AD ALTA
JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
SELF-REGULATORY TEACHING IN INTERPRETATIONS OF SLOVAK TEACHERS
a
EVA SEVERINI,
b
BLANKA KOŽÍK LEHOTAYOVÁ,
c
MARTIN KURUC
Faculty of Education of Comenius University in Bratislava
Račianska 59, 813 34 Bratislava, Slovakia
e-mail:
ͣseverini@fedu.uniba.sk, ᵇlehotayova@fedu.uniba.sk,
c
kuruc@fedu.uniba.sk.
Processed within the project VEGA 1/0443/18 Analysis of self-regulatory learning
styles of students in the field of Preschool and Elementary Pedagogy.
Abstract: The presented study deals with the issue of cursive handwriting, which in
Slovakia has not only a long tradition, but also cultural and historical value from the
perspective of sample of primary education teachers. The theoretical part focuses on
the cultural heritage and its forms, but also on the retrospective development of
writing and the current form of self-regulation teaching writing in primary education.
The research part of the study primarily focuses on identifying and analyzing the
views of primary education teachers on the merits of cursive handwriting of primary
school pupils. Based on the realized interviews we managed to interpret categories
related to cursive, where not only the pedagogical (professional) side of the issue is
declared, but also categories related to attitudes and values, which together create a
comprehensive view to retain traditions of cursive handwriting in environment of
primary education in Slovakia as a part of the possible cultural heritage of our country.
Keywords: cultural heritage, cursive handwriting, primary education, primary school
teacher, self-regulation.
1 Introduction
"Culture research is an integral part of the processes of
preserving national cultural identity, as well as integrating
national culture into the further development of a common
European cultural space." (The concept of focusing and
supporting research in the field of culture for the years 2016 to
2020). Cultural heritage is a summary of both tangible and
intangible components which is not only characteristic, but also
important to society because it forms part of its own national
identity. Since the cultural heritage is not a closed framework,
several criteria need to be identified and assessed in terms of its
protection. We believe that, in the interest of every society, the
cultural heritage should be protected and preserved for future
generations. The teacher as a mediator of the content of his own
culture reflects the current challenges not only of the
pedagogical but also of the societal dimension. Based on this, a
high degree of self-regulation can be identified for a teacher who
has ideas about his own work, solves the dilemmas of his own
professional concept, but also the challenges of ongoing
transformation and globalization changes (Kožuchová and
Kuruc, 2019, p. 8). By teaching strategies, we mean the
procedure that the individual chooses in his teaching
(educational strategies), but also those by which the teacher
encourages the student to learn certain cognitive strategies
(teaching strategies). The strategies chosen by the individual
have been discussed by Wolters and Rosenthal (2000). These are
the following strategies:
•
Considering the consequences when an individual has to
finish work at home, even if he has the opportunity to
engage in more enjoyable activities. He is considering a
strategy to stay in the effort (to fulfill the required role).
•
Environmental regulation. In case that an individual
encounters an obstacle that prevents him from completing a
task, he considers how to change the environment to
complete the required task.
•
Increased interest. When an individual encounters an
obstacle in learning (while completing a task), he is looking
for a way to change the task into a fun activity (while
completing the task he is looking for a way that will increase
his interest).
•
Mastering internal speech. The individual is waging an inner
struggle with himself. He speaks to himself and convinces
of the reasons why it is important to stay in learning. For
example, he wants to improve his learning because it is in
line with his goal orientation.
•
Doing internal speech. The individual speaks to himself and
is convinced of the reasons why it is important to stay in
learning.
The strategies that individuals chose to persevere in learning
have influenced their motivation and emotions (Corno, 2008).
Knowing own resources (one's own self) allows the individual to
be able to control himself (he does not have to fight with
himself). Self-awareness is a prelude to the self-regulation of
each individual's behavior. The image we have of ourselves is
created by a social mirror (people around us). These are
projections of the life stories of people who talk about students,
rather than precise reflections of what they really are. On the
other hand, the individual is able to learn from his own
experience and have an independent will. If a student knows
what he or she attributes to the causes of success and failure, he
or she can influence other situations in his or her life and act on
the basis of his / her own self-awareness. In order for an
individual to be able to manage his learning on his own, to work
on himself and to improve, he needs to acquire a whole range of
specific competencies, especially competences leading to self-
regulation of learning, and thus started the lifelong learning
process. Schunk and Ertmer (2005 In: Boekaerts et al., 2000)
consider the most important skills that form the essence of
learning self-regulation competence: setting learning goals;
evaluation of own abilities; focus on study and strong will;
appropriate learning strategy; be able to search for different
sources when learning; efficient time management; monitoring
the progress of learning; ability to overcome barriers in learning;
monitoring progress; flexible change of learning strategies and
their replacement by more effective ones; a positive image of
oneself (belief in one 's own abilities).
The basic aim of language teaching is to acquire script as a basic
tool of literacy, communication and expression (Belešová a
Szentesiová, 2017, p. 145).
Writing is an integral part of human
society created by writing a language of lasting character.
The currently valid form of continuous cursive handwriting,
which is currently taught in primary schools in Slovakia, has
undergone a long development. The font model from 1932 has
not been modified since its introduction, except for a few
minimal changes. In 2018, the event "Font for Schools"
organized by the Slovak Design Center in Bratislava as part of
the exhibition "100 Years of Design" was an unique example
focused attention to the issue of writing. During the exhibition,
the museum organized creative workshops for beginning writers
- primary school pupils and a panel discussion about writing in
historical and contemporary context, with an account of the
advantages and disadvantages of cursive handwriting (Slovak
Design Center). Representatives of graphic and writing
designers, children's book designers and illustrators, together
with a former primary school teacher, discussed the indisputable
quality and aesthetics of cursive handwriting, but they
emphasized the limitations, in the modern approach to teaching,
encountered by barriers to pupils, teachers and graphic
designers. The group of experts thus demonstrated the ambition
to seek a solution in the form of a modernized cursive
handwriting. It is not the only one discussion and challenge to
explore changes in the form of teaching written scripts in
primary school, because the issue of cursive handwritten
scripting is a topic discussed in professional circles. This is
mainly related to the existing proposals for modifying the shapes
of the written Latin alphabet, which are currently accepted in the
form of alternative Comenia Script and its teaching in primary
schools.
According to several experts, the current typeface in the
classroom does not meet the current needs of society, which is
associated with the effort to change the font by introducing an
alternate discontinuous Comenia Script that does not have a
fixed shape, allowing pupils to adapt the letter shape to their own
requirements. In connection with this issue there are arguments
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