A comprehensive view of trust in education: Conclusions from a systematic literature review

Trust is considered to be a crucial element of social cohesion. At the same time, as research has shown, education can be understood as an important precondition of trust. Furthermore, contextual conditions are important for the development of trust. In spite of this, the role of trust in the multi‐level education system has been scarcely investigated. This paper introduces a comprehensive model of trust in the education system, based on a systematic literature review of 183 recent peer‐reviewed articles following a thematic and interpretive review approach. The suggested model consists of four interconnected elements (generalised trust, educational governance, educational settings, educational attainment). By introducing a comprehensive model of trust in multi‐level education systems the paper aims at opening up perspectives for future theoretically driven, interdisciplinary comparative research that may shed further light on the role of trust in education systems. The paper proceeds as follows. First, trust is discussed as a complex subject in research, policy and practice in multi‐level education systems, and key research questions are derived from this. Second, the methodology of the systematic literature review is explained. Third, results from the literature review are presented, focusing on three domains of trust and their interrelations. Fourth, the comprehensive model of trust in multi‐level education systems is introduced. The fifth section discusses the findings and explores how future research could advance a comprehensive understanding of trust in education

Trust in Educational Settings—What It Is and Why It Matters. European Perspectives

This editorial paper introduces the relevance of trust in educational settings. It discusses interdisciplinary approaches to trust, reflects upon the relationships between trust and education and how trust has so far been studied in educational research. In addition, a comprehensive model of trust is introduced as a framework for the individual papers of this special issue that altogether, through different disciplinary and methodological lenses, investigate trust in various realms of education in five European countries

Trust in Educational Settings: Insights and Emerging Research Questions

The theoretical and empirical foundations of research on trust in education are still weak. To contribute to a better understanding of the role of trust in educational systems, this final article of the special issue “Trust in educational settings. European perspectives” highlights the findings from the contributions in this special issue and links them to insights and concepts from interdisciplinary trust research. Furthermore, it identifies and discusses seven avenues for future research on trust in educational settings. Thus, this paper and the special issue as a whole aim to highlight relevant avenues for future research, thereby strengthening research on trust in education

Interdependencies of Culture and Functions of Sustainability Governance at Higher Education Institutions

Sustainable development practices in higher education institutions are diverse, with regard not only to the types of challenges that have to be addressed, but also to the forms of sustainability governance adopted by individual higher education institutions. This paper aims to reflect on the aspects of organizational culture that are particularly crucial for the implementation of sustainable practices at higher education institutions. Specifically, it addresses the research question: how do different organizational cultures affect approaches to sustainability governance at higher education institutions (HEIs)? It reflects on data from multi-case studies at eleven German higher education institutions. Four of the cases are analyzed in this paper to draw out the insights they offer on how organizational culture shapes the institutions’ approach to sustainable development. A governance equalizer is used as a functional framework for evaluating and discussing the influence of different cultural orientations on sustainability governance. In addition to providing many insights and findings in relation to specific cases, comparison of the different institutions, their governance structures and their cultures of sustainable development helps to emphasize that there is no single cultural factor that can be identified as directly promoting particular governance structures. Rather, there is an active interplay between cultural orientations, which influence, and are also influenced by, the measures deployed. Such influence is not instantly apparent but needs time to develop, and it evolves in a variety of ways as illustrated by the case studies

On creating education management arenas in Learning Locally

Mit dem Programm Lernen vor Ort wurden zwischen 2009 und 2014 Kommunen als Hauptakteure im Bildungswesen und mit der Aufforderung angesprochen, ein kohärentes Bildungswesen vor Ort als Voraussetzung für ein erfolgreiches Lernen im gesamten Lebenslauf zu schaffen. Der Beitrag stellt auf der Basis von 14 Fallstudien aus ausgewählten Kommunen Ergebnisse der wissenschaftlichen Begleitforschung der ersten drei Programmjahre vor. Mit Bezug auf das Theorie- und Analysepotenzial der Governance-Perspektive und das Konzept der Sozialen Welten und Arenen werden konflikthafte Aushandlungsprozesse als Bedingungen für den Aufbau von Arenen gefasst. Die Arena Bildungsmanagement wird dabei als sozialer Brückenbauer rekonstruiert, der die Arenen Integration in die kommunale Verwaltung, Einbindung relevanter Akteure und Bildungsmonitoring durch Koordination und Vernetzung, die Erhöhung von Transparenz und durch Bildungsmarketing und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit moderiert. (DIPF/Orig.)The five-year programme (2009–2014) Learning Locally invited communities to become champions for education, and to take the initiative to build a coherent local education system – a prerequisite for life-long learning. This article presents results from the first three years of the accompanying academic research, based on 14 case studies conducted in selected communities. Drawing on the theoretical and analytical potential of governance and the concept of social worlds and arenas, conflictual negotiation processes were found to be a condition for the creation of arenas. The Education Management arena is reconstructed as a social boundary spanner. Through coordination, networking, increased transparency as well as education marketing and public relations, Education Management facilitates the interaction of the arenas Integration in the Communal Administration, Involvement of Relevant Protagonists, and Education Monitoring. (DIPF/Orig.

A multi‐case study of dimensions and implications

Organisational culture is frequently mentioned in the context of sustainability governance in higher education institutions, but its substance and role for organisational development remain largely unclear. This paper argues that, in fact, sustainability governance in higher education institutions is predicated on cultural orientations. These are explored empirically based on 61 expert interviews with stakeholders (management, sustainability commissioners, academic and technical staff, students) in eleven German higher education institutions. Qualitative (thematic, evaluative) content analysis was used to code and compare data across cases. The study identifies four cultural key dimensions and two overarching orientations: organisational learning orientation and holistic orientation. The analysis suggests that both orientations tend to reinforce each other. They also represent key areas which need to be addressed by higher education institutions seeking change towards sustainable development. The findings demonstrate the need for future research on organisational cultures of sustainability governance and their development over time