and the individual potential of students.

This paper explores several alternative models of education. It analyzes how these approaches shape the educational experience, emphasizing the role of free exploration, hands-on learning, the arts, and play in a child's development. The aim of the research is to provide insight into how creative and alternative approaches can contribute to higher-quality education and empower students to become active participants in their own learning and in community life. Through a horizontal comparison of the traditional approach and six different alternative models, the paper presents and contrasts eight contemporary pedagogical elements. For the analytical framework of comparison and thematic analysis, the study relies on available literature and the author’s own experience (within the context of the traditional approach in Bosnia and Herzegovina).

The implementation of alternative educational models can serve as an inspiration for improving formal education by providing insights into strategies that reduce passive learning and increase student engagement. The paper also examines the challenges and opportunities for applying these models, or their elements, within formal education systems, considering the pedagogical, social, and institutional structures of functioning in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Although institutional barriers exist, it is possible to adopt elements of these approaches in public schools through curricular innovations, interdisciplinary learning, and stronger connections with the surroundings. It is expected that the findings will contribute to the discussion on educational reform and inspire further research into innovative teaching methods.

Overview of contemporary Bosnian-Herzegovinian literature for children and the youth

2025-12-31T15:27:07+00:00

In this work, significant editions and publications for children and young people (poems, stories, novels, picture books, selected works)will be presented, especially those that were published in the last few years in Bosnian Herzegovinian literature (2020-2023). We will represent, however, achievements of those writers whose work deserves the attention of readers and literary critics in the whole region, that were awarded or were shortlisted for state and regional awards and whose authors are members of different generations, vocations, styles, expressions. However, they all have mutual and unique speech for children and the wide world of childhood, with a great love and warmth, imagination and inspiration.

Procedures of expressiveness in Skender Kulenović's short stories

2025-12-31T15:42:36+00:00

Skender Kulenović, outstanding writer characterized by the brittleness and clarity of his language, is one of the writers whose literary work represents a very fertile ground for different sociolinguistic, stylistic, lexico-semantic and other types of research. As in poems, so in prose, he chose his words carefully, matching them perfectly into given context. In this paper we will analyze emotional and expressive means in four narratives: „Vitezovi“, „Puče ti žica“, „Titiz“ i „Salkan Sitnica“. Chosen narratives are rich in descriptions and highly achieved in the field of stylistics where the author's stylistic competence comes to the fore. Expressiveness is one of the most important stylistic categories that completely involves enunciation whose basic carriers are stylistic figures and tropes.

The paper discusses not only contextual expressiveness, which includes figurative use of words (stylistic figures and tropes, especially similes as a very frequent figure, as well as accumulation, epithets, gradation, anaphora, parentheses etc.) but also inherent expressiveness. We have found a large number of diminutives, augmentatives, hypocoristics, pejoratives, vulgarisms, different types of idioms as well as superlatives which are used for emphasis, and less frequent lexemes. Lexic of oriental origin is highly represented and it gives a special stamp to the period between two world wars and was also used to colorfully represent Kulenović’s prose works.

Intercultural aspects of bosančica

2025-12-31T16:05:31+00:00

This paper analyzes the intercultural aspects of bosančica, a script used in Bosnia, Dalmatia, parts of Croatia, and Montenegro from the Middle Ages until the 19th century. The analysis is conducted within historical, philological, and cultural frameworks, exploring the roles of bosančica as a means of intercultural exchange among different religious and ethnic groups. The intercultural dimensions of bosančica are evident in its use in trade, diplomatic, and legal relations between Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Muslims. Its adaptability is visible in Ottoman, Venetian, and Ragusan documents, where bosančica served as a bridge between Byzantine, Ottoman, and Western European cultures. The script was used in administrative and private documents, church books, and charters of Bosnian bans and kings. Bosančica was a symbol of regional identity and political autonomy, particularly reflected in the charters of Bosnian rulers, which are the focus of our research. In the final part of the paper, we conclude that bosančica was a key tool of intercultural communication. Although its use declined in the 19th century, bosančica still retains symbolic significance in the cultural heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina and should be more actively promoted.

Applying the STEAM approach in early and preschool education - an overview of theoretical frameworks and practical applications

2025-12-31T16:48:46+00:00

The STEAM approach (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) represents a modern pedagogical framework that integrates various disciplines with the aim of developing critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving abilities, and practical skills in early childhood and preschool education. This paper analyzes the advantages of the STEAM approach, including the development of creativity, cognitive and social competencies, and the promotion of an investigative mindset in children. Special attention is given to the practical implications of applying the STEAM approach through specific examples of activities, including projects, games, and tasks that allow children to explore and experiment. Through the analysis of existing research and practical applications, the paper highlights the importance of this approach in promoting the holistic development of children.

Teaching methods as predictors of achievement of students with developmental disabilities and specific learning disabilities

2025-12-31T17:02:57+00:00

The research focuses on examining the relationship between the application of teaching methods and the educational achievements of students with developmental and specific learning difficulties, with particular emphasis on the organizational form of instruction and teachers’ teaching styles. Using a combined qualitative and quantitative approach, four hypotheses were analyzed: differences in students’ achievements by gender, variations in the application of methods depending on the subject taught, the impact of the number of teaching methods on students’ success, and the relationship between the number of methods used and the tendency toward advisory and creative teaching styles.

The results indicate a statistically significant difference in the number of methods applied among teachers with different organizational roles, showing that class teachers employ the broadest range of methods. Furthermore, a negative correlation was found between the number of teaching methods and students’ achievements, implying that methodological diversity does not necessarily reflect instructional effectiveness but may rather indicate a need for greater pedagogical adaptation for students with more complex difficulties. The relationship between the number of methods and the advisory-creative teaching style was positive but statistically insignificant.

Based on these findings, it is recommended that schools and relevant educational institutions strengthen teachers’ professional development through continuous training programs that integrate contemporary pedagogical approaches, with a special focus on the functionalapplication of methods tailored to the real needs of students with learning difficulties.

The tree as an ecosystem

2025-12-31T17:22:06+00:00

Primary education provides pupils with the fundamental knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for life. The changes occurring in modern society demand a different approach to upbringing and education - one that, among other things, equips pupils to integrate acquired knowledge and engage in lifelong learning. This can be achieved through the STEAM approach to teaching. As STEAM involves interdisciplinary teaching, the project “The Tree as an Ecosystem” presents possibilities for integrating school subjects through various perspectives, as a single tree can experience and endure much like a human being; a tree is also an ecosystem comprising numerous processes, a source of oxygen, energy, and more. This approach to teaching is based on a model of sustainability that emphasises the importance of guiding development policies through the extensive application of scientific achievements and new technologies, with the aim of protecting nature and preserving the environment. The paper highlights the difficulties present in subject-based teaching, particularly regarding the organisation of the teaching process in terms of planning and preparation, as well as the limited understanding of curricula from other subjects, which poses serious obstacles to alternative methods of planning and comprehending the educational process.

Green education for a green future

2025-12-31T17:41:20+00:00

The modern man is facing many challenges, ranging from wars and economic crises, over security issues, nuclear threats, to the issues caused by the pandemic, mental health issues and pollution. The ecologic crisis the humanity is facing has already escalated to the point that the term “climate change” is no longer adequate and should be substituted by “climate crisis”, “climate breakdown” or “climate emergency”. The United Nations’ concept of education for sustainable development offers a systematic approach to dealing with different challenges through 17 Sustainable development goals, with the overall aim of transforming the world for the better and ensuring the survival of the humankind. The aim of the paper is to emphasise the necessity of green education at all levels of formal education systems, the role of Sustainable development goals and the importance of individual contribution of each and every person in this process. Qualitative methods of content analysis and autoethnography were applied. Education is one of the corner stones of each society and, as such, has the pivotal role in raising the awareness of children and youth about the challenges and responsibilities the world faces. In addition to the need to include the topics of green pedagogy, sustainability and ecological awareness in the curricula at all levels of education, an interdisciplinary approach across different scientific disciplines is needed, as well as integrating these topics with other key topics in education, including: the focus on the overall wellbeing of students, equity, equal rights to education and connection with the local community.

The role of educational inspection as the most important form of administrative supervision in the field of education

2025-12-31T17:52:49+00:00

The paper analyzes the role of the educational inspection, which controls the legality of the work of an educational institution through the implementation of administrative supervision. Through research, we will get a more concrete picture of the situation, that is, the perception of educational workers about inspectional administrative supervision. The paper will point out the (in)efficiency of the educational inspection, its possibility of influencing the improvement of the quality of the education system, but will also provide recommendations for improving the position, authority and role of this important body

Linguistic and cultural aspects of translating a text from the novel Wuthering Heights

2025-12-31T18:03:29+00:00

The aim of this paper is to examine and observe the ways in which a passage from the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë is translated into Croatian and Serbian languages, and to show the lexical, syntactic and cultural specificities of these translations as well as the differences between them. The paper will first provide a brief theoretical overview of literary translation and strategies that are relevant for literary translation. The main focus of the paper will be on the comparative analysis of the above mentioned translations. There is also commenting and comparing the translation equivalents and linguistic and cultural specifics and differences in Croatian and Serbian translations in relation to the selected text in the source language.

Gender equality in education - how ignoring gender equality shapes the future society in BiH

2025-12-31T18:16:53+00:00

The aim of this paper is to determine the role of the education system in shaping attitudes toward gender equality through quantitative and qualitative analysis of textbooks and educational documentation at all levels of education from preschool to higher education. The focus is on subtle messages, values, and biases conveyed through educational materials and their impact on the formation of identity and social roles. The paper emphasizes early childhood as a crucial period of socialization, highlighting the education system’s potential to either reproduce or transform social norms.

Gold has a price, knowledge is priceless - interpretation of proverbs in the context of understanding hidden meanings

2025-12-31T18:28:06+00:00

Proverbs are well-known sentences that can be used in speech, most often in a metaphorical form. Life wisdom, useful advice and generally accepted truths give them a didactic note that is accepted as such by teachers when expressing the basic ideas of the text. Today's education emphasizes the adoption of universal values, and if these are incorporated into proverbs, they can represent good teaching material. The paper analyzed the answers of 217 fifth-grade students regarding the meaning and understanding of proverbs. How students explain proverbs, how they interpret them and how well they are able to connect them are just some of the questions answered by the obtained indicators.

Using ChatGPT for grammatical analysis of a sentence written in Bosnian language

2025-12-31T18:38:29+00:00

In the modern era, artificial intelligence is advancing at an increasingly rapid pace, yet humans still lack a clear understanding of the extent to which we can rely on it—or whether we can rely on it at all. In this paper, we compare the grammatical analysis of a sentence generated by ChatGPT with a grammatical analysis conducted based on the Grammar of the Bosnian Language (Jahić, Halilović, & Palić, 2000), a normative reference work that serves as the foundational literature in all mother-tongue curricula across educational levels. Our aim is to examine whether the potential of artificial intelligence can be utilized as support in learning the morphological and syntactic rules of one’s native language. As we anticipated, ChatGPT performed quite well in the tasks assigned, but it still made several mistakes. This fact supports the view that students should indeed be given the opportunity to use it, but not with unconditional trust, since it — at least for now — cannot match natural linguistic competence and critical thinking.

On phantom infixes and morphological adverbs in the Bosnian language

2025-12-31T18:45:26+00:00

In 'Gramatika bosanskoga jezika' (Grammar of the Bosnian Language), published in 2000, the authors, Dževad Jahić, Senahid Halilović and Ismail Palić, claim that there are infixes in the Bosnian language. As an example, they give nominative plural nouns such as 'grob-ov-i' and 'mač-ev-i' where -ov- and -ev- are identified as infixes. Later, in the same work, there is definition which states: "A morpheme which has a role of connecting a root and a grammatical morpheme is called an infix... " However, even a supeficial search through textbooks on linguistic indicates that an infix, by definition, is something inserted into another morpheme, usually a root. The above mentioned definition clearly places an infix outside of a root, and thus gives it a status of a suffix. So, the definition given by the authors stands in a stark contrast to that which is usual in the linguistic literature. Initially, this paper answers the question whether there are infixes in the Bosnian language or not, but it is only an introduction to the discussion about the status given to individual elements in morphology. Namely, some elements cannot be clearly identified as affixes, i.e. morphemes, since their grammatical function is not clear. Thus, therms like 'empty morphs' are encountered. The goal of this paper is to shed some light on these phenomena, and to try to increse the level of terminological clarity in this field.

Application of systemic functional linguistics in contrastive analysis of scientific discourse in English language

2026-02-02T13:21:11+00:00

This paper investigates the potential of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL)to elucidate the distinctive characteristics of scientific discourse in English across the natural and social sciences. Through a contrastive analysis of two short academic texts,
the study aims to demonstrate how SFL can contribute to a deeper understanding of disciplinary language use, particularly within the framework of English forSpecific Purposes (ESP). The analysis centres on the ideational metafunction – more specifically, the experiential metafunction – with the goal of identifying the predominant process types in authentic texts from the two fields.