5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg The Connection of School Improvement and School-Intern Further Teacher Education at Vocational.

5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg

The Connection of School Improvement and School-Intern Further Teacher Education at Vocational Schools in the Canton of Zurich

Silke PieneckUniversity of Zurich

(Switzerland)

Johannesburg, April 24, 2013

5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg

Agenda– Introduction– Background: Basic structure of Swiss teacher

education– School-intern further teacher education (in the

Canton of Zurich)– School improvement (in the Canton of Zurich)

– Former studies

– Research questions

– Methodology

5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg

Introduction– Quality discussions in schools have arisen repeatedly in

Switzerland (and other German-speaking countries) due to poor results in international comparative studies (e.g. PISA)

– Schools face increasing educational requirements

– Beause of their closeness to firms, vocational schools, as an important partner in the dual vocational system, are particular affected by these challenges

5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg

5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg

(School-Intern) Further Teacher Education

- Continuous maintenance/update of the gained competence level (Terhard, 2000, S. 131)

≠ Not an enhancement of the gained competence level (Terhard, 2000, S.131)

- Different forms of further teacher education:

- Individual vs. institutional

- School-intern vs. school-external

5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg

School-Intern Further Teacher Education in the Canton of Zurich

- Teachers are obliged by law to continue their education regularly (LPG, § 18, Abs. 4, S. 1)

No concrete regulations given

- Each semester all schools have a full day of school-intern further teacher education

- Attendance is mandatory

- Arrangement (topics etc.) is completely left to the single schools

5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg

School Improvement

– Former studies of quality research in schools reveal that single schools vary greatly in terms of quality (Fend, 1986)

School improvement focusses always on single schools (“meso level“)

– Lack of theory; no gerneral definition

– Constitutive parts of school improvement (Rolff et al. 1998, S. 16)

– Organizational development

– Personnel development

– Lesson development

5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg

School Improvement in the Canton of Zurich

- Schools are engaged by law to develop a school-intern systematical quality management (including quality demands, procedures and methods of quality assurance) (cp. Kanton Zürich (Bildungsdirektion), 2005)

- Every school has documents where the school improvement objectives are fixed; school programs often outdated

- School governance appoints a so-called quality insurance team (2-5 persons), in practice a steering group forms around them

- Every 6 years 2 school-intern evaluations regarding school specific subject matters have to be carried out and one external evaluation by a special governmental institution (ibid, 2005)

5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg

Former Swiss Studies1. Howald, M. (1992). Teacher Training and Further Teacher Education at

Vocational Schools in Switzerland: Inventory and Perspectives for Further Development.(Aus- und Weiterbildung der Lehrkräfte an Berufsfachschulen in der Schweiz: Bestandsaufnahme und Perspektiven zur Weiterentwicklung)

2. Landert, C. (1999). Further Teacher Education in Switzerland: Results of Chosen Further Educational Syststems and Development Directions for an Effective Personnel Development in Schools. (Lehrerweiterbildung in der Schweiz: Ergebnisse der Evaluation von ausgewählten Weiterbildungssystemen und Entwicklungslinien für eine wirksame Personalentwicklung in den Schulen.)

3. Haari, R. (2000). Further Education at Vocational and Middle Schools in the Canton of Zurich: Use, Evaluation and Needs of Teachers.(Weiterbildung an Berufs- und Mittelschulen des Kantons Zürich: Nutzung, Bewertung und Bedürfnisse von Lehrpersonen.)

4. Ruegg, S. (2000). Further Education and School Improvement: An Empirical Study of the Cooperation of Teachers.(Weiterbildung und Schulentwicklung: Eine empirische Studie zur Zusammenarbeit von Lehrerinnen und Lehrern.)

5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg

Former (Swiss) Studies: Conclusion

- Perspective:

- demand-oriented (teachers were questioned)

-Thematic Focal Points:

- frame conditions, attitude towards further teacher

education, reasons for participation/non-participation

(preferences, needs, offers), effectiveness

- Research Desiderata:

- lack of systematisation and theory building, practice

5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg

Research Questions I

– How inter-coordinated are school-intern further teacher education and school improvement at single vocational schools at the Canton of Zurich?

– And to what extend does school-intern further teacher education contribute to the attainment of school improvement goals?

5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg

Research Questions II

5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg

Methodology

1. Documentary analysis of school concepts/other documents

2. Qualitative interviews of the extended governence (department managers responsible for school improvement and schul-intern further teacher education)

3. Qualitative Study of vocational school teachers

4. Group discussion/experiment (?)

5th International Conference, 23-24 April 2013, Johannesburg

Thank you for your attention!