Promoting VET teachers’ individual and social learning activities: the empowering and purposeful role of transformational leadership, interdependence, and self-efficacy

Arnoud Oude Groote Beverborg,Klaas Van Veen,Peter Jc Sleegers

doi:10.1186/s40461-015-0018-4

Abstract

This study explores the interaction between organizational and psychological factors that play a role in professional teacher learning. More specifically, how teachers’ engagement in learning activities (e.g. keeping up to data, self-reflection, and experimenting, respectively, asking for feedback and information sharing) is influenced by the organizational factors transformational leadership and perceived interdependence, and the psychological factor self-efficacy. The study is conducted in the context of Vocational Education and Training (VET) colleges in the Netherlands, using a survey among 447 VET teachers working in 66 teams. Results showed that self-efficacy and task interdependence directly, and positively, influence a variety of learning activities. Task interdependence influenced self-efficacy positively. Goal interdependence influenced self-efficacy positively, but from the learning activities it only affected information sharing and social reflection positively. From the transformational leadership practices vision building positively affected goal interdependence, and consideration and stimulation positively affected task interdependence. In general, two configurations for the facilitation of teacher learning were found: one that empowers individual teachers to acquire new knowledge, and another that helps teachers to focus on shared goals and binds them to social learning. Teachers’ engagement in learning activities, and consequently VET colleges’ change capacities, is optimally facilitated by empowerment and purpose.

Highlights

This study explores the interaction between organizational and psychological factors that play a role in professional teacher learning in the context of Vocational Education and Training (VET) colleges in the Netherlands
The present study The aim of the present study is to examine the impact transformational leadership, teamwork, and self-efficacy, have on teacher learning in VET colleges
Measures of the model variables As we aimed to explore how transformational leadership practices, perceived task and goal interdependence, teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs affect teachers’ their engagement in professional learning activities within the context of VET colleges and how these findings are related to findings of previous cross-sectional studies into teacher learning in primary education, we chose a survey design

Summary

Introduction

This study explores the interaction between organizational and psychological factors that play a role in professional teacher learning in the context of Vocational Education and Training (VET) colleges in the Netherlands. VET colleges, in contrast, involve a higher level of education and have gone through many mergers with the formation of massive educational institutions as a consequence These institutions have attracted experienced professionals from the actual field to teach their students but with a wide variety of experiences and expectations as a consequence – when multidisciplinary teams are formed. This context of VET colleges is interesting because of the current changes in Dutch VET Colleges, which require teachers to collaborate and learn. To come to understand how to effectively adjust to such demands, individual and social professional learning activities are deemed necessary (Jarvis, 1987; Smylie, 1995; Stoll et al 2006; van Woerkom, 2003)

Objectives

Results

Discussion

Conclusion