Quality of Teacher Education: Could it Be Improved by Social Partnership?
Author(s):
Irena Zaleskiene (presenting / submitting) Vaiva Juskiene (presenting)
Conference:
ECER 2017
Network:
10. Teacher Education Research
Format:
Paper

Session Information

10 SES 07 C, Enhancing the Quality of Teacher Education

Paper Session

Time:
2017-08-23
17:15-18:45
Room:
K1.04 Auditorium 3
Chair:
Tone Dyrdal Solbrekke

Contribution

The aim of the paper is to problemise and discuss the impact of social partnership to educational studies in the settings of teacher training institutions.

The research question: how social partnership can improve the quality of educational studies?

Thus the expression of the social partnership during the educational studies at the level of teacher training program is reviewed. 

Major objectives of the research:

1). to review the literature on understanding of main concepts of "social partnership" and "quality of educational studies”;

2) to examine how the social partnership can improve the quality of educational studies/teacher education. 

Theoretical framework  used in the research:

Social networking theory (Castells, 2004) helped us to develop the main ideas for reasoning social partnership as a main actor in building social relations between teacher training setting and social institutions. Determination of “social partnership” and “quality of educational studies” were drawn from different sources including EU documentation on regulation of higher education institution (Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions European higher education in the world. 2013; Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG). 2015; Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council. 2006). 

Method

The methods used in the research: 1. Analyses of research literature. 2. Interview. 3. Content analyses. The qualitative empirical research has been performed applying the method of in-depth interview in order to examine how social partnership does work in different teacher training (higher education) institutions. The method was chosen and questions were developed as researchers (Cohen, Manion, Morrison, 2012: 279) suggest “in the way to ensure interviewer is sufficiently knowledgeable about the subject matter that she or he can conduct the interview in an informed manner and interviewee does not feel threatened by lack of knowledge”. The Interviu have been conducted at three Colleges/Universities of Applied Sciences as well as at Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences which is mainly teacher training institution. Sampling strategy was chosen according the requirements for qualitative sample (Cohen, Manion, Morrison, 2012). Thus 6 informants were chosen using Non-probability sampling: 3 represented colleges and 3 – university. All of them have 5 years and more teaching practices at higher education institutions.

Expected Outcomes

The review of research literature showed that social partnership is understood in different ways. But the main points are collaboration between some stakeholders, establishing and developing social dialogue in achieving common goals by respecting and reflecting different views and needs, by sharing responsibilities and information, etc. The concept of “quality of educational studies” is drawn up as a conditions provided by teacher training institutions for balancing different interests arising from various interest groups. And it becomes clear that Quality depends on attitudes of evaluator. Empirical part of our research leads to the conslusiosn that social partnership improves quality of educational studies in the framework of six directions: a) developing major aims of the study program and foreseeing expected results (achievements of the students/teacher candidates); b) developing content of the curriculum and organising good school practices; c) developing professionalism of the teachers; d) secure needed resources; e) improving the process of the training studies; f) improving in management of implementation of study programs. On the bases of result analyses some recommendations for the teacher training institutions will be formulated in order to improve quality of educational studies by establishing social partnership. On the second hand, the results have revealed that communication with social partners does not characterize the purposefulness and the principal of consistency is not guaranteed, it is more fragmented, thus it leads towards the non-existence of the social partnership as a system, weak expression of it. It has been determined that the main problem of the ineffective partnership is the absence of the formed cooperation platform at the state level (e.g. scientific basis, education valley, etc.).

References

1. A new start for Social Dialogue (29/08/2016) https://goo.gl/CXQnmg 2. Castells.M. (2001). The Rise of the Networking Society. Second ed. Blackwell Publishers. 3. Cohen, L., Manion, L., Morrison, K. (2012). Research Methods in Education.London, NewYork: Routledge, Taylor and Francies Group. 4. Hargreaves, D. H. (1996). Teaching as a research Based Profession: Possibilities and Prospects. London: Teacher Training Academy. 5. High Level Group on the Modernization of Higher Education. Report to the European Commission on improving the quality of teaching and learning in Europe's higher education institutions. 2013. 6. Loughran, J., Hamilton, M., L. (2016). Ed. International Handbook of Teacher Education. Volume 2. Springer 7.Waring, M, Evans C., (2015). Understanding Pedagogy. Routledge. Taylor Frances Group. London and New York.

Author Information

Irena Zaleskiene (presenting / submitting)
University of Applied Sciences
Lithuanian university of Educational Sciences
Vilnius
Vaiva Juskiene (presenting)
Vilniaus kolegija /University of Applied Sciences
Vilnius

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