Kick-off in Oslo, 4.03-6.03May 26, INAP Conference, Beijing 2011Tallinn University, Centre of Educational ResearchKrista Loogma, Külliki Tafel-Viia

Presentation has been prepared and accomplished within the research project funded by the Estonian Research Council “Education Change as Social Innovation” (SF0130018s09) led by senior researcher, Head of Center of Educational Research of Tallinn University Krista Loogma

Teachers’ networking patterns in the context of vocational and professional higher education refroms

Networks as agents of innovation

problem: _ adoption of top-down educational changes

_ linear approach to change process

_ teachers as instruments

_ few attention on interaction mechanisms in educational change studies and teachers networking in particular

focus:_How networking influences teachers’ perception of educational changes?

_How can networking facilitate the process of educational reform?

Why to apply the concept of social innovation to analysing educational change?

Social character of process_emphasizing the importance of interaction (networking) and the multilevel character of innovation process – not only the regulations, but also social practices and meanings have to change

Social character of outcome_not only economic, but also social performance has to improve: increase in social capital, improving the situation of undeprivileged groups, etc.

two approaches to social innovation

SI as distinct kind of innovation which has

specific social goals and which develops from the

grassroots level initiatives

SI as co-developmental or accompanying process,

induced by technological-economical or other structural changes

institutionalisation of new idea

changes in social practices

Estonian VET and professional HE reforms

_context: radical socio-economical changes due to the collapse of the Soviet system

_beginning of 1990s: transformation from highly centralized system to decentralizsed school based system

_1998 state-managed VET reform (influenced also professional HE education):

restructuring VET schools networkdevelopment and implementation of

national qualification system and vocational/professional standards

creation and establishment of outcome-based national curricula

The surveyInnovation and collaboration in VET and professional HE schools and colleges

Sample, method, focus

_Quantitative survey among teachers in VET and professional HE schools

_Internet-based questionnaire, personal e-mails

_Total sample of over 500 teachers – 228 respondents (45% of return rate)

_April – September 2010

_30 questions

1_educational changes taken place in the school

2_cooperation and partners

3_teachers’ networks related to educational changes and their characteristics (based on social network perspective)

5 types of teachers’ educational

change networks

Intra-school networks_networking with colleagues, management, students

_school is main source for info_dominantly top-down_closest ties with members_loose structure 7.3%

Sector networks_networking with sector organisations

_new info comes outside school_dominantly bottom-up_network has leader, but coordination is dispersed

48.6%

International networks_range of actors most diverse _most diverse sources for getting new info

_dominantly bottom-up_centralized with hierarchial structure 11.8%

Inter-sectoral networks_various co-operations _new info mainly from public sector and school

_dominantly bottom-up_structure most centralized

16,3%

Reform-related networks_networks established in the frame of state reform – diverse range of actors

_dominantly top-down_network has leader, but coordination is dispersed

16,0%

Relationship between different educational changes and 5 types of networks

Changes in cooperation and partners

Changes in involvement and development of teachers

Changes in school infrastructure

Structural changes: merging of educational institutions, emergence of new organizations

Changes in education content

Changes related to education process: teaching methods, extracurricular activities, etc.

intraorganizational (intra-school) changes: changes in school management, culture

intra-school networksinter-sectoral networkssector networksinternational networksreform-related networks

Relationship between 5 types of networks and teachers’ attitude towards the outcomes of educational changes

School role (in the region), cooperation with local governent, enterprises

Students’ perspectives in the labor market and in continuing with studies

intra-school networksinter-sectoral networkssector networksinternational networksreform-related networks

Amount of students

Teaching quality: choices of subjects, quality of educational services, accessability to education

Satisfaction with school (organization) and school’s reputation

Perception of educational changes is influenced by

the type of network

Networks with most diverse range of actors reckognize and attach value to more different educational changes

Networks with most diverse range of actors had also most diverse sources for learning

Networks are instruments for positively stimulating teachers’ perception of

educational changes

Teachers pointing out reform-related networks among their most important networks

Networks as ‘bridge-builders’ between regulative and normative, cultural-cognitive levels

Teachers reckognized majority of key issues in

the reform

Concept of SI: top-down reforms have not stayed on regulative level, but touched also normative level

Reforms themselves contain SI phenomena: changes in cooperation patterns, teachers everyday practices (e.g. teaching methods), structural changes

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Thank you!krista.loogma@tlu.ee; ktafel@tlu.ee