Vocational teacher competence in broad education programs

Abstract

This article aims at illuminating the areas of competence a vocational teacher needs for teaching in a broad vocational education program in upper secondary schools in Norway. Previous research has shown that there is a broad consensus on the general overarching areas of competence a teacher needs for teaching. However, there is little research on the skills that are specifically required to teach in broad education programs. In 2020 there will be a new educational reform who has a clear demand for early vocational specialisation in the first year of the education. The purpose of the study is to explore the implications that the altered requirements for teacher competence has for the content in vocational teacher education. The research questions addressed what kind of competences the students showed in their pedagogical practice, and how to strengthen vocational education. The applied research methods include interviews, qualitative questionnaires, documentation from dialogue conferences, evaluations, some quantitative elements, and analysis of students` and teachers` texts in the period 2014-2017. The results show that both, students and vocational teachers, need more training in practical vocational skills linked to broad educational programs related to the different vocations in broad educational programs. The findings highlight the need for comprehensive teacher competence. At the same time, early professionalisation requires strengthening of the academic substance that forms parts of the common elements of broad education programs. The results show a needed strengthening of the coherence between pedagogy and vocational didactics, and the field of practice.