Teachers in Danish upper secondary education’s conceptualisation of career learning: A Koselleck inspired study

Abstract

This study explores the translation and negotiation of career learning as a newly introduced concept in the context of academic Danish upper secondary education, shedding light on teachers’ understanding of the concept and its connection to their teaching practice. In the study, we draw on observations and interviews with ten teachers. Using Koselleck’s asymmetric counter concepts, the analysis shows that the negotiation of meaning is complex, and full of internal and external paradoxes. Last, the study argues that in practice, there is goodwill and a desire to occupy the concept by the teachers when it can be linked to meaningful teaching practice.