In 2014 the Danish government formed an agreement that aimed to raise the quality of the vocational educations to attract potential students. The reform places an emphasis on teacher collaboration, as it is considered a key tool for achieving political goals and creating a cohesive, quality assured teaching programme. This is particularly important for the vocational education programme qualifying for access to higher education (EUX), as it is based on a combination of higher technical examinations (HTX) and teaching in vocational education (EUD). In multiple vocational colleges, however, it has become increasingly difficult to implement a cohesive method of teaching between the two branches at EUX, which according to research is attributed to the lack of collaboration between the HTX and EUD teachers. This thesis focuses on how to form the basis of improving collaborative teaching at a vocational college in Jutland, where teacher collaboration at EUX poses a challenge.
The empirical data for this thesis was collected through a combination of interviews with HTX and EUD teachers, as well as individual interviews with managers at the vocational college, who are associated with EUX. The data was analysed and discussed through the application of Self-Determination Theory, including concepts concerning Communities of Practice, taking into account research-based knowledge of organizational factors influencing collaboration.
The empirical data revealed that the teachers do not meet very often. This could relate to the fact that the teachers do not have shared access to each other’s daily schedules. Granting access could provide greater transparency around teacher availability when arranging meetings. Skype could also be used as a communication tool for conducting virtual meetings across departments, reducing the need for frequent face-to-face contact. Some of the teachers have never been acquainted, however, by meeting more often using the above communication tools, they can improve their interpersonal relations and collaboration across departments.
The HTX-teachers do not find that the EUD-teachers engage equally in their collaboration. This may have been caused by different interpretations of the phrasing in the ministerial orders regarding EUX. Collaboration for teachers based on separate ministerial orders can sometimes be constrained, as they use different resources to create an understanding of how their teachings correlate, often resulting in misinterpretations. To avoid such confusion, the teachers should be discussing the phrasings in their ministerial orders, as they can form the basis of a mutual understanding and respect for each other’s teaching conditions.
The teachers and the educational head of EUX have different expectations regarding who should take initiative for conducting meetings between the teachers. Different expectations between them may be the cause, but it can also be a result of the teachers lacking the time to take on the additional responsibility, as they are often also preoccupied with teaching at either HTX or EUD. It can benefit their collaboration if they only teach at EUX, as it could give them more time to meet, but this is not yet possible due to the smaller number of students attending EUX at the vocational college. As such, the teachers need to find time to meet in other ways, for instance through access to each other’s daily schedules and via Skype.
It has not been outlined when the teachings in higher technical examinations duplicate with teachings in vocational education. Furthermore, the teachers do not have an understanding of each other’s curriculums. Consequently, some of the teachers feel insecure, and the students are taught the same readings across the two branches of teaching at EUX. The teachers therefore need to present their curriculums to each other in order to clarify when their teachings duplicate, as the shared subject knowledge can give them a mutual resource avoiding any future duplications. These meetings could benefit the collaboration between the teachers, as the teaching at EUX has rarely been discussed. Creating opportunities for teachers to meet more often through access to each other’s daily schedules and via Skype may therefore not be enough to improve their collaboration. In order to add value to their collaboration, it is key that these meetings are centred around cohesive teaching.
This is an area of research that requires further and more detailed investigation. EUX is a new education undergoing continuous change, as such, the demands and circumstances that implicate teacher collaboration may change in the future.