Most initial teacher education students want to work as teachers
NOKUT has conducted surveys among students, campus-based teacher educators, school-based teacher educators, and teacher candidates from initial teacher education programs. We are now publishing four reports that provide important knowledge about initial teacher education.
In the period 2022–2024, NOKUT is conducting a comprehensive evaluation of initial teacher education programs. The final report will be launched in the autumn of 2024.
As part of the evaluation, NOKUT has conducted four surveys with different target groups for the evaluation, says Ole-Jacob Skodvin, Director of The Department for Evaluation and Analysis at NOKUT.
– This provides important knowledge for the final report of the evaluation that will be released in the autumn, but equally important is the knowledge that institutions now acquire. They can use it for internal work on the development of initial teacher education programs, says Skodvin.
The purpose of the evaluation is to generate knowledge about the quality of initial teacher education programs and contribute to quality development. NOKUT aims to facilitate learning, identify challenges, and provide advice on measures. In the surveys, students, campus-based teacher educators, school-based teacher educators, and teacher candidates are asked questions on topics such as motivation, master's thesis, school placement, and the organization of the study program.
Students believe that the school placement provided a good learning outcome
Among the findings, we see that students and teacher candidates are generally satisfied with their periods of school placement and believe that school placement provided a good learning outcome. They have school placement in relevant subjects and at relevant levels, and they experience the school placement as well-organized and providing a good academic outcome.
In the free-text fields, many respondents, in all four target groups, express a desire for longer periods of school placement.
The motivation of the students is also quite good. Seven out of ten students say that they want to work as teachers upon completion of their studies, and only six percent answer "no" to the same question.
Mixed opinions about the master's thesis
Students are divided in their views on the master's thesis. A significant minority do not understand why they should write a master's thesis and do not see how the master's thesis makes them better suited to practice the teaching profession. Some stated that they have benefited from it, while others stated that they have benefited less from working on the master's thesis.
Most teacher educators believe that working on the master's thesis strengthens students' academic competence within the topics they choose as well as their methodological and analytical skills. Several emphasize that the skills students acquire will enable them to research their own practice and drive professional development. However, there are also disagreements within this area, with approximately one quarter of the respondents being critical of the utility of a master's thesis.
It is not only the institutions and NOKUT that use the findings from the surveys. New knowledge can also be used in the government's work, says Skodvin.
– The evaluation has provided some preliminary findings to the knowledge base included in the Ministry of Education's white paper on professional education, which will be launched this spring. In addition, the results can be used in the ministry's work on new curriculum frameworks, says Skodvin.
About the evaluation
NOKUT's evaluation of initial teacher education programs are part of NOKUT's overall focus on teacher education in recent years, including projects such as the International Advisory Panel for Primary and Lower Secondary Teacher Education (in Norwegian), the mapping of Practical-pedagogical education (in Norwegian), and the mapping (in Norwegian) and Evaluation of Integrated secondary teacher education. The project is part of NOKUT's work to evaluate, analyse, and communicate information about the quality of Norwegian study programs.
Read the reports here (in Norwegian with English summaries):
- Evaluering av grunnskolelærerutdanningene: Spørreundersøkelse blant studenter (pdf)
- Evaluering av grunnskolelærerutdanningene: Spørreundersøkelse blant kandidater (pdf)
- Evaluering av grunnskolelærerutdanningene: Spørreundersøkelse blant undervisere på høyskoler og universiteter (pdf)
- Evaluering av grunnskolelærerutdanningene: Spørreundersøkelse blant praksislærere (pdf)
More information about NOKUT's evaluations of quality in education