Evaluation of Homework in Science and Social Studies / Evaluacija domaće zadaće u Prirodi i društvu

Systematic monitoring of students’ achievements as well as encouraging and improving the development of their knowledge, skills and abilities is one of the basic tasks of school. Apart from monitoring the progress of students during the teaching process, monitoring and evaluation of their independent work at home is also considered. A new approach to curriculum planning emphasizes the importance of formative evaluation, which implies monitoring and feedback about the learning process. A well-designed homework task can be an excellent indicator of progress in a student’s independent work outside of school. Creating and evaluating constructivist homework enables monitoring the development of students’ research skills as one of the two key evaluation elements in Science and Social Studies. The aim of the paper was to determine the frequency of homework evaluated by teachers and the ways teachers evaluate homework in Science and Social Studies classes. In addition, the aim was to identify the sources of homework which are mostly evaluated. A sample study included 83 primary school teachers, whose assignment, assessment and evaluation of student homework was observed by the students of the Faculty of Education in Osijek and Slavonski Brod during their professional-pedagogical practice. The study analysed 343 Science and Social Studies lessons in which homework was assigned. The results show that teachers did not evaluate a large amount of homework, or they only marked it as reviewed without any feedback about students’ progress and achievement. Therefore, the study reflects the importance of planning, creating and evaluating homework assignments in Science and Social Studies classes. Key words: curriculum; formative evaluation; homework assignments; learning outcomes; sources of homework --- Sustavno pracenje ucenickih postignuca, kao i poticanje i poboljsanje razvoja njihovih znanja, vjestina i sposobnosti, jedna je od osnovnih zadaca skole. Osim pracenja napretka ucenika tijekom procesa poucavanja, također smo razmotrili pracenje i evaluaciju samostalnoga rada ucenika kod kuce. Novi pristup planiranju kurikula naglasava važnost formativne evaluacije, sto obuhvaca pracenje i davanje povratnih informacija o procesu ucenja. Dobro osmisljena zadaca može biti odlican pokazatelj napretka u samostalnom radu ucenika izvan skole. Kreiranje i evaluacija konstruktivisticke domace zadace omogucuje pracenje razvoja ucenickih istraživackih vjestina kao jednog od kljucnih elemenata evaluacije u predmetu Priroda i drustvo. Cilj ovoga rada bio je utvrditi koliko cesto ucitelji evaluiraju domace zadace i nacine na koje to cine u nastavi Prirode i drustva. Osim toga, cilj je bio utvrditi koje izvore zadace ucitelji najvise evaluiraju. Uzorak studije obuhvatio je 83 osnovnoskolska ucitelja cije zadavanje domacega rada, procjenu i evaluaciju zadaca ucenika promatrali su studenti Fakulteta za odgoj i obrazovne znanosti u Osijeku i Slavonskom Brodu tijekom profesionalno-pedagoske prakse. U istraživanju su analizirana 343 sata Prirode i drustva na kojima je zadana domaca zadaca. Rezultati pokazuju da ucitelji nisu evaluirali veliki broj domacih zadaca ili su ih samo oznacili kao pregledane bez povratnih informacija o ucenickom napretku i postignucu. Stoga, istraživanje ukazuje na važnost planiranja, osmisljavanja i evaluacije zadataka domacega rada u nastavi Prirode i drustva. Kljucne rijeci: formativna evaluacija; ishodi ucenja; izvori domace zadace; kurikul; zadatci za domaci rad