National Graduate School in Educational Research (NATED)

Transcription

1 National Graduate School in Educational Research (NATED) Background, vision, aims, and scope The education of future citizens is at the very core of a society s responsibilities. Learning, instruction, and socialisation receive a lot of attention from different stakeholders, including politicians, the private sector, parents, students and professionals. In debates on school leadership, questions about how to organise educational institutions are also central. In addition, governance and funding of education are core issues for all societies. This places educational research at the heart of our understanding of how students and citizens learn, how organizations and institutions change and how society transforms. While educational research is indebted to a wide range of professional fields and disciplines from the social sciences and humanities, such as psychology, philosophy and sociology, it has also gradually developed into an independent research field. This development also includes a substantial growth of subject-specific didactic research. The vision for this research school is to build coherent programs for PhD students that move beyond the existing disciplines and research traditions in educational research. Through a combination of network structures and thematic tracks, we will provide future PhD students with courses in philosophy and methodology and more specialized education and training in their thematic fields. Behind this application and actively involved in the proposed research school are all of the universities in Norway with educational research departments, including education, special education, subject didactics and teacher education units at University of Agder, University of Bergen, University of Life Sciences, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, University of Oslo, University of Stavanger, University of Tromsø, and Oslo University College. The NATED will be lead by the Faculty of Education, University of Oslo. The aim of the national research school is twofold: (1) to offer high quality courses of international standard in the philosophy of science, research ethics, and research methods, and (2) to develop high quality doctoral education in four thematic fields central to educational knowledge. The national doctoral school in education research will emphasise quantitative, qualitative and mix-method approaches. Recently The Ministry of Education and Research has emphasized that in order to create a knowledge base for developing the education sector, educational research needs special attention in coming years. The research school goals are: - To give state of the art courses in research design and methodology - To provide rigorous training in different methodological approaches - To develop analytical skills in both quantitative and qualitative approaches - To provide state of the art courses within selected themes - To provide a research environment and a course programme in which all doctoral students have access to top level expertise in their research area - To internationalize research education in collaboration with key international partners - To develop a model for how research education in educational research can be organized While the programme for courses in philosophy of science, ethics, design and methods will serve as the stable foundation for the school, four thematic tracks are selected on the basis of relevance for educational practice and on existing research of high international standard at the participating institutions. These themes are also essential to the education of teachers. The 1

2 activities in this research school constitute a general model for how research education in all areas in educational research will be organized. The two level structure: Courses in philosophy of science, ethics, design and methods Courses and activities in thematic tracks Track 1 Track 2 Track 3 Track 4 Added value research quality; strategic and societal impact The National Evaluation of Educational Research perceived the field as fragmented because of its different professional and disciplinary foundations (NFR, 2004). They pointed to a number of challenges for educational research. One challenge was to establish stronger research groups with international impact. The second was to promote a research culture that communicates the scientific standards. The establishment of a National Graduate School for Educational Research aims at addressing the challenges emphasized by the evaluation committee. In addition, a national graduate school will increase the overall national capacity for high-level research in the educational sector. To move from an individualistic culture to stronger research groups and units will be an important step to increase the quantity and quality of international publications. The cultural changes are dependent on collective orientations and research leadership. We have chosen four thematic tracks for the research school, which constitute core areas in educational research. The tracks are based on the following criteria: societal relevance, the involvement of leading international researchers, a critical mass of doctoral students, a clear synergy between at least two or three of the participating institutions, and relevance for teacher education. The institutions will participate in the tracks in ways that correspond with their research priorities, thus allowing for a varied and specialized participation. The thematic tracks are: 1. Language development, text comprehension and literacy 2. Learning and teaching in and out of schools 3. Educational leadership, school reform and education governance 4. Higher education and professional learning 2

3 These four tracks will be interconnected cross-thematically in methodology, both in regard to quantitative and qualitative methods and mixed methods approaches. Design, methodology, and philosophy of science general issues and courses Doctoral students need a broad initiation into the logics of scientific argumentation, processes of knowledge construction, and assessments of how quality connects to concrete research questions. In addition they need initiation into general standards of validity and reliability requirements, and knowledge of how these are constituted. Attention to general characteristics of scientific activity thus entails that candidates are able to understand the methodological implications of philosophical arguments, and to judge the adequacy of such inferences. The national research school in education research intends to move students beyond a single epistemological perspective. This calls for rich situations where students have the opportunity to meaningfully engage in and explore various methods and epistemologies with a range of highly qualified researchers. We will develop 'master courses' in which different methodologies are demonstrated. In all tracks there will be a mix of methodological approaches, from detailed studies of interaction in classrooms to large-scale quantitative studies that compare data across nations and cultures. PhD students must specialize, but also see the boundaries and limitations of the various methods used. Through the educational program we will strengthen expertise in quantitative approaches. Design and methodology will integrate the different thematic tracks, and methodological issues across the tracks will be brought to the forefront through the focused use of workshops. Track 1: Language development, text comprehension, and literacy Studies and PhD theses in this track will focus on the linguistic communication competence required in contemporary society, and on the learning of this competence. Lack of basic tools for learning and literacy may lead to a range of problems for individual students. The increasing importance of discipline-specific language in school constitutes an additional challenge for many learners. One main focus of this thematic track will be to expand our knowledge about how language and literacy develops from pre-school years to the post-secondary level and adulthood. The track will include a focus on preventive approaches as well as on teaching and intervention for both normal and delayed language learners. The learning of spoken language in pre-school and school, and written language learning at all educational levels, will be central to the track s research activities. To generate better professional practices within the areas of language, reading, and writing we need to know more about coding skills, developmental processes in text comprehension, learning from and with multiple information sources, and the teaching of language, writing, and text comprehension skills. The track will focus on research related to developmental and learning processes that are complicated and influenced by multiple factors. Individual differences, social and cultural diversities may have important implications for language and literacy learning. Examples include minority children s language and reading comprehension as well as student learning in higher education, where linguistic skills are of even greater importance. Language development, text comprehension and literacy is a track that approaches these challenges by establishing an interdisciplinary platform for the development of theories, methods and tools for studies within this field. We link 1) milieus that take a special interest 3

4 in reading/writing processes and difficulties, 2) milieus that view reading and writing in a social and cultural perspective, and 3) milieus that emphasize the relationship between inclusion and exclusion. Coordination team: UiO Professors Ivar Bråten and Solveig-Alma H. Lyster, UiS Professor Ragnar Thygesen, with participation from NTNU, UiTromsø and HiO. Track 2: Learning and teaching in and out of schools In this track, the connection between general classroom research, learning theories, and subject didactics is seen as crucial. These different aspects are studied using different and multi-methodological approaches. Video documentation and technological infrastructures are developed in order to support and advance analyses of empirical material. Leading research groups in this thematic track have conducted a large number of studies on how students in primary and secondary schools participate and perform in classroom interactions and activities at different grade levels, and on how teachers support learning and development in diverse groups (ethnicity, gender, age, etc.). In addition to expertise in classical approaches to classroom research, we bring specialization in the study of the impact of two significant trends to this broader thematic track. The first is the introduction of ICT, and the second is that most cities and communities in Norway now are multicultural societies. Ways of understanding learners and teachers in and out of schools, both methodologically and theoretically, is of key importance for the development of future educational research. The combination of different research groups gives new insight into how Norwegian kindergartens and classrooms work, into instructional practices, and provides in-depth understanding of how and what students learn in different domains. Developing models and research designs that reflect the dynamic relations between teaching, learning and specific knowledge domains is thus a key challenge. How to integrate learning theories and subject didactics is a major research challenge in this thematic track. This track will also explore ways of understanding learning across different sites and contexts, including how teachers relate to aspects of learning activities from outside of schools in their teaching at school, and also how qualifications and competence developments are important for cultural processes outside of schools. Ways of understanding learners and teachers in and out of schools, both methodologically and theoretically, is of key importance for the development of educational research in the years to come. Coordination team: UiO Professors Kirsti Klette and Ola Erstad, with participation from NTNU (part of the leader organization from 2010),UiB, UiTromsø, UiA, UiS, UMB and HiO. Track 3: Educational leadership, school reform, and education governance In a century characterized by rapid technological innovation, mobility and globalization, school leaders and teachers are facing rising expectations and new challenges. Also, the changing social environment has been accompanied by changes in major legislation resulting in new governance structures across most of the European countries. Research activity within this track unites around three broad themes, which simultaneously overlap and are closely connected: - Educational leadership and management - School reform and curriculum studies - Education governance 4

5 Educational leadership and management will focus on ways in which leadership can enhance learning and raise achievement, and on identifying strategic interventions that schools can make in relation to their communities and on a wider national/international basis. Historical and comparative aspects will be approached as integrated parts of the research. Research questions may also relate to understanding the work, lives, and commitments of school leaders and teachers in different school contexts during the course of their careers. School reform and curriculum studies represents an established field in educational research and will focus on the political dynamics around the construction of the content of school curriculum and include a historical perspective on curriculum reforms and changes. Governance structures provide the context for school reforms that affect the roles and responsibilities of school leaders and teachers. Research within the Education Governance track will focus on how accountability systems, including quality assessment as a tool for change, are influencing both the discourse of leadership, work as a principal, and approaches to leadership development. The track will offer a strong foundation for PhD-projects that include studies on educational leadership across national and local contexts, on understanding the micro-politics in schools, on school reforms from a historical perspective, on the type of control that state and society exercise on school, and on how governance systems adapt to the needs of national direction and local control. The track will particularly focus on relationships between school reform, governance, leadership, and educational practice. Coordination team: UiO Professors Jorunn Møller and Berit Karseth, UiB Professor Sølvi Lillejord, with participation from NTNU, UiTromsø and UIS. Track 4: Higher education and professional learning While all European countries are witnessing rapid changes in their higher education systems and institutions, higher education has until recently been a relatively under-researched area. Universities and colleges are assigned greater political, economic and social significance, leading to increased awareness of higher education in public debate and as an object of research. Further, new modes of knowledge distribution and new theories of teaching and learning contribute to changing the way academic and professional learning and teaching are conducted and perceived. There are nonetheless major knowledge gaps with respect to the change dynamics of higher education institutions, and inconclusive, weak and ambiguous data are often used to legitimize strong conclusions concerning the need for urgent and radical reforms. Therefore, the aim of this track is to strengthen our knowledge base and enhance our theoretical, methodological, and empirical understanding of the dynamics of higher education and its way of fostering academic and professional development. The track will open up for studies in essential research clusters that examine the way in which higher education institutions are responding to changing: - political, economic, and social expectations for higher education - interpretations of the quality of higher education - perspectives on the nature and role of knowledge - teaching and learning practices - professional practices and learning environments. Through the development of this track doctoral students will gain new conceptual and methodological insights related to higher education and the development of professional knowledge and competencies. We focus on relations between initial education, workplace learning, and the wider work/life relationships and careers of professionals. The track will 5

6 offer a firm base for studies of professional and academic learning and skills. In addition to the focus on the institutional dimension in higher education, the track will incorporate studies related to the formation and regulation of knowledge in the teaching professions in a wider sense. Coordination team: UiB Professor Anton Havnes and UiO Professor Peter Maassen, with participation from NTNU, UiTromsø, UMB and HiO. Participating institutions and position of the research school We argue that drawing on the strengths of all Norwegian universities will prevent further fragmentation of educational research. A national structure for educational research also secures more equal access for PhD students to the best researchers in the field. PhD students will be able to build networks across their institutions, thus supporting a more collective research culture. The different institutions have different strengths and profiles, which we can capitalize on through a national structure. This means that we can connect already strong research groups with individual researchers in groups across the participating institutions. The Faculty of Education at the University of Oslo will coordinate the research school. This faculty produces approximately 56% of the scientific publications in the field in Norway. The tracks will be collaboratively led, with participants from two universities and others that will participate with supervisors and PhD students. The leadership of the general courses and the thematic tracks is thus firmly anchored in the foremost research groups in Norway, and the leaders have track records that include international publications and research leadership. Organization of courses and other key activities Specialized courses and activities The specialized part of NATED will consist of courses, workshops and national PhD days, with each thematic track organizing its respective specialized programs for enrolled PhD students. The planning cycle will be bi-annual, since all students will finish the formal educational program in approximately two years. Each thematic track will provide a series of required courses that will be taken by all participants (approximately three for one calendar year). Each track will provide hands-on training in a broad spectre of methods. In addition we will conduct activities that move across tracks, with a special focus on the PhD students analytical capacities to interpret data, connect data from different sources, and draw conclusions. During the national PhD days we will emphasize methodological issues, organizing specialized courses in methodology across the different thematic lines. The leaders of each thematic track will coordinate the transversal activities in methodology to ensure coherence. These courses will be directed towards both qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches within the focused research areas, addressing the specific need to strengthen knowledge and skill in quantitative analyses. These analyses are especially important when following developmental trends related to larger groups of subjects and experiments, and in quasi-experiments focusing on intervention. Other key activities will be workshops in academic writing to support publication in high quality journals (twice a year). These workshops will be organised within the thematic tracks. Annual national PhD days will be organized as important events that can build networks and fuel PhD students motivation. This will also be a national arena for monitoring quality in and across the thematic lines. Here, the adjunct professor and all of the 6

7 participants take part. The activities of the national research school can be summarized in the following table: Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Course work Theory and methodology Course work Theory and methodology Planning and designing the study Draft of the first article Participation in international conference Collecting data Finishing the first article and draft of the second article Presentation in international conference Finishing the second article and draft of the third article Stay as visiting scholar 6 month Finishing article three and the Introduction Evaluation of the theses (quality control) Writing workshops Writing workshops Writing workshops Writing workshops National PhD days National PhD days National PhD days National PhD days Writing of PhD theses In educational research there are different traditions for writing dissertations. Traditionally, PhD students write monographs, which partly explains the publication pattern described in the national evaluation. This tradition does not train students for journal publication during the PhD trajectory. NATED will promote a culture for article-based dissertations as the preferred convention, although monographs will also be accepted. Further, the preferred language will English, although occasional publications in Norwegian will be considered. The theses will consist of an introduction and three articles (as a main rule), which may be written with the supervisors or other colleagues. All PhD students will have supervision teams with a main and a co-supervisor, and with a dedicated international reader. There will be strong incentives for PhD students and researchers to publish internationally, and we will also support popular science publications to disseminate information about ongoing research at the national level. Additional value for the educational community, society, and teacher education A national system for PhD education and research will raise the standards and the quality of educational research. NATED is a direct response to the critique raised in the national evaluation. As a networked national research school that gathers and draws on the strengths of existing institutions, we will contribute high quality research to the central thematic areas described above. The PhD theses will also give important contributions to educational policy. In addition to the main goals for the research school we will here also highlight the more indirect impact or what we refer to as added value. The thematic tracks are highly relevant for all teacher education programs and departments in Norway. It is very important that we can include education of PhD students in the college sector in order to increase quality, both with respect to teaching but also in terms of building research capacity in selected areas. The four tracks will produce content that can improve teacher education. All teacher education students will need to develop their capability to critically examine researchbased literature and to transform this knowledge into classroom practices. The number of educational researchers retiring will peak during the next decade. During this period, the Ministry of Education and Research also plans to accelerate investments in research in the sector. NATED thus represents an important intellectual and institutional framework to deal with such broad recruitment challenges in educational science. 7

8 Staff and PhD students in the national graduate school are also potential advisors for policy makers and practitioners. Human resources and infrastructure The participating research groups have international track records when it comes to research leadership, publications and partnerships. The participating institutions commit to a major investment that includes approximately 50 PhD positions in the first 4-5 year period, which represents nearly 27 million Norwegian crowns. The institutions also provide an infrastructure and contribute intellectual capital in the form of more then 30 professors and senior researchers as course leaders and supervisors. In addition, the institutions contribute a substantial investment in terms of resources for leadership of the research school: the scientific leader, the track leaders, and administrative resources. NATED will allow limited participation of non-university teacher education programs within the four thematic tracks approximately 15 PhD students. International collaboration Together, the participating institutions have well-established international networks and collaborative partners. We distinguish between institutional collaborations and those networks in which Adjunct Professors participate. Norwegian universities have a relatively unique system for Adjunct Professor, and all of the participating institutions have invested in such relationships. The Adjunct Professor position will be a main resource for NATED, and they will be involved in giving courses, specialized workshops, and national PhD days and as supplementary readers of theses. Some of the adjunct professors will also contribute more directly in the work in the different tracks. The adjunct professors are also brokers for research visits and stays in their institutions. Main institutional partners for collaboration in the research school are listed in relation to the respective tracks. 1. Linnaeus Centre for Excellence in Educational Research, which includes the LINCS research school at the University of Gothenburg. Professor Roger Saljö. (Tracks 1, 2, 4). We will especially highlight the collaboration with the LINCS research school. We have established common courses from fall Lancaster Literacy Research Centre. Professor David Barton, Lancaster University. (Track 1) 3. University of California, Berkeley, EAEDU, School of Education. Professor Judith Warren Little. (Tracks 1,2, 3, 4) 4. University of Virginia, Curry School of Education, Professor Robert C. Pianta (Tracks 1, 2) 5. University of Bristol, Graduate School of Education. Professor Ros Sutherland. (Tracks 1,2, 3) 6. University of London, Institute of Education. Department of Lifelong and Comparative Education, Centre for Learning and Life Chances in Knowledge Economies and Societies, Dr. David Guile and Professor Lorna Unwin. (Track 4) 7. University of Helsinki, Centre for culture historical activity theory. Professor Yrjö Engeström. (Tracks 3, 4) 8. University of Washington, Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy (CTP), Professor and Center Director Michael Knapp, Professor Michael Copland, and Associate Professor Bradley Portin (Director of International Collaboration). (Track 4) 9. University of Cambridge, Faculty of Education. Professor John MacBeath, Professor Peter Gronn (from Oct. 1, 2008). (Track 3) 8

9 These Nordic, European and US based universities are partners with whom the research groups in the thematic tracks have long-standing research collaborations. These institutions and their leading researchers will also be involved in the courses, workshops and national PhD days. Additionally, through the networks of the NATED Adjunct Professors, collaborations with institutions and leading educational researchers in the four thematic tracks will be fostered. Leadership and organization Across Europe during the past ten to fifteen years, different types of research schools have been established, from networks to highly specialised thematic and theoretical-based schools. Few countries have structured educational research at a national level. Our research school is inspired mostly by the ICO (The Interuniversity Centre for Educational Research) concept in The Netherlands. This research school combines a strong network structure with a few thematic lines. This way of organizing educational research and training has been very successful the last 15 years. NATED organisation and leadership is based on a two level structure: SCIENTIFIC BOARD: Members from all participating institutions Scientific coordinator Scientific and educational committee: Leaders from all the thematic tracks When moving the PhD programs from institutional levels to a national level, the Board Members will play a key role in linking the policies to their institutions and the research groups and individuals involved. The Board for the National Research School in Educational Research (NATED) requires long-term planning period of four years ( ). This longterm plan will include the formulation of research aims for the period ahead, admission criteria for staff members, requirements for the educational programme offered to PhD students, and requirements with regard to the supervision of PhD students. The Scientific Leader will prepare for the Board the long-term plans, the educational programme, the annual report, and the financial planning. The Board will meet two/three times each year. The Scientific and Educational Committee is responsible for the evaluation of PhD students plans and research proposals, and for planning the educational program. It discusses evaluations of the courses and master classes in philosophy of science, in design, methods, and theory, and makes suggestions for improvements. The Scientific and Educational Committee meets four times each year. Professor Sten Ludvigsen will be the scientific coordinator of the National Graduate School in Educational Research (NATED). He is currently director at the interdisciplinary research centre InterMedia (2004- ), where he leads a staff of 35. He has long experience in 9

10 academic leadership and research education teaching, supervision and leadership both at the University of Oslo and internationally. He has experience of leading a European network of excellence, doctoral programs at the European level and The Research School Learning, Communication and ICT at the Faculty of Education/University of Oslo ( ). The Scientific coordinator and the track leaders are responsible for the daily management and activities of NATED. They are assisted by the Executive Secretary at the NATED office at University of Oslo. Sustainability and development As part of a long-term sustainability process, we will establish an evaluation procedure to monitor the thematic areas in terms of needs for change or modification of the program. After a trial period of two years, the four thematic tracks of NATED may be expanded and/or reorganized. The number of tracks may be increased to 5 or 6 based on evaluation of the different thematic organizations and on relationships to existing research schools currently funded through PEDISP, a strategic program established to strengthen educational research. These existing research schools are: National Research School of Humanities Studies in Education UiO; WNGER, UiB; Educational governance and social inclusion, NTNU; The research school on literacy, UiS. These schools started in 2007 and their respective funding periods end in 2009 and These research schools varying scope and ambition and therefore have valuable experience that NATED can draw on. It is important to capitalize on these existing, major investments in research schools in educational research. From the onset, we will include these existing research schools in the Scientific and Educational Committee. The University of Oslo also leads a national research school in subject didactics, specifically, in all of the domains in natural sciences (Rdid). This research school is financed by the University of Oslo and by the institutions in the network. We will collaborate closely with this school as part of a network. In sum, based on this evaluation mechanism, the Board will establish a framework and procedures for evaluating the possible inclusion of new thematic tracks after two years. The framework will include criteria and conditions for inclusion. In addition, the Board will develop a framework for coordinating NATED's relationship to research schools at the Nordic and European level. Further, after the first four years, there will be an overall program evaluation, encompassing all of the tracks in NATED. The planning and implementation of the program from will be based on the recommendation of the evaluation. Summary The outcome of the National Graduate School in Educational Research (NATED) will be a large number of high quality PhD dissertations that contribute new and basic knowledge to the thematic tracks. In addition to this core outcome, NATED will produce: reviews of key areas in educational research reviews with implications for education policy models for research leadership. The different tracks in NATED provide the basic structure for a national organization that supports the development of internationally oriented education and training for research, capitalizing on the best educational researchers in Norway, international partners, and a strong international network. In this way, Norway will have developed a model for a strong coherent national program in educational research. We highlight that a key NATED outcome is a model of how research education can be organized in the field of educational research. 10