Background Positive results can be obtained through game-based learning, but children with physical disabilities have fewer opportunities to participate in enjoyable physical activity. Because intelligent serious games can provide personalized learning opportunities, motivate the learner, teach 21st-century skills, and provide an environment for authentic and relevant assessment, they may be used to help children and adolescents with different kinds of learning disabilities to develop social and cognitive competences. Objective The aim of the study was to produce and evaluate a suite of intelligent serious games based on accessible learning objectives for improving key skills, personal development, and work sustainability among children with learning difficulties. Methods We conducted this research between 2016 and 2018, with pupils aged 11 to 12 years with learning disabilities who were integrated into the mainstream educational system. We used a 4-step methodology to develop learner creativity and social competences: (1) needs analysis, (2) development of learning content, (3) development of intelligent serious games, and (4) a usability evaluation focusing on the research questions and hypothesis. This was based on an initial teachers’ evaluation, using a survey, of students using 2 of the games, where the main goal was to determine user motivation and initiative and to improve the games and the evaluation process. The initial evaluation was followed by a pilot evaluation, which was performed for all proposed games, in all partner countries. Results In an initial evaluation with 51 participants from Slovenia consisting of a pretest, followed by intelligent serious game intervention and concluding with a posttest, we observed statistically significant improvement in social and cognitive competences measured by tests. Based on these findings and observations, we improved the games and evaluation process. In the pilot test, conducted in all participating countries on a sample of 93 participants, the mean score on the teachers’ observation form on the pretest (before students began using the intelligent serious games) was 3.9. In the posttest, after students had used intelligent serious games, the mean score was 4.1. Conclusions We focused on developing and evaluating intelligent serious games for persons with learning disabilities, particularly for students with disabilities who are integrated into the mainstream educational system. Such games provide an opportunity for personalized learning and should be tailored to ensure that every learner can achieve the highest standard possible. However, we recommend that the games be adapted based on the students’ needs and capabilities and a specially developed curriculum. The collected feedback showed that (1) children with learning disabilities need appropriately developed intelligent serious games, and (2) intelligent serious games, and the pertaining didactic methodology, should be based on an interoperable curriculum, so that teachers and trainers can use them. The student survey confirmed improvements in all aspects.

The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of the systematic use of comics as a literary-didactic method to reduce gender differences in reading literacy and reading  motivation at the primary level of education. It was assumed that the use of comics would have a positive effect on pupils’ reading literacy and reading motivation, while also reducingthe aforementioned differences between boys and girls. The dimensions of reading literacy and reading motivation were examined in experimental and control groups, before and after the intervention, by means of questionnaires and tests for pupils. The sample consisted of 143 pupils from second to fifth grade from two Slovenian primary schools in a rural environment, of which 73 pupils participated in the experimental group and 70 pupils represented the control group. Effects of the use of comics as a literary-didactic method were not found: using comics as a literary-didactic method did not have a statistically significant effect on pupils’ reading literacy and reading motivation. However, when the four-way structureof the research (taking into account the age and gender of the pupils) was considered, some subgroups showed a statistically significant increase in reading interest and attitude towards reading. No reduction of gender differences in reading literacy and reading motivation was found. Based on the results, guidelines for further research are established and suggestionsare offered for teachers’ work.

In the years 2019-2021 a significant step was made in terms of distance learning, which would have otherwise, in normal circumstances, taken several years. While the solutions applied were the best in the given situation, the question arises of what these solutions imply in terms of long-term, systematic changes. The presented research touches upon three key areas that characterize today’s schools: motivation, atmosphere, and competences of teachers and teacher-training students. The starting point of this research is the premise that the pre-crisis digital competences are simply not good enough for today's situation, or for the near future. Research results show that such fast-tracked changes and the transition to distance education have led to a significant decrease in the motivation of both, teachers and students, that the general atmosphere has worsened, and that there is a significant decrease in competences to be perceived, especially with regard to social and communication competences. The research shows also that neither teachers nor students are sufficiently qualified to work in the society of the future, in society 5.0. What is needed are actual, real changes in the field of digital literacy and digital competences, also indicated in this research. Keywords: digital literacy, digital competences 1.0, digital competences 2.0, science/technology/engineering literacy, society 5.0

This paper presents the results of the 5 months experiment in which the influence of using a web graphic organizer in the science literacy curriculum was observed. The interest of the study was focused on the quality and quantity of learning/understanding the explicatory text description from the science textbook. The experiment included students at the age of 8-9 years. Science and L1 class were integrated for this purpose: teachers were instructed to use web graphic organizer as a tool for visualizing the text structure on the level of concrete cognitive operations. The results show the effect of using the web graphic organizer on students’ competence to find out what in the science textbook text is important, on the level of text comprehension and on the competence of comparing new information with the previous knowledge. Key words: Web graphic organizer, pre knowledge, categorization of concepts, reading comprehension, description, science textbooks.

This study describes a research focused on primary teachers’ evaluation of their students’ digital literacy as a basic competence in the structure of natural science literacy of research and comprehension competence. With the term, primary teachers we mean teachers of first three grades of compulsory school. The comparison of basic computer skills between Generation Z and Generation Alpha revealed, contrary to expectations, a very small progress. The consequence of this circumstance are the problems associated with the implementation of natural science curricular goals in digital environments of remote teaching in school closure period. A questionnaire given to 176 primary teachers, revealed which digital learning environments could be chosen for science lessons and which curricular goals could/could not be achieved with this level of Generation Alpha students’ digital literacy competence. The results showed that the digital environment is more problematic and unfavorable for Generation Alpha in the field of natural science, as teachers showed a higher frequency of avoiding natural science goals than social science content. Keywords: distance learning environment, generation Alpha, natural science digital literacy competence, natural science education