The master's thesis focuses on the independence of pupils in their daily tasks and schoolwork. The theoretical part includes a definition of independence, a description of the factors contributing to the development of independence, the characteristics of the development of children's independence in everyday life and in schoolwork, and some recommendations to promote children's independence. In the empirical part, we focused on exploring the independence of pupils in three third-grade classes in performing everyday tasks (dressing, washing, eating, sleeping, going/coming to school, organising and spending leisure time) and homework (e.g. preparing school supplies, solving homework problems). We included 60 pupils from one of the Ljubljana primary schools who reported on their independence. Three of their teachers also reported on this topic. All students completed a questionnaire and six students and three teachers were interviewed. Most of the pupils interviewed reported that they were independent when doing everyday tasks (e.g. preparing and putting on clothes, putting on jackets, tying shoelaces, taking showers) and when preparing their school bag and supplies and writing homework. At least half of the pupils interviewed said that they were not independent when preparing breakfast, coming and going from school, and organising and spending their free time. Almost all pupils interviewed reported that they are not independent when going to bed (choosing the bedtime), although all pupils sleep in their own beds. Most of the students interviewed were not independent when doing two homework tasks. The questionnaires with the pupils showed that most of them were mostly independent when doing the two homework tasks, but slightly more so when they were learning the song than when observing the forest. Those pupils who received help with their homework were mainly helped by their parents. For the most part, we found no statistically significant differences between girls and boys in their independent performance on both homework tasks. Two of the three teachers interviewed said that they generally perceived most of their pupils as independent, while one said that she did not yet feel that her pupils were fully independent. The teachers perceived students' independence mainly in their ability to carry out everyday tasks independently, in their self-assessment of their ability to carry out certain tasks, and in their ability to find help and solutions when they need it. All three teachers responded that they gradually, through different activities and in a planned way, teach pupils to be independent. The results of the survey provide insights into the level of independence of third grade pupils, and teachers, parents and others who work with pupils can use the results to further understand when and where it makes sense to encourage pupils to be independent.
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