The term "curriculum" is a broader and more comprehensive than the term "program" and it also carries the shift from the traditional emphasis on content to the emphasis on the process of pre-school education itself (Kurikulum za vrtce, 1999).
In the master's thesis, we presented the Kurikulum za vrtce (eng. Curriculum for kindergartens) in Slovenia and compared it with some foreign countries, especially with the Scandinavian countries that have a comparable system with Slovenia. We then presented the ways of education for the profession of a kindergarten teacher and its assistant in Slovenia and in some foreign countries. We also presented mathematics in the curriculum for kindergartens, some mathematical contents, the mathematical environment, and the role of a kindergarten teacher in mathematical activities. We also presented different concepts and theories about teaching mathematics and the criteria of good teaching.
The empirical part of the master's thesis presented the results of the survey, titled "The views of kindergarten teachers to achieve goals of Kurikulum in the field of mathematics".The purpose of the survey was to find out the views of kindergarten teachers and its assistants in integrating mathematical activities into the pedagogical process.
The results showed that kindergarten teachers use Kurikulum za vrtce in their work, which helps them when performing mathematical activities. However, according to the results, we see that mathematics, in relation to other fields of education, is less often included in the pedagogical process. While teachers know the contents, forms and methods of work, there are also other factors that often do not involve mathematical content in their pedagogical process during the pre-school period.
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