Abstract

Gains from training? Alumni evaluations of Swedish Teacher Education programs

Bjorn Astrand, Umeå University, Sweden

Teacher Education programs in Sweden were subject for national evaluations in 2005 and 2008. Substantial critique was raised against programs and the public debate was loud. In relation to those evaluations and the following debates, the national association for deans responsible for teacher education programs sparked an internal discussion on quality. A core aspect of the internal debate was the need to elaborate views within the community on quality that was endorsed by deans and teacher educators as well as strategies to advance national collaboration aiming at advancement. A working group was established which facilitated the discussion by preparation of overviews and proposals.
An outcome of those initiatives was the launch of a questionnaire in spring 2010 to all students who were awarded a teacher degree during fall 2007 and spring 2008. The assumption was that those alumni on the one hand now to large extent had become established on the labour market, whilst on the other hand they had their recent studies in mind in such a way that they could evaluate how well these had prepared them for their work. It turned out that more that 85% of the respondents were employed and were working as pre-school teachers, teachers, leisure time pedagogues and school directors.

The questionnaire asked for the opinions from those alumni by using questions in four sections, each evaluating a different aspect of the teacher profession concerning how well they estimated that they had been prepared for:
• Direct teaching/instruction
• The wider work as a teacher
• Developmental work
• Collaboration

This paper will present results from this study and also draw attention to the efforts and strategies to support the development of an internal quality culture within the national teacher education community in Sweden.