Dr. Irena Hergan, Assist. Prof.

Current academic title

Assistant Professor for Social Studies in Education: University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Education, Department of Primary Teacher Education

Research interests

Geography for primary education, Cartographic literacy, Outdoor education, Didactics of social studies, Cross-curricular integration, Teaching practice

Titles of qualification awarded

1995:   Bachelor Diploma in Geography, Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts

2003:   Master’s Degree in Geography (Spatial Planning), University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts

2013:   PhD in Teaching in Education (Cartographic literacy), University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Education

Employment

She worked as an intern in the field of traffic geography within projects for the Urban Institute and the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning of the Republic of Slovenia. After that, she worked as an expert associate in the field of teaching practice at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Education. Later, she became an assistant for geography and didactics of social studies at the Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana and University of Primorska in Koper. For four years, she was also an assistant for traffic geography at the University of Maribor, Faculty of Civil Engineering. Today, she works as an assistant professor at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Education, Department of Primary Teacher Education. She has also been a tutor for students for many years.

Irena Hergan is the author of several children’s textbooks, workbooks, and teachers’ manuals about the environment and social studies for the first three years of schooling.

3 Relevant Publications

1. HERGAN, Irena. 2018. Children’s perception of surroundings in an unfamiliar environment. The Journal of Geography, ISSN 1752-6868, vol. 117, issue 2, str. 64-74. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00221341.2017.1377280?needAccess=true
2. HERGAN, Irena, UMEK, Maja. 2017. Comparison of children’s wayfinding, using paper map and mobile navigation. International research in geographical and environmental education, ISSN 1747-7611, vol. 26, issue. 2, str. 91-106. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10382046.2016.1183935
3. HERGAN, Irena, UMEK, Maja, ŠTEMBERGER, Vesna, TRÁVNÍČEK, Marek, VLČEK, Petr. 2016. Examples of good practice. In: VLČEK, Petr (ur.), et al. Integrating physical education and geography: a case study of the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Denmark, (Physical education and health education, vol. 2). Brno: Masarykova univerzita, str. 129-144.