Coherence in the 8-13 teacher education at three educational institutions in Norway. A qualitative study from a management perspective

Abstract

At a time when the 8-13 teacher education program in Norway has a high drop-out rate, and where parts of this drop-out can be linked to the practical organization and lack of connection between discipline subjects and professional subjects, there is a need for systematic research into how the practical organization affects the connection between these subjects. This article examines how the coherence between the discipline subjects and the subject didactics in the 8-13 teacher education in Norwegian language and literature has been worked on, and what program management perceives as possible obstacles in this effort. The study is based on a program design perspective, and the program management for 8-13 teacher education in Norwegian language and literature have been interviewed using semi-structured, in-depth interviews at three Norwegian educational institutions (NTNU, UoB and UoO). The interviews are analyzed by using theory-driven content analysis and are further discussed regarding research on coherence, especially research on teacher education. The article shows that although the organization differs between the institutions, the same challenges exist when it comes to the connection and collaboration between subject didactics and discipline subjects. There are shortcomings when it comes to clear leadership structures, collaborative platforms, as well as the lack of a common vision of ​​what the 8-13 teacher education should be. The article contributes to the discussion on coherence at program design level and is a contribution to the further work with coherence in the 8-13 teacher education program in Norway.