School-Based Teacher Collaboration in Sweden and Greece: Formal Cooperation, Deprivatized Practices and Personalized Interaction in Primary and Lower Secondary Schools.

Author(s):

Konstantin KougioumtzisGöran Patriksson Korillos Vasilis

Conference:

ECER 2008

Network:

1. Continuing Professional Development: Learning for Individuals, Leaders, and Organisations

Format:

Paper

Session Information

01 SES 02B, Examples of Collaborative Professional Development

Paper Session

Time:

2008-09-10

11:15-12:45

Room:

B3 315

Chair:

Contribution

During recent years educational restructuring efforts have commonly regarded schools as both learning communities and sites for teachers’ professional development. A plethora of attributes influence prerequisites as well as outcomes of the efforts, while teachers’ local cultures constitute a cornerstone. More specifically, enhanced school-based teacher collaboration is associated with upgraded school effectiveness and enhanced professional growth. However, the comparative study of school-based teacher collaboration remains a subjective research area. The overall aim of this study is to highlight teacher collaboration in Sweden and Greece utilizing nationwide surveys with Physical Education (PE) teachers in both countries. The overall aim of this study is to highlight teacher collaboration in Sweden and Greece utilizing nationwide surveys with Physical Education (PE) teachers in both countries. The final sample consisted of 707 Swedish and 451 Greek professionals. The high response rate combined with restricted internal dropout form the basis of the generalization of the findings.

Expected Outcomes

The presentation of the results is connected with issues of formal cooperation, deprivitized practices and personalized interaction in four teachers groups: primary and lower secondary schools in Sweden and in Greece. According to the data, formal cooperation and deprivitized practices occur more frequently in Sweden than in Greece. However, personalized interaction is rather high in Greek lower secondary schools. Despite differences between the four contexts, a second order model represents obtained information adequately with very good fit indexes. It seems that school-based teacher collaboration in authentic settings can be connected to complex processes with multifaceted characteristics in different national contexts as well as in educational stages within one country as well. Manipulating distinct aspects of schooling may consequently jeopardize expected outcomes, as development ambitions should be targeting several interdependent dimensions. Swedish schools generally and lower secondary schools specifically constitute original examples of enhanced school-based teacher collaboration, while an intensification of combined endeavors is needed in Greece. The comparative mapping of interconnected collaboration characteristics might contribute to more holistic restructuring struggles towards schools as learning communities and sites for teachers’ professional development.

References

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Author Information

Konstantin Kougioumtzis

Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs

Lykovrisi

Göran Patriksson

Gothenburg University, Sweden

Korillos Vasilis

Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs, Greece

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