Biography

Anela Nikčević-Milković, PhD

She was born in 1970 in Osijek, where she completed primary and secondary school. 1996 she completed her studies in psychology at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Zagreb. Academic year 1993/1994 she improved her English in Los Angeles, USA. As a graduate student in psychology, she participated in the Psychological Summer School on island Krk, Croatia and was engaged in projects at the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) from Denmark (office in Zagreb, Croatia) for 6 months and in the organization of the Suncokret Center for Humanitarian Work in Zagreb on the project Prevention of Addiction and risk factors of sexuality in students from the 5th to the 8th grade of primary schools in Zagreb for 4 months. From 1997 to 2001, she worked at the Gospić Center for Social Welfare, and in 1998 she passed a professional exam and obtained professional qualifications for independent work as a psychology professor at the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare. From 1998 to 2001, she collaborated with GFK - the Center for Market Research and the Agency for Market and Public Opinion Research PULS, and she also worked part-time as a clinical psychologist at the Occupational Medicine of the Gospić Health Center. At that time, she completed two degrees of Behavioral-Cognitive Therapy in Rijeka, Croatia.

Since 2001, she has been employed at the Teacher Training College in Gospić (with the restructuring of teacher education according to the Bologna processes in 2006 it became the Department for Teacher Studies in Gospić of the Faculty of Teachers, University of Rijeka, and since 2011 the Department for Teacher Studies in Gospić, University of Zadar) as a lecturer, then from 2005 as a senior lecturer, from 2015 as an assistant professor and from 2021 as an associate professor. At the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Zagreb, she received her master's degree in 2008 with the topic Cognitive and metacognitive processes in writing in students, and in 2012 she obtained her Ph.D in social sciences with the topic Self-regulation of learning in the field of writing. She is the host and performer of the following courses: Introduction to developmental psychology, Child psychology, Psychology of learning and teaching, Selected chapters in cognitive psychology, Social skills training, Emotional intelligence, Violence against and among children, Psychology of family and parenting, Work with gifted students, Partnership between school and parents, Psychology of Communication, Research Methodology in Education and Work with Children with Developmental Disabilities. She participated in the creation and changes of the program in accordance with the Bologna Process and ECTS system guidelines, and she introduced new courses. Since 2015, at the post-graduate scientific study Society of Knowledge and Information Transmission of the University of Zadar, she is the host and performer of the course Psychological, social and cultural determinants of literacy within the module Information needs and reading interests and habits. Since 2020, she is the host and performer of the course Pedagogical Psychology at the Faculty of Montenegrin Language and Literature in Cetinje, Montenegro. As part of the Program for the Acquisition of Teacher Competences of the University of Zadar, she is the host and performer of the course Cognitive Development and Learning. She is a guest lecturer in The lifelong education program Mental health and well-being in upbringing and education of the Faculty of Teachers of the University of Rijeka. At the professional study of the „Nikola Tesla“ Polytechnic, she was the host and performer of the course Interpersonal Communication.

Her main scientific interest is focused on self-regulation of learning and self-regulation of learning to read and write, i.e. psycholinguistics. It is also focused on the topics of education of gifted students, inclusive education, prevention of violence against and among children, application of IT technology in education, social-emotional literacy, intercultural competence, mental health, as well as prevention of behavioral problems in children and young people. Within these topics, she collaborates/leads scientific (8) and professional projects (>20), publishes author's and editorial books (6), scientific and professional articles (62) and chapters in books (3). She presents at scientific and professional conferences in the country and abroad (82), expert councils, round tables, forums and appears in the media (>100). She was an invited and plenary lecturer at scientific and expert gatherings in the country and abroad several times and a visiting scientist abroad. She was a mentor/commentator on 73 graduate and 2 doctoral theses and publishes/exhibits scientific and professional papers with students/doctoral students. She is a member of the editorial boards of three foreign journals: Journal of Behavioral Science & Psychology (OAJBSP), The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology (TOJET) and Mental Health & Human Resilience International Journal (MHRIJ). She was the president/member of a large number of program and organizational committees of scientific and professional meetings in the country and abroad. She reviewed over 40 scientific and professional articles for various scientific journals in the country and abroad, domestic and foreign manuals and book chapters. She also reviewed The educational and socializing goals and contents of the HNOS, The Rulebook for creating EU-CONEXUS study offers, a number of professional projects of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Science and Education, Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy. As an independent evaluator, she evaluated a whole series of projects financed from EU funds. She participated in more than 100 different educations related to the field of psychology, modern teaching methods in higher education and advanced statistical analysis. She is responsible for 90 science popularization activities in the Republic of Croatia.

She held a number of leadership and managerial positions in organizational units of higher education institutions. She was the head of the Department for Teacher Studies in Gospić of the University of Rijeka Faculty of Teachers for 1 academic year and the head of the Department for Teacher Studies in Gospić of the University of Zadar for 2 academic years. She was the president/vice president of the Governing Council of the "Nikola Tesla" Polytechnic in Gospić for 2 academic years. She held two other management functions: vice-president of the School Board of the Primary School "dr. Jure Turić" in Gospić for 7 years and a member of the Dorm Board of the Student Dorm "A. G. Matoš" in Zagreb for 4 years. At the home department, she hold/held a number of positions in several mandates: she is a member of the Senate of the University of Zadar, head/member of the Committee for Quality Improvement, president of the branch of the Alumni Club of the University of Zadar, mentor to assistants from the social field of science, president of the Committee for awarding the annual prize to the best students and president of the Committee for Class Exams. She was a member of the Committee for the selection of the rector of the University of Zadar in 2023, several committees for the selection of scientific and teaching positions and the evaluation and defense of doctoral thesis topics.

She has been a part-time professional associate at the Center for Psychosocial Assistance of the Lika-Senj County at the Ministry of Croatian Veterans since 1998, and at the same Ministry she is a member of the Committee for Victims of Sexual Violence from the Homeland War from 2021 to 2024. She also led the national project Examination and Analysis of the Situation in the system of providing psychosocial assistance to Croatian veterans from the Homeland War and their family members (financed by the EU fund), within the framework of which she prepared 2 national expert studies. She was an authorized court expert in psychology at the County Court in Gospić. Since 2009, he has been leading workshops of the Program for the Prevention of Violence in Youth Relationships (Croatian Psychological Society) at the home department and in secondary schools in Gospić, and for several years at the Student Counseling Center of the University of Zadar. From time to time, she was an external employee of the Center for Social Welfare Gospić, working as the head of measures of supervision over parental care. In 2022, the Education Agency appointed her as a member of the Commission for taking professional exams in psychology for trainees from 7 counties. In 2022, she was elected to the Assembly and Supervisory Board of the Croatian Psychological Chamber.

She is the recipient of an award from UNICEF and the Education Agency for her exceptional contribution and long-term work on the prevention and intervention of violence among children and young people. She has been a member of the Croatian Psychological Society since 1996 and the Croatian Psychological Chamber since 2023, and was a member of the Croatian Association for Behavioral-Cognitive Therapy for several years.

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