Abstract:

School is a place where, in addition to education, experiences of different relationships are gained, and for that reason there is a possibility of both positive and negative developmental outcomes for a young person. The aim of this study was to determine the differences in the characteristics of satisfaction with the school environment between Croatian vocational high school students and gymnasium students (N = 698). In data processing, in addition to calculating basic statistical values, discriminant analysis was used. The results show that there are differences in the characteristics of satisfaction with the school environment, in a way that vocational high school students estimate that teachers encourage their creativity more than gymnasium students, that the content of most subjects is interesting, that teachers respect them and are more attentive to them, that teachers show respect for their opinions and ideas, and that the school encourages them to think and come up with new ideas. Gymnasium students plan, more than vocational high school students, how much and how they will study for the announced exams. It can be concluded that students of vocational high schools are more satisfied and "freer" in their school environment, while gymnasium students are more oriented to the organization of the learning process, i.e. to a higher educational competence than vocational high school students.

Keywords:

School, environment, vocational school students, gymnasium students, satisfaction.