Teachers’ Learning and Educational Interests

Author(s):

Katharina Stephan(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2013

Network:

10. Teacher Education Research

Format:

Poster

Session Information

10 SES 05.5 PS, General Poster Session

General Poster Session

Time:

2013-09-11

12:30-14:00

Room:

FUAYE

Chair:

Contribution

In today’s society teachers are required to learn and to pursue their professional development continuously. As the Council of the European Union points out, rapid social, cultural, economic and technological changes require teachers to reflect on their own learning needs and to take responsibility for their learning (cf. 2009, p. 8). Furthermore, in the context of educational reforms (cf. Beijaard et al. 2005, p. 9; Gewirtz et al. 2009, p. 5f) and changing expectations on teachers in Europe as shown by TALIS (OECD 2009, p. 49) the teachers’ view on their own learning becomes relevant. Against this background of different expectations on teachers as well as learning theoretical and educational considerations this study focuses on teachers with several years of working as a teacher and the characteristics of their learning and educational interests.

A special focus is taken towards teachers with more than ten years of working experience[1]. Thus, the transition between their initial education at university, the years as beginning teacher and certain questions and insecurities connected to this (cf. Hericks 2006; Terhart 1992, p. 126) should not be of interest. Instead, this study concentrates on the learning interests and strategies of teachers who have already gained professional experience and aims to link this to the discourse about teachers’ professional development (cf. Terhart 1992; Hericks 2006; Hubermann 1991; Müller et al. 2010) and learning and educational considerations (cf. Koller 2012; Koller/Marotzki/Sanders 2007; Marotzki 1990). So the main research question is: Which learning and educational interests and strategies do teachers with several years of working as a teacher pursue and how are they connected to and influenced by their professionalism as teacher?

The study aims to gain insights into the interrelation of the professionalism and the learning and educational interests and strategies of teachers. Research into the teaching profession shows an increased interest in the professional biography of teachers (cf. Rothland/Terhart 2010, p. 795-798; Herzog 2011). The focus of interest has changed from entry into professional life to teachers’ development throughout their professional careers (cf. Terhart 1995; Blase 1991; Hubermann 1991). However, learning and educational interests and strategies have not been taken into consideration explicitly. Thus, this study wants to take off from here and aims to complement recent studies with questions about teachers’ learning interests and strategies. It will not be sufficient to look into in-service teacher training courses only. Instead, it will be necessary to take into consideration aspects of the individual way of living, didactic settings, learning and teaching arrangements and social circumstances (cf. Kade/Hof/Peterhoff 2008, p. 12). So this study will utilize biographical aspects in order to reconstruct the learning and educational interests and strategies of experienced teachers and work out connections with their professionalism.

[1] See Hubermann (1991) for a model of the professional life cycle of teachers. He differentiates five experience groups in his study: 5-10 years of working experience, 11-19 years, 20-29 years und 30-39 years (cf. p. 251). Based on this differentiation the youngest group should be neglected in this study.

Method

This study takes a qualitative methodological approach. Such an approach impartially takes into account the target group’s individual views and allows new and profound insights into the field of teachers’ learning and educational interests. As the theoretical concepts of learning and professionalism, which set the framework for this study, are connected to aspects of time, a biographical approach (cf. Marotzki 1990) seems fruitful. Thus, after a first data collection phase with problem-centered interviews (Witzel 2000) a more narration-based form of interviewing (cf. Schütze 1983) is chosen as it is highly suitable for research questions that focus on biographical aspects (cf. Jakob 1997, p.445). Approximately 8-10 interviews are conducted and analysed. Based on the Grounded Theory principle of theoretical sampling (cf. Glaser/Strauss 1998, p. 54ff.) the choice of empirical material is made in the process of data collection and analysis (cf. Flick 2009, p.158). So the study takes into account the circular, i.e. non-linear nature of the qualitative research process (cf. Janesick 2000,p.382f.). The analysis of the empirical data is oriented on the stages of analysis according to the Grounded Theory, i.e. coding and comparison are of vital relevance (cf. Strauss/Corbin 1996, p.43ff.).

Expected Outcomes

This study starts off from and focuses on the teachers’ perspectives with regard to their learning and educational interests and their view on themselves as adult learners. As this paper represents part of my dissertation project, findings from first data collection and analysis phases are presented at the conference. One first finding is that teachers’ learning and educational interests and strategies are complex and influenced by different insights, believes and problems. Interrelations between teachers’ professionalism and learning and educational interests and strategies are expected. It is the aim of this study to work out these interrelations that may cause conflicting demands for teachers and understand it in its complexity. It will be interesting to find out how teachers deal with different expectations and difficulties concerning their learning against the background of their professionalism as teachers. As learning does not only take place in institutional settings, this study will not only concentrate on institutional learning contexts such as in-service teacher training courses but also takes into account informal contexts as meaningful for the teachers’ learning and educational interests and strategies.

References

Beijaard,Douwe;Meijer, Paulien;Morine-Dershimer, Greta; Tillema, Harm (eds.)(2005): Teacher professional development in changing conditions. Dordrecht: Springer. Council of the European Union (2009): Council conclusions of 26 November 2009 on the professional development of teachers and school leaders. In: Official Journal of the European Union (2009/C 302/04). URL: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/JOHtml.do?uri=OJ:C:2009:302:SOM:EN:HTML (20.12.2012). Gewirtz, Sharon; Mahony, Pat Hextall Ian; Cribb, Alan (eds.)(2009): Changing teacher professionalism. International trends, challenges, and ways forward. London, New York:Routledge. Hericks, Uwe (2006): Professionalisierung als Entwicklungsaufgabe. Rekonstruktionen zur Berufseingangsphase von Lehrerinnen und Lehrern. 1. edition. Wiesbaden:VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. Herzog, Silvio (2011): Über den Berufseinstieg hinaus: Berufsbiografien von Lehrerinnen und Lehrern im Blickfeld der Forschung. In: Ewald Terhart, Hedda Bennewitz&Martin Rothland (eds.): Handbuch der Forschung zum Lehrerberuf. Münster [u.a.]: Waxmann,314–338. Hubermann, M. (1991): Der berufliche Lebenszyklus von Lehrern: Ergebnisse einer empirischen Studie. In: Ewald Terhart (eds.): Unterrichten als Beruf: neuere amerikanische und englische Arbeiten zur Berufskultur und Berufsbiographie von Lehrern und Lehrerinnen. Köln: Böhlau,249–267. Kade, Jochen; Hof, Christiane; Peterhoff, Daniela (2008): Verzeitlichte Bildungsgestalten: Subjektbildung im Kontext des Lebenslangen Lernens. In: Report. Zeitschrift für Weiterbildungsforschung 31 (4), S. 9–22. URL: http://www.report-online.net/recherche/einzelhefte_inhalt.asp?id=4177 (29.12.2012). Koller, Hans-Christoph (2012): Bildung anders denken: Einführung in die Theorie transformatorischer Bildungsprozesse. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer. Marotzki, Winfried (1990): Entwurf einer strukturalen Bildungstheorie. Biographietheoretische Auslegung von Bildungsprozessen in hochkomplexen Gesellschaften. Weinheim: Deutscher Studien-Verlag. OECD (2009): Creating Effective Teaching and Learning Environments. First results from TALIS. OECD publishing. URL: http://www.oecd.org/document/15/0,3746,de_34968570_34968855_42998991_1_1_1_1,00.html (06.06.2011). Rothland, Martin; Terhart, Ewald (2010): Forschung zum Lehrerberuf. In: Rudolf Tippelt&Bernhard Schmidt (eds.): Handbuch Bildungsforschung. 3. edition. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften,791–810. Strauss, Anselm; Corbin, Juliet (1996): Grounded theory: Grundlagen qualitativer Sozialforschung. Weinheim: Beltz, Psychologie Verlags Union. Terhart, Ewald (1992): Lehrerberuf und Professionalität. In: Bernd Dewe, Wilfried Ferchhoff&Frank-Olaf Radtke (eds.): Erziehen als Profession. Zur Logik professionellen Handelns in pädagogischen Feldern. Opladen: Leske+Budrich,103–131.

Author Information

Katharina Stephan (presenting / submitting)

Potsdam University

Erziehungswissenschaft

Hennigsdorf

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