The Inclusion of a Student Voice in Teacher Professional Learning to Create Relevance in Science Education

Abstract

Students' perceptions of a lack of relevance in Science and Technology (S & T) education have been reported in research and policies for a long time. In many countries, this problem persists despite numerous measures to address it. In the present study, a new approach to the problem was developed and empirically tested. The study targets the theoretical development of "teacher professional learning". Key elements of the approach include distributed leadership with adaptive expertise, boundary spanners to relate leadership structures to student learning, and facilitators to initiate such work. Five Swedish municipalities participated in this approach, using a model where 10 core concepts were adapted to the Swedish educational context and incorporated into a professional learning model. The model suggests two initial steps to create a professional learning cycle: assessing students' and teachers' needs together with leadership structures. The empirical evidence comes from pre-studies investigating these two initial steps using a qualitative research design. The results are compiled in five themes showing that learners, teachers, and school leaders perceive S & T education to be "special" and describe progression, organization, and beneficial changes. Facilitators were found to be important, and organizational relationships were described and analyzed. Differences in the nature of the relevance problem between students and teachers, and across different parts of the educational system, were also identified, affecting the progression of the professional learning cycle. This is discussed and highlighted as important for future research. Overall, the results indicate that published notions regarding teacher professional learning and students' perceptions of S & T education can be combined to formulate a robust new approach to address the relevance problem.