Silke Pieneck University of Zurich (Switzerland) Johannesburg, April 24, 2013

1. The Connection of School Improvement and School-Intern Further Teacher Education at Vocational Schools in the Canton of Zurich Silke PieneckUniversity of Zurich (Switzerland) Johannesburg, April 24, 2013

2. Agenda • Introduction • Background: Basic structure of Swiss teacher education • School-intern further teacher education (in the Canton of Zurich) • School improvement (in the Canton of Zurich) • Former studies • Research questions • Methodology

3. Introduction • Quality discussions in schools have arisen repeatedly in Switzerland (and other German-speaking countries) due to poor results in international comparative studies (e.g. PISA) • Schools face increasing educational requirements • Beause of their closeness to firms, vocational schools, as an important partner in the dual vocational system, are particular affected by these challenges

5. (School-Intern) Further Teacher Education • Continuous maintenance/update of the gained competence level (Terhard, 2000, S. 131) • ≠ Not an enhancement of the gained competence level • (Terhard, 2000, S.131) • - Different forms of further teacher education: • Individual vs. institutional • School-intern vs. school-external

6. School-Intern Further Teacher Education in the Canton of Zurich • Teachers are obliged by law to continue their education regularly (LPG, § 18, Abs. 4, S. 1) •  No concrete regulations given • Each semester all schools have a full day of school-intern further teacher education • Attendance is mandatory • Arrangement (topics etc.) is completely left to the single schools

7. School Improvement • Former studies of quality research in schools reveal that single schools vary greatly in terms of quality (Fend, 1986) •  School improvement focusses always on single schools (“meso level“) • Lack of theory; no gerneral definition • Constitutive parts of school improvement (Rolff et al. 1998, S. 16) • Organizational development • Personnel development • Lesson development

8. School Improvement in the Canton of Zurich • Schools are engaged by law to develop a school-intern systematical quality management (including quality demands, procedures and methods of quality assurance) (cp. Kanton Zürich (Bildungsdirektion), 2005) • Every school has documents where the school improvement objectives are fixed; school programs often outdated • School governance appoints a so-called quality insurance team (2-5 persons), in practice a steering group forms around them • Every 6 years 2 school-intern evaluations regarding school specific subject matters have to be carried out and one external evaluation by a special governmental institution (ibid, 2005)

9. Former Swiss Studies

10. Former (Swiss) Studies: Conclusion • - Perspective: • - demand-oriented (teachers were questioned) • -Thematic Focal Points: • - frame conditions, attitude towards further teacher • education, reasons for participation/non-participation • (preferences, needs, offers), effectiveness • - Research Desiderata: • - lack of systematisation and theory building, practice

11. Research Questions I • How inter-coordinated are school-intern further teacher education and school improvement at single vocational schools at the Canton of Zurich? • And to what extend does school-intern further teacher education contribute to the attainment of school improvement goals?

12. Research Questions II

13. Methodology • 1. Documentary analysis of school concepts/other documents • 2. Qualitative interviews of the extended governence (department managers responsible for school improvement and schul-intern further teacher education) • 3. Qualitative Study of vocational school teachers • 4. Group discussion/experiment (?)

14. Thank you for your attention!