Anneli Frelin and Göran Fransson
The purpose of this paper is to understand, from principals’ points of view, how a teacher registration reform is enacted by examining the potential changes in the relationships…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand, from principals’ points of view, how a teacher registration reform is enacted by examining the potential changes in the relationships between principals and newly qualified teachers (NQTs). The reform entailed principals performing an aptitude assessment of new teachers in their probationary year.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five principals from two Swedish municipalities on three occasions in one academic year. A third follow-up interview was conducted one year later with four of the principals, the fifth no longer being in post.
Findings
The assessment appears to be downplayed by the principals, whereas the supportive dimension and the facilitation of NQTs’ professional development seem to be acknowledged and made explicit. For some of the principals, their creative translation of the reform’s intentions transformed these relations and strengthened their leadership.
Research limitations/implications
The study is small-scale and was carried out in a specific period of policy implementation from the principals’ perspectives. Future studies would benefit from involving both principals’ and teachers’ perspectives.
Practical implications
Policymakers appear to have underestimated the structural aspects of the reform, even though in general the reform enactments had some kind of positive effect on these relations.
Social implications
For some principals, their creative translation of the reform’s intentions transformed relations and strengthened their leadership.
Originality/value
The data are from a unique period when a reform was implemented and later partly withdrawn. The study deepens the understanding on how principals tries to enact and balance their roles as evaluators of NQTs and pedagogical and instructional leaders.
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Ola J. Lindberg, Anders D. Olofsson and Göran Fransson
The purpose of this paper is to examine Swedish upper secondary school teachers’ and students’ views and use of ICT in education.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine Swedish upper secondary school teachers’ and students’ views and use of ICT in education.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 25 individual teachers and 39 students in small focus groups were interviewed. A qualitative content analysis was performed using NVivo11. The analysis was conducted in three steps: with each individual teacher, the student groups and the cohort of teachers and students. A comparative analysis was also conducted.
Findings
The teachers’ views and use of ICT are diverse. Teachers and students identify similar challenges when using ICT in education, e.g. time and subject, the shortcomings of a school’s learning management system (LMS) and teachers’ digital competence. Students report an extensive out-of-school use of smartphones and an extensive in-school use of laptops and LMS.
Research limitations/implications
The relatively small number of teachers and students in three schools make generalisations difficult. The examination of teachers’ and students’ views and use in the same context reveals new knowledge.
Practical implications
The study may influence teachers’ use of ICT in education, based on a better understanding of students’ use.
Social implications
The study may lead to a better understanding of teachers’ and students’ different perspectives and a more enhanced and sustainable in-school use of ICT.
Originality/value
The originality is that teachers’ and students’ views and use of ICT in education are examined at the same time. The paper contributes new knowledge about how teachers and students conceptualise and use ICT in upper secondary school practices.
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Anders D. Olofsson, Ola J. Lindberg and Göran Fransson
The purpose of this paper is to explore upper secondary school students’ voices on how information and communication technology (ICT) could structure and support their everyday…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore upper secondary school students’ voices on how information and communication technology (ICT) could structure and support their everyday activities and time at school.
Design/methodology/approach
In all, 11 group interviews were conducted with a total of 46 students from three upper secondary schools. NVivo PRO 11 was used for a qualitative content analysis.
Findings
The results show that ICT plays a central role in the students’ schooling, not in terms of “state-of-the-art” technology, but rather as “state-of-the-actual”, by for example supporting the writing process and for peer support, digital documentation and storage.
Research limitations/implications
A relatively small number of students in three schools and three specific programmes make generalisations difficult.
Practical implications
Students’ perspectives on the “state-of-the-actual” could influence teachers’ use of ICT in education, their professional development activities and the development of an in-school ICT infrastructure.
Social implications
The study could lead to a better understanding of students’ expectations and use of ICT at school and in everyday life.
Originality/value
The originality of this paper is the focus on students’ voices about how the basic use and functionality of ICT could structure and support their everyday activities at school.
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Jörgen Holmberg, Göran Fransson and Uno Fors
The purpose of this paper is to advance the understanding of teachers’ reframing of practice in digital contexts by analysing teachers’ pedagogical reasoning processes as they…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to advance the understanding of teachers’ reframing of practice in digital contexts by analysing teachers’ pedagogical reasoning processes as they explore ways of using information and communication technologies (ICT) to create added pedagogical value.
Design/methodology/approach
A design-based research (DBR) approach is employed, in which the on-site researcher collaborates with eight teachers of English as a foreign language in four Swedish schools over a period of two years. Multiple data sources are included for thematic coding and analysis. The technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) framework is used as a conceptual construct in the analysis.
Findings
The findings show that teachers’ pedagogical reasoning is a complex and multidimensional process and is closely integrated with teachers’ reframing of practice. Common characteristics in the teachers’ reframing of practice are identified. The results highlight the reciprocal relationship between developments in teachers’ pedagogical reasoning and TPACK development and the need for a distinction between general and specific, theoretical and practical TPACK.
Research limitations/implications
An increased focus on TPACK research on teachers’ pedagogical reasoning is required. DBR is a relevant approach for this.
Practical implications
The pedagogical uses of ICT identified as adding value could benefit teachers in other contexts.
Originality/value
Rich data from multiple design contexts are collected and analysed over time through DBR. The paper contributes new knowledge about the process of pedagogical reasoning and its relation to teachers’ reframing of practice. The paper also contributes to TPACK theory development.
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– The purpose of this paper is to report on a research project concerning a web-based (online) course for mentors of newly qualified teachers (NQTs).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report on a research project concerning a web-based (online) course for mentors of newly qualified teachers (NQTs).
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-method approach with questionnaires and interviews was used to collect the data.
Findings
Positive attitudes towards online education were discerned and initial concerns about the use of technical tools were dissipated during the course. It was found that the mentoring-related content of the online course could be mediated. The most significant difference in the participants’ meaning making and ability to “connect theory and practice” with “concrete knowledge” was between those with experience of mentorship before or during the course and those without.
Research limitations/implications
The study focuses on one cohort of mentor participants (n=18) attending one mentor education course.
Practical implications
The paper contributes to the value of online education for mentors of NQTs and includes some practical recommendations for mentor education providers.
Originality/value
This paper reports on an under-researched area. Research on professional development programmes for mentors in general is limited, and even more so when it comes to online education for mentors.
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Göran Fransson and Sarah K. McMahan
The purpose of this paper is to expand the conversation about mentoring and policy and provides a detailed analysis of empirical research on mentoring polices in education, with a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to expand the conversation about mentoring and policy and provides a detailed analysis of empirical research on mentoring polices in education, with a focus on adult mentoring in primary and secondary schools.
Design/methodology/approach
Articles in peer-reviewed journals were examined using a systematic content analysis. In total, 405 abstracts/articles were reviewed, and 37 articles were subjected to an in-depth analysis.
Findings
Although very few articles dealt specifically with mentoring policy in any substantial way, a major finding that emerged was that to be effective, policy development should include not only the stakeholders who have the power to create it, but also those who must implement it.
Research limitations/implications
Although the authors acknowledge that the systematic search process may not have captured all the relevant articles, and that other books or resources on this topic might not have been accessed in the search process, serious research on the topic of mentoring policy and its implications for primary and secondary school contexts nevertheless seems to be limited.
Practical implications
The findings have implications for practice and future research, and point towards the need for a comprehensive research agenda on this topic.
Originality/value
The paper has value for the directions of future research.
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Andrew J. Hobson, Linda J. Searby, Lorraine Harrison and Pam Firth
This paper aims to provide an overview of changes in the context of the Swedish public sector.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide an overview of changes in the context of the Swedish public sector.
Design/methodology/approach
It reviews the main literature on the topic and relevant policy texts.
Findings
In short, even though the last decade and a half has been a most turbulent period in the history of the Swedish public sector, with its peak in two great strikes, the framework has remained substantially intact. Swedish path dependency has been so strong that the system has largely survived; it has moved towards “organized decentralization”, but it has not dissolved. It is probable that the end of that move has not yet been seen; the Swedish system is still transforming.
Research limitations/implications
It is a general overview of key developments.
Practical implications
It is relevant for a discussion of the general trends and dynamic of public sector industrial relations in Sweden.
Originality/value
This article manages to take an overview and point to the uncertain development of a new market approach.