Department of Social Sciences

The Department of Social Sciences of the Faculty of Education is a constituent unit made up of scientists and educators of outstanding scientific achievement and strong shared educational involvement in the community. The main characteristic of all members of the department is a focused orientation towards teaching and scientific excellence, which is annually evident in excellent student grades, but also in the continuous engagement of all members of the Department in professional and scientific faculty, university, national and international projects. The members of the department regularly organizers and holders, but also members of the committees of national professional and international scientific conferences. International educational and scientific experiences, professional specializations possessed and developed by the members of the Section as a personal choice, as well as teaching and scientific success, make the Department of Social Sciences a productive unit of scientists and educators of various fields of social interest and strongly developing expertise for the benefit of the community.

Head of Department

First and last name

Tijana Borovac, Ph.D.

Profession

Associate Professor

Email

tborovac@foozos.hr

Office number

49

Research interests

early and preschool education, initial education of educators, professional development of educators, leadership in early and preschool education (EPE)

Curriculum vitae (up to 300 words)

Dr. Tijana Borovac, Associate Professor, completed her primary and secondary education (Jezična Gimnazija-Language Grammar School) in Osijek. In 2002, she graduated from the College of Teacher Education in Osijek, earning the title of Preschool Educator. During her studies in 2000, she received the Rector’s Award for exceptional academic achievement. In 2004, she graduated from the Faculty of Economics in Osijek (Marketing Management programme), obtaining the title of Graduate Economist. She earned her doctorate in the field of Social Sciences, specifically Pedagogy, by defending her dissertation titled Social Interaction of Children in Age-Mixed Groups in Early and Preschool Education Institutions. Her doctoral studies were completed at the Postgraduate Doctoral Programme in Pedagogy, focusing on Early Education in Family and Institutional Settings at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb.

Since 2007, she has been employed at the Faculty of Education in Osijek. She teaches courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels in Early and Preschool Education, specialising in the areas of integrated curriculum, leadership, and action research in early and preschool education.

Dr Borovac has participated in several professional and scientific research projects (financially supported by HRZZ-ECLAT, Adris, and UNICEF), consistently aiming to explore the perspective of children at an early and preschool age. She is the author of numerous professional and scientific papers in the field of early and preschool education, focusing on the education of future educators, their professional development, children’s executive functions, play, and more. She is also the author and co-author of three chapters in Croatia’s first textbook on early and preschool pedagogy, Pedagogy of Early and Preschool Education.

She has presented at numerous national and international conferences on early and preschool education (EECERA, OMEP) and has served as a member of several scientific, programme, and organisational committees. Dr. Borovac is the Chair of the Programme Committee and a member of the Organising Committee for the 1st and 2nd International Scientific-Professional Conference KOMPAS – Competent Systems in Early and Preschool Education, held at the Faculty of Education in Osijek in 2022 and 2024.

In 2020, the Education and Teacher Training Agency appointed her Chair of the Examination Committee for Professional Certification Exams for Preschool Educators in Kindergartens.

List of publications (link to CroRIS)

CroRIS – Tijana Borovac


Members of Department

First and last name

Edita Borić, Ph.D.

Profession

Full professor with tenure

Email

eboric@foozos.hr

Office number

45

Research interests

She is an expert in teacher education in the fields of pedagogical competencies, sustainable development, entrepreneurship in education, learning outcomes, as well as student-centered teaching, teaching quality, research-based teaching, and environmental education.

Curriculum vitae (up to 300 words)

Edita Borić holds a master’s degree from the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, in natural sciences, scientific field of biology, branch of microbiology. She holds a doctorate degree from the Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Ljubljana, in interdisciplinary scientific fields: the scientific field of natural sciences, the field of biology, the scientific field of social sciences, the field of pedagogy. She also trained to conduct external audits of higher education institutions. She completed training in Zagreb to become a child expert, which consisted of four modules: Emotional development and support, Children with special needs, Therapeutic play and Cooperation with parents (2016-2017) and the Greenway winter school education at the University of Pécs.
She has cooperated with the Faculty of Pedagogy of the University of Maribor, the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Trnava, the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Tuzla, the University of Novi Sad, the Jözsef Eötvös University in Baja, etc. for many years.
She was an invited visiting professor as part of the project (INOVUP) “Involvement of visiting foreign experts and university teachers in the pedagogical process as a pillar of the quality development process of internationalization of the University of Maribor”.
She was the leader or collaborator of several scientific research projects: Biological research of the Kopački rit Special Zoological Reserve; Water protection of the Kopački rit Reserve; Teaching focused on research and action; Encouraging environmental education of young people in Eastern Slavonia; Competencies in teaching Science and Biology; Orientation of Science teaching to student achievement levels. She was the head of the Slovenian and Croatian bilateral project Cultural heritage in the primary education of Slovenia and Croatia, as well as the NATURAVITA project for the creation of educational programs and manuals for education in nature.
She is the president and head of the postgraduate university doctoral study program Educational Sciences and Perspectives of Education at FOOZOS. She is the deputy president of the postgraduate university specialist study program Sustainable and Circular Bioeconomy.
She is the editor-in-chief of the journal Life and School, which publishes scientific and professional papers with the aim of improving the theory and practice of education. She is the president of the examination committees for taking professional exams in Nature and Society for Teachers. She was the vice dean for teaching at the Faculty of Teacher Education in Osijek.
She is a permanent court expert in the fields of biology and pedagogy.

List of publications (link to CroRIS)


CroRIS – Edita Borić

First and last name

Tena Velki, Ph.D.

Profession

Full Professor

Email

tvelki@foozos.hr

tena.velki@gmail.com

Office number

50

Research interests

Primarily developmental psychology, developmental disorders, and educational inclusion. In the past 10 years, she has actively focused on information security, awareness, data privacy, and the risk behavior of computer users.

Curriculum vitae (up to 300 words)

Tena Velki, PhD, is a Full Professor in the field of developmental psychology. She served as the Vice Dean of Science for two years. She graduated as the top student in psychology in 2008 from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek and completed her PhD in 2012 at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb. In 2015, she received recognition from the Faculty of Education for her successful work and extraordinary contribution. In 2017, she was acknowledged by the Croatian Psychological Association, and in 2018, she received the "Marulić: Fiat Psychologia" social recognition for her significant contribution to the development and promotion of Croatian applied psychology. In 2019, she was awarded for the best scientific article.
Dr. Velki has participated in over 100 international and domestic scientific and professional conferences, publishing more than 70 scientific papers and 11 books. Her contributions extend to numerous domestic and international scientific and professional conferences, where she has been actively involved as a member of the program and organizational committees. Additionally, she has led and collaborated on several national and international projects. As a plenary speaker, Dr. Velki has shared her expertise at various scientific-professional conferences both in Croatia and abroad. She has also led the Assistant Training Program for Children with Developmental Disabilities and People with Disabilities and coordinates a postgraduate specialist study in Inclusive Education. Furthermore, Dr. Velki runs her own private practice, where she primarily focuses on data analysis for social sciences, diagnostics, and psychological counseling.

List of publications (link to CroRIS)

CroRis Tena Velki

First and last name

Alma Škugor, Ph.D.

Profession

Associate Professor

Email

askugor@foozos.hr

Office number

52

Research interests

student-centered teaching, professional development of teachers, alternative pedagogical concepts, pedagogy of sustainable development, pedagogy of practical life skills

Curriculum vitae (up to 300 words)

She has been employed at the Faculty of Education since 2007. She obtained her PhD degree in 2013, and since 2021, she has been working as an associate professor.

From 2014 to 2018, she was the coordinator for working with the training schools for all methodology courses for students of the integrated undergraduate and graduate five-year university class teacher studies. Until 2018, she conducted practice in the courses Didactics of Natural Science II and Research in Natural Science.

She teaches Pedagogy of Sustainable Development, Pedagogy of Practical Life Skills, Alternative Schools, Alternative Pre-school Programs, Pedagogy for Children with Special Needs, and Methodology in Education. In 2017, she successfully completed Montessori educational training in teaching children aged 3 to 12. In doing so, she acquired an international degree (Montessori - Pädagogik Diplomlehrgang) in accordance with the guidelines and the standards of the Austrian Montessori - Ősterreich umbrella association. She collaborated on the research project of the Croatian Science Foundation: “Professional development of teachers in the function of improving the learning outcomes of elementary school students in natural sciences and mathematics” (2018-2022). She has participated in a number of international and national scientific and professional educational conferences and has published about forty professional and scholarly papers.

She is the Head of the Career Development Centre for Students Foozos. She was a co-chair of the Organizing Committee of the 42nd International Scientific Conference on Changing Perspectives and Approaches in Contemporary Education in cooperation with the Association for Teacher Education in Europe (ATEE). In cooperation with the Education Agency, she conducts professional training for teachers.

List of publications (link to CroRIS)

CroRIS – Alma Škugor

First and last name

Dunja Jurić Vukelić, Ph.D.

Profession

Assistant Professor

Email

djvukelic@foozos.hr

Office number

10

Research interests

educational psychology, developmental psychology, health psychology

Curriculum vitae (up to 300 words)

Dunja Jurić Vukelić, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, was born on August 27, 1988, in Sisak, where she completed elementary school and general gymnasium. She earned her master's degree in psychology from the Faculty of Croatian Studies at the University of Zagreb in 2013. She completed her internship at the SUVAG Polyclinic for the Rehabilitation of Hearing and Speech in 2015.

From March 2016 to September 2017, she worked as a professional associate in the School and University Medicine Service and the Department for Mental Health, Prevention, and Outpatient Treatment of Addictions at the Public Health Institute of Sisak-Moslavina County. Since 2015, she has participated in teaching at the Faculty of Croatian Studies at the University of Zagreb as an external lecturer, and from 2017 to 2023, she was employed as an assistant at the Department of Psychology.

In 2021, she earned her doctorate from the postgraduate doctoral program in Biomedicine and Health at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Zagreb, with a dissertation on the psychosocial characteristics of women undergoing assisted reproduction. In September 2023, she was employed as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Social and Humanities Sciences at the University of Slavonski Brod, and since November 2023, she has held the same position at the Faculty of Educational Sciences at Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek.

Her advisory, professional, and research interests focus on the fields of educational psychology, developmental psychology, and health psychology, as well as the practical applications of knowledge in the combination of these areas.

List of publications (link to CroRIS)

CroRIS - Dunja Jurić Vukelić

First and last name

Željko Rački, Ph.D.

Profession

Assistant Professor

Email

zracki@foozos.hr

Office number

51

Research interests

educational psychology, creativity, giftedness and gifted education, psychological strengths

Curriculum vitae (up to 300 words)

Željko Rački, PhD, Assistant Professor, ECHA Specialist in Gifted Education, is a licensed psychologist (Croatian Psychological Chamber) with twenty years of experience spanning primary education, the Clinical Hospital Centre Osijek, and higher education and research. He served two terms as head of the Department of Social Sciences (2018–2020 and 2020–2022) and coordinated the Osijek Centre of Excellence project for the education of gifted primary school students in the City of Osijek (2017–2020). He is currently the head of the Faculty’s Centre for Talent Research and Education. He is a member of the Croatian Psychological Chamber, the Independent Union of Science and Higher Education, the Croatian Mountaineering Society "Bršljan-Jankovac," and the European Council for High Ability (ECHA).

List of publications (link to CroRIS)

CroRIS Željko Rački

First and last name

Ida Somolanji Tokić, Ph.D.

Profession

Assistant Professor

Email

isomolanji@foozos.hr

Office number

49

Research interests

ECEC, integrated curriculum, play, transition

Curriculum vitae (up to 300 words)

Ida Somolanji Tokić, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, was born on February 5, 1985, in Požega. She completed her primary and secondary education in Osijek. In 2007, she graduated from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek with a degree in pedagogy and Croatian language and literature. She earned her PhD at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb in 2018 with the dissertation “Transition from early childhood education and care to compulsory school education - the curricular meeting place” under the mentorship of Edita Slunjski, PhD.

She began her career in primary education and has been employed at the Faculty of Education in Osijek since 2008, currently holding the title of Assistant Professor. She is a member of the Department of Social Sciences and the Center for Teaching Methodology and Student Practice, where she oversees the implementation of practicum in kindergartens for undergraduate and graduate students of Early and Preschool Education programs.

She teaches courses in early childhood pedagogy, integrated curriculum, project-based learning, and action research. Her research interests focus on integrated curricula, professional development, children's play, and educational transitions. Through her teaching and research, she strives to advance contemporary knowledge and foster pedagogical innovations tailored to the Croatian educational context. She is the author of numerous academic and professional papers in these fields, including two chapters in the first Croatian textbook on early childhood pedagogy.

She actively participates in and delivers invited lectures at conferences. She serves on committees for both national and international conferences and is one of the key contributors to the establishment of the international conference Competent Systems in Early Childhood Education and Care (KOMPAS). She is a reviewer for domestic and international journals.

She is a member of working groups, including the Committee for the Development of Qualification Standards in Higher Education. Among her project involvement, she highlights “Improving the Inclusivity of Initial Education for Early Childhood Educators” (UFZG and UNICEF).

She chairs examination boards for licensing exams for pedagogues and educators in kindergartens. Additionally, she is a member of the Croatian Pedagogical Society, OMEP Croatia, the Croatian Association for Educational Research, the ENNEA Professional Learning Community, and Alumni FFOS.

List of publications (link to CroRIS)

CroRIS – Ida Somolanji Tokić

First and last name

Ivana Borić Letica, Ph.D.

Profession

Assistant

Email

iletica1@foozos.hr

Office number

50

Research interests

developmental psychology, adolescents' risky behaviors, online risks

Curriculum vitae (up to 300 words)

Ivana Borić Letica, Ph.D., Assistant, was born in 1991 in Osijek, where she finished primary school and III. (science and mathematics) high school. She graduated in Psychology in 2015 from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of Josip Juraj Strossmayer University in Osijek with excellent academic results. She won the Chancellor’s Award for the 2015-2016 academic year. She completed the second level of behavioral-cognitive therapy education (HUBIKOT, Zagreb, 2017-2020). She defended her doctoral dissertation under the title "Examining the Prototype willingness model for explanation of adolescents' behavior on social networks" in 2024 at the doctoral studies in Psychology at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb. From 2015 to 2023, she worked as a school psychologist and psychology teacher in elementary school and various secondary schools in Osijek. Since 2018, she has been working as an external associate, and since 2023, she has been employed as an assistant at the Faculty of Education in Osijek on various courses in the field of Developmental Psychology.

She published several scientific papers and participated in several international scientific conferences. She is a member of the Croatian Psychological Chamber (CPC), the Croatian Psychological Association (CPA), and the secretary of the Society of Psychologists Osijek (SPO).

List of publications (link to CroRIS)

CroRIS - Ivana Borić Letica

First and last name

Petra Bučević

Profession

Assistant

Email

pbucevic@foozos.hr

Office number

49

Research interests

childhood, early childhood education and care

Curriculum vitae (up to 300 words)

Petra Bučević was born in Osijek in 1991. She is an educator for early and preschool-aged children. She graduated from the Faculty of Education, where she currently works as a teaching assistant in the interdisciplinary field of educational sciences. She is pursuing her doctoral studies at the Faculty of Education.

Her research focuses on childhood studies, documenting the educational process, and early and preschool education.

Currently, she leads seminars and practical exercises in courses related to early and preschool pedagogy, the integrated curriculum of early and preschool education, and project-based learning in kindergartens.

List of publications (link to CroRIS)

CroRIS – Petra Bučević

Name and surname

Nikolina Jozić

Title

assistant

e-mail

njozic@foozos.hr

Office number

57

Research interests

Natural and social sciences teaching, Research in teaching of natural and social sciences, History of education

About the teacher

Nikolina Jozić was born in 1999 in Slavonski Brod. She graduated in the academic year 2021/2022. at the Faculty of Education in Osijek on the subject of Schooling during the Homeland War in Brod-Posavina County and earned a master's degree in primary education. She is the secretary of the Association of Students of Educational Sciences called Futuri Magistri and the editor of the magazine for educational sciences Foo2rama. She is the winner of the second award for the best work of young historians on the history of Slavonia, Srijem and Baranja for the year 2023. She has worked in elementary school as a teacher, and since 2023 she has been employed as an assistant at the Faculty of Education in Osijek at the Department of Social Sciences.

List of publications (CROSBI link)

  

First and last name

Marta Zečević Berbić

Profession

Assistant

Email

mzecevic2@foozos.hr

Office number

57

Research interests

Methodology of Science and Social Studies, Student-oriented teaching, Research-oriented teaching

Curriculum vitae (up to 300 words)

Marta Zečević Berbić is an assistant at the Faculty of Education of the J. J. Strossmayer University in Osijek and a doctoral student at the post-graduate university (doctoral) study of Educational Sciences and Educational Perspectives. She leads seminars and exercises from several courses such as Science and Social Studies Methodology, Research-oriented Teaching, Integrated Teaching, etc. In 2019 and 2021, she held invited lectures for students at the Faculty of Education in Maribor (Slovenia) and for students and educators at the Jözsef Eötvös school in Baja (Hungary) as part of the Spring Educational Academy. She participated in several international scientific meetings and published several scientific papers and a scientific monograph.

List of publications (link to CroRIS)

CroRIS - Marta Zečević Berbić