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FINNUT-Forskning og innovasjon i utdanningssektoren

Teacher Qualification for the 21st century - teachers professional competence

Alternative title: TEQ21: Profesjonelle lærere i det 21. århundre

Awarded: NOK 11.4 mill.

The research project TEQ21 (Teacher Qualification for the 21st Century: Teachers´ professional competence) has investigated the concept of teachers´ professional competence and gained insight into educating student teachers for competences for the future. Teacher education programmes are characterised by large variety in subject areas and lack of coherence and common vision. The new Master's Degree Programmes – Primary and Lower Secondary Teacher Education – are designed to address transdisciplinary subject areas such as diversity, research and development, and digital competence. TEQ21 has investigated transdisciplinary learning processes to understand how different modes of knowledge can support the development of professional competence. Furthermore, the project has investigated how learning arenas, such as campus and student placement, play different roles in developing teachers´ professional competence. To establish a deeper understanding of the concept of teachers´ professional competence, TEQ21 has conducted a systematic review of research in the field which form the basis for the conceptual framework of the entire project. This review was published in a special issue of Nordic Journal of Comparative and International Education, vol 4 No. 3-4 (2020). The special issue addressing “Perspectives on teachers´ transdisciplinary professional competence”, which was guest edited by researchers from the TEQ21 project, presented articles from commissioned authors as well as articles submitted via an international open call. TEQ21 has studied teaching processes conducted within the three transdisciplinary themes in TEQ21; diversity, research and development, and digital competence. We have investigated teaching activities in the ITE programme, observed student teachers in their placement practice and interviewed student teachers and teacher educators. The project data have been shared, discussed, and analysed within and across work packages for the project and have resulted in scientific presentations nationally and internationally (ECER, EERA, NERA, MES and ICERI) and in journal articles. A pervasive theme in the project concerned student teachers’, practice teachers’ and teacher educators’ understanding of the three transdisciplinary competences. The project has collected survey data from first-year teacher students on their initial understanding of the concept of teachers´ professional competence as well as after one year and three years of study. We also collected survey data from practice teachers and teacher educators. The questionnaires were designed in collaboration with researchers from the three transdisciplinary themes of the project and based on experiences from the piloting of the instruments for the qualitative data collection. Together with interview data, these data provide an interesting and nuanced picture of how the various groups of informants view these competences differently. TEQ21 has also conducted seminars on the development of the project's transdisciplinary concept understanding. The work package led by the Danish partner of the project focused on the types of knowledge, learning arenas and multidisciplinary activities that are at stake in developing teachers' professional competence. Based on literature studies and discussions in the project, a model has been developed to illustrate the different forms of knowledge in teacher education and how the project may understand the complex research field that constitutes transdisciplinary learning processes in teacher education. The Danish partner and the Advisory Board have contributed significantly to discussions and provided valuable advice on theoretical and methodological challenges regarding research design and analysis of collected data. We have conducted two competence building seminars with participants from the project schools. Near the end of the project, we published a book on transdisciplinary competences with contributions from teachers, school principals, teacher students, and researchers from within and outside the project. We also arranged the final conference for the project, which marked the end of the project and the publication of the book. TEQ21 has identified understandings of transdisciplinary competences that may contribute to future research becoming more nuanced. Besides insights into different groups’ understandings of the transdisciplinary concepts and connected models, the project participants have also developed their own competence regarding cooperative projects between universities and schools. The findings from TEQ21 have had an impact in teacher education locally, and the book may become an important resource for work with these competences, as the book combines the research perspective with perspectives from practitioners.

TEQ21 har bidratt til utviklingen av lærerutdanneres forskningsbaserte kunnskapsbase gjennom begrepsutvikling innenfor tre transdisiplinære kompetanseområder; læreres mangfoldskompetanse, læreres FoU-kompetanse og læreres digitale kompetanse. En systematisk litteraturgjennomgang av de tre områdene, viste at det også i forskningen finnes mange ulike forståelser, og prosjektet identifiserte seks dimensjoner hvor det er spenninger i litteraturen. De seks dimensjonene kan være nyttige verktøy for å diskutere hva man legger i kompetanse, og kan være nyttige for videre forskning på transdisiplinære fagområder. Samtidig vil kjennskap til ulike forståelser (også innen internasjonal forskning) kunne bidra til at fremtidig forskning på feltet blir mer nyansert. Funn fra TEQ21 har avdekket ulike forståelser mellom de tre gruppene lærerstudenter, lærerutdannere i praksis og lærerutdannere på campus, innen hvert av de tre fokusområdene og på tvers av disse. De ulike forståelsene er svakt faglig og forskningsmessig forankret. Innsikt i hvordan ulike aktører i lærerutdanning forstår ulike lærerkompetanser vil være et godt utgangspunkt for videre arbeid med å oppnå større koherens i lærerutdanningene, ikke minst i arbeidet med å skape nye møteplasser (third space) for lærerstudenter, lærerutdannere i praksis og lærerutdannere på campus. Funnene i prosjektet har allerede satt spor i lærerutdanningene lokalt, med utprøvinger av forskningsbaserte observasjonsskjemaer for å gi bedre veiledningssamtaler i praksis og avgjørelser om at lærerstudenter i praksisperioden må ha tilgang til de samme datasystemer som lærerne har for å kunne delta i profesjonsfellesskapet på skolen og få innsikt i læreres digitale hverdag. Modeller som er utviklet i prosjektet har vært brukt for å drøfte hvilke roller hhv. campus og praksis bør ha i utvikling av lærerkompetanse. TEQ21 har utgitt en fagbok for praksisfeltet og gjennomført en nasjonal konferanse for å spre innsiktene fra prosjektet. Den avsluttende fagboka har potensiale til å bli en viktig ressurs for lærerutdanningene i arbeidet med de ulike forståelsene, siden boka tilbyr forskningsperspektiver og perspektiver fra praksisfeltet side ved side. Prosjektet har vært gjennomført i samarbeid med tre konkrete skoler hvor lærere fra disse skolene har vært samarbeidspartnere og medforskere. En student, som nå er ferdig utdannet lærer, har gjennomført sitt masterprosjekt i samarbeid med TEQ21. Prosjektet har gjennomført to kompetansedelingsseminarer med prosjektskolene med gjensidig erfaringsutveksling. Erfaringene som er gjort i TEQ21 kan bidra til framtidige forskningssamarbeid mellom lærerutdannere ved universitet og i praksisskolene. På basis av kunnskaper fra TEQ21 kan lærerutdanningen implementere nye og bedre strukturer for utvikling av fagovergripende kompetanser i lærerutdanninger.

Teacher qualification for the 21st century (TEQ21) will investigate how teachers' professional competence is developed by looking in depth at three key transdisciplinary competencies: teachers' professional diversity; research & development; and digital competence (tDIVc, tR&Dc and tDIGc). As these transdisciplinary competencies are strategically important areas for OsloMet, core competencies in the new teacher education programmes and the future competence needs of teachers, the TEQ21 research will have impact on teacher education and the teaching profession and augment the research base of teacher education. In particular, TEQ21 will study the roles of multidisciplinary learning processes, diverse modes of knowledge and different learning arenas in the development of transdisciplinary competencies. Based on a strong tradition of multidisciplinary work, OsloMet is uniquely placed to take a national role in this field. A case study design is chosen as the overall approach. Survey data will form the basis for a primary data set in mapping involved actors' understanding of core concepts, while student teachers' learning processes within the three main areas will be explored through educational ethnography. A state-of-the-art review of research literature will inform the data collection design. TEQ21 is conducted in cooperation with University of Oslo (UiO), VIA Århus and one school owner including the practice schools at lower secondary level. Internationalisation, national cooperation and involvement of users will be ensured throughout TEQ21, including research and dissemination activities. TEQ21's research on key competences that are central in teacher education and crucial in the teaching profession, including how these are developed in practice placement, will improve the interplay between research, education and the teaching profession, and develop the research competence in teacher education and the teaching profession.

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FINNUT-Forskning og innovasjon i utdanningssektoren