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FINNUT-Forskning og innovasjon i utdanningssektoren

Partnership for Sustainable Transition from Teacher Education to the Profession (STEP): Becoming a professional teacher

Alternative title: Samarbeid for bærekraftig overgang fra lærerutdanning til å være lærer (STEP): Å bli en profesjonell lærer

Awarded: NOK 12.3 mill.

STEP: Partnership for Sustainable Transition from Teacher Education to Profession: Becoming a Professional Teacher In the autumn of 2022, the first newly qualified teachers with a 5-year master's degree (M-NQTs) will start working in primary school. The purpose of the education is to provide students with knowledge about research-based school development and increased specialization in key school subjects. STEP follows this generation of teachers through the last year of study and the first two years as teachers by studying: 1. What expectations do the students and their future colleagues, school leaders and owners have for the M-NQTs? mastery of the challenges they face in school? 2. To what extent are the M-NQTs? professional competence and insight into research valued and used in school? 3. What measures aimed at M-NQTs can contribute to retaining new teachers in the profession and be part of a comprehensive strategy for career development and competence development in schools? 4. How can research-based knowledge contribute to developing the national framework for mentoring NQTs?? STEP will develop research- and experience-based knowledge to stimulate debate and contribute to measures that enable new teachers to use their competence individually and in the professional community in the school. Data are collected via questionnaires, interviews, and observations, and are analysed and discussed in research circles consisting of researchers, students, M-NQTs, school owners, school leaders, teachers and representatives of the organizations participating in the project. STEP was launched nationally and internationally through a digital kick off on 23. August 2021. You can follow the STEP project on the University of Southeast Norway's website www.usn.no/STEP In the autumn of 2021, STEP conducted a quantitative study of students' expectations to their own competence and the meeting with the school as newly qualified teachers. The data are analysed and discussed in research circles consisting of researchers, students, recent graduates, school owners, school leaders, teachers and representatives of the organizations participating in the project. The project group consists of researchers from the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN), the Norwegian Arctic University (UIT) and representatives of the key parties in the education sector: The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS), Union of Education Norway and Pedagogstudentene. The project period is March 2021 to March 2025, Professor Eva Bjerkholt (USN) is project leader.

Partnership for Sustainable Transition from Teacher Education to Profession (STEP): Becoming a professional teacher is a collaboration and knowledge-building project. The initial teacher education (ITE) in Norway has been reformed from bachelor to master (M-ITE). The most critical R&D challenges STEP faces is the lack of teachers. In 2030, Norway will lack 4000 teachers in schools. Teacher shortage is due to various factors. STEP focuses on the transition from M-ITE to the profession. STEP aims to develop research- and experience-based knowledge on the transition period in order to influence further development, implementation and institutionalization of the Norwegian national framework for Mentoring Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) as a coherent induction and mentoring system for individual and collective learning for NQTs and schools. The novelty of STEP is the unique collaboration between researchers and stakeholders, the combination of research- and experienced based knowledge and the knowledge of policymaking in Norway and internationally. The partners are University of South-Eastern-Norway and UiT-The Arctic University of Norway. The main organisations of stakeholders at the national level are: Pedagogstudentene (Student teachers-NQTs), Union of Education Norway (teachers) and KS -The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (employers). These partners are involved to ensure that the project reflects the strategic focus of practitioners/actors in the profession, research and experience-based policymaking and to ensure broad diversification of results. The project is based within the academic environments affiliated with teacher education programmes, and benefits teacher education, professional practice and mentoring. STEP’s scientific impact is the methodology approach combining Cultural Historical Activity Theory and Research Circles to facilitate research- and experience-based dialogues for national and international policymaking.

Publications from Cristin

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FINNUT-Forskning og innovasjon i utdanningssektoren