In the PHD project, the aim is to develop/achieve knowledge about the potential that locally-initiated development projects may have in the teachers' knowledge work, as well as reveal challenges related to using new sources of knowledge and new research in school.
Based on theories of profession, I will focus on the teachers' knowledge base, what does it consist of, how is it renewed and how do teachers and school leaders relate to it within the framework of a local development project? Since professionalization initiatives "from above" have proved to create tension in the work of developing the profession, I will pay special attention to how the project Culture for Learning is understood and operationalized internally within the teacher group and between teachers and school leaders. The project aims to illustrate how different tensions can affect the cooperation between teachers and leaders in the school's knowledge work. By both a horizontal and vertical perspective, the aim is that the PhD project will provide new knowledge about the conditions for teachers to use data and research in their professional learning communities.
Based on this, the project will focus on the following question:
How will participation in the Culture for Learning project strengthen the teachers' knowledge base and support their knowledge work? The research question will be answered through three articles that address the following topics:
- What comprehension of knowledge and learning forms the basis of the innovation project Culture for Learning?
- What characterizes the teachers' knowledge work in the Culture for Learning project?
- How do teachers and school leaders collaborate on development measures?
