Stakeholder Perspectives on Vocational Teacher Education and Teacher Educators Role in Supporting Coherence

In Denmark new and experienced teachers at vocational schools are
obliged to attend teacher training at university colleges. There are many stakeholders involved in these teacher training courses, with different and sometimes conflicting perspectives on the implementation. The aim of the chapter is to examine how teacher educators can balance the different perspectives and support a sense of coherence among the participating teachers from vocational schools. The design of the research is sequential, building on data from a range of qualitative studies, examining stakeholder perspectives on how teacher educators can support a coherent education for vocational teachers. One study includes policy-analyses covering the period from 2014 and 2018. The findings show extensive political interests in how teacher trainers ought to practice to ensure the usefulness of the training at the vocational schools.
There are, however, tensions when comparing the findings from the policy-analyses with the intended learning outcomes and competence description of a teacher training course at level 6 at the European Qualification Framework. These tensions accentuate the complex systemic context the teacher educators operate in. In other studies (2014–2017) the different expectations from the participating vocational teachers and the managers from their institutions have been examined. The methodology includes multiple qualitative methods with individual interviews, focus-group interviews and observations. Finally, a new (2019–2021) comparative study including stakeholders from three different vocational schools contributes with a deeper insight into the different expectations from the different groups of stakeholders. The findings are presented under the headings of three main assertions. First of all, there appears to be an extended interest from policy level in the so-called programme-fieldwork coherence. This interest is framing the teacher educators’ practice and influencing the space for action. Secondly, conflicts of interests between the vocational teachers and their managers are discussed. Since the vocational schools are paying for the teacher training, there is a kind of marketisation and the managers’ satisfaction with the teacher training course can create tensions for teacher educators. The third and final assertion addresses tensions related to the very different kinds of Research and
Development projects teacher educators are involved in.