Masterpiece or Nightmare?
The degree project in teacher education in Sweden.
Anders Råde
Department of Education
UmeåUniversity
Sweden
Paper presented at the European Conference on Educational Research, University College Dublin, 7-10 September 2005
A contribution to the EERA network n.10, Teacher Education Research.
Abstract
This is a study about the degree project in the teacher education in Sweden. It analysis some steering documents and their idea about the meaning and function of the degree project. As instrument for this analysis is chosen three different thought-styles, inspired by Fleck´s (1997) epistomological theory and Gustavsen´s (2001) idea about mediating discourse. The three thought-styles are the theoretical, the practical and the mediating. An evaluation that has newly been done on the teacher education is also studied.
The conclusion is that from 1993 when the project was introduced the impact from the theoretical thought-style has increased, and the practical thought-style has decreased its impact. It has also been rather obvious that it is difficult to study the mediating thought-style. It is suggested that other methods is to be used to study this kind of thought-style. It I also suggested that the mediating thought-style may be one way to get a more masterpiece-effect and lesser nightmare-effect from the degree-project in the teacher education. Other implications is that the there is a problem how to understand and introduce the increasing theoretical thought-style, and that the theoretical training can be to technical and miss the most important part of scientific thinking. One idea is also that maybe more focus on improvement research in the degree project may be fruitful, but has also its problems.
Introduction
Since 1993 a final degree project has been an obligatory part in the Swedish teacher education. From the beginning there has been a hesitance about how this project is to be realized. Shall it be recognized as mainly as a final comprehensive assessment of the teacher education? Or shall it be recognized as mainly an assessment of the theoretical parts of the education, and preparation for postgraduate studies? Shall the degree project be mainly an assessment of the practical part of the education, the skill of teaching? Shall the project be reported as a written statement or can it in some part be reported in another way, by example as a product or performance?
In here doctoral dissertation Lendahl Rosendahl (1998), a case study were she studied eight teacher student, found that the degree project was considered both frustrating and inspiring, as it presents conflicting demands as well as openings for a new way of learning.
A later study at Linköpings university by Bergqvist (2000), she interviewed both twentythree teacher students and eleven tutors, about the degree project. Here is also the result a bit divided. The project has both given the students an opportunity for problematization and critical analyse of pedagogical issues, but has also given them a feeling of difficulty and uncertainty. One interesting, and a bit alarming result was also that many students had learned mostly the technical ways of doing and writing a small scientific study. Only few of the students expressed that they have learned a new way of thinking. Some tutors also have the impression that many students have a lacking in independence and that they have shown very little curiosity and inquiring attitude during the work with the degree project.
It is this complex of problems that has inspired me to do this study. What is really the meaning for having the degreeproject in the teacher education? Is it possible to se this in the steering document issued by the state? I will in this first study concentrate my investigation on the official documents but also study an evaluations made about the teacher education.
A phenomena that I think have had a great impact on the teacher education in Sweden is its double historical tradition and origin. These two traditions are usually called “the Seminar (training school) tradition”, and “the University (academic) tradition” (Hartman 1995). To be brief you can out of Hartman´s historical description say that the Seminar-tradition has its origin from the special institutions that was created in the beginning of the 1900th century to educate the first elementary-school teachers. This tradition has a concentration on more vocational training and how to act as a teacher. The University tradition has its origin connected to the secondary grammar schools and the education for their teachers. They have mostly a tradition of studying ordinary subjects at the university, and having very little practical training how to act as a teacher. An important difference between the two traditions is also that the universities has tradition that heavy emphasis the autonomy and the academic freedom, in contrast to the seminars more sensitiveness for the demands from the state and very much more normative view on teacher education. In 1977 came a reform that integrated all education after upper secondary schools in the universities, (SFS 1977:218). This integrated the both traditions formally but not without problems. In spite of further changes and ambitions to integrate the two traditions it is rather obvious that some of the antagonism is still causing trouble in the teacher education of today.
It seems useful in the analysis of the function the degree project to have these two traditions in mind in some way. I also think it would be interesting to see if there is any signs that there is any exchange of ideas between the two traditions.
I also think that it is possible these traditions have had a rather great impact on the student view on the degree project. Is the more negative view, I call it the “Nightmare”-view, maybe caused by a stagnation followed by conflict between the traditions. And is the more positive view, I call it the “Masterpiece”-view, a sign of a good development and integration between these two traditions?
Thought-style and thought-collective
One possible way to analyse the meaning of the degree project can be to try to find different thought-collectives and thought-styles, by using the conception of epistemology created by Ludwig Fleck and recently studied by Liliequist (2003). This theory resembles in many part with the well known theory of Thomas Kuhn (1962) and his expression “paradigm”. But there are also some important differences.
One important difference is that Kuhn´s theory is mainly about scientific studies and Flecks theory is about all human activity. This makes Flecks theory very suitable for this study, when teacher education has a more scientific part but also a more practical and vocational part.
The resemblance between the two theories is that they both talks about patterns of thinking in the mind of peoples. Fleck is a bit more distinct in his ideas and also has a more open attitude for the changing of thinking-patterns/thought-styles in the mind of people.
Fleck defines thought-style as the result of the theoretical and practical education of the given individual, in passing from teacher to pupil, it is a certain traditional value that is subjected to a specific historical development and specific sociological laws. This thought-style exists in a specific group of peoples, a collective. This Fleck calls a thought-collective.
Special for Fleck is that he sees that different thought-collectives have problems in understanding each other, but also that the can be some possibilities that thought-collectives can change their thought-styles. Here Fleck is expresses very clear that there can be an more slow developing of thought-styles, were Kuhns theory has a more dramatic view on how paradigms changes in stages, so called paradigmatic shifts.
My own view is that not all but most changes in human thinking may occur in rather slow matter. It may also be the fact in many educational situation, as for example teacher education, were there is a rather conservative view on how to work and act. This may both be good and bad, but I think is may be very useful in this study to concentre the analysis to the changing of different thought-styles and how different thought-styles have influence on each other.
I will in this study use Fleck´s thought-style. Implicit this will also means that there is a special group, a thought-collective, that has this thought-style. This collective may also have more than one thought-style, but I will only be interested in the thought-style linked to the degree project in teacher education.
In my analysis I am also inspired by Gustavsen (2001) who has written about three different discourses in the relation between theory and practice. They are the discourse on theory, the mediating theory and the discourse on practice. Inspired by Fleck´s thought-style and Gustavsen´s discourses, I have constructed a model about different thought-styles in connecting with the teacher education, fig. 1. This model I think fits very well with my use of thought-styles in this study, were I have special interest in just the mediating effect between two different thought-styles.
Fig. 1. Different thought-styles in the teacher education.
Three thought-styles
Using Hartman´s ideas about the two traditions and Gustavsen´s idea about the mediating discourse, I find I t possible to find some characteristic ideas for the different thought-styles;
- Theoretical thought-style
-Preparation for research studies
-Scientific trained tutor
-Scientific approach and demands
-Independent attitude
-Comprehensive and abstract problems
-Critical study
-Read and write scientific publications
- Practical thought-style
-Preparation for the future profession
-Tutor or second Tutors from the future profession
-Problems coming from the concrete every day life in the profession
-Improvement work in the profession
- Mediating thought-style
-Integration between theory and practice
-“Open” seminars and lectures for both student and professional teachers
-Examinators from both university and the profession.
-Popular science writings
Research question
How can we, with the help of thought-styles, interpret and understand the introduction and meaning of the degree project in the teacher education in Sweden?
Methodology
In this study I have read documents issued by the Swedish government that have any writings about the introduction and the meaning of the degree project in the teacher education.
First I have tried to find any earlier form of degree project. Then I have concentrated my research on documents from 1993 when the project was formal regulated, and I have also studied a very new evaluation of the teacher education.
In my reading/analysis I have tried to identity the three thought-styles about the degree project, and also tried to find which thought-style that is predominant.
This study is a part of a network of some Swedish universities in a research project called “The power over the degree project”. This project is mainly a kind of action research. This study has an emphasis more on preliminary and documentary methods.
Definitions
In this study I will call the teachers at the universities that are working and leading the degree project for tutors.
The Swedish teacher education that this study will concentrate on is mainly the one for the nine year compulsory school. The reason is that this is the largest school-level and also the only one that is compulsory. Many aspects of this study are also useful for the analysis of the preschool-teacher and upper secondary school-teacher education.
Results
The special project
Before 1992 there is no regulation about any kind of projects in the stat regulations and laws. But I have found that an government investigation from early 90th
UHÄ (The Office of Universities and higher schools) (1991), have found that many of the teacher education universities have themselves local regulations that states that the student shall write a “special”-project. The project is often regulated as a five weeks project.
This project is mentioned as one of the ways to strengthen the scientific basis in the teacher education, but it is also explicit linked to the improvement research and is connected to the practical part of the education.
I interpret that this is a kind of earlier form of degreeproject, but in relation to the thought-styles it seems that both the theoretical and the practical styles had about the same influence on the projects function, but there is a bit more domination for the practical thought-style. It is more difficult to say anything about the special projects mediating function.
The introduction of the degree project 1992
In this year the government did a rather dramatic change in the way to steer the education at the universities. In a government bill the minister of education expresses very clear that the old system had been to much top down steering (Prop1992/93:1). Now they introduce a form of steering by goals, and instead of having regulating plans for every education they introduce what is called “Examination regulation”.
The first examination regulation for the teacher education has this statement about the degree project:
“To get the teacher exam the students shall
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-have accomplished a degree project in which they have related the scientific theories, that the students have learned during the education, to the future assignments as teachers”
(Utbildningsväsendets författningsböcker 94/95 bil 3)
Here I find the two thought-styles, theoretical and practical, had about the same importance in the writings. It states very explicit that scientific theories must be a part of the project, but also that these theories must be related to the future assignment as teachers. The mediating thought-style is not so obvious, but putting theories in relation to the real concrete tasks can have a mediating effect.
It is interesting that it is for the degree-project had a bit opposite effect than what this regulations reform had for intention. The minister did not want the state to steer the educations in detail, but for the degree-project the reform lead to a rather strict regulation, now the project must be there. But on the other hand there is no statement about the proportions of the project. In reality this had the result that the project could be from 5 weeks to 10 weeks projects. Only few universities did recognize it as a regular degree-project so that the students could go direct to postgraduate level.
Examination regulation 2001
This year the teacher education was reformed in rather revolutionary way. Now all kind of teacher has nearly the same writings in the examination regulation and had a lot of courses in common. The idea is to get a more equal education for all kind of teachers and a promotion for more cooperation between teachers on different levels.
Now we get these writings in the regulations;
“To get the teacher exam the students shall have done a 10 weeks independent project (degree project).” (SFS 2001:23)
From this is very hard to get any idea about the meaning and function of the project. This vague writing can be seen as a sign of less strict regulation from the government. But to understand the thoughts about the meaning and function of the project we must read other documents.
Government-report 1999
In 1997 the government appointed a group to investigate the idea of a new teacher education. Some years later the report was ready, “To learn and lead – A teacher education for co-operation and development”. (SOU 1999:63)
In this report it stats very clear that the degree-project is an important part in the students development of a scientific understanding. But they also point out that the students in the degree project shall deepen and widen their knowledge in their future profession. Another point is that one ambition is also to prepare the students so that they can read and use research studies for developing their profession. The well done degree project is also said to be a measurement both for future employment and also for the acceptance for postgraduate studies.
It is rather obvious that both the theoretical as the practical thought-style is present, but in an overall interpretation it is also obvious that the scientific aspect is more often mentioned and a bit dominating.
Another phenomena that have confirmed the scientific aspect is also that now are teacher students qualified more directly for postgraduate studies.
University law 1992
It can also be interesting for this study to investigate what the general regulation for all university education ha any indications about our thought-styles.
In 1992 the writings in the existing University law paragraph as follows;