Factors Influencing the Value of CPD Activities Among VET Teachers

Abstract

Context: Teachers in vocational education and training (VET teachers) have specific conditions for their continuing professional development (CPD). They have a background in an initial occupation, in which they now teach and train the next generation. Thus, as VET teachers, they are expected to master the knowledge and skills of that occupation, even if they have now crossed the boundary from the community of their initial occupation to the community of the school. This study explores the perceived values among VET teachers of different activities that may contribute to their CPD in teaching subjects/initial occupations. The study examines VET at the upper secondary level in Sweden. Here, the VET teachers have the main responsibility for students' vocational learning in the vocational subjects, including the work-based parts. In the latter parts, the teachers are supplemented by supervisors at the workplace.Approach: We argue for the duality of a VET teacher identity with a professional competence that comprises two intertwined parts -teaching skills, and knowledge of the teaching subjects based in the teachers' initial occupations. Our study is based on a situated learning perspective, and the empirical findings particularly concern values created from learning through participation and boundary crossing. CPD activities typically include some form of participation in and/or boundary crossing between school and work-life practices. In the analysis we also include the possible influence of institutional, situational, and dispositional drivers and barriers for participation in different activities.Value of CPD Activities Among VET Teachers 141 created through different types of activity, values for the teachers' vocational knowledge, for networks in working life, and for teaching. The data were primarily analysed using logistic regression modelling.Findings: Dispositional drivers, the teacher's sex, and regular performance of the activity are important for the perceived value. The dispositional factor is the one most commonly retained, and it has a consistently positive effect. Factors such as educational background and vocational training have weaker influence, which suggests that individual driving factors are important when VET teachers assess the value of CPD activities. Conclusions:The study covers a general challenge for VET teachers, but is of particular relevance in systems with a high degree of school-based VET, full-time employed VET teachers, and VET teachers who are responsible for students' vocational learning. Here, the values for vocational knowledge, for networks, and for teaching that are created through different activities are important for the VET teacher identity. They are also interrelated, and together they provide professional development in relation to the initial occupation, and for the occupation as a vocational teacher.

VET teachers between school and working life: boundary processes enabling continuing professional development

“…However, this is not to say that VET teachers do not need organised CPD initiatives, but rather that this seems to be rare in Swedish VET. This means that VET teachers' CPD depends on individual initiatives and drivers (Andersson, Hellgren, and Köpsén 2018), rather than being part of a strategy for the institution. A strategy for developing VET teachers' CPD should include the responsibility of the institution to organise learning at work as well as CPD activities, but also to encourage individual initiatives and a passion for the occupation (Broad 2013).…”

“…These studies raised new questions, resulting in a survey study of participation in various CPD activities among VET teachers (Andersson, Hellgren, and Köpsén 2018;. It showed that reading was the most common CPD activity (cf.…”

“…The perceived values created in terms of occupational knowledge and networking, and for teaching provided by teachers were significantly higher among VET teachers who had actually performed the activities on a regular basis, as compared to those who had not . The most important factors for the perceived values, in addition to actually having performed the activity, are teachers' sex and individual, dispositional drivers (Andersson, Hellgren, and Köpsén 2018).…”

“…In other words, these boundary processes are important for VET teachers' own workplace learning in their work as teachers. This study is part of a larger project concerning VET teachers' CPD related to their initial occupations (Andersson, Hellgren, and Köpsén 2018;Köpsén 2015, 2018;Köpsén andAndersson 2017, 2018). In this project, we have seen that institutional conditions in VET schools are influencing teachers' opportunities for development.…”

“…However, the contents of organised CPD opportunities are not regulated, and the focus on the initial occupations is limited. This means that such CPD in practice mainly becomes a responsibility of the individual VET teacher (Andersson, Hellgren, and Köpsén 2018;Fejes and Köpsén 2014). Therefore, the focus here is on the boundary processes between school and working life, and how the school-working life interplay involves VET teachers and provides opportunities for updating of occupational competence and reshaping of occupational identity.…”