Abstract:

There are new curriculums of the school subjects in the Republic of Croatia that presented a new approach (es) in learning and teaching. In New Curriculums emphasis was placed on forms of teaching, student activity, and the use of ICT technology in learning and teaching. This research was focused primarily on determining the practice of teaching in the natural science school subject with special emphasis on the use of ICT media and the geographic location of schools. This research was conducted in the period of closed schools in the Republic of Croatia (global pandemic of the Covid-19 virus), during April and May 2020. Although this is a small preliminary research, the research was conducted online and based on (N = 107) primary school teachers.

The study aimed to examine the differences in the teaching of natural science school subject between urban and rural teachers concerning the frequency of use of modern teaching and learning methods and the use of technology in learning and teaching. As this was a preliminary survey, there were (N = 67) urban teachers and (N = 40) rural teachers in the sample. The research examined the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants, gender, workplace, education, and grade. For the research, a survey questionnaire was constructed that contained several scales. Special scales were intended to examine or measure teachers' attitudes about modern methods of work and the use of ICT in teaching natural science school subject. The objectives of the research were: to examine the characteristics of the measurement scales used; determine the attitudes of teachers and to determine whether there are statistically significant differences between teachers in urban and rural areas concerning of modern teaching methods use and the use of ICT in teaching natural science school subject.

Although it was a small appropriate sample, the examined characteristics of both scales resulted in very satisfactory measures, explanations of 60 % of the common variance, and one-factor solutions. This research determined: medium to high arithmetic values, frequent use of modern teaching methods, and medium values of ICT use in teaching natural science school subject. The results of the research indicated that there are no statistically significant differences in teachers of rural and urban areas concerning the use of modern teaching methods in the teaching of natural science school subject. In teachers of urban and rural areas and concerning the use of ICT in teaching natural science school subject, differences were found on almost all items. The use of ICT in teaching of the natural science school subject has proven particularly challenging during the Covid-19 pandemic, and distance learning has become the most common form of teaching in schools. However, the attitudes of teachers indicate the inequality of all in this process, especially when it comes to the technical equipment of schools, as indicated by the results of this research. In further research, besides larger sample, emphasis should be given to identifications of obstacles in ICT use in teaching school subjects, regardless of the geographic location of the school, and enhancing teacher competencies in ICT use in teaching and learning.

Keywords:

ICT, method of teaching, natural science school subject, teachers, rural and urban.