An education reform's encounter with different school cultures and understandings

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7577/sjvd.5227

Keywords:

Information Technology and Media Production, vocational education and training, educational reform, implementation, activity theory

Abstract

This article aims to contribute knowledge about how different school cultures and vocational teachers' various educational and vocational backgrounds have influenced the interpretation of the curriculum in a new educational program. Education reforms adopted at the national level are interpreted and implemented in the context of each school's or teacher team's culture and understanding. As a result, different practices may develop in schools within the same educational program. The article draws on data from group interviews with teacher teams on vg1 Information Technology and Media Production (ITMP) in four schools. On the one hand, the educational program is a new establishment. On the other hand, it consists of elements from the educational provision of ICT service and Media Production/Media and Communication, with their traditions, characteristics, and similarities. The technological development will require significant adjustments in vocational education in the coming years. The study contributes to knowledge about the conditions characterising individual teachers' and teacher teams' encounters with ongoing reform processes in vocational education. Using the second-generation activity theory, we analyse the conditions characterising the implementation work in four ITMP departments. The results show that the teachers' education, professional background, and traditions in the previous education programs have influenced the interpretation of the curriculum. However, the study indicates that the collaboration culture within each department has been most decisive in how the teachers experienced the first phase of the implementation work.

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Published

2023-06-01

How to Cite

Karstensen, S., & Aakernes, N. (2023). An education reform’s encounter with different school cultures and understandings. Scandinavian Journal of Vocations in Development, 8(1), 60–79. https://doi.org/10.7577/sjvd.5227

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Section

Scientific Articles