Teacher shortage in Sweden : time to take action?

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Using the lens of liminality to understand important steps in creating conditions for networked learning in work-integrated learning

In this paper university teachers' and professionals’ work in the BUFFL project, a networked work-integrated lifelong learning project with flexible online course modules. The project involved a meeting space between academia and industry bank organizations or insurance companies in Sweden. Previous research in the project reported that four important steps are important for a successful establishment of a networked community of practice and networked learning. In this paper, the concept of liminality, or a liminal space, is used to explore work-integrated learning.  The short paper concludes that there is a balance to strike between the risks and possibilities of liminality in learning in practice. From the different perspectives of liminality, a balance is needed when academia and industry meet. While both academia and industry bring their formal spaces and structures, this meeting can be said to create a liminal space that provides a free and uncertain place of possibilities where learning and transformation take place

Networked aspects of lifelong work-integrated learning: The BUFFL case

The increasingly digitalised and continuously changing working life needs a continuous lifelong professional development that preferably is networked and work-integrated. This this study builds upon university teachers' and course participants’ experiences from a technology enhanced project called BUFFL A pilot project that combines truly work-integrated learning with lifelong learning, in a strive to address the contemporary need for continuous professional development. The important aim in the BUFFL project is to develop a model for collaborative, flexible, and lifelong professional development. A new and interesting concept in the BUFFL project was to involve concept of Bringing Your Own Data for activities in course modules. The aim of this study is to describe and discuss the lifelong work-integrated learning in the BUFFL project from a networked learning perspective. Data were gathered from e-mail interviews with teachers, e-mail conversations between teachers, facilitators and course participants, and from course evaluations. Results from the data sources have been grouped into three main themes in an inductive thematic analysis. Findings show that in academia, in industry, and in the in between a potential is found in the form of collaborative learning. A networked collaboration that should involve the theories from academia, combined with real-world-problems in the workplace, to achieve a fruitful meeting between academia and the industr

Building hybrids between higher education and society: Applying a networked work-integrated learning framework in a business administration program

In this study, the changed context for higher education institutions is analysed through the lens of various approaches to collaboration between higher education institutions and society. Three different approaches are discussed: the ivory tower, the factory, and the network. Although these approaches differ, higher education institutions are complex organisations and can embrace a mix of approaches. Nevertheless, depending on the approach applied, this impacts how collaboration between higher education institutions and organisations in society plays out. The study contextualised these approaches in a joint higher education-industry project focusing on developing work-integrated learning (WIL) in a Business Administration program. WIL should embrace practice-based pedagogical methods and strategies by integrating theoretical knowledge in the workplace. To achieve WIL, a network of stakeholders needs to be engaged actively in practice-based activities. The study aimed to report preliminary results from a higher education work-integrated learning project. The following research question was posed: How can higher education institutions, together with organisations in society, apply a networked approach to work-integrated learning? Thus, this paper contributes to knowledge regarding the networked aspects of the design and development of a preliminary framework, including the following themes: Exchanges of experiences and knowledge, Guest lecturers and Bring-Your-Own-Data (BYOD) assignments. These themes manifest a networked WIL framework as a hybrid between higher education and society. First, the networks of experiences and knowledge within academia merge with those of experiences and knowledge in society. Between these two, a hybrid networked work-integrated framework links higher education and society. Second, the same can be said to be true for guest lecturers. Here, guest lecturers became a link between higher education and society and therefore merge the two networks of learning through information and knowledge exchange. Third, BYOD assignments provided further manifestations of a networked WIL framework. Authentic data from the workplace meet the theories of higher education and a hybrid is created. When practice meets theory, they, too, become a link between higher education and society

Lifelong learning and the transformation of higher education: A preliminary framework built on networked learning experts’ perceptions

Societal development in the 21st century has had an impact on competencies needed in working life. Such development includes a continuous professional development, and a lifelong learning process where higher education institutions are an essential partner. Contemporary lifelong learning has multiple purposes such as increased employability, organisational development, global competition, and also hopefully involves the aspect of personal development. This paper aims at reporting preliminary results focused on lifelong learning and the current transformation of higher education, posing the following research question: How can a preliminary framework for lifelong learning based on networked learning experts' perceptions of the transformation of higher education be designed? Eight experts from six different global regions, known for their research and publication records in higher education, lifelong and work-integrated learning, were invited to participate in this study, which involved multiple data collection methods. Data analysis involved staged thematic analysis with multiple coders and inter-rater verification and negotiation. The preliminary findings note the current state of the analysis based on the perceptions expressed by these experts in interviews. These findings consist of the following elements: Lifelong learning, Pedagogy, and Technology. These elements are each represented by a circle that intersects with the transformation of higher education and are seen to be surrounded and impacted by three different levels: the individual, organizational and societal levels. These levels interplay with the elements of Lifelong learning, Pedagogy, and Technology as driving forces in the transformation of higher education. How these driving forces will continue to have an impact on higher education, and how higher education steps up to take on these challenges warrant further research

Teacher shortage in Sweden: time to take action?

In Sweden, the lack of teachers is a national challenge and a societal problem, and the difference between supply and demand for teacher students will increase until 2035. Today, only 7 out of 10 teachers in compulsory school have certification and the variation between schools and regions is great. The overall aim of this article is to explore and analyse the current state of teacher shortage in Sweden. Document analysis was used for reviewing, evaluating and analysing documents, and constructionist thematic analysis was adopted. The results show that there are many different, overlapping or similar factors behind the Swedish teacher shortage and are related to reforms, retention and recruitment. Several curriculum and teacher education reforms have changed and deteriorating work environments and have led to many dropouts for the profession. Low status and the constant poor picture the media portray of Swedish schools and teachers have a strong impact on Sweden’s teacher shortage. Further, political reforms on communalization, decentralization, teacher certification and privatization of schools have changed the structural conditions. Therefore, we call for a change in the attitude towards the teaching profession. Thus, this article provides insights for teachers, teacher educators, policy makers and other stakeholders on the national and international level

Building a network for collaborative support in professional development

This paper aims to explore and describe important steps in creating beneficial conditions for networked learning in a project in organisations. In the inception phase of the project, four important steps were identified: creating a common virtual space, the handshake, the initial support and the mentorship. It is concluded that all the four described steps are important for a successful establishment of a networked community of practice

Den allvarliga lärarbristen i Sverige - hur kunde detta hända och vad kan vi göra?

I denna artikel redovisas troliga orsaker till den omfattande lärarbristen i Sverige och möjligheter att lösa den på längre sikt. Data är baserat på en omfattande litteraturöversikt och en webbundersökning. Den teoretiska förankringen återfinns i tre styrningsteorier och dess konsekvenser för det studerade området. Resultatet visar att lärarbristen kan spåras minst 50 år tillbaka i tiden och att orsakerna är många och komplexa, exempelvis många olika reformer, försämrade villkor, låg status för yrket och New Public Management som styrningsfilosofi. Möjligheterna att lösa problemen på lång sikt är flera: högre löner, bättre arbetsvillkor, stärkt professionsidentitet, högre status samt flexibla vägar att studera till lärare.

The use of digital technologies in a 1:1 laptop initiative : The parent perspective

The use of digital technologies is now a natural part of schoolwork in many schools. The use of digital technologies and the conditions for technology-enhanced learning and school development were studied in two schools, an upper-secondary school and a compulsory school, over a period of 3 years, exploring the student, teacher, school leader, and school perspectives. In this small study, two surveys (N = 26; N = 17) were used to provide further insights into the compulsory school, by exploring the parent perspective of a 1:1 laptop initiative. Laptop use in the classroom was seen as a potential pedagogical tool for structure and support in learning activities, student responsibility for schoolwork, and issues of digital equity. Challenges included increased laptop use, difficulties regarding insight into and monitoring of schoolwork and homework, students’ focus on schoolwork in the classroom environment, and physical aspects. The results show that the parent perspective provides important insights for teachers, school leaders, and school organizers that may help support students’ learning through the use of digital technologies in the classroom