This project delves into and examines the shared responsibilities of higher education institutions and kindergartens/schools (K-12) as they collaboratively oversee the quality of students' practicum studies, a fundamental component of initial teacher education (ITE) (Munthe, Ruud, & Malmo, 2020). These ITE programs are mandated to uphold rigorous academic standards, ensuring a comprehensive and coherent integration of subjects, subject didactics, pedagogy, and practicum placements (Lund, Jakhelln, & Rindal, 2015). While the specifics of students' practicum studies (K-12 placements, duration, learning content, progress line, etc.) may vary among different ITE programs, there is a common expectation that practicum placements in all programs should be supervised, diverse, and subject to assessment. The practicum dimension in teacher education is intricately woven into a symbiotic relationship with the practicum sector, encompassing kindergartens and schools.

Since the 1960-ies, on behalf of the workforce, Norway has had institutionalized cooperation between employer organizations (here: for municipalities and county authorities), employee organizations (here: for the teaching profession), and the Government. Together, these three entities engage in discussions on political matters and provide advice on general economic and societal issues. However, to develop high-quality, research-based teacher education programs that are pertinent to the profession, it is imperative to expand this formal "tripartite cooperation" to include other stakeholders beyond its current scope. It becomes crucial to involve additional parties that hold a vested interest in teacher education, such as universities and university colleges functioning as teacher education institutions, along with the teacher students themselves. In an era marked by uncertainty, which also impacts the teaching profession, a collaborative effort that encompasses a broader spectrum of stakeholders can safeguard both the collective memory and future prospects for the development of robust and appealing teacher education programs.

In this study, to address these issues, we aim to address the following research question: How do the two sectors, namely higher education and K-12 schooling, collaborate and jointly shoulder the responsibility for educating the teaching profession in Norway?

To delve into our findings, we rely on a dual-layered theoretical framework. The initial perspective within this framework is grounded in the theory of practice architectures, as articulated by Kemmis et al. (2014). This theory offers a comprehensive framework for analysing the intricate interplay of elements within the context of students' practicum studies in initial teacher education. It provides a lens through which educators in both sectors can better understand, interpret, and improve the teaching and learning experiences within these critical stages of educating new teachers.

The second perspective in our theoretical framework aims to support what is referred to in the literature on practicum studies as "the third space." In this "third space," students undergoing training, the teachers in the kindergarten/school serving as the students' practice mentors, and subject teachers from the university/college responsible for practice supervision come together (Korthagen, Loughran, & Russell, 2006). The work of teacher educators (both practice mentors and subject teachers) in "the third space" revolves around facilitating participatory and exploratory learning processes for students, practice mentors, and subject teachers. This requires all participants to move across professional, academic, and personal boundaries, engaging in negotiation and renegotiation of understandings associated with the role and tasks of the teaching profession (Williams, 2014).

The distribution of responsibilities and collaboration in practical training within teacher education is intended to create conditions for the emergence of effective teacher education and professional development in such an exploratory communal learning process. 

The Norwegian Government has instituted a "National Forum for Initial Teacher Education and Professional Development," comprising representatives from all pertinent stakeholders. In 2021, the forum decided to investigate collaboration concerning the practicum studies of teacher students between Initial Teacher Education (ITE) institutions and the practicum arenas. Tasked with scrutinizing a proposed framework for the allocation of responsibilities and collaboration regarding students' practicum studies in ITE programs in Norway, the four authors/presenters represent pivotal entities in this collaborative venture. Syrrist represents the students' union, Gallavara represents the teaching professions union, Sandsmark represents the school owner's organization, and Vedeler represents the teacher education institutions. Over an 18-month period, we engaged in regular meetings, delving into an extensive conversation to explore the subject under investigation. We undertook a systematic document analysis encompassing national legal directives and the operational documents of teacher education institutions. We have incorporated a diverse range of national and local governance and operational documents that regulate and set expectations for collaboration in practicum training. Failure to align these documents can create ambiguities regarding the frameworks governing the collaboration between teacher education institutions and kindergartens/schools, leading to considerable variation in the practicum training offerings provided to teacher students. While this diversity can be beneficial, contributing to a range of competencies, it may also result in uneven quality in practicum training and teacher education. With help from Universities Norway – Teacher Education administration we collected working documents from eight ITE institutions. Considerable variation exists in the nature of these working documents across ITE institutions and within the field of practice. In essence, both the legal mandates and these more informal documents collectively shape the framework guiding the implementation of students' practicum studies and placements. The aim of this document analysis was to deconstruct the included documents, examining hidden hierarchies, dominance, oppositions, inconsistencies, and contradictions (Creswell & Poth, 2018). In this study, a qualitative approach is employed in treating the documents. The intention has been to identify the connections of these documents to the phenomenon under investigation (Blaikie, 2010).

The outcomes have been presented in a report to the Government (Gallavara, Sandsmark, Syrrist, & Vedeler, 2023). In this ECER presentation, these findings will be examined in the context of the theory of practice architecture. The study sheds light on the semantic space, revealing and discussing the conflicting influences arising from variations in the content of the documents analysed. Additionally, within the semantic space, we articulate a shared conceptualization of how to describe and comprehend the foundations for shared responsibilities. In terms of the physical space, our approach encompasses tools such as formal agreements at two distinct levels. Within the social space, the study uncovers three types of responsibilities – organizational, professional, and administrative – spanning both sectors. We will also illuminate the roles and positions of students in these collaborative endeavours.

Blaikie, N. (2010). Designing social research . The logic of anticipation: Polity Press. Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and reserach design. Choosing among five approaches: SAGE Publications. Gallavara, G., Sandsmark, J., Syrrist, L. S., & Vedeler, G. W. (2023). Forslag til rammer for ansvarsdeling og samarbeid om praksisopplæring i lærerutdanningene. Retrieved from https://www.regjeringen.no/contentassets/277e4321131c4b6abd03f7fe7ffa14d0/2023.05.01_rapport-fra-arbeidsgruppe_praksisopplaringen-i-lu-002.pdf Kemmis, S., Wilkinson, J., Edwards-Groves, C., Hardy, I., Grootenboer, P., & Bristol, L. (2014). Changing practices, changing education: Springer Science & Business Media. Korthagen, F., Loughran, J., & Russell, T. (2006). Developing fundamental principles for teacher education programs and practices. Teaching and teacher education, 22(8), 1020-1041. Lund, A., Jakhelln, R. & Rindal, U. (2015). Fremragende lærerutdanning - hva er det, og hvordan kan vi få det? In Rindal, Lund og Jakhelln (ed.): Veier til fremragende lærerutdanning. Universitetsforlaget. Munthe, E., Ruud, E., & Malmo, K.-A. S. (2020). Praksisopplæring i lærerutdanninger i Norge; en forskningsoversikt. Kunnskapssenteret for utdanning, KSU, 1, 2020. Williams, J. (2014). Teacher educator professional learning in the third space: Implications for identity and practice. Journal of Teacher Education, 65(4), 315-326.