Family relationships and parents' behavior towards their children are factors that signifi cantly infl uence the development of a child's personality and their behavior modeling. Parenting styles are oft en seen as having an impact on their child's social functioning. Having this in mind, this paper presents the results of research on key aspects of the infl uence that parenting styles have on the development of social competences and anti-social behavior in children. Standardized instruments (SSBS-2 and VS scale) were used in the research, and the sample included a total number of 705 students and 44 head-class teachers 2 . Th e research was conducted in primary schools on the territory of Kosovo and Metohija (Serbia). Th e results obtained indicated a correlation between parenting styles and students' social competences and anti-social behavior, with a mother's detached attitude standing out as a negative predictor of children's social functioning.

Societal heterogeneity, as a global paradigm, represents a strong leverage of the initiative for the development and research of an individual’s and groups’ intercultural sensitivity. In the last few decades, interculturality, intercultural competencies and intercultural sensitivity have been the topic of many researches in various fields. Students’ intercultural sensitivity is the focus of this paper and it is seen through the prism of socio-demographic determinants. The results of the research which was done on the sample of 452 students from four universities in Serbia are shown in the methodological part of the paper. The instrument used was the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale – ISS. The goal of the research is to determine the degree of the development of the students’ intercultural sensitivity in relation to certain socio-demographic variables.  Results have shown that the students from the State University of Novi Pazar are estimated to have the highest level of intercultural sensitivity in certain dimensions of the scale. The average number of household members, was identified as a variable with a negative correlation on the students’ intercultural sensitivity.  The conclusion points out to the necessity of change in the approach to the development of the students’ intercultural sensitivity approach, which is reflected in the research in that it should point to adequate work approaches that enrich their experience and influence the changes in social and educational context.

No abstract

It is generally accepted that the quality of teaching significantly contributes to the quality of the entire educational process. One of the key factors in the quality of teaching is the teacher, whose characteristics, roles, teaching style, and also professional development are always the subject of research, not only in pedagogy but also in other social and humanistic sciences. This paper presents the characteristics and problems of the professional development of teachers in several Balkan countries. The comparative-critical analysis was performed on the programs of professional development of teachers in our country and the programs in Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, BiH, Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Albania. The aim of the analysis was to determine the characteristics of the mentioned programs, their similarities and differences, as well as possible problems in their organization and implementation, which would help improve the professional development of teachers in our country. The comparative analysis determined that the professional development of teachers in the Balkan countries is prescribed by appropriate laws and regulations. Numerous opportunities for professional development of teachers were identified in various educational programs, which led to conclusion that the mentioned programs follow the reform processes in the field of education. Considering that the professional development of teachers is directed towards the future development of society, it is necessary to mention the need for continuous empirical research in this area, the results of which would be helpful in a more complete understanding of the problems in educational practice.