Session Information
23 SES 02 B, Education in an Age of Uncertainty
Paper Session
Contribution
The study analyzes the emergence of new modes of regulation in education and the teaching profession, resulting in phenomena of multiregulation in education (Barroso, 2005). This involves the interaction of state and non-state actors at different levels and with different approaches, in new spaces, utilizing various governance instruments (Leuze Martens & Rusconi, 2007; Rizvi & Lingard, 2006). The study acknowledges the increasing intensity and complexity of transnational governance in education (Carvalho, 2016), leading to the creation of non-traditional spaces. One such example is the Erasmus+ support line for European projects, specifically Key Action 3 – Support for policy reform, Action Type – Policy experimentations, which includes the case of the European project - LOOP – Empowering Teachers.
The propositions put forth by this group are analyzed as an expression of transnational governance (Ozga & Lingard, 2007; Djelic & Sahlin-Anderson, 2006) of teacher training policies in unconventional forums. The identification of the issues that unite the actors in the LOOP consortium is based on the recognition of a global political matter that demands attention. This matter arises from two main factors: i) the shortage of teachers in Europe, which poses a pressing challenge and has significant impacts on educational systems, and ii) the necessity to attract and retain more qualified professionals, recognizing the critical early stages of the teaching profession (Almeida et al., 2018; Costa et al., 2019). In this context, the establishment of the consortium is justified, further fortified by the approval and funding of the proposal at the European level.
The consortium brings together representatives from Ministries of Education, academics, and teachers from six European countries (Croatia, Slovenia, Spain (Catalonia), Greece, Italy, and Portugal) to address a shared issue. The consortium's collective goal is to design a solution that can be implemented at a national level, incorporating perspectives from state authorities, teachers, and academic experts. The involvement of Ministries of Education adds legitimacy to the consortium as they are considered crucial stakeholders responsible for implementing the proposed solutions within their respective national contexts.
Therefore, as part of a larger project, this study has three main objectives: i) to document how the consortium organizes itself and assigns roles to different actors involved; ii) to analyze the issues raised as part of a critical analysis process, constructing a coherent argument that identifies and defines the key features of a shared problem and emphasizes the need for a collective response; and iii) to present the recommendations that emerge from the coordinated search for solutions to the identified problems, including proposals and suggestions for addressing the challenges at hand.
This effort encompasses a progressive exploration of potential approaches that should be adopted, following the established guidelines (Delvaux, 2009). It is crucial to analyze the tools and methods employed by the consortium to generate knowledge that supports the proposed solutions. For instance, the consortium utilizes various instruments in different national contexts, such as identifying teachers' needs and motivations during the initial phase in the consortium's six countries. Additionally, the consortium gathers 'best practices' and exemplary case studies from participating countries, which serve as inspiring models.
The generated knowledge, aiming to build the supporting 'argument' for the group's proposals, is based on 776 questionnaires collected by the LOOP consortium, applied to teachers (newly graduated and experienced) and school directors; 56 interviews conducted by LOOP teams and six focus groups (64 participants), and results obtained through a trial of the solution via the implementation of national pilot projects.
Method
This case study is of a phenomenological and interpretative nature, utilizing a documentary collection produced within the LOOP consortium. The study begins by establishing the overall argument for the relevance of the project, starting from the funding application, and culminating in the design of the solution. The latter includes the synthesis reports of questionnaire and interview results, an e-catalog of best practices, and justifications for the presented programs. To analyze the documents, the study employs the content analysis technique (Bardin, 2009). Initially, the goal is to identify the reasons behind the participation of different actors in the consortium and the specific roles assigned to each group member. In the second phase, the study focuses on analyzing the narratives produced, which pertain to the identification of problems related to teacher induction policies and processes, as well as the formulation of solutions adaptable to national contexts.
Expected Outcomes
Concerning the consortium and the presence of diversified actors and their roles, various roles are identified: a) ministerial representatives perform roles of state authority representation; informational roles by providing data on national contexts and legitimizing roles by testing the feasibility of proposed recommendations; b) academic experts are tasked with supporting proposals based on scientific knowledge, and c) teachers are responsible for providing insights into professional challenges and needs and testing suggested solutions. Despite the unique characteristics of each national/regional context, there is a clear convergence among the six contexts regarding the perception of the teaching profession and professional induction processes as shared problems that demand urgent responses from state authorities. The data collected support a set of assumptions previously agreed upon by the group regarding the preferred induction model - mentoring and peer induction. The use of academic expertise and the production of confirming evidence further reinforce these assumptions, such as the need to train mentors and develop induction programs. The presented programs serve as guidelines for induction policies, offering solutions that address the identified needs of teachers and countries. These programs include both transversal and mandatory proposals and suggestions, allowing for the adaptation of measures to national and local contexts.
References
Almeida, M., Costa, E., Pinho, A.S., & Pipa, J. (2018). Atuar na indução de professores: Que implicações para os diretores escolares portugueses?. Revista Portuguesa de Educação, 31(2), 196-214 Bardin, L. (2009). Análise de conteúdo. Lisboa: Edições 70. Carvalho, L. M. (2016). Intensificação e sofisticação dos processos da regulação transnacional em educação: o caso do PISA. Educ. Soc., 37 (136) 669-683, 2016. Costa, E., Almeida, M. Pinho, A.S., & Pipa, J. (2019). School Leaders’ needs regarding beginning teachers’ induction in Belgium, Finland and Portugal. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 81, 57-78. Delvaux, B. (2009). Qual é o papel do conhecimento na acção pública? Educ. Soc., 30 (109) 959-985. Djelic, M.-L.; & Sahlin-Anderson, K. (2006). Institutional dinamics in a re-ordering world. In: M.-L Dejic & K. Sahlin-Anderson (Eds.). Transnational governance. Institutional dinamics of regulation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006, p. 375-397. Leuze E, Martens, K., & Rusconi,, A. (2007) Introduction. In K., Martens, & Rusconi, K. Leuze, K. (eds). New Arenas of Education Governance (p. 3-15). London: Routledge. Ozga, J., & Lingard, B. (2007). Globalisation, education policy, and politics. In: B. Lingard & Ozga, J. (eds.) The Routlege/Falmer in Education Policy and Politics. New York: Routledge. RizviI, F.& Lingard, B. (2006) .Globalisation and the changing nature of the OECD’s educational work. In: H. Lauder , P. Brown, J.A. Dillabough, A.H. Halsey A. H. (eds.), Education, Globalisation and Social Change. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
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