Early Career Teachers’ Experiences of Developing Professional Knowledge - from research-based teacher education through five years in the profession

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Master’s thesis as a part of research-based teacher education: A Finnish case

The aim of the current case study is to investigate the master’s theses written in 2016 and 2017 by primary school student teachers at a teacher education department in Finland. 111 theses were analyzed focusing on four distinct aspects of the thesis: topic, perspective, research approach and data collection method. The aim is further to discuss how to develop the master’s thesis within teacher education in order to promote teachers’ professional development. According to the findings, students wrote master’s theses of high scientific quality, although an explicit reflection on the relevance and transfer of the knowledge they had gained from the master’s thesis to their professional practice did not seem so obvious. The master’s thesis is an important part of research-based teacher education and should be developed to encourage students to adopt a research approach in their future work and enhance their profession in this direction

Predicting Finnish subject-teachers’ ICT use in Home Economics based on teacher- and school-level factors

This survey-based study (N = 161) investigates the direct and indirect effects of teacher- and school-level factors on subject-teachers’ use of ICT in Home Economics (HE). Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesised relationships between perceived usefulness of ICT in Home Economics, age, digital competence, ICT infrastructure, support and the three dimensions of ICT use: for cooperation, for facilitating pupils’ learning and for administration and lesson planning. Taking account of both direct and indirect effects, the main analysis reveals that the most important predictors of HE teachers’ ICT use are the teacher-level factors of digital competence, and perceived useful- ness of ICT in HE, as well as the school-level factor of support. The results also indicate a specific relationship between perceived useful- ness of ICT in HE and ICT use for facilitating pupils’ learning. Taken together, these findings highlight the relevance of teacher- and school-level factors in explaining the different dimensions of teachers’ ICT use. They further highlight the importance of providing HE tea- chers with the necessary support to develop their digital competence and increase their awareness of ICT’s potential value in enriching and supporting student learning in HE

Master's thesis - a tool for professional development. Newly qualified teachers' experiences of master's theses in research-based teacher education.

This study aims to investigate teachers’ experiences regarding their master’s theses directly after finishing teacher education and after one year in the profession. Previous research exposes the field as problematising the relationship between teachers’ independent scientific work and their professional qualification. Healey’s (2005) model, characterising four distinctions between research and teaching, provides a frame for analysing the theoretical concepts used in the present study. In this empirical study, 18 teachers were interviewed twice, immediately after completion of teacher education and after one year in the profession. The qualitative content analysis results in three themes characterising the teachers’ experiences with their master’s theses, focusing on their learning experiences and their relation to the teaching profession. These themes are subject knowledge, research-related knowledge and self-knowledge. The results show that the master’s thesis can be perceived as a tool for developing teachers’ knowledge, yet there is a need to facilitate the integration of their knowledge into their daily work and its relevance for the school community

Master's thesis - a tool for professional development. Newly qualified teachers' experiences of master's theses in research-based teacher education.

This study aims to investigate teachers’ experiences regarding their master’s theses directly after finishing teacher education and after one year in the profession. Previous research exposes the field as problematising the relationship between teachers’ independent scientific work and their professional qualification. Healey’s (2005) model, characterising four distinctions between research and teaching, provides a frame for analysing the theoretical concepts used in the present study. In this empirical study, 18 teachers were interviewed twice, immediately after completion of teacher education and after one year in the profession. The qualitative content analysis results in three themes characterising the teachers’ experiences with their master’s theses, focusing on their learning experiences and their relation to the teaching profession. These themes are subject knowledge, research-related knowledge and self-knowledge. The results show that the master’s thesis can be perceived as a tool for developing teachers’ knowledge, yet there is a need to facilitate the integration of their knowledge into their daily work and its relevance for the school community.publishedVersio

Early Career Teachers’ Experiences of Developing Professional Knowledge - from research-based teacher education through five years in the profession

publishedVersio

Newly qualified teachers’ understandings of research-based teacher education practices - Two cases from Finland and Norway

This study examines newly qualified teachers’ (NQTs) understandings of research-based teacher education practices by looking at two cases in Finland and Norway. The NQTs were interviewed after they had finished their master’s degrees and before they started their careers. The results of the individual semistructured interviews and a thematic analysis revealed a weak connection between research-based knowledge gained from initial teacher education (ITE) and the teachers’ professional work. The Finnish NQTs were highly research oriented, while the Norwegian NQTs focused on teachers’ development of their daily work. The results are discussed in relation to the theory of practice architectures, as well as how cultural-discursive, material-economic and social-political arrangements enable and constrain different kinds of research-based ITE practices in both countries

Newly qualified teachers’ understandings of research-based teacher education practices in Finland and Norway

This study examines newly qualified teachers’ (NQTs) understandings of research-based teacher education practices by looking at two cases in Finland and Norway. The NQTs were interviewed after they had finished their master’s degrees and before they started their careers. The results of the individual semistructured interviews and a thematic analysis revealed a weak connection between research-based knowledge gained from initial teacher education (ITE) and the teachers’ professional work. The Finnish NQTs were highly research oriented, while the Norwegian NQTs focused on teachers’ development of their daily work. The results are discussed in relation to the theory of practice architectures, as well as how cultural-discursive, material-economic and social-political arrangements enable and constrain different kinds of research-based ITE practices in both countries