Maintaining Competence in the Initial Occupation: Activities among Vocational Teachers

Andersson, Per; Köpsén, Susanne

doi:10.1007/s12186-017-9192-9

Cited by 40 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…A somewhat surprising finding is that the length of experience from the initial occupation has only a limited influence on the perceived value of different CPD activities. We have seen earlier (Andersson & Köpsén, 2017) that teachers with longer experience of the initial occupation are more likely to carry out at least one type of the boundary-crossing CPD activities that we analyse, and that they are more likely to cross the boundaries to the work-life practices to work there. However, the length of such experience does not have the same influence on the perceived values of the activity.…”

Section: Influence Of Experience On Teachers' Identitiesmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Teachers from the areas of technology and construction were underrepresented among the participants, while the participation rate in industry arrangements among construction teachers was higher. Teachers from highly populated municipalities were overrepresented, and the type of municipality was the strongest predictor for recurrent participation (Andersson & Köpsén, 2015, Köpsén & Andersson, 2017. These studies of participation in the national initiative raised new questions, and the work presented here to examine VET teachers' participation in various CPD activities was initiated.…”

Section: Theoretical Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

“…These studies of participation in the national initiative raised new questions, and the work presented here to examine VET teachers' participation in various CPD activities was initiated. The first analysis (Andersson & Köpsén, 2017) showed, among other things, that reading is the most common CPD activity, and reading together with work in the teacher's initial occupation is also the activity in which the variation in performance can be explained to the highest degree. These results agree with those obtained by Broad (2016).…”

Section: Theoretical Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

“…A key component for VET teachers is the connection to the vocation and the working life, i.e. the communities of practice of their initial vocations (Andersson & Köpsén, 2017;. Activities included here are work in a workplace or own business, study visits to workplaces, and coordination of student placements or apprenticeships.…”

Section: Value Creation In Relation To Working Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

“…VET teachers. This quantitative study is part of a larger research project (see Andersson & Köpsén, 2015, 2017Köpsén & Andersson, 2017). Forthcoming findings based on interviews with VET teachers will probably provide deeper insights into specific aspects of the topic.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Factors Influencing the Value of CPD Activities Among VET Teachers

Andersson

Hellgren

Köpsén

2018

IJRVET

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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.

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Section: Influence Of Experience On Teachers' Identitiesmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Theoretical Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%