This master's thesis examines the level of autonomy exercised by Slovene language teachers in primary schools when teaching literature, following the 2018 update of the Slovene curriculum. This update reduced the previously extensive list of suggested texts for classroom use to just
nine mandatory texts—three for each grade in the final three-year cycle. The research explores whether this curricular change has genuinely increased teachers' professional autonomy in selecting literary texts for instruction. The theoretical part defines the framework of primary education in the Republic of Slovenia, reviews the structure of the curriculum, and discusses key concepts in literature didactics that guide Slovene language teachers in lesson planning and content selection. It delves into the historical development of the concept of autonomy, its
foundations, and its legal framework, examining its boundaries and connecting it to the concept of habitus. Through an analysis of curriculum, regulations and a qualitative study involving interviews with five Slovene language teachers, the research concludes that teacher autonomy is understood within a weak conception. Teachers have the freedom to choose and apply teaching methods, approaches, and content, but only within the frameworks (principles, goals, and standards) established externally.
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