Grundskollärares tankar om kompetensutveckling (Compulsory school teachers' thoughts about competence development)

The development in society and school activities that have taken place during the past twenty years, form the background to the problem in this thesis. Liberal democratisation in the society as a whole and the global explosion of knowledge have made it necessary for teachers continuously to develop new knowledge.

The over all aim of the thesis concerned the development of knowledge of variations in teachers? thoughts about teachers? competence development through an empirical investigation. One specific aim concerned the development of knowledge of variation in teachers? thoughts about relevant content of competence development. The second specific aim concerned the development of knowledge about variations in teachers? thoughts about teachers? possibilities of relevant use of competence development in the school activity. An analysis, inspired by the method Contextual analysis was used as the methodological starting-point and the theory of knowledge as a theoretical framework. The analysis resulted in a hierarchical system of four categories of description. The first category of description is called Development of integrated general teacher competence, subject knowledge and competences in teaching the subject as a base for better development of the activity in school. This category of description is also the most complex. The second category of description is called Development of general teacher competence, subject knowledge and competences in teaching the subject as a base for better cooperation with colleagues. The third category of description is called Better subject knowledge and competences in teaching the subject as a base for better design of pupils? learning situations. The fourth category of description is called Better knowledge of school subjects as a base for development of teacher's own school teaching.

In the most complex category of description teachers saw an integrated development of general teacher competence, subject knowledge and competences in teaching the subject as a base for better development of the activity in school. In the other three categories of description the teachers did not integrate all the mentioned competences. They explicated a competence development relevant to a more narrow activity in school. Further, the results point to relations between the teachers? thoughts about interpretational relevant content and about area of application, regarding development of competence. The relations involve that if a teacher is making complex statements about the interpretational relevant content, the teacher also is making complex statements about the area of application. The results could be of importance to principals and teachers which ought to develop competence of how to make relevant knowledge of education policy relevant for all teachers in the activity, both as individuals and as a professional collective. At last, the results are indicating that Schutz? system of personal relevance of knowledge, in addition, seems to be a system equivalent to the personal relevance system of competence development, according to the teachers? thoughts of competence development. However, the teachers? thoughts of competence development do not indicate a shared professional ground of teachers? knowledge.