Science teachers’ experience of learning value when they are involved in designing their own professional development program

Beskrivelse

Abstract and extended summary
The importance of continuing science teacher education (CSTE) is receiving increasing political awareness due to a declining enrollment at science education studies. The Danish Academy of Natural Sciences (NAFA) is therefore exploring new designs of CSTE-programs. Programs always emerge in the context of organizational frameworks and structures which influence how the design is shaped. At the same time, we know from literature that teachers need to experience the program to be valuable in own teaching. This led us to explore how organizational frameworks and structures influence the development of CSTE-designs in relation to science teachers' experience of valuable learning processes. The empirical material consists of two focus group interviews with teachers representing two municipalities with differently designed programs. We analyzed the interviews using thematic analysis. In addition, we conducted theoretical coding combining two theoretical frameworks: Leavitt Ry’s organizational theory and Wenger-Trayner's theory concerning value creation in social learning spaces. The preliminary findings suggest that teachers benefit from early and close involvement in the process of designing the CSTE-program. Implementation and anchoring learning from CSTE seem to be promoted by organizational factors such as a supporting structure extending the individual CSTE-program, and, above all, teachers need to experience the program as valuable for their own science education at the local school.

Background
This paper is part of a large-scale initiative (2021-2028) run by the Danish Academy of Natural Sciences (NAFA), an association of the major actors in Danish science education development, teaching and research, funded by private foundations (https://nafa.nu/about-nafa/). The overall aim is to develop science teaching in lower secondary and primary schooling as well as science teacher education, among other things through exploring new ways of working with sustainable continuing education for science teachers.

Despite many initiatives within continuous professional development of science teachers, there is a widespread perception of too little value creation at both the individual teacher level as well as at school level (Desimone, 2002). To achieve more valuable outcomes, there has been increasing attention to the importance of involving teachers in the CSTE design process (Madsen et al. 2023). However, there is little empirical documentation on how structures and under which organizational framework CSTE designs influence and underpin teacher’s involvement in designing the program and their learning outcome afterwards (Sillasen, 2014; Hewson, 2007).

In this paper we explore:

How do organizational frameworks and structures influence the development of CSTE designs in relation to science teachers' experience of transformative learning processes.

Two CSTE-cases representing two municipalities with different programs were selected for analysis. In both cases the intention was to co-create designs of the programs with key stakeholders in the school system that included teachers, school leaders, municipal school consultants as well as teacher educators. Intention was to include the teachers and create a design with a structure and content which was valuable for all stake holders.

Case 1 is characterized by having a team-based approach to CSTE (Madsen et al.). In order to create involvement, three workshops were conducted where teacher representatives together with a municipal consultant, school principal, and teacher educators collaboratively developed a CSTE design. In the local implementations, the teacher trainer collaborates with the science teacher team at the local school. The teacher who participated in the design workshops ended up not to be a part of the project, but he tried to onboard the collages who actually participated.

Case 2 is characterized by a network-based approach using a well-established network in the municipality in a structure where each of the municipality’s schools are represented by a science teacher from their science team. This network of teachers developed the CSTE design in collaboration with the municipal consultant. After dialogue with the municipal consultant about the details, a teacher trainer teaches at the network meetings presenting new initiatives aimed at both the participants own teaching and for sharing with colleagues.

Theory
To explore participants experience of transformative value of the CPD we draw on value creation theory by Wenger-Trayner & Wenger-Trayner (2020) who define value as situated and produced through social learning processes. They operationalize the process of value creation from idea to transformed practice in eight value creation cycles each propelling the learning forward: Immediate, potential, applied, realized, strategic, enabling, orienting and transformative.

Transformative value refers to the changes that participants experience regardless of positive or negative impactIt affects the participants identities and influence further stake holders, which includes deeper learning and gives a broader effect in the CSTE context (Wenger-Trayner & Wenger-Trayner (2020). Accordingly, we regard CSTE as social learning processes that might have a transformative impact. We can explore the factors which influence each of the eight cycles.

Creation of CSTE designs happens in a landscape of different organizations; municipality, the local school, and within the university college two different departments, 1) department for CSTE and 2) department for teacher education. Each organization has their own raison d'être, culture, aim, structures of communication and so on. During their shared task to create a CSTE design both synergy and friction may emerge due to embedded institutional differences. To grasp the importance of organisational differences and their potential impact on the value creation we used an organization model by Nielsen & Ry (2002). The model contains tasks, technology, structure, and people organizational culture, physical environment, visions and reward systems. The elements are interconnected, meaning a change in one will affect the others. These factors are surrounded by the outside world and history. In essence, the model helps us navigate in the landscape of organizations who shape the CSTE design.

By combining Wenger-Trayners eight value cycles with organizational mapping in our analysis we are able to uncover our research question.

Method
Our empirical data emerge from two focus group interviews with teachers representing the two municipals. The interviews were conducted during the CSTE programs with the aim of exploring the teachers' experience of value from the program related to the structural conditions in the design phase. Thus, what is reported is the interviewees' perspectives on the first part of their CSTE-program. The empirical material has been transcribed, through which a thorough understanding of the material has been obtained. The coding of the material is based on a thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). It includes a flexible and clear step-by-step guide consisting of six phases that we have followed. This step-by-step guide helps maintain scientific quality, where each step in the process is a deliberate consideration and decision based on theory. The purpose of thematic analysis is to identify patterns and themes in the dataset in a detailed manner. We code overriding themes and use the theoretical frame as codes using the theories of Levitt-Ry (Nielsen & Ry, 2002) and Wenger-Trayner and Wenger-Trayner (2020).

Analysis

Analysis: Case 1
The most prominent theme in case 1 is ‘experience of top down’. Empirically expressed in the interview:

“Instead of us [teachers] coming up with something that we think could be cool, where we put our heart and soul into the project, then comes this project from above [the municipality], where you first and foremost think NOOO, it could have been cooler if we did it another way.”

In this citation two different organizations are brought into play, the local school where the teacher is employed and the municipality. According to the teacher there is a tension between these organizations' interests. Reading with Leavitt Ry and through the teacher's perspective the municipality become the surrounding, and ‘they’ do not listen to or understand the teachers need. Later in the interview this is underpinned with explanations concerning less time for planning education and increasing diversity among students. These statements refer to deterioration of structures and increasing complexity in the teachers´ task (Leavitt Ry).

With Leavitt’s model, we gain insight into how various elements of the organizational model are closely connected and influence the teacher’s experience of involvement. The tension seems to become a barrier to achieve immediate value (Wenger-Trayner). Dimensions of immediate value can be both negative and positive, the value lies in the experience of being in the learning space together regardless of outcome. The tension between municipality and teacher becomes a barrier because the teacher does not even feel like participating and involving herself in the project and because structures and tasks given according to the teacher do not seem to be aligned.

“It is often the case that the leaders get some incredibly good ideas [irony] because they also have some budgets and everything else that needs to be adhered to. It’s just rare that their thoughts actually work in practice.”

The second citation indicates that experiences of top down are not only related to “surrounding” but also occur within the same organization (local school).

Analysis: Case 2
The most significant theme in case two is “strong learning culture” shown in this statement:

“That's also what makes us a network. We can inspire each other across disciplines because we are so different....... Some colleagues you get a lot from and others you have to be the one to give. We have different backgrounds and conditions.”

We attribute this to the ‘preexistence of a network structure’ among the science resource teachers representing the municipality's schools. And we note that the structure-based learning culture included a comment on the teacher trainer:

She's super sharp]. I [teacher] have taken it to heart and thought a lot about it. It gives a certain seriousness that she makes a visit, because you have to be well prepared.

Thus, the strong relations already established between participants in the network were able to even cross organizational levels resulting in a positive attitude also to new participants from the University College.

From our theoretical perspective of Leawitt-Rye the value consists in filtering and transforming new knowledgey obtained at the network meetings to local contexts and bringing new ideas and perspectives to science teams thus increasing its enabling value as formulated in the value creation terms of Wenger-Trayner.

Finding
By comparing the two cases it is evident that organizational frameworks and structures influence value creation; participants had different experiences of involvement in the CSTE-design process. Despite the fact that both CSTE design processes intended to involve teachers, the outcome thus turned out to be different.

While the organizational framework in case one resulted in a strong ‘experience of top down’ among the participants, this was not the case in case two. In case two an already existing network structure embedded in the municipal organizational framework seemingly contributes to a learning culture signaling “more to come”. This supports a continuous development-oriented culture and a potentially paid way for transformative learning over time.

In contrast the structures for the design process of case 1 leaves the teachers without any other possibilities than the imagination of the CSTE as a single detached project forming no longterm trajectories of individual CSTE. In fact, the individual CSTE-participant at the local school was often even not aware of either the process or aim of the specific CSTE.

Discussion and conclusion
In this study, we explore how CSTE-designs shaped by organizational structures potentially influence science teachers' experience of transformative learning processes.

To capture the CSTE designs journey in the organizational landscape we use the theory by Leavitt Ry combined with theory of value creation in social learning spaces by Wenger-Trayner. The two theories combined help us to identify patterns of value creation in the complexity of different organizations co-working.

Our thematic analysis shows that when creating CSTE designs, it is important to acknowledge that lasting structures in municipalities and local schools, which span across projects, appear to have greater value for the involved teachers than structures that are created and maintained by a single project.

It leaves us with an awareness of the concept of continuity and specifically continuity in transformative learning processes.

As Wenger-Trayner states, it is far from certain that transformative learning will occur in all learning processes. However, by shifting the focus from understanding the learning journey in isolation within a single project to a much longer time perspective, perhaps even lifelong learning, it appears that the learning culture that arises in the supporting structures is advantageous for any learning process. For the individual teacher, this can become transformative, but exactly when transformative learning occur cannot be predicted because learning is deeply personal.

When planning CSTE designs, we must simultaneously consider both the individual and the collective and strive to ensure that the structural conditions support continuity over a long period. Otherwise, the personal involvement of a CSTE program can be compromized almost even before it begins.

If we want to renew CSTE for science teachers, we need explore and rethink the hidden premises, the structures of CSTE culturally are imbedded in. In other words we need to disrubt orders and definitions and from the root play with processes and co design in new ways.

References
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), 77‑101. doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Desimone, L. M., Porter, A. C., Garet, M. S., Yoon, K. S., & Birman, B. F. (2002). The impact of professional development on teachers’ instruction: Results from a three-year longitudinal study. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 39(3), 81-112. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.10001

Madsen, C. D., Mariegaard, S., Elmose, S., Zhou, C., Levinsen, H., & Petersen, J. H. (2023, August). Scandinavian Approaches to Continuing Science Teacher Education: What Can We Learn from an International Literature Review?. In ESERA 2023: THE 15TH CONFERENCE OF THE EUROPEAN SCIENCE EDUCATION RESEARCH ASSOCIATION (p. 182). Hacettepe University

Nielsen, J. C. R., & Ry, M. (2002). Anderledes tanker om Leavitt: en klassiker i ny belysning. Nyt fra Samfundsvidenskaberne

Wenger-Trayner, E., Wenger, E., & Wenger-Trayner, B. (2020). Learning to make a difference: Value creation in social learning spaces. Cambridge University Press

Mintzberg (1993) refereret s. 20 i Nielsen, J. C. R., & Ry, M. (2002)

Hewson, P. W. (2007). Teacher professional development in science. In S. K. Abell, & N. G. Lederman (Eds.), Handbook of research in science education (pp. 1177-1203). Mahwah, New Jersey, USA: Lawrence Erlbaum

Sillasen, M. K. (2014). Forandringsprocesser i netværk af sociale naturfaglige praksisser: En socio-kulturel-politisk analyse af natur/teknik-læreres professionelle udvikling i uddannelsesreformer

Periode	27 aug. 2025
Begivenhedstitel	ESERA 2025: Embracing Transitions in Science Education
Begivenhedstype	Konference
Placering	København, DanmarkVis på kort