Browsing by Subject "sosiokulttuurinen"

Tiivistelmä - Referat - Abstract The purpose of the study was to examine primary school teachers' sense of professional agency in relation to the new Finnish curriculum reform (POPS 2014) and what kind of resources or challenges teachers faced in relation to professional identity and work practices. The study also examined the changes in the new curriculum taken into account by teachers and future scenarios during the first year of the introduction of the curriculum in 2016–2017. The new curriculum differs from previous reforms for example in the emphasis on continuous assessment and learning to learn skills. The role of the teacher is to increasingly act as a guide and evaluator of the student's learning process. The aim of the study is to produce new information about the sense of teachers' professional agency in the face of the challenges and changes of the new curriculum. In this study, professional agency has been seen through a subject-centered sociocultural approach and is defined and understood as teachers perceptions of the ability to influence their sociocultural environment. Professional agency then manifests itself in the interaction of social conditions, such as cultural and material resources, as well as the professional identities and competencies of individuals. Professional agency is seen as intentions to influence and bring change. The study was carried out as a qualitative study. The research material was collected by interviewing nine teachers in grades 1-6 with university education. The research material was collected through open pre-questionnaires and actual interviews. The actual research data of the study were collected in the spring of 2017. The data were processed and analyzed according to Strauss and Corbin's Grounded theory method, which is a highly structured analysis of qualitative data. The results of the study showed that the role of the teacher, professional identity, interaction skills, learning environments, IT skills and leadership were influencing teachers’ professional sense of agency. The new curriculum was seen as both a resource and a threat to the professional agency. Teachers experienced strong sense of agency in the pedagogical implementation of the curriculum, but weak agency if the instructions related to the new curriculum had come from supervisors without discussion or training. Teachers considered the scope of the curriculum, assessment, and student self-direction as challenging. Teachers stated that the requirements for IT skills had increased and they requested more training and resources. The teachers of this study saw themselves as active agents and teachers as well as influencers of society in the future. The study provides a good opportunity to view the primary school teachers’ sense of agency and the related challenges and resources as the new curriculum reform is implemented in schools. The research helps to understand teachers attitudes towards pedagogical reforms and changes in the school context. The study also opens up future scenarios of teaching and being a teacher.