Qualifying vocational teachers for work in school:

Two different study pathways, equally prepared for the teaching profession?

Abstract

A new bachelor programme was established in Norway in 2000 with the aim of strengthening the qualifications of vocational teachers. This survey study examines former students’ perceptions of their teacher preparation and includes candidates from two different study pathways, the bachelor programme and the postgraduate programme in education for vocational teachers. We analyse mean differences between the two teacher groups and present views of what the study programmes should emphasise in the future. The study is based on data collected in 2020 from vocational teachers in upper secondary school (n = 532) educated at OsloMet or NTNU in the period 2014-2019. The results indicate that respondents perceive to be well prepared to teach, to reflect on their own professional practice, to build good relationships with the students and to create a good learning environment. They perceive being less well prepared to collaborate with common subject teachers to relate learning to vocations, support young people in difficult life situations and connect learning to working life. Higher average values on all questions are obtained from teachers graduated from the bachelor programme ​​than teachers graduated from the postgraduate programme. This may indicate that establishing the bachelor programme has contributed to better qualified teachers. Furthermore, in the respondents’ views, teacher education should be more connected to day-to day situations in schools. They also want hands-on didactical tools and more content related to handling diversity and challenging students. The results contribute to new knowledge about vocational teacher education and to the debate on the relevance and development of teacher education.