Lacking structures of communication for teachers in Sweden, a focus group study

In light of the changing circumstances for teaching, teachers’ views on organizational communication processes were explored. Empirically, this paper is based on five semi-structured focus groups, each interviewed on two occasions. In total, 44 primary and lower secondary-school teachers working in one municipality in Sweden participated. The interviews were framed by a pre-survey concerning demographic data and a post-survey collecting data on the teachers’ assessment of the group climate. In the analysis, four themes that illustrate aspects of teachers’ perceptions and experiences of workplace communication were identified. The findings point to a lack of adequate and comprehensive structures for organizational communication

Psykolog i skolan. 2nd ed.

Att det ska finnas en psykolog i skolans elevhälsa är numera lagstadgat. Att psykologen ska finnas tillgänglig för samtlig personal, alla elever och deras föräldrar i frågor som är skolrelaterade är mindre självklart. Skolpsykologers förutsättningar ser väldigt olika ut och det finns ett stort behov av fortsatt utveckling. Boken är reviderad för att spegla kraven i den nya skollagen samt även uppdaterad med flera nya kapitel skrivna av verksamma skolpsykologer. I boken tar vi upp de organisatoriska och juridiska/etiska ramarna kring psykologens arbete i skolan, psykologens del av skolans samhällsuppdrag, relationer med elever och familjer, med skolan som organisation såväl som med det omgivande samhället. Psykologen spelar en central roll i skolan, både för elever och personal, och deltar i skolans arbete med förebyggande, utredande och behandlande insatser, personalhandledning och skolutveckling. Psykolog i skolan är skriven för blivande psykologer men även för yrkesverksamma psykologer, övrig personal i elevhälsan, pedagogisk personal och skolledning, eller andra som arbetar med skola och utbildningsfrågor

No time to talk! Teachers’ perceptions of organizational communication: Context and climate

Teachers’ perceptions of organizational communication were assessed using a tailored questionnaire, sampling 401 primary and lower secondary school teachers from two municipalities in Sweden. Overall, the teachers were satisfied with the workplace communication climate, the communication structure, and collegial communication; however, a lack of time for communication was reported. Using a job demands–resource framework and hierarchical linear regression, the organizational communication variables were shown to predict job satisfaction even when controlling for relevant work environment indicators. In total, the model predicted 49.2% of the variance in job satisfaction. It is argued that school leaders should focus primarily both on providing opportunities for collegial interactions and working actively to improve the communication climate in schools

No time to talk! Teachers' perception of workplace communication

Teachers’ perception of organizational communication was assessed with a tailored questionnaire sampling 401 primary and lower secondary school teachers from two municipalities in Sweden (response rate 61 %). Overall, the teachers were satisfied with the workplace communication climate, the communication structure, and collegial communication, while time for communication, was reported deficient. Utilizing a Job demands-resource framework and hierarchical linear regression, the organizational communication variables were shown to predict job satisfaction even when controlling for relevant work environment indicators. In total, the model predicts 49.2 % of the variance in job satisfaction. School leaders should preferably focus both on providing opportunities for collegial interactions and actively work to improve the communication climate in schools

The Preparation of School Psychologists and Specialists in Educational Psychology in Sweden

School psychologists have a new and stronger position in Sweden’s educational system than earlier. For example, as of July 2011, all Swedish students ages 6 through 18 have guaranteed access to school psychology services. The school psychologists’ roles are to be active participants and coworker in the student health service team, working to promote student health in the Learning environment. The preparation of school psychologists, licensing, and specialists training in educational psychology are described. Sweden’s school psychological services need further expansion at the undergraduate (first cycle) and master’s (second cycle) level university courses as well as improved possibilities for professional development and training

No Time to Talk! : Teachers' Perceptions of Organizational Communication and Work-related Health

During recent years, schoolteachers in Sweden have experienced many reforms and societal changes, resulting in altered conditions for work. Subsequently, many teachers have reported an increased workload and reduced well-being. In addition, previous research has identified a need for more contextually anchored measures of demands and resources pertaining to teachers’ work situation.This dissertation, based on two studies generating three papers, aims to investigate primary and lower secondary school teachers’ perceptions of organizational communication and work-related health. A need for more contextually anchored research on teachers’ worklife, in relation to organizational communication and in combination with other salient demands and resources is the theoretical and empirical starting point for the present research. Paper I is based on results from an explorative study using focus group methodology. In this study, workplace communication practices among schoolteachers were examined. A total of 44 participants (11 men, 33 women), were divided into five groups, each meeting twice. The qualitative study design was supplemented with two questionnaires, identifying demographic variables and group climate. Several problemareas regarding especially structure and time aspects of organizational communication were found. One noteworthy observation was the many idiosyncratic ways teachers handled daily challenges.In order to counter this, there is among other things an apparent need for support structures for organizational communication, such as communication platforms and meeting structures. The observed problems with deficient and weak communication may in the long-run negatively influence teachers’ work sustainability. These results speak directly to the relevance of organizational communication processes as they occur between teachers today. Paper II and III are based on results (N = 401) from a cross-sectional surveyadministered to all primary and lower secondary school teachers in two municipalities in southern Sweden. Central to the study was the use of contextually anchored organizational communication measures, partially developed from study I. Paper II reports on teachers’ perception of time for communication with colleagues, structures for communicative interactions in the school, the workplace communication climate, and collegial communication. Furthermore, this paper explores to what extent organizational communication in schools is associated with salient work environment indicators (quantitative demands, physical work environment, and role clarity), and to what extent organizational communication predicts job satisfaction above and beyondthe work environment indicators. Utilizing the Job Demands-Resources model as a framework, it was found that, along with the work environment related constructs, teachers’ perceptions of organizational communication act as predictors for job satisfaction (in total, 49.2% of the variance in job satisfaction is explained). Time for communication and collegial communication were the relatively stronger predictors for job satisfaction. Paper III reports on teacher work-related health and working conditions. Inaddition, the associations and proportional contributions of salient work-relatedconstructs for health-related outcomes were examined. The results show that 40.2% of the teachers are at risk for depression. A worrying 43.8% of the teachers in this study qualify as leading a sedentary life-style, and 33.7% reported insufficient recovery from work. The results further indicate that separation between work and spare time as well as recovery from work partially mediate the association between job satisfaction and the outcome variables, well-being and health complaints as explored in two separate models. These results confirm recent national research pointing to the teaching profession as a vulnerable occupational group. The results from the present dissertation add to previous findings on teachers’ work situation, using contextually anchored demands and resources. The results further suggest that the Job Demands-Resources model can be extended by including organizational communication as one important aspect of organizationally centered constructs. Of practical relevance are results indicative of problems with teachers finding time to interact with colleagues, the possibility to recover from work, and insufficient separation between work and spare time. The studies have not received any external funding

Book review: Heltäckande bok om maktlekar

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