FOUNDATION OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE MACEDONIA 
CREATIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING PROGRAM 
TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES ON SOCIAL JUSTICE – 
THE EFFECTS OF THE “SOCIAL JUSTICE EDUCATION PROGRAM” 
Evaluation report (2008 – 2009) 
Prepared by: 
 Jelena Vranješević, PhD 
 Teachers College, Belgrade 
 Zorica Trikić, PhD 
Center for Interactive Pedagogy, 
Belgrade 
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CONTENT: 
Executive summary……………………………………………………………………...3 
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………...5 
Sample Structure………………………………………………………………………...6 
Assessment of attitudes 
Instrument……………………………………………………………………………….7 
Overview and interpretation of results…………………………………………………12 
 I Attitudes on tolerance………………………………………………………...12 
 II Opinions that reveal the attitudes on difference – Difference as threat……..14 
 III Opinions that reflect the attitude on diference – Respecting difference……15 
 IV Attitudes on Minority groups……………………………………………….16 
 V Attitudes on children from minority groups…………………………………18 
 VI Attitudes on children’s rights……………………………………………….20 
 VII Attitudes on the role of the teacher………………………………………...21 
 VIII Statements that reveal the attitude on parents…………………………….22 
 IX Attitudes on prejudeces……………………………………………………..23 
 X Attitudes on alliance…………………………………………………………24 
Discussion……………………………………………………………………………...26 
Instead of conclusion: From Changes in attitudes to changes in actions………..…28 
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Executive Summary 
In the course of the academic year 2008 – 2009 around 450 high school teachers went 
through two training modules (for the duration of three days each) within the “Social 
Justice Education” as part of the “Creative Teaching and Learning” project (funded by 
USAID). The main goal of these trainings was to influence both teachers’ attitudes on the 
basic notions of social justice and for them to gain new knowledge and skills that they 
can apply to their everyday work. The training was conducted bilingually, all material 
was translated into Albanian, and there were Albanian native speakers in the team of 
trainers. 
Before the start of the first part of the training and at the end of the second part of the 
training, the participants filled out a 42-item questionnaire, with all items covering some 
of the aspects of tolerance, interculturality and social justice. This study is an attempt to 
answer the following questions: 
a) What are the dominant attitudes on the basic notions of social justice education 
before and after the training? 
b) Is there a significant difference in understanding the concepts of tolerance, 
difference, prejudice/stereotype, oppression, building alliances and the 
professional role of teachers after the conducted trainings as opposed to their 
attitudes before the training? 
The methods used for data processing were descriptive statistics (frequency, percentages 
and contrasting differences between the percentages from the first and second testing). 
In the base-line study, the sample was made up of 437 teachers from 11 high schools in 
Macedonia, whereas the second study included 405 teachers. The sample was very 
heterogeneous in terms of the teachers’ towns, schools and ethnicity (the two dominant 
ethnic groups: Macedonian and Albanian are roughly equally represented in the first and 
second module). As far as gender is concerned, the number of women is slightly higher 
than that of men for both the first and the second module. The heterogeneous nature of 
the sample (in terms of towns, schools, language of instruction and ethnicity) is suited for 
the promotion of social justice ideas and values, but requires additional efforts in the 
organization and implementation of the training, as well as great abilities on part of the 
trainers. 
The study shows a very constant and consistent trend of changes in attitudes in the 
direction of a clearer understanding of these notions. Social Justice Education is carried 
out through working on three components: naming the problem; readiness to discuss and 
talk about the problems; building alliance for engaging in appropriate action. An analysis 
of the results revealed that a change occurred and that the training contributed towards 
changes in all three components: problems that exist in society (a culture of respecting 
difference, the existence of prejudices) were named and are more clearly recognized, 
teachers are more prepared to talk about the problems children and parents of minority 
groups are faced with, and not deal only with education (a change in the professional 
role) and more significance is attached to alliance, as well as their own roles in that 
process. 
The main results show changes in the following:
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 The attitudes that changed the most after the training are those related to the 
perception of the professional role of the teachers: from an exclusively 
educational role (“my part is to teach according to the plan and curriculum”) to a 
role that includes caring for the rights and status of children and alliance in 
the change of their (marginalized) status. 
 The teachers respect the role of alliance in the fight against discrimination 
significantly more than before the training, and recognize the role of 
experiences and learning in the process of deconstructing stereotypes/prejudices 
(tolerance can be learned and it is possible to rid people of their prejudices). 
 The results also reveal that teachers understand to a greater extent the 
mechanisms that maintain stereotypes and the system of discrimination in 
society, such as the mechanisms blame the blamed party and unequal starting 
points. 
 Attitudes towards assimilation (It would be better if those who are significantly 
different would try to adapt instead of always insisting on «having their own 
way» and demanding special rights) are also significantly changing, with a 
larger number of teachers clearly voicing their disagreement. 
 Regarding the change in perception of one’s own professional role, there was a 
significant increase after the training in the teachers’ attitudes towards children’s 
rights. A larger number of teachers recognize the importance of children’s 
rights, a lower number of them consider that adults can always determine the best 
interest of the child, and there is a significant decrease in the number of teachers 
who justify the invasion of the child’s right to privacy in the name of the 
professional role of the teacher. 
 Tolerance is now seen as less of a weakness and lack of authority. 
 Teachers agree to a greater extent that it is important to actively 
demonstrate tolerance (similar results were noted in the part about alliance and 
the professional role), as well as to talk about problems (the process of naming, 
which was an important component of the training). 
 The training also contributed to the reevaluation of the conventional patterns of 
thinking, seeing as most of the teachers stated that they are aware of their own 
prejudices, and that they are critical towards certain phenomena in society, such 
as the openness of schools to difference and the widespread fear of difference. 
 The training also contributed, although to a lesser extent, to a different 
understanding of the relationship with parents and the parental role in the 
education of children. This is an area where there is a positive trend of attitude 
change, but this is at the same time an area that should be given more attention in 
future teacher training, as a certain number of teachers still believe that parents 
are to blame for the success and actions of their children. 
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INTRODUCTION 
As part of the “Creative Teaching and Learning” project (funded by USAID), high school 
teachers went through two training modules (for the duration of three days each) within 
the “Social Justice Education” program. The main goal of these trainings was to influence 
both teachers’ attitudes on the basic notions of social justice and for them to gain new 
knowledge and skills that they can apply to their everyday work. 
The training was conducted bilingually, all material was translated into Albanian, and 
there were Albanian native speakers in the team of trainers. 
The trainings provided a setting for a study the main goal of which was to determine the 
effects of the program aimed at social justice education and respecting difference. This 
study is an attempt to answer the following questions: 
c) What are the dominant attitudes on the basic notions of social justice education 
before and after the training? 
d) Is there a significant difference in understanding the concepts of tolerance, 
difference, prejudice/stereotype, oppression, building alliances and the 
professional role of teachers after the conducted trainings as opposed to their 
attitudes before the training? 
Before the start of the first part of the training and at the end of the second part of the 
training, the participants filled out a 42-item questionnaire, with all items covering some 
of the aspects of tolerance, interculturality and social justice. 
The methods used for data processing were descriptive statistics (frequency, percentages 
and contrasting differences between the percentages from the first and second testing). 
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SAMPLE STRUCTURE 
In the base-line study, the sample was made up of 437 teachers from 11 high schools in 
Macedonia, whereas the second study included 405 teachers. Tables 1 through 3 give an 
overview of the sample structure based on school, gender and nationality in both the first 
and the second study. 
School No. of participants I No. of participants II 
SOU Gostivar – Gostivar 48 44 
Naum Naumoski Borce – Kruševo 17 18 
Kočo Racin 37 37 
Niko Nestor 8 6 
Ibraim Temo 11 9 
Kiril Pejcinovik 86 75 
Goce Delcev Kumanovo 78 75 
Zef Ljush Marku 49 47 
Zdravko Cockovski 34 30 
Josip Broz Tito – Bitola 13 14 
Josip Broz Tito – Skopje 56 50 
TOTAL 437 405 
Table 1 – Sample structure based on schools 
GENDER No. I No. II 
Male 189 172 
Female 242 222 
No answer 6 11 
TOTAL 437 405 
Table 2 - Sample structure based on gender 
Ethnicity No. I No. II 
Macedonian 200 196 
Albanian 208 179 
Turkish 10 10 
Vlach 3 4 
Serbian 6 6 
Macedonian – Muslim (Torbeš) 2 4 
No answer 8 6 
TOTAL 437 405 
Table 3 – Sample structure based on ethnicity 
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It is evident from the tables above that the sample was very heterogeneous in terms of the 
teachers’ towns, schools and ethnicity (the two dominant ethnic groups: Macedonian and 
Albanian are roughly equally represented in the first and second module). As far as 
gender is concerned, the number of women is slightly higher than that of men for both the 
first and the second module. The heterogeneous nature of the sample (in terms of towns, 
schools and ethnicity) is suited for the promotion of social justice ideas and values, but 
requires additional efforts in the organization and implementation of the training, as well 
as great abilities on part of the trainers. 
The decrease in the sample (there were 32 teachers less in the second training) for 
trainings of this kind is expected, because the plan was to leave at least 3 months between 
the two trainings, so as to allow the participants to think about the experiences gained at 
the training, to try out the new insights in practice and in everyday life, as well as attempt 
to apply some of the activities covered in the training. In the words of the participants, 
one of the main reasons for the decrease was the process of external evaluation that was 
taking place at the same time. Due to the high level of motivation that they exhibited, 
some of the teachers that did not take part due to the stated reason were given the 
opportunity to join other groups that were given the same training. As the decrease was 
bellow 10%, we believe that it will not have a significant impact on the interpretation of 
the results. 
ASSESSMENT OF ATTITUDES 
INSTRUMENT 
The study used a questionnaire that contained 42 items, all of which are related to some 
aspect of tolerance, interculturality and social justice. These also more or less reflected 
the areas covered in the training. The items are grouped in such a way so as to represent 
typical attitudes in the following areas and formulated in the language teachers most 
commonly use: 
I ATTITUDES ON TOLERANCE – These are the most basic attitudes that the trainings 
do not cover directly, but indirectly and that are severely influenced by the general 
context in society. This group includes attitudes related to a) the idea of tolerance through 
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the most common misconceptions of what tolerance is, and b) the possibility that 
tolerance is learned over time. 
I a The Notion of Tolerance – Most Common Misconceptions 
I b „Teaching” Tolerance 
 People can learn tolerance, i.e. intolerance 
II ATTITUDES ON DIFFERENCE – DIFFERENCE AS THREAT – This group 
includes attitudes concerning the negative connotation of the notion of differences: that 
difference is negative, that it threatens and disturbs the existing peace and harmony which 
would exist if there were no differences between people. They also reflect attitudes on 
facing problems directly. 
 Differences between groups (nationalities) in our country are so big that the 
occurrence of intolerance is unavoidable 
 Provided we had the conditions (material, cultural) to decrease difference, 
intolerance would also be decreased 
 It is better not to talk too much about problems, so as to not attach more 
importance to them and make them even bigger 
 The fear of difference is fairly widespread among the youth today 
III ATTITUDES ON DIFFERENCES – RESPECTING DIFFERENCE – this group 
includes attitudes that reveal respect for difference, i.e. an acceptance of difference as 
something that is common and desirable. 
 Tolerance does not need to be actively demonstrated – it is more important to 
be tolerant in one’s views 
 The most tolerant of all are those that keep silent and do not interfere in 
others’ problems 
 Tolerance is a sign of weakness, we show respect to others when we are too 
weak to confront them 
 The situation we are in right now is due to our loss of strength and having 
become too tolerant for everything 
 Tolerant professors are those that are unable to establish authority 
 If someone doesn’t show us respect, it is only natural to reciprocate 
 It would be best if everyone did their job responsibly instead of getting into 
discussions on respecting difference and tolerance
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 At our schools, the culture of respecting difference is predominant 
 The atmosphere at school should be as close to that in the home as possible 
because the culture the children are brought up in is important in the educational 
process 
 People should be judged individually and not be lumped into the group they 
belong to 
IV ATTITUDES ON MINORITY GROUPS – this group includes attitudes on minority 
groups, their rights and the justification/condemnation of their demands for equal 
treatment. They also reflect the (in)ability to comprehend the effects of prejudice and 
discrimination. 
 If I were a member of a minority group, I would know that I cannot always be 
respected
 It would be better if those who are significantly different would try to adapt 
instead of always insisting on «having their own way» and demanding special 
rights
 Minority groups have only themselves to blame for their marginalized status
 It is not right for any minority to have the same rights as the majority in a society
 The execution of the rights of the minority groups is often at the expense of the 
rights of the majority group 
V ATTITUDES ON CHILDREN FROM MINORITY GROUPS – this group includes 
attitudes on the education and treatment of children who belong to minority groups: 
attitudes on the actions that are being taken with the aim of solving the problems these 
children are faced with, their education and the difficulties they encounter, relations 
between children from minority and majority groups, etc. 
 The more we talk about the problems children from minority groups are faced 
with, the more aggression is directed at them 
 Children who go through the school system have to know the official language of 
the country they live in and be educated in that language 
 Actions that affirm children from minority groups create inequality between the 
children and are unwanted 
 Children from minority groups are difficult to work with because school does not 
interest them 
 I believe that children from minority groups are often favored over other children 
 Any child can get good marks as long as he/she tries harder 
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VI ATTITUDES ON CHILDREN’S RIGHTS – this group includes attitudes on 
children’s rights (regardless of whether the children in question are from minority or 
majority groups) and on their importance. Special emphasis is placed on the best interest 
of the child and the role of the adult in the estimation of that interest, as well as the right 
to privacy which is one of the most often violated children’s rights. 
VII ATTITUDES ON THE ROLE OF THE TEACHER – this group includes attitudes 
on the way in which the teacher’s role is perceived: is the teacher’s role strictly 
educational, i.e. to teach children and foster their development, or does their role include 
influence in the area of social justice and providing equal treatment for all children, equal 
starting points, as well as making sure that their rights are respected (activist role of the 
teacher) 
VIII ATTITUDES ON PARENTS – this group includes attitudes on parents, both from 
minority and majority groups, their motivation to cooperate with the school, their attitude 
 When there was no talk of children’s rights, there were also no violations of 
those rights 
 Adults who work with children know what is in their best interest 
 In society, it is important to act according to the law, as opposed to everyone 
demanding their rights 
 Teachers need to exchange confidential information about children and their 
families because it is important to know everything about them 
 Punishment is the best way to teach children rules 
 Because I can change nothing in terms of the equal treatment of children, it is 
better to direct my energy to what my job essentially is: educate them 
 The school’s main task is to educate children and for each of them to acquire the 
knowledge projected with the curriculum 
 Teachers should not get involved in politics and thereby advocate for the rights of 
children and families from minority groups 
 Teachers should stick to the plan and curriculum, and children should just study 
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on education, as well as the importance of education and the system of values they teach 
their children. 
IX ATTITUDES ON PREJUDICES – this group includes attitudes that reveal whether 
the participants are aware of their own prejudices, as well as whether they believe in the 
possibility of learning/ridding themselves of a prejudiced way of thinking
X ATTITUDES ON ALLIANCE – considering that alliance is an important part of social 
justice education, it is important to test the attitudes on the need for allies in the fight 
against discrimination, as well as the role of the teacher as ally in the process of 
educating and fostering the development of children
For each of the items, the participants were asked to assess the degree to which they 
agree/disagree with the statement. Grading was from 1 to 6: 
1 – Strongly agree 
2 – Agree 
3 - Both agree and disagree 
4 – Disagree 
5 – Strongly disagree 
6 – No opinion 
 Parents are not motivated to cooperate with the school 
 Parents from minority groups do not care about their children’s education 
 The root cause of violence among the youth is the system of values they learn 
from their families 
 I think that I am a person who has no prejudices 
 We cannot rid anyone of his/her prejudices 
 The fight against discrimination is an individual act that does not require allies 
 Teachers cannot tend to the needs of all children 
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OVERVIEW AND INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS 
This part of the report will survey the results from the analysis of the questionnaires. As 
stated in the introduction, descriptive statistics were used in the processing of data 
(frequency, percentages and comparing differences between the percentages from the 
first and second study). 
The data is processed and grouped in such a way that the graphs (tables) contain data 
from each of the statements that make up a category. Each graph (table) contains data 
from the first and the second study. Considering that there were six possible answers 
(strongly agree, agree, both agree and disagree, disagree, strongly disagree and no 
opinion), the data was put together in a way that only shows four categories (agree, 
undecided, disagree, no opinion). A more detailed overview including all six categories 
of replies is in appendix 1. Appendix 2 contains tables with the data from the four 
categories that were the basis for the graphs below. 
I ATTITUDES ON TOLERANCE 
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Attitudes on tolerance
No opinion
disagree
agree/disagree
agree
13
Legend
1. The most tolerant of all are those that keep silent and do not interfere in others’ problems (14) 
2. Tolerance is a sign of weakness, we show respect to others when we are too weak to confront them (18) 
3. The situation we are in right now is due to our loss of strength and having become too tolerant for everything (41) 
4. Tolerant professors are those who are unable to establish authority (19) 
5. If someone does not show us respect, it is only natural to reciprocate (8) 
6. It would be best if everyone did their job responsibly instead of getting into discussions on respecting difference and 
tolerance (12) 
7. People can learn tolerance, i.e. intolerance (1) 
8. Tolerance does not need to be actively demonstrated – it is important to be tolerant in one’s views 
Graph 1 – Percentage of agreement/disagreement with attitudes on tolerance after the first and second 
training module 
The category for understanding tolerance is made up of opinions related to common 
misconceptions on the notion of tolerance (that it is a sign of weakness, lack of authority, 
“all talk”, etc). Even though these opinions were not directly covered in the training, with 
the participants dealing with them indirectly while working on other content, the results 
of the second study are encouraging because they point to a significant increase in the 
understanding of the notion of tolerance. There was improvement on all statements (from 
6% for those statements where the participants had previously displayed an 
understanding of tolerance, to 15% for the statements where the understanding of 
tolerance was less clear). The significance of this improvement should be seen in light of 
the content of the used items, considering that the statements in question are such that 
agreement/disagreement with them depends a great deal on social context and socio￾political conditions. Aside from the increase of replies that indicate a change of opinion 
(from agree to disagree, when common misconceptions about tolerance are in question), 
what also points to an improvement in the degree of understanding the essence is the shift 
towards the middle of the continuum, i.e. an increase in the undecided category, when it 
comes to certain statements. This shows that some of the participants questioned the 
conventional patterns of thinking and that they no longer see tolerance as a black and 
white issue, but as a complex area that can be thought about on many different levels. 
The biggest change in attitude was regarding opinions and actions in relation to tolerance. 
A significantly larger portion of the participants think that it is not enough to only be 
tolerant in one’s opinions, but that those opinions should be actively displayed and that 
tolerance and respecting difference should be discussed. In addition, a significantly lower 
number of participants agree with the statement that when someone disrespects us, we 
14
should reciprocate, which reveals that they are considering other forms of reacting in 
situations of disrespect. 
An especially interesting and noteworthy change occurred with the statement “Tolerance 
is a sign of weakness; we show respect to others when we are too weak to stand up to 
them“, where the percentage of participants who were undecided in the first study was 
decreased by 3,2% (from 5% to 1,8%). One of the objectives of the training was to 
motivate the members of the silent majority and we believe that this was accomplished in 
this case. 
It seems that the training raised the question of nurture, i.e. the possibility of learning 
tolerance, i.e. intolerance, which gives the impression that the training turned the 
participants’ attention to the complexity of the problem, the need to invest a conscious 
effort in making changes and adopting different values and actions (“prejudices and 
stereotypes are adopted easily and spontaneously, deciding is difficult and requires a 
conscious effort”), which explains for the minimal increase in the percentage of 
undecided replies. 
II OPINIONS THAT REVEAL THE ATTITUDES ON DIFFERENCE – 
DIFFERENCE AS THREAT 
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Legend 
1. Differences between groups (nationalities) in our country are so big that the occurrence of 
intolerance is unavoidable (9) 
2. Provided we had the conditions (material, cultural) to decrease difference, intolerance would also 
be decreased. (10) 
3. It is better to not talk too much about problems, so as to not attach more importance to them and 
make them even bigger (26) 
4. The fear of difference is fairly widespread among the youth today (7) 
Graph 2 – Percentage of agreement/disagreement with statements that reveal attitudes on difference after 
the first and second training modules 
As far as notions of difference are concerned, the results from the second study reveal 
that there is a trend of attitudes changed towards understanding the relationship between 
difference and tolerance. There is a 5% decrease in participants who agree with the 
statement that difference is the cause of tolerance and that society would be more tolerant 
if differences were decreased or negated. As far as the perception of fear of difference 
among the youth, there is no difference in attitude between the first and second study, i.e. 
more than half of the participants continue to believe that fear of difference is present 
among the youth. Considering that this is related to the perception of a phenomenon in 
society, the fact that there is no change in attitude should not be worrying. Moreover, the 
role of the training was also to name and recognize problems that exist in society, so it 
would not even have been surprising if there was an increase in the number of 
participants who believe that the youth in their communities have a problem accepting 
difference. 
III OPINIONS THAT REFLECT THE ATTITUDE ON DIFFERENCE – 
RESPECTING DIFFERENCE 
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Respecting difference
no opinion
disagree
agree/disagree
agree
16
Legend 
1. At our schools, the culture of respecting difference is predominant (2) 
2. The atmosphere at school should be as close to that in the home as possible because the culture the 
children are brought up in is important in the educational process (33) 
3. People should be judged individually and not be lumped into the group they belong to (16) 
Graph 3 – Percentage of agreement/disagreement with statements that reveal attitudes towards respecting 
difference after the first and second training modules 
Considering that one of the components of the training was to encourage participants to 
recognize and name problems that exist in their environments, as well as question 
commonplace beliefs and opinions, it is very significant that after the training there was a 
12% increase of participants who disagree with the statement that there is a culture of 
respecting difference in their schools. This is an important positive change, as it points to 
a critical attitude towards the school context when it comes to respecting difference. The 
statement that points to a tendency for stereotypical thinking (»People should be judged 
as individuals, not lumped in the group they belong to«) remained prominent with the 
vast majority (85%) of participants still in disagreement, which is a significant 
percentage. The small increase in the percentage of participants who stated that they 
disagree with this statement was explained by the participants with the fact that being part 
of a group, and especially a minority group with limited resources, marks us and 
influences our accomplishments in life to a great extent. 
IV ATTITUDES ON MINORITY GROUPS 
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Legend 
1. If I were a member of a minority group, I would know that I cannot always be respected (11) 
2. It would be better if those who are significantly different would try to adapt instead of always 
insisting on «having their own way» and demanding special rights (5) 
3. Minority groups have only themselves to blame for their marginalized status (6) 
4. The minority’s practice of their rights is often at the expense of the rights of the majority group 
(32) 
5. It is not right for any minority to have the same rights as the majority in society (13) 
Graph 4 – Percentage of agreement/disagreement with statements that reveal the attitude towards minority 
groups after the first and second training modules 
Considering that an important part of the training on Social Justice Education is the 
deconstruction of dominant stereotypes of minority and marginalized groups, as well as 
recognizing mechanisms that support and maintain those stereotypes, the data that reveal 
a significant change in the individual statements is encouraging. There is a 17% increase 
in participants who disagree with the statement that minorities should be assimilated and 
that there is no justification for the minorities’ demands for respecting their rights. 
Furthermore, more than 10% of the participants (compared to the first study) do not 
believe that minority groups are responsible for their marginalized status. This is 
significant because an important part of the training was dedicated to recognizing and 
analyzing mechanisms that support the oppression of minority groups (such as the “blame 
the blamed party” mechanism and disregarding unequal starting points). In light of the 
objectives of the program, it is good that it was precisely with these attitudes that a 
significant improvement was noticed in terms of better recognition of the status of 
minority groups. That there was a questioning of opinions is also evident in the replies to 
the questions on the relationship between the minority and the majority, where the 
biggest change occurred in the undecided category (both agree and disagree), i.e. a larger 
number of participants is undecided on the opinion of the relationship between the 
minority and the majority (It is not right for the minority to have the same rights as the 
majority). A better understanding of the relationship between the minority and the 
majority was noted (about 5%), as well as the percentage of a 5% change in the “both 
agree and disagree” category, which points to a process of reevaluation. 
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V ATTITUDES ON CHILDREN FROM MINORITY GROUPS 
Legend 
1. The more we talk about the problems children from minority groups are faced with, the more 
aggression is directed at them.(28) 
2. Children who go through the school system have to know the official language of the country they 
live in and be educated in that language (34) 
3. Actions that affirm children from minority groups create inequality between the children are 
unwanted (31) 
4. Children from minority groups are difficult to work with because school does not interest them 
(36) 
5. I believe that children from minority groups are often favored over other children (25) 
6. Any child can get good marks as long as she/he tries harder (21) 
Graph 5 – Percentage of agreement/disagreement with statements that reveal the attitude towards children 
from minority groups after the first and second training modules 
As part of the attitude on minority and marginalized groups, the content of the training 
was especially focused on understanding the status of the children from those minority 
and marginalized groups. The results are very significant and positive, as we noted a 
trend of improved understanding of the status of children from marginalized groups for 
all statements of this category. This is most evident with the statement that speaks to the 
understanding of unequal starting points for children from minority groups in contrast to 
other children. Almost 10% less of the participants agree with the statement that every 
 
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Minority groups children
no opinion
disagree
agree/disagree
agree
19
child can succeed if he/she tries, which reveals that they have started realizing that the 
success of children from minority groups does not only depend on their efforts, but also 
on external factors that do not favor these children. 
There is also an improvement in the other statements (about 7%) in the direction of a 
better understanding of the status of children from minority groups, which was one of the 
objectives of the training. Especially interesting is the change in the statement that the 
children from minority groups should speak the language of the majority upon starting 
school, with 8% of the participants considering it unnecessary post training. 
The statements that saw the least change were those that revealed an understanding of the 
status of minority children even before the training (such as the case with the opinion that 
the status of these children should not be discussed because it draws additional 
aggression towards them – more than half of the participants disagree with this statement; 
as well the opinion that it is not easy to work with children from minority groups because 
school does not interest them – two thirds of the participants disagree with this). In these 
cases, the large number of participants that have no clear opinion on some of the 
problems (such as the question of affirmative action and how this may be interpreted by 
the members of the dominant group) may be a positive sign as it points to the fact that 
that participants understand that this a complex problem and that there is no clear cut 
answer. 
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VI ATTITUDES ON CHILDRENS’ RIGHTS 
Legend 
1. When there was no talk of children’s’ rights, there were also no violations of those rights (27) 
2. Adults who work with children know what is in their best interest (30) 
3. In society, it is important to act according to the law, as opposed to everyone demanding their 
rights (15) 
4. Teachers need to exchange confidential information about children and their families because it is 
important to know everything about them.(35) 
5. Punishment is the best way to teach children rules (20) 
Graph 6 – Percentage of agreement/disagreement with attitudes on children’s’ rights before and after the 
training 
The content of the training did not directly aim at children’s rights, but there was talk of 
this issue with the reassessment of the attitude on children in the school context. The 
results show that the area of children’s rights was one where there were significant 
changes when it comes to understanding the role of children’s rights and respecting those 
rights. That more significance is placed on children’s rights after the training is also 
evident in the fact that more than 17% of the participants changed their mind in the 
direction of better understanding the importance of children’s rights. There was also a 
significant change in their perception of the role of the adult in determining the best 
interest of the child, as a significantly smaller number of participants (12% less than in 
 
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Children’s Rights
no opinion
agree
agree/disagree
agree
21
the first study) believes that adults can always determine what is in the best interest of the 
child. As far as privacy rights are concerned, 8% more of the participants are ready to 
respect the child’s and the family’s right to privacy (8% more disagree with the statement 
that teachers should exchange confidential information about the child and his/her 
family). 
VII ATTITUDES ON THE ROLE OF THE TEACHER 
Legend 
1. Because I can change nothing in terms of the equal treatment of children, it is better to direct my 
energy to what my job essentially is: educate them (29) 
2. The school’s main task is to educate children and for each of them to acquire the knowledge 
projected with the curriculum.(38) 
3. Teachers should not get involved in politics and thereby advocate for the rights of children and 
families from minority groups (39) 
4. Teachers should stick to the plan and curriculum, and children to just study (40) 
Graph 7 – Percentage of agreement/disagreement with attitudes on the role of the teacher before and after 
the training 
The statements in this group represent attitudes on the role of the teacher and how this 
role is understood: whether the teacher’s role is exclusively educational, i.e. to teach 
children and foster their development, or that the role includes acting in the area of social 
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
The role of teachers
no opinion
disagree
agree/disagree
agree
22
justice and providing equal treatment for all children, equal starting positions, as well as 
making sure their rights are respected (the activist role of the teacher). Based on the 
teachers’ replies, we can note significant changes in the perception of their own 
professional roles: more than 15% of the teachers disagree with the opinion that their role 
is only to educate children and do nothing for the improvement of their status, including 
that the role of the school is only educational. A larger percent of the teachers (about 
10%) now see themselves as someone who in addition to teaching the children should 
also advocate for their rights. All of this adds to the conclusion that the training 
contributed towards a change in perceptions of the teachers’ perception of their own 
professional role in the direction of increased activism. 
VIII STATEMENTS THAT REVEAL THE ATTITUDE ON PARENTS 
Legend 
1. Parents are not motivated to cooperate with the school (22) 
2. Parents from minority groups do not care about their children’s education (23) 
3. The root cause of violence among the youth is the system of values they learn from their families 
(24) 
Graph 8 – Percentage of agreement/disagreement with attitudes towards parents before and after the 
training 
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Attitudes on parents
no opinion
disagree
agree/disagree
agree
23
The attitude on parents from both minority and majority groups was not central to the 
training, but is one of the central and perhaps most controversial topics in the educational 
system, because the relationship with the parents is often mentioned in the context of 
mechanisms that support dominant stereotypes. The inclusion of the parents decreases as 
the child grows older, and the most common causes are seen in the lack of motivation. 
The trend of improvement after the training is evident and reveals that there is capacity 
for change. About 7% more of the participants disagrees with the statement that parents 
are not motivated to cooperate with the school, and 5% more of the participants disagrees 
with the statement that parents from minority groups are not interested in their children’s 
education. This change is extremely important and encouraging, because the parents of 
children from minority and marginalized groups are often blamed for their children’s 
failures, instead of taking into consideration the role of the system. 
IX ATTITUDES ON PREJUDICES 
Legend 
1. I think that I am person who has no prejudices (3) 
2. We cannot rid anyone of his/her prejudices (17) 
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Prejudices
no opinion
disagree
agree/disagree
agree
24
Graph 9 – Percentage of agreement/disagreement with attitudes on the existence and teaching of prejudices 
before and after the training 
Considering that one of the most important components of the training was becoming 
aware of one's stereotypes/prejudices and finding ways to deconstruct them, it is 
encouraging that a high percentage of the teachers (about 20%) stated they are not 
prejudiced, in contrast to the first study, and that there was a significant increase in the 
number of those who are undecided (about 10%), which could point to a process of self 
reevaluation that is taking place among a large number of participants (about 30%). The 
difference is slightly smaller when it comes to the statement that speaks to the possibility 
of »unlearning« prejudice: 6% more of the participants believe that people can »unlearn« 
a stereotypical way of thinking (which is in line with their belief that tolerance can be 
learned), and we noticed a slight increase in the percentage of those who became 
undecided on this question, which means that they are reassessing. This data is positive 
for the program's ideas on education against stereotypes and prejudices, because it reveals 
that it is sensible to raise awareness on the importance education has in ridding them 
from conventional, stereotypical patterns of thinking. 
 
X ATTITUDES ON ALLIENCE 
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Alliance
no opinion
disagree
agree/disagree
agree
25
Legend 
1. The fight against discrimination is an individual act that does not require allies (42) 
2. Teachers cannot tend to the needs of all children (37) 
Graph 10 – Percentage of agreement/disagreement with attitudes on alliance before and after the training 
Alliance is an important topic in the framework of the program and one part of it is 
devoted to creating alliances and ways in which all of us can be an ally in the framework 
of our own professional and personal roles. After the training we noticed a significant 
difference in terms of the perception of the necessity of allies in the fight against 
discrimination: 15% more of the participants agree with the statement that we need allies, 
and there was a significant decrease in participants who were undecided on this question. 
Minor improvement was noted in the attitude to one’s own role as an ally, but there are 
nevertheless more teachers than in the first study who believe that teachers can meet the 
needs of the children. This minor improvement can be explained with the way the school 
is organized and the way it works, as it is really difficult to meet the needs of the different 
groups of children in such a school system (no individual approach, etc). 
26
DISCUSSION 
As far as the changes in attitude on the important notions of social justice (tolerance, 
difference, discrimination, relationship between minority and majority groups and 
alliance) is concerned, the study shows a very constant and consistent trend of changes in 
attitudes in the direction of a clearer understanding of these notions. 
The attitudes that changed the most after the training are those related to the 
perception of the professional role of the teachers: from an exclusively educational 
role (“my part is to teach according to the plan and curriculum”) to a role that includes 
caring for the rights and status of children and alliance in the change of their 
(marginalized) status. 
The teachers respect the role of alliance in the fight against discrimination 
significantly more than before the training, and recognize the role of experiences and 
learning in the process of deconstructing stereotypes/prejudices (tolerance can be learned 
and it is possible to rid people of their prejudices). 
The results also reveal that teachers understand to a greater extent the mechanisms 
that maintain stereotypes and the system of discrimination in society, such as the 
mechanisms blame the blamed party and unequal starting points. There was a significant 
change in their attitude towards adults and children from marginalized groups (in 
considering them less responsible for the failures and marginalized status). They also take 
into consideration the reasons behind the way the system in society works, i.e. behind the 
unequal opportunities for all groups and different starting points. 
Attitudes towards assimilation (It would be better if those who are significantly 
different would try to adapt instead of always insisting on «having their own way» and 
demanding special rights) are also significantly changing, with a larger number of 
teachers clearly voicing their disagreement. 
Regarding the change in perception of one’s own professional role, there was a 
significant increase after the training in the teachers’ attitudes towards children’s rights. 
A larger number of teachers recognize the importance of children’s rights, a lower 
number of them consider that adults can always determine the best interest of the child, 
and there is a significant decrease in the number of teachers who justify the invasion of 
the child’s right to privacy in the name of the professional role of the teacher. 
27
Yet another group of opinions that went through significant changes were attitudes 
regarding the nature and essence of tolerance and tolerant behavior. This is a very 
encouraging result, as the training was not directly intended to deal with the notion of 
tolerance. Tolerance is now seen as less of a weakness and lack of authority. 
Teachers agree to a greater extent that it is important to actively demonstrate 
tolerance (similar results were noted in the part about alliance and the professional role), 
as well as to talk about problems (the process of naming, which was an important 
component of the training). 
The training also contributed to the reevaluation of the conventional patterns of 
thinking, seeing as most of the teachers stated that they are aware of their own 
prejudices, and that they are critical towards certain phenomena in society, such as the 
openness of schools to difference and the widespread fear of difference. 
The training also contributed, although to a lesser extent, to a different understanding of 
the relationship with parents and the parental role in the education of children. This is an 
area where there is a positive trend of attitude change, but this is at the same time an area 
that should be given more attention in future teacher training, as a certain number of 
teachers still believe that parents are to blame for the success and actions of their 
children. That this is not an isolated case is evident from data from other studies that deal 
with the cooperation between the family and the school and the participation of parents in 
school life. A study conducted with teachers and principles from grade schools in Serbia 
reveals that they believe the main cause for the insufficient involvement of parents in 
school life are the parents themselves, as well as their passivity and disinterest. 
Considering the importance cooperating with the family has in the education and 
development of children, attention should be given to this issue. 
Social Justice Education is carried out through working on three components: naming the 
problem; readiness to discuss and talk about the problems; building alliance for engaging 
in appropriate action. An analysis of the results revealed that a change occurred and that 
the training contributed towards changes in all three components: problems that exist in 
society (a culture of respecting difference, the existence of prejudices) were named and 
are more clearly recognized, teachers are more prepared to talk about the problems 
children and parents of minority groups are faced with, and not deal only with education 
28
(a change in the professional role) and more significance is attached to alliance, as well as 
their own roles in that process. 
INSTEAD OF A CONCLUSION: From changes in attitudes to changes in actions 
One of the basic starting points in the programs that deal with education against 
prejudice, respecting difference and social justice is that changing attitudes is a long and 
difficult process and that the first step in the assessment of the effect of the program is in 
changes in actions. In this sense, the Conference that took place between November 13th 
– 15th 2009 (after the conclusion of both training modules) under the title “Social Justice 
Education – from Training to Practice”, represents a kind of evaluation of the program 
and especially the component regarding change in actions. In this case, the extent of the 
success of the program was evident in the variety of ways the participants are encouraged 
to take the experience and knowledge gained from the training and apply it to their work 
and direct environment. 
The attendance at the Conference (400 participants), the variety of topics the participants 
talked about, as well as the initiatives that were started after the Conference (for example, 
the student group Optimus made a film about the problems of discrimination with the aim 
of raising awareness in their environment of the problems that exist), point to the fact that 
the training had an effect both on the teachers’ practice and on those the teachers work 
with (their colleagues, students and teachers). 
The topics covered at the Conference were wide-ranging: including content on 
interculturality and social justice in the official curriculum (through units in various 
subjects); creating curricular and extra-curricular content for the students with the aim of 
encouraging them to think about the prejudices and discrimination that exist in society; 
the application of experiences from the seminar in working with parents; the transfer of 
experiences from the seminar to their colleagues, etc. All this points to the impact the 
experiences from the training had on the participants. What is necessary for further 
support and encouragement of their work is a system of supervision and mentorship. In 
practice so far, this has proved to be important and efficient in the process of maintaining 
the enthusiasm and energy after the training: one way to maintain the enthusiasm is to 
29
find ways to constantly apply and test the knowledge in practice (in this sense, the 
sharing of experiences at the Conference was very significant), and another way of 
maintaining continuity is by means of expert exchanges and mentoring systems.