Pupils’ Achievements in the Geography of Croatia at External Evaluation Exams and their Perceptions of Geography as a Subject in Elementary School

U radu se analiziraju postignuća učenika osmih razreda te završnih razreda gimnazija i četverogodišnjih strukovnih škola iz domene geografija Hrvatske. Ostvareni rezultati na ispitima vanjskoga vrednovanja komparirani su kroz dvodimenzionalnu matricu: osnovna škola – srednja škola, 2008. – 1988. Na kraju primarnog obrazovanja prosječna razina učeničkih postignuća o geografskom položaju i smještaju, prirodnogeografskim i društvenogeografskim obilježjima Republike Hrvatske jest 49,1%, a na kraju sekundarnog obrazovanja 47,9%. Ostvarena razina postignuća niža za 1,2 postotna poena na kraju sekundarnog obrazovanja nije statistički značajna, no s obzirom na selektirani uzorak i očekivani kumulativni učinak učenja i poučavanja rezultat je prenizak. U radu se analiziraju rezultati za sadržajno potpuno usporedive ispitne čestice i potvrđuje spoznaja da nema kumulativnog učinka ni napretka u razini postignuća primjenom novoga nastavnog programa. Također se iznose rezultati istraživanja stavova učenika o geografiji kao nastavnom predmetu u osnovnoj školi provedenih 1988., 2003. i 2008.The paper analyses the achievements in the Geography of Croatia among 8th Grade Elementary School pupils, and the final grades at comprehensive schools and four-year vocational schools. The results of the external evaluation exams were compared through the two dimensional matrix: elementary school - secondary school, 2008 - 1988. At the end of primary education, the average level of pupils’ achievements on the geographical position, natural-geographic and socio-economic characteristics of the Republic of Croatia was 49.1% and 47.9% at the end of the Secondary education. The realized level of achievements that was by 1.2% lower at the end of the Secondary education is not statistically significant but, in relation to the selected sample and the expected cumulative impact of learning and teaching, the result is too low. The paper analyses results for the comprehensive completely comparable test items and confirms the notion that there is no cumulative effect, and that no progress in the level of achievements is made by using the new teaching curriculum. The paper also presents the result of researches conducted in 1988, 2003 and 2008 on pupils’ opinions on Geography as a subject in Elementary school