This thesis is meant for teachers of technology and technical education, electrical engineering, robotics, for all robotics fans and all those who endeavour to improve the curriculum in the field of technical education.
The theoretical part extends over several chapters. The second chapter of the thesis brings a review of the Slovenian syllabus of technical education, first in compulsory subjects and then in optional ones. The third chapter presents the concept of extracurricular activities, and lists some of the extracurricular technical activities available at schools in Slovenia. It includes an overview of the technical competitions for children to participate in, and also describes some of the international competitions where the most successful Slovenian pupils have competed. The chapter concludes with a list of summer courses and camps organised by the Association for Technical Culture of Slovenia (ZOTKS) for pupils and students interested in technical sciences. The fourth and fifth chapter present the curricular and extracurricular technical activities in Croatia, listing some of the activities that children can attend.
The empirical part of the thesis starts in chapter six with an analysis of interviews with teachers. Chapter seven compares the curricular and extracurricular activities in Slovenia and Croatia. The research indicates that the technical activities largely depend on the engagement and resourcefulness of the teachers, since both time and material resources are very limited.
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