This policy and practise review article examines how new policies and policy documents impact a graduate-level research school in Norway, Western Norway Graduate School of Educational Research II ...(WNGER II) on a general level. WNGER II is a research school consortium with seven universities and university colleges, six PhD programmes, 97 PhD candidates, and 48 supervisors. It was established in 2018 to complement existing PhD programmes and strengthen PhD education in Western Norway. A pilot phase (2016–2017) was used to identify and address specific challenges in PhD education as experienced in the seven universities and university colleges of Western Norway. Against this backdrop, this policy and practise review article builds on our previous research on doctoral-level education and aims to illuminate the more general learning and teaching conditions in the WNGER II consortium in light of national PhD regulations. This subject will be examined in light of the relationships among the arenas of formulisation (macro-level), transformation (meso-level), and realisation (micro-level). Frame factor theory is used as a lens to examine how new policies impact the doctoral level of higher education, and the main data source of the study is document analysis. The policy and practise review shows that the new national policies on doctoral education add a new layer of requirements on several levels, a situation that can be demanding and challenging for institutions and might be considered part of what has come to be known as a certain tendency toward “public management” within higher education. Such new policies and requirements constitute changing frame factors, which can enhance the focus on educational, study, and teaching quality at the doctoral level in WNGER II. For some institutions, such as research schools, it seems particularly fruitful to deal with challenges through collaborative measures. A general finding seems to be that if WNGER II (and similar research schools) is to optimise its potential as a collaborative research school, increased integration amongst its six different PhD programmes is required. The study finds that certain actionable recommendations could be relevant to consider in relation to the institutions' frame factors to facilitate further development of the research school. There are also several limitations on the study, since this is the first phase of formative dialogue research and only deals with a general policy review. Therefore, the findings should be interpreted with great caution.
Inclusion regarding challenging behaviour is one of the most demanding challenges for teachers. How schools succeed with inclusion regarding challenging behaviour can therefore be a good indicator of ...how they succeed in developing an inclusive practice in general. This paper addresses this with a rapid review of how mainstream teachers attribute challenging behaviour and what impact these attributions have on inclusion in schools. To identify the relevant literature, extensive database searches based on specific inclusion criteria were made in June 2020. This combined search generated 341 articles. 328 articles were rejected because they did not meet the inclusion criteria. An inductive thematic analysis was then conducted for the remaining 13 articles, which revealed the following categories: (1) 'lack of qualities and skills to be included', (2) 'mission impossible', (3) 'teachers as lifelong learners', (4) 'an inclusive ethos' and (5) 'leading towards inclusion'. The main finding was that teachers like students, can be seen as lifelong learners. The findings also indicated that 'placement' still seems to be the foundational concept in teachers' understanding of inclusion. We therefore ask whether other dimensions should replace that conceptual hub to accelerate the revision of thinking of inclusive practices.
This study investigated the characteristics of peer discussions used to support formative assessment in lectures, facilitated by a student response system, in an undergraduate qualitative methods ...course for psychology students. The intent was to examine the characteristics of peer discussions in which student response systems are used to facilitate the practice of formative assessment lectures. The research was guided by the following research questions: (1) What patterns of talk can be identified in the discussions? (2) How do the students use subject‐specific vocabulary in the discussions? (3) How the students’ understanding of the subject matter displayed in these discussions? To examine the characteristics of peer interactions, 87 student discussions were recorded and analysed. The concept of exploratory talk was used as a lens to examine the discussions. In 68 of the 87 discussions, the students exchanged ideas and elaborated on their peers’ ideas and understanding of the concepts. In the remaining 25 discussions, the process of reasoning was less visible. The findings are relevant for teaching designs that aims to use digital tools to facilitate formative assessment.
This position paper focuses on how the new national curriculum for school and the new general plan for teacher education in Norway change the underlying premises for teaching and learning in today's ...teacher education. This has become particularly pressing as a result of the new educational reform 'Knowledge Promotion' in schools, whereby digital competence is now the fifth basic competence in all subjects at all levels, as well as in the new teacher education curriculum in Norway. Against this background, the aim of this position paper is to elaborate on how a digital competence model can function on a micro level to fulfil the intentions from the national and institutional policy level. The research question considered by this paper is whether (and if so, how) a digital competence model for TEs can function as a model on an individual level.
Adaptive Learning Technologies (ALT) and Learning Analytics (LA) are expected to contribute to the customisation and personalisation of pupil learning by continually calibrating and adjusting pupils' ...learning activities towards their skill and competence levels. The overall aim of the study presented in this paper was to obtain a comprehensive understanding of how a systematic implementation of ALT influenced the learning outcomes, learning environment and motivation of 10- to 12-year-old pupils (grades 5-7 in Norwegian education) in mathematics, and the paper explores the following research question: How do systematic use of adaptive learning technology influence pupils' learning and motivation? In this small-scale, Mixed Methods Research (MMR) study, a real-life introduction of adaptive technology was initiated and explored. Fifteen minutes of ALT homework each day or a total amount of 60 minutes a week, was applied to streamline individual volume training and root learning and thus free up time for practical mathematics and deep learning at school. The pupils' level of competence, learning, motivation and basic psychological needs were measured quantitatively before and after the four-week intervention, and the intervention was observed qualitatively. The findings of the study indicate that use of ALT can help streamline volume training and root learning, and thus free up time for practical mathematics and deep learning at the upper primary level (ES = 0.39, P = 0.001). However, the study also indicates a interwoven relationship between learning, motivation and volume training that teachers should be aware of when using ALT. Particular attention should be paid when pupils learn new mathematical concepts.
The widespread use of educational technology in schools compels teachers to seamlessly integrate technology while developing students’ digital competence. As educational technology continually ...evolves, digital competence becomes a dynamic target. Thus, teacher education must effectively prepare student teachers to teach effectively with technology. Researchers are increasingly examining the concept of teachers’ digital competence and how teacher education supports student teachers’ acquisition of digital skills for future employability. In Nordic countries like Norway, the term Professional Digital Competence (PDC) frames a teacher’s essential knowledge for using digital technology in teaching and learning. Despite this focus, there’s limited understanding of how Norwegian teacher education fosters PDC. This scoping review investigates current research on PDC and its implementation within Norwegian teacher education. Findings from numerical and thematic analysis offer insights into the prevalent types of PDC research. Thirty-four peer-reviewed papers were identified and coded along three dimensions: (1) theoretical perspectives, (2) research questions and methods, and (3) application and implementation. The review reveals a predominant focus on student and teacher educator perceptions or self-assessments when measuring digital competence. Our findings show that professional digital competence in teacher education is diverse and multifaceted. However, there are gaps in the current state of knowledge. To address this, we propose a definition and a framework to guide teacher educators. Future research should broaden participant profiles and involve a more diverse group of educators.
Educational technology provides an opportunity to improve the quality of education. There is, however, a lack of uptake in utilizing the equipment provided, as well as a lack of well-established ...methods for monitoring the use of educational technology. In this paper, which is based on one of the largest ICT studies in secondary schools in Norway, we explore the relationship between upper secondary school teachers' digital competence analysed by demographic, personal and professional characteristics. The implications of this study are that demographic, personal and professional characteristics, such as a teacher’s age, work experience, gender, screen time and ICT education, predict teachers’ high or low digital competence in upper secondary school to a certain degree. Further research is recommended in order to validate these preliminary findings.
This case study investigates primary school teachers’ perceptions of their role and practices regarding classroom management in technology-rich classrooms. The data was collected through individual ...and focus group interviews, observation and a survey at a school where implementation of digital technologies has been a high priority over several years. The study identifies complexity and contemporary elements in teachers’ perceived role and practices, as the rapid evolution of ICT requires teachers to constantly keep up-to-date, gain new competencies and evaluate their practices to be able to facilitate learning in physical classrooms that have expanded to the digital space. In this process, the role of leadership, collegial collaboration, good teacher-pupil relationships and teachers’ ability to adapt and take up a role of a learner have been found pivotal.
PDF
