Challenges and Perspectives in Astronomy Education in Croatian Schools: A Teacher-Based Study

This is a poster presented at the 7th Shaw-IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education, organised by the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE, https://astro4edu.org/shaw-iau/7th-shaw-iau-workshop/).

Title: 
Challenges and Perspectives in Astronomy Education in Croatian Schools: A Teacher-Based Study

Presenter:
Nikolina Bobic 

Despite Croatia’s rich tradition in astronomy, the education system struggles due to a lack of qualified STEM teachers, affecting the quality of astronomy teaching. Experts suggest integrating science subjects as a possible solution. This paper compares the English and Croatian science curricula and examines how astronomy is taught in neighboring countries. Interviews with 13 astronomy teachers in Croatia reveal common challenges: demanding content, low student interest, teacher overload, outdated materials, lack of resources and institutional support, and limited training. Astronomy is often offered only as an extracurricular activity, further limiting its reach. Systemic reform is urgently needed.

Collaborators:
prof. dr. sc. Rajka Jurdana (Šepić)

About the 7th Shaw-IAU Workshop:
The 7th Shaw-IAU Workshop took place 18 - 21 November 2025. The Shaw-IAU workshops focus on astronomy education for primary and secondary school students and teacher training both in universities and in service. This year's Education focus session on Teaching with authentic data and the Science focus is on Galaxies.

More details can be found on: https://astro4edu.org/shaw-iau/

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