Exploring Teachers’ Professional Space Using the Cases of Finland, Norway and the US

This study explores teachers’ professional space as an alternative to, and/or expansion of earlier conceptualizations of teacher autonomy. Professional space is here understood both as an objective space with e.g., physical, juridical, economic features, and as the teachers’ subjective negotiation of this objective space, where teachers are viewed as producers of professional space (subjective space). Based on an analysis of storyline interviews with teachers from Finland, Norway and the US study argues that professional space, both as an empirical entity and as a theoretical construct, opens up exploration of external and internal factors, as well as the multi-dimensionality of the factors over time and beyond physical space which influence teachers’ decision-making capabilities.

SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2020.1851760

Katriina Maaranen, Ph.D., University Lecturer, Department of Teacher Education, University of Helsinki. Dr. Maaranen has focused on researching different aspects of teacher education, and some of her main interests are questions dealing with the integration of theory and practice in teacher education, research process and the development of MA thesis research projects, the development of students-teachers personal practical theories in education, the development of teaching practice, and connecting higher education and working life. 

Hilde Wågsås Afdal is professor of pedagogy at Østfold University College, department of teacher education. Her research interests are teachers’ professional knowledge, professional ethics / professional values, the knowledge base in curricula / framework plans for teacher education and other professional programs, comparative methods and contextualisation. She has written the doctoral dissertation Constructing knowledge for the teaching profession — A comparative analysis of policy making, curriculum content, and novice teachers’ knowledge relations in the cases of Finland and Norway. Hilde Wågsås Afdal has also worked on projects related to horizontal learning. and management processes in higher education, research-based professional education and professional ethics. 

Publication is published under ‘open access’ or under the author’s permission and copyright of the work belongs to the author.