A Text to the ASSEM, RN3, on Teacher Training

A text to the ASSEM, RN3, on teacher training

Bjarne Wahlgren, 2016-09-05

Implementation of teachers’ new competences

The impact of different factors on the implementation of teachers’ new competences acquired in in-service training programme

When a school system invests in teacher training, it is expected that this training will make the teachers better at their job and thereby enhance the performance of the system. The training is expected to have an impact on the teachers’ way of teaching. The study reported here analyses the impact of teacher training as well as the factors determining the amount and form of the implementation of the teachers’ new acquired competences.

The study aims to develop and implement new competences for teachers in the vocational training system. This aim has been pursued over a two-year period by engaging teachers from 16 vocational schools in an in-service training programme.

Approximately 320 teachers participated in the training programme which consisted of courses, seminars and comprehensive coaching sessions at the schools. At half of the schools, teachers were trained to teach in a more holistic way, i.e. to create a close connection between the different school subjects and furthermore to secure a better relation between school and workplace. At the other half of the schools, the teachers were trained to teach in a more ‘progressive’ way, i.e. that students should experience a progression in their own learning process. Both of the educational approaches were expected to have a positive effect on student outcome.

The overarching research question for the project was concerned with the impact that the training programmes would have on the teachers’ daily performances at school. Experiences and previous research result have documented a gap between the content of the teacher training, the amount that teachers learn, and the actual change in the current behaviour of the teachers. In this study we focused on factors improving the implementation process and bridging the gap.

The teachers’ preconditions and the organizational structure at the schools explain the variation in the degree of implementation in the schools. The content of the training and the degree of satisfaction with the instructors seem only the have a modest influence. A concurrent training program for school managers does not seem to have any impact on the (teachers’) implementation of new actions.