One size fits nobody: en casestudie av yrkesfaglæreres deltakelse i kompetanseutviklingsarbeid i videregående skole.

Abstract

Vocational education and training (VET) teachers have a dual profession as teachers and vocational workers. Professional development projects in school must apply to both sides of their profession. However, VET teachers’ need for professional development, particularly in terms of student assessment, has not been significantly explored. This ethnographic case study examines what aspects of professional development projects VET teachers perceive as meaningful for developing their assessment literacy. Data was collected through observations of 31 VET teachers in two upper secondary schools, in the context of a professional development project aiming to strengthen assessment literacy. Eighteen of these teachers also participated in focus group interviews. Findings show that if VET teachers are to find professional development projects in school meaningful for developing their assessment literacy, the projects must 1) have vocational relevance, 2) maintain a vocational perspective on the validity of assessment of students’ vocational competence, and 3) take place in a learning and development-oriented culture. Unfortunately, professional development projects do not address teachers’ developmental needs due to tensions among professional, socio-cultural and organisational contexts in school and vocational workplaces.