Chemistry educational outcomes and standards in Serbia and Montenegro. Analysis of the teachers’ attitudes and high school students’ achievements

Abstract

Standards and outcomes-based education led to significant adjustments in school organizations and contributed to the in-depth analysis of teachers’ professional identity. This research aimed to examine the chemistry teachers’ attitudes in the context of the implementation of the educational outcomes and standards in educational policy and in the school practice, as well as to ascertain the level of accomplished learning outcomes for the selected teaching topic “Lipids”. The research sample included both, chemistry teachers (N = 4) and high school students (N = 172) from two countries, Serbia and Montenegro. The data were analyzed qualitatively jointly for two countries using mixed-methods research and constant comparison of the data. There are no significant differences in teachers’ attitudes as well as in achievements among students between these two educational systems. All teachers emphasized the importance of learning outcomes and standards and confirmed that they help them in organizing lessons and monitoring students’ assessments. However, interviewed teachers pointed out the need for support and consideration of teachers’ opinions about implementing educational changes. The results obtained on the knowledge test have highlighted that knowledge about “Lipids” among students is not at the expected level.