Sub-department of pedagogy

Head of the sub-department:

Rahaela Varga, Associate Professor, Ph.D.

Name and surname	Rahaela Varga, Ph.D.
Title	Associate Professor
e-mail	rvarga@foozos.hr
Room	63
Research interests	education, teacher/student/headteacher competences, lifelong learning, teaching
	Holds a Ph.D. in Education Sciences obtained from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at University of Zagreb, Croatia. Works as an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Education, University of Osijek, Croatia. Teaches pedagogy and didactics courses at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate level. Recent projects: Competence standards of teachers, pedagogues and mentors (2019 – 2022); Principal: a profession and a qualification, not a function (2015-2016); Necessity to modify students’ status in and outside classroom (2009 – 2014). Regularly takes part in international conferences in the country and abroad, has (co-)authored a couple of books and over thirty research papers. Speaks Croatian, English and German.
Publications	CROSBI Rahaela Varga

Members of the sub-department:

Maja Brust Nemet, Vice dean for science, Associate Professor, Ph.D.

Name and surname	Maja Brust Nemet, Ph.D.
Title	Associate Professor Vice dean for science
e-mail	mbrust@foozos.hr
Offices	Vice deans office and office no.58
Research interest	Pedagogy, Professional Development of Teachers, Teacher Competences, Classroom Management, School Culture, Projects in Educational Institutions, Methodology of Pedagogical Research
	Maja Brust Nemet was born in 1984 in Osijek, Croatia. She studied Pedagogy and Croatian Language and Literature at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek, Croatia, and she graduated in 2007. In 2015 she received the Ph.D. in Pedagogy from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Croatia, defending the dissertation Socio-Pedagogical Competences of Teachers in the Contemporary School Culture Curriculum. From September 2007 to October 2008 she worked as a pedagogue in the elementary school Josipovac. Since November 2008 she has worked as a Teaching Assistant, from July 2018 as Senior Assistant on the Faculty of Education, and from 2017 she has been working as the Assistant Professor at the Department of Lifelong Learning and Education at Faculty of Education in Osijek. She is an external associate of the Department of Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics at the University of Josip Juraj Strossmayer in Osijek. She has participated in more than 20 national and international scientific and vocational conferences. In addition to papers published in the proceedings of conferences, she co-authored and published a scientific book and approx. 20 scientific papers.
List of publications (link to CROSBI)	CROSBI Maja Brust Nemet

Snježana Dubovicki, Associate Professor, Ph.D.

Name and Surname	Snježana Dubovicki, Ph.D.
Title	Associate Professor
e-mail	sdubovicki@foozos.hr sdubovicki@gmail.com
Office	office number 58
Research interests	Her scientific interest is focused on curriculum research, teaching at all levels of education (with particular emphasis on university teaching and lifelong learning), creativity, self-actualization, emotions in teaching, methodology and qualitative and futurology research methods.
	Snježana Dubovicki, Ph.D., Associate Prof., was born in 1984 in Osijek (Croatia). She got her Ph.D. in 2013 at Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb (Croatia) with the topic "Correlation between the Curriculum of Teacher Education and Student Creativity Development.” In 2015 she was elected as Assistant Professor. She started working at the Faculty of Education in Osijek at December 1st 2008. At this Faculty, she participates in the teaching of several pedagogical-didactic and methodological courses. She published a university textbook, two scientific monographs and numerous scientific papers. She spoke at numerous international scientific and professional conferences in Croatia and abroad (Japan, United Arab Emirates, Italy, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina). In 2017, during a study trip to the United Kingdom, she visited elementary and pre-school institutions. Within the CEEPUS program, of the academic year 2018/2019, she was a visiting professor for two weeks at the Faculty of Philosophy in Tuzla (Bosnia and Herzegovina), where she taught Didactics to students of pedagogy, psychology, classroom teaching and pre-school education. Between 2009 and 2014 she was actively involved in the scientific project "Development of Creativity in the Life-long Learning of Teachers" (245-1221170-1063). In 2018, at the Faculty of Education and in co-operation with the Agency for Education, she organized an education class themed "Playtime in Teaching". She is a member of the working group for analyzing and preparing curricula on the topic of children´s well-being within the two-year project "Subjective child well-being in Croatia" (2018-2020) of the Study Center of Social Work (University of Zagreb, Faculty of Law, leader: Marina Ajduković, Ph.D., Full Professor with Tenure), in cooperation with UNICEF Office for Croatia, Children´s World: The International Survey of Children´s Well-Being (ISCWeB). She is a member of the Organizing Committe of Didactic Challenges II (https://didactics-challenges0.webnode.hr/didactic-challenges-ii/), Didactic Challenges III (https://didactic-challenges0.webnode.hr/). She was the executive editor of the journal Life and School (https://hrcak.srce.hr/zivot-i-skola). She is a member of the Croatian pedagogical Society (HPD) and the Croatian Andragogy Society (HDA). Since October 2018 she has been employed as Vice Dean for development and frofessional work by the Faculty of Education in Osijek.
List of publications	CROSBI Snježana Dubovicki

Ksenija Romstein, Vice dean for study programs and development, Associate Professor, Ph.D.

Antonija Huljev, Assistant Professor, Ph.D.

Name and surname	Antonija Huljev, Ph.D.
Title	Assistant Professor
e-mail	ahuljev@foozos.hr
Office Nr.	38
Research interests	pedagogy, socio-political impacts of music, history of Croatian literature
	Antonija Huljev was born in Osijek on November 22, 1987. She was a teaching assistant for philology an pedagogy at the Department of Cultural Studies of Josip Juraj Strossmayer University in Osijek (2013 – 2018). Since 2018, she has been a teaching assistant at the Faculty of Education. The areas of her scientific and professional interest are pedagogical axiology and the history of Croatian literature, and in a broader sense, pedagogy and literature. In 2009 she graduated from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek with a BA degree in Croatian language and literature and Pedagogy and in 2011 she became the Master of Education in Croatian Language and Literature and Master of Pedagogy at the same Faculty. In 2018, she completed the Post-graduate Interdisciplinary Doctoral Study Programme in Culture (Faculty of Arts and Literature in Culture) and earned a Ph. D. from the Doctoral School of Social and Human Sciences at the University of Josip Juraj Strossmayer in Osijek (interdisciplinary field of science, i.e. interdisciplinary humanities and interdisciplinary social sciences). She has edited several conference proceedings and books, published several scientific papers in Croatian and foreign journals, and participated in several conferences in Croatia and abroad. So far, she has published three books. She is a member of the editorial board of the magazine "Vospitanie - Journal of Educational Sciences, Theory and Practice" (Republic of Northern Macedonia) and the magazine "Pannoniana" (Faculty of Educational Sciences, Osijek, Croatia). In the period from 2009 to 2010, she worked as a student in the library of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Osijek. From 2011 to 2012, she worked as a proofreader for the magazine "Military History" published by Večernji list. She is a member of the School Board of the Center for Education "Ivan Štark" in Osijek. She is also a member of Matica Hrvatska and an honorary member and professional associate of the Croatian Association of Prisoners in Serbian Concentration Camps.
List of publications (CROSBI link)	CROSBI Antonija Huljev

Višnja Vekić-Kljaić, Assistant Professor, Ph.D.

Name and surname	Višnja Vekić-Kljaić, Ph.D.
Position	Assistant professor
e-mail	vvkljaic@foozos.hr
Office number	49
Research interests	Preschool pedagogy Preschool curriculum Action research Project learning
	Višnja Vekić-Kljaić was born on November 2, 1967 in Osijek. She graduated from Dobriša Cesarić Elementary School in Osijek as well as "Braća Ribar" CUO Osijek and obtained the title of associate for preschool education. In 1988, she graduated from the Preschool Education study program at the Faculty of Education in Osijek and earned the title of educator of preschool children. She graduated from the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical and Educational Sciences, University of Mostar, in 2010 and obtained the professional title of Professor of Preschool education. She received her doctorate in 2020 with the topic Structural and Content Determinants of Early Childhood Education Curriculum at the Faculty of Philosophy in Osijek. He lives in Osijek with his wife and two daughters. From 1989 to 2021, she worked as a teacher in Kindergarten Osijek, facility "The Bee", in a mixed group with integrated English language. From 2021, she worked as a postdoctoral student at the Department of Social and Humanities at the University of Slavonski Brod. Since 2023, he has been an assistant professor in the scientific field of Social Sciences, scientific field of Pedagogy (scientific branch of Pedagogy of early and preschool education). Since September 2024, she has been emploided as an assistant professor at the Faculty of Educational sciences at J. J. Strossmayer University in Osijek. She participated in two institutional projects, Erasmus + mobilities, published several scientific and professional articles in magazines, scientific monographs and anthologies in the field of pedagogy, and participated and presented papers at professional and scientific conferences. She focused her research interest on the pedagogy of early and preschool education.
List of publications	Višnja Vekić-Kljaić

Ružica Tokić Zec, Senior Assistant, Ph.D.

About the Sub-department

The Sub-department of Pedagogy operates within the Department of Pedagogy, History and Philosophy with the aim of improving the quality of education at all levels of the educational system. Therefore, the activities of the members of the Department are focused on the lifelong learning of pedagogical professionals - especially (pre)school teachers, educators and other employees in the sector of education and research. For that purpose, they cooperate with many institutions in the Republic of Croatia and abroad.

Members regularly take part in various forms of professional development. Hence, they actively participate in domestic and foreign conferences (China, Japan, United Kingdom, Hungary, United Arab Emirates, Italy, Serbia), study visits (Finland, United Kingdom) and summer schools (United Kingdom, Poland).

Members' participation in recent projects:

2023 – ongoing: SCC Towards Media Literacy (Social and Communication Competencies Towards Media Literacy), holder of the FOOZOS, funded by Agency for electronic media.

2022 – ongoing: Ivan Filipović - Teacher Coordinator and Reformer of School System in Croatia, holder of the FOOZOS.

2020 – 2022: Affirmation of futurology and its methods in the research of future teachers and educators, holder of the FOOZOS

2020. - 2021. Improving the inclusiveness of initial education of early and preschool children, commissioned by the UNICEF Office for Croatia, holder of the Faculty of Teacher Education in Zagreb, FOOZOS is a partner in the project.

2020. - 2022. Competency standards of teachers, pedagogues and mentors (UP.03.1.1.03.0056)co-financed by the European Social Fund, and coordinated by the University of Zadar cooperating with the Faculty of Education (University of Osijek), Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (University of Osijek/University of Split/University of Rijeka/University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science (University of Zagreb), The Ministry of Defence.

2018 - 2021: International study program Constructions resistant to extraordinary actions - Resilient Structures – InterStruct (UP.03.1.1.02.0028), funded by the European Commission, coordinated by the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture in Osijek, and FOOZOS is a partner in the project.

2018 - 2020 Subjective well-being of children in Croatia (Study Center for Social Work, Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb in cooperation with the UNICEF Office for Croatia).

2018 - 2019 GOOD: Contribution to the improvement of early intervention through socially useful learning in the City of Zagreb and Brod-Posavina County (UP.04.2.1.02.0078), funded by the European Commission, and FOOZOS is a partner.

Organisation of international and national conferences:

Education for interculturalism (2009, 2010, 2015, 2020)

Didactic challenges (2012, 2016, 2019, 2022)

Education Sciences and Perspectives: Doctoral Days (2021, 2022, 2023)

21^st international conference on Slavonic dialect within Šokačka rič (2023)

Education in Primary Schools During the Pandemic (2021)

1st Thematic ECHA Conference (2019)

4th Međimurje Days of Philology and Pedagogy (2019)

International Symposium of Music Pedagogues (2019, 2023)

Publication of journals:

Life and School: journal for theory and practice of education (since 1952)

Name and surname	Ksenija Romstein, Ph.D.
Position	Associate professor Vice dean for study programs and development
e-mail	kromstein@foozos.hr
Office number	Vice deans office and office no.44
Research interests	Inclusive education, rights of the children of incarcerated parents, early childhood intervention, societal learning/community knowledge, qualitative and cross-cultural research
	Born in 1997 in Osijek, where she has completed primary education, and high-school for nurses, and later Pedagogical faculty, course: preschool teacher. After that, in 1998., she enters Faculty of education and rehabilitation sciences University of Zagreb, course: educational rehabilitation. From 2001 till 2003 she worked as special education teacher in Centre for education in Osijek Ivan Štark, and from 2003 till 2006 in SOS children’s village int. in Ladimirevci (social care and service) as educator for children without adequate parental care. From 2006, ongoing, she works at Faculty of Education and teaches courses at preschool education program. Earned PhD in 2014, at the field of special pedagogy. In cooperation with Children’s ombudsman’s office in Croatia actively advocates and promotes the rights of children of incarcerated parents, and she has several keynote lectures on that issue.
List of publications (CROSBI link)	CROSBI Ksenija Romstein

Name and surname	Ružica Tokić Zec, Ph.D.
Title	Senior Assistant
e-mail	rtokic@foozos.hr
Office Nr.	38
Research interests	Culture of educational institution, Family pedagogy, Parenting
	Ružica Tokić Zec graduated in 2013 at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek and obtained a master's degree of Education in English Language and Literature and a Master's degree in Pedagogy. In 2021, she received the PhD from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek with the topic Preschool teachers, primary school teachers and university instructors' perceptions on organizational culture in educational institutions as the first in the generation. Since 2012, she has run early English language programs for preschool children. From 2014 to 2015, she worked as a pedagogue at the Elementary School "Tin Ujević" in Osijek and passed the professional exam for an expert associate pedagogue. Since 2015, she has been teaching courses in the field of pedagogy (Pedagogy, General Pedagogy, Family Education and Partnership with Parents, Parenting, Final Paper Methodology) at the Faculty of Education in Osijek. In 2016, she received UNESCO scholarship and participated in the 10th International Summer School - The contemporary problems of children and childhood in multicultural societies - theory, research, praxis in Warsaw, Poland. She has published scientific and professional papers and participated in several international and domestic scientific and professional conferences.
List of publications (CROSBI link)	CROSBI Ružica Tokić Zec