doc. dr. sc. Sanja Simel Pranjić

Sanja Simel Pranjić is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Pedagogy, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Osijek, Croatia. She obtained her PhD in Pedagogy from the University of Zagreb, where she completed her doctoral research on positive orientation in education within teacher education curricula. Her academic work is grounded in the field of relational pedagogy, with a particular focus on higher education, where she examines the role of trust, care, and relationships in teaching and learning processes in relation to student development and resilience. Within this framework, she explores both the development of relational competencies in pre-service teachers and the relational capacities of university educators, with a specific emphasis on the dynamics of caring teacher–student relationships. Her research further investigates the individual, interpersonal, and institutional factors that shape these relationships, aiming to contribute to a deeper understanding of how relational approaches can enhance teaching practices and foster more responsive and supportive educational environments. In addition, she is currently involved in the project Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Career Development of Early-Stage Researchers, where she focuses on gaining a deeper understanding of mentor-doctoral student relationships, in line with the principles of relational pedagogy.