What was the goal?
The goal of the project was to investigate how to improve student motivation and participation in school life at a rural school located in a relatively isolated and economically disadvantaged agricultural area. Many students showed a lack of interest in lessons and school activities, while most parents, being farmers, had limited capacity to support their children’s learning at home. The project aimed to identify effective practices for engaging students in learning, explore successful programs applied in similar socioeconomic contexts, and find ways to involve parents more actively in school life.
How did the project proceed?
The project was carried out using a combination of methods. Closed-type questionnaires were distributed to the school’s students to assess their attitudes toward learning and teaching methods. Interviews were conducted with teachers and students from different areas. Bibliographic research was also carried out, focusing on methods and programs that have been successfully applied in similar rural and socioeconomically disadvantaged settings. In addition, the project used international networking through the ITCN program, gathering good practices from countries such as Austria and Indonesia. Questions were also addressed to institutions participating in the program’s network.
What were the results?
The project revealed that about half of the students were not interested in the way lessons were taught, and many felt pressure from the demands of the curriculum and traditional teaching methods. While students felt connected to one another, most did not want to pursue a career in agriculture. Based on these findings, the project proposed several recommendations: integrating non-formal education into students’ learning experiences, participating in Erasmus+ programs to broaden students’ horizons and interests, implementing career guidance questionnaires to help students explore different fields and professions, organizing interactions with professionals from various sectors following the Austrian model of career conferences for students, and shifting teaching methods away from traditional teacher-centered approaches toward more meaningful and student-centered learning. The project also highlighted the importance of involving parents in educational training programs and concluded that changes in both teacher training and school infrastructure are urgently needed.