Trial lecture - time and place
Adjudication committee
- 1st. opponent: Professor Roger Säljö, Department of Education, Communication and Learning, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
- 2nd. opponent: Professor emerita Sølvi Lillejord, University of Bergen, Norway
- Committee Chair: Associate professor, Katrine Nesje, Department of Teacher Education and School Research, University of Oslo, Norway
Chair of defence
Professor Glenn Ole Hellekjær, Department of Teacher Education and School Research, University of Oslo, Norway
Supervisors
- Professor Gréta Björk Guðmundsdóttir, Department of Teacher Education and School Research, University of Oslo, Norway
- Professor emeritus Andreas Lund, Department of Teacher Education and School Research, University of Oslo, Norway
Sammendrag
This thesis explores how collaboration between pre-service teachers and teacher educators in schools and universities can enhance practice quality in teacher education (TE). It investigates interactions and the potential emergence of a third space (Bhabha, 1994) that can reshape school-university collaboration by integrating academic and practitioner knowledge (Zeichner, 2010). Addressing a literature gap, the study examines ways to enhance democratic collaboration in TE and provide authentic practice experiences for pre-service teachers. The main goal is to investigate practice and enrich it by focusing on how pre-service teachers and teacher educators view collaboration and interaction.
The thesis draws on the practical components of two TE programs at the University of Oslo: a master of education and a teacher certification program. The site encompasses diverse practice experiences across partner schools and involves interviews with 34 pre-service teachers, along with 5 teacher educators from schools and 5 from the university. 98 preservice teachers participated in surveys. Data includes findings from a scoping review, indepth interviews, and video-stimulated recall interviews. The overarching methodological approach aligns with principles of case study and thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006).
This study includes three articles. Article I traced the conceptualization of the third space within TE and revealed its significance for partnership models, educational policies, and empirical practices. The third space highlights the value of collaboration and negotiation of identities and epistemologies. Yet, challenges regarding tensions and sustainability highlighted the need to address power imbalances and promote equal collaboration. Findings also noted a rising interest in exploring the third space in digital contexts.
Article II explored pre-service teachers’ perceptions of their practice experiences and learning to provide insight into how the third space operates from the PSTs’ viewpoint. Incorporating the third space nuanced participation and negotiation of meaning within communities of practice (Wenger, 1998). The main finding emphasized the emergent nature of the third space as PSTs actively engage in participation and meaning negotiation with various actors, fostering epistemic negotiations, relational factors, and identity development. The need for equal participation and meaningful negotiation to overcome related challenges was stressed.
Article III investigated a digital practice assessment (DPA) involving collaborative triads of pre-service teachers and teacher educators (from school and university). The findings suggested that utilizing video-based assessments allows for improved preparation, fostering interactions, and merging academic and practitioner knowledge. However, challenges of limited context and role ambiguity hinder the third space’s emergence. The study underscored the role of digital tools in shaping interactions and perceptions of affordances with the third space emerging during specific moments of active articulation of opportunities for formative assessment where all triad members participated equally.
In sum, this thesis demonstrates the potential to integrate academic and practitioner knowledge to support pre-service teachers’ learning within a democratic environment conductive to the emergence of a third space. However, it also draws attention to the continuous negotiation of tensions for sustained and authentic collaboration in TE.