Introducing the concept of heritage through action research in early and pre-school education

Baština predstavlja nepresušan izvor za osvješćivanje vlastitog i tuđeg identiteta te za razumijevanje različitosti i osobne odgovornosti u kontekstu održivog razvoja. Upravo stoga baština je neizostavna tema u ranom i predškolskom odgoju i obrazovanju koji, s obitelji, predstavlja polaznu točku u procesu cjeloživotnog učenja i izgrađivanja pojedinaca koji će se aktivno, odgovorno i kreativno odnositi prema prirodnom, društvenom i tehničkotehnološkom okružju. Pristup baštinskim sadržajima i iskustvima koja iz njih proizlaze potrebno je sustavno i cilju usmjereno planirati, ostvarivati, pratiti i vrednovati kako bi se utvrdilo u kojoj mjeri i na koji način pridonose djetetovu procesu razumijevanja i njegovu cjelovitom razvoju. Budući da akcijsko istraživanje predstavlja proces istraživanja odgojnoobrazovne prakse koji se provodi u svrhu njezina unaprjeđenja te se ostvaruje kroz spiralno povezane etape planiranja, djelovanja, praćenja i refleksije, u radu se predlažu mogućnosti upoznavanja baštine kroz akcijsko istraživanje u ranom i predškolskom odgoju i obrazovanju. Spoznaje dobivene takvim istraživačkim pristupom mogle bi pridonijeti osvješćivanju šire zajednice o važnosti i dobrobiti upoznavanja baštine od najranije dobi.Heritage represents an inexhaustible source of awareness of own and other people’s identities and understanding of the diversity and personal responsibility in the context of sustainable development. It is therefore an important theme in early and pre-school education, which, along with the family, is the starting point in the process of lifelong learning and the creation of individuals who relate to the natural, social and technical-technological environment in an active, responsible and creative manner. Access to heritage materials and related experiences require a systematic and goal-oriented process of planning, acting, monitoring and evaluation in order to determine to what extent and how introducing the concept of heritage contributes to children’s understanding and their overall development. Since action research represents a research process that is carried out for the purpose of improving educational practice and is achieved through spirally associated stages of planning, action, observing and reflection, the author suggests the possibilities of introducing the concept of heritage through action research in early and pre-school education. The results obtained in such research could contribute to raising awareness of the wider community about the importance and benefits of introducing heritage from an early age