23. Policy Studies and Politics of Education
Paper
European Educational Research: A Thematic Analysis of the European Educational Research Journal (2002-2021)
Catarina Paulos
Institute of Education - ULisboa, Portugal
Presenting Author: Paulos, Catarina
The aim of this paper is to analyze the changes in European educational research through the way in which they are observed from within its disciplinary field. Educational research, in the European context, has been transformed in the last decades. In the analysis of this process of change three major forces have been identified. In this way, one of these forces is related to the European policy strategy of constructing the European Research Area (ERA) (Hoveid, Keiner & Seddon, 2014). A second force concerns how European educational research should be steered (Smeyers & Depaepe, 2016). And a third force is linked to a vision for European educational research, according to which it should follow a path identified in other sciences (namely, the natural and medical sciences) that value the production of evidence (Zapp, Powell & Marques, 2018).
This paper aims to deepen the knowledge about the process of transformation of the European educational research, through the understanding of how the field of educational research has been considering it. Thus, I aim to identify and analyze the changes perceived in educational research, in the European context, in the last two decades from the observation of the scientific field of education (Keiner, 2010), taking as object the articles published by the European Educational Research Journal (EERJ), between 2002 and 2020. This entry by the scientific journal is based on the notion that specialized publications constitute a communicative space where research in education reflects on itself and assigns itself a meaning (Schriewer & Keiner, 1992). Indeed, scientific publications play a significant role in the construction of the field of educational research, by selecting which themes are discussed and how they are analyzed.
The study draws on Luhmann’s thematization theory (Luhmann, 2000) to analyze the role of the scientific publications in selecting specific themes as the focus of their productions and its effects on the construction of the scientific field of educational research in the European context. Thematizing a topic means attributing relevance to it, emphasizing its centrality and its significance in relation to the flow of unthematized information (Luhmann, 2000). Thematization is described as the process of defining, establishing and publicly recognizing the major themes in order to reduce complexity (Saperas, 1987).
In this paper, I intend to answer to the following question: How does EERJ thematize educational research in the European context?
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThe study is a systematic literature review (Newman & Gough, 2020; Xiao & Watson, 2019) of articles published in the EERJ between 2002 and 2020 that have as their topic educational research in the European context.
The EERJ is a peer-reviewed journal launched by the European Educational Research Association (EERA) in 2002 with the aim of promoting educational research, developing methods for studying the educational research space in Europe, and encouraging reflection on how the European context and other regional or global dynamics shape educational research (European Educational Research Journal [EERJ], 2022; Lawn, 2002).
The search for articles was conducted on the EERJ website. There was defined as inclusion criteria the focus on educational research in the European context. Exclusion criteria were publication formats that did not correspond to the “standard” single article; editorials, roundtables, reports, research reports, introductions, conclusions, and keynotes were excluded. Initially, the titles and abstracts of articles published between January 2002, when the first issue was launched, and November 2020 were analyzed. This initial analysis yielded 53 articles. After applying the exclusion criteria, 36 articles were obtained, which were subjected to a deeper analysis with a full reading of the texts. This analysis led to the elimination of 7 articles that dealt with related topics, such as educational policy or educational governance, among others. In the end, 29 articles remained, which are analyzed in this paper.
I used content analysis to study how the EERJ contributes to the thematization of educational research and its impact on the construction of the scientific field of European educational research.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsEducational research in the European context thematizes itself around five themes: structuring; identity and involvement; governance; internationalization; and research processes.
Structuring attributes greater relevance to the role of EERA, EERJ, ECER and networks in the construction of the scientific field of educational research in the European context. This is perceived as being achieved through the scientific development of researchers, the transnational collaboration of researchers and research structures at the European and global levels, and the strengthening of Europeanization and internationalization. Identity and involvement highlight the representations, meanings and values associated with educational research in the European context that are achieved by researchers through their participation in the EERA, the networks and the ECER and through the development of a sense of belonging. Governance emphasizes meaningful actors and mechanisms for steering educational research in the European context. Internationalization attributes greater importance to practices and flows of people and knowledge between states, linked to research work in education, with regard to the construction of the ERA. This process is perceived as being achieved through publication criteria and work and research practices. Research processes emphasize the operationalization of educational research work and the configuration of educational research in the European context.
European educational research considers itself on the basis of the five themes mentioned. The relevance attributed to themes such as internationalization and governance of educational research is part of the process of change that has taken place in the field of educational research in the European context in recent decades. In this sense, European educational research is thought around internationalization as a strategy to compete with other geopolitical and geoeconomics spaces, where researchers and research structures are encouraged to develop research at the transnational level. Moreover, there is a tendency for educational research in the European context to be governed by results.
ReferencesEuropean Educational Research Journal (2022). European Educational Research Journal. https://journals.sagepub.com/home/eer
Hoveid, M., Keiner, E., & Seddon, T. (2014). A ‘Moot’ for Educational Research in Europe? European Educational Research Journal, 13(2), 130-142. https://doi.org/10.2304/eerj.2014.13.2.130
Keiner, E. (2010). Disciplines of education. The value of disciplinary self-observation. In J. Furlong & M. Lawn (Eds.), Disciplines of Education. Their role in the future of education research (pp. 159-172). Routledge.
Lawn, M. (2002). Editorial. Welcome to the first issue. European Educational Research Journal, 1(1), 1-2. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.2304/eerj.2002.1.1.1
Luhmann, N. (2000). The reality of the mass media. Stanford University Press.
Newman, M., & Gough, D. (2020). Systematic Reviews in Educational Research: Methodology, Perspectives and Application.” In O. Zawacki-Richter, M. Kerres, S. Bedenlier, M. Bond & K. Buntins (Eds.), Systematic Reviews in Educational Research - Methodology, Perspectives and Application (pp. 3-22). Springer VS.
Saperas, E. (1987). Los efectos cognitivos de la comunicación de masas. Editorial Ariel S.A.
Schriewer, J., & Keiner, E. (1992). Communication Patterns and Intellectual Traditions in Educational Sciences: France and Germany. Comparative Education Review, 36(1), 25-51. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1188088
Smeyers, P., & Depaepe, M. (2016). Mutual dependencies: 'Change' and 'discourse'. In P. Smeyers & M. Depaepe (Eds.), Educational research: Discourses of change and changes of discourse (pp. 1-8). Springer.
Xiao, Y., & Watson, M. (2019). Guidance on Conducting a Systematic Literature Review. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 39(1), 93–112. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X17723971
Zapp, M., Powell, J. J. W., & Marques, M. (2018). Theorizing Institutional Change in Educational Research (Governance). In M. Zapp, M. Marques & J. J. W. Powell (Eds.), European Educational Research (Re)Constructed: Institutional Change in Germany, the United Kingdom, Norway, and the European Union (pp. 23-48). Symposium Books.
23. Policy Studies and Politics of Education
Paper
The Academization and Europeanization of Midwifery Training in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Tim Hölscher
Osnabrück University, Germany
Presenting Author: Hölscher, Tim
Midwifery training in Germany will be fully academized by 2023. This means it will only be offered at universities and initially in the form of bachelor's degree programs. According to the German federal government, the foundation for this was laid by EU Directive 2005/36/EC after amendment by Directive 2013/55/EU, which stipulates uniform minimum standards in midwifery training in all countries of the European Union and the European Economic Area in order to make automatic recognition of professional qualifications between these countries possible (cf. Deutscher Bundestag, 2018, p. 9).
The overarching goal is to highlight the influence of EU legal norms on the design of training structures of the member states. The relevance is illustrated by the fact that both the import of promising policy programs in the Western states (cf. Schneider & Janning, 2006, p. 220) and the indirect influence of the EU on policy areas of the member states that are actually protected by sovereignty have increased (cf. Bohlinger, 2014, p. 18f.). In order to be able to understand to what extent this applies to vocational education and training, the implementation of Directive 2005/36/EC with regard to midwifery training is presented as an exemplary case.
Furthermore, it is the aim of the paper to consider the motives for the academization of the midwifery profession, as the German government attributes the change from technical colleges to universities to Directive 2005/36/EC, although its wording does not call for academization (cf. Deutscher Bundestag, 2018, p. 9). It is therefore obvious that beyond the formal requirements of the Directive, there are influences and motives that require a full academization of midwifery training.
In order to be able to determine the influence of the EU Directive more sensitively, the study is conducted on an international comparative basis between the countries of Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Deriving from the preceding implications, the research question for the present study arises: To what extent has the EU Directive 2005/36/EC led to an academization of midwifery education in DACH-region?
In order to address this question, the study examines whether and to what extent the predefined midwifery training structures specified by the EU Directive have been integrated into national vocational training systems. For this purpose, the scope and effectiveness of the EU Directive will be determined by means of vertical comparison and by taking into account the national-historical developments in midwifery education and training.
The theoretical framework for this study is organizational neo-institutionalism. Based on the aim of investigating the influence of the EU Directive 2005/36/EC on the national structures of midwifery education and training, the addressed countries or the respective national regulatory structures of midwifery education and training such as professional laws, represent the organizations. These are under the influence of the EU or, in the context of this study, the EU Directive 2005/36/EC, so that the Directive itself represents an institution.
The leading research hypothesis is that the transported myth of higher-quality academic education as well as the formal requirements of the EU Directive 2005/36/EC will be adopted by the addressed countries for legitimization and that a fully academic midwifery education will emerge even if this represents a major difference from previous developments and extensive system changes have to be implemented for this purpose. This would go hand in hand with the premise that, in addition to the formal requirements, other motives, ideas or development trends of the EU would also be transported to the states, which would lead subliminally to an academization of midwifery training. This would speak for an indirect control of the EU or the Directive 2005/36/EC with regard to the (professional) educational structures.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedBased on the underlying interest in finding out to what extent Directive 2005/36/EC has influenced national statutory midwifery structures, the focus of the study is on the influence of the institution and on how it changes the formal structures of the nation states. This results in a top-down perspective, with the EU's requirements as the starting point of the investigation (cf. Radaelli, 2004, p. 4).
In the context of this survey, the operationalized element of formal structures are the country-specific regulations that define the formal structure of midwifery education. Accordingly, primary sources that regulate midwifery training in a legally binding manner, such as laws, guidelines, ordinances or similar national legal acts, are examined. The concrete data of the formal regulations are inductively derived from the requirements of the EU Directive 2005/36/EC. In accordance with the Directive, countries have three training options at their disposal that are compatible with automatic recognition of professional qualifications throughout the EU. These differ in the criteria (1) "scope of training" or "full-time (FT) or part-time (PT)", (2) "duration of training", (3) "relationship between theory and practice" and (4) "admission requirements". Along these specifications of the EU Directive, the national midwifery training regulations are examined with regard to similarities and differences. The results provide information on the degree to which the countries have implemented the EU Directive.
In order to be able to depict the process-related changes of the national regulations due to the influence of the EU Directive 2005/36/EC in a more targeted manner, the formal structures before the influence and after the influence of the Directive are surveyed by means of vertical comparison. For this purpose, it will be analyzed how much the national regulations differ from the EU Directive 2005/36/EC at the time before the Directive (t1 = 2002) and at the time after the Directive (t2 = 2022) (∆X1 & ∆X2). In addition to the collected snapshots, the entire development process between the time points t1 and t2 is subsequently highlighted (∆X3). Through the first step, the conformity to Directive 2005/36/EC becomes clear at the respective points in time. The second step allows statements about the extent of the process-related change of the formal structure.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsOverall, similar trends can be seen between the countries studied. The results of the country portraits show that an influence of the EU Directive 2005/36/EC in relation to midwifery training can be concluded in all countries considered. In total, the results show that the variation in the design of training in relation to the type of university as well as the proximity to Directive 2005/36/EC has decreased over the study period, which suggests a sigma convergence (cf. Heichel & Sommerer, 2007, p. 118; Holzinger et al., 2007, p. 18). Furthermore, delta convergence is evident. This occurs when political systems converge on a reference policy or policy ideal, which is Directive 2005/36/EC in this case (cf. Holzinger et al., 2007, p. 19). Consequently, the training structures of the DACH-region not only converge with each other, but they equally reduce the distance to the specified training forms, which are given on the part of the EU directive. International harmonizations are important for the two policy convergences through the supranational Directive 2005/36/EC (cf. Holzinger et al., 2007, p. 26). Accordingly, indirect harmonization influences on the VET policies of the countries become clear. Under the principle of minimum harmonization and through subliminally transported institutional myths, an academization of midwifery education has prevailed and consolidated in the countries of the DACH-region.
In summary, this confirms the guiding overall hypothesis that the transported myth of higher-quality academic education as well as the formal requirements of the EU Directive 2005/36/EC are adopted by the addressed countries for legitimization and that a fully academized midwifery education is thus emerging, even if this represents a major difference from previous developments and extensive system changes must be implemented for this purpose.
ReferencesBohlinger, S. (2014). Steuerungsprinzipien und -mittel europäischer Berufsbildungspolitik Ordnung und Steuerung der beruflichen Bildung. bwp@, Ordnung und Steuerung der beruflichen Bildung, 25, 1–23. www.bwpat.de/ausgabe25/bohlinger_bwpat25.pdf
Deißinger, T., & Frommberger, D. (2010). Berufsbildung im internationalen Vergleich – Typen nationaler Berufsbildungssysteme. In R. Nickolaus, G. Pätzold, H. Reinisch, & T. Tramm (Eds.), Handbuch Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik (pp. 343–348). Julius Klinkhardt.
Deutscher Bundestag. (2018). Sachstand. Europarechtliche Vorgaben für die Anforderungen an die Ausbildung von Hebammen. https://www.bundestag.de/resource/blob/553384/b367228ef935e3a17fe286a91c507656/PE-6-038-18-pdf-data.pdf
Eising, R. (2006). Europäisierung und Integration. Konzepte in der EU-Forschung. In M. Jachtenfuchs & B. Kohler-Koch (Eds.), Europäische Integration (vol. 2, pp. 387–416). Springer.
Heichel, S., & Sommerer, T. (2007). Unterschiedliche Pfade, ein Ziel? - Spezifikationen im Forschungsdesign und Vergleichbarkeit der Ergebnisse bei der Suche nach Konvergenz nationalstaatlicher Politiken. In K. Holzinger, H. Jörgens, & C. Knill (Eds.), Transfer, Diffusion und Konvergenz von Politiken (vol 1, pp. 107–130). VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.
Holzinger, K., Jörgens, H., & Knill, C. (2007). Transfer, Diffusion und Konvergenz: Konzepte und Kausalmechanismen. In K. Holzinger, H. Jörgens, & C. Knill (Eds.), Transfer, Diffusion und Konvergenz von Politiken (vol. 1, pp. 11–38). VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.
Lassnigg, L. (2015). The Political Branding of Apprenticeship into the "Dual System": Reflections about Exporting the Myth of Employment Transition. In L. Lassnigg & A. Heikkinen (Eds.), Myths and Brands in Vocational Education (pp. 78–98). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Plappert, C. F., Graf, J., Simoes, E., Schönhardt, S., & Abele, H. (2019). Die Akademisierung des Hebammenberufs im Kontext der Novellierung des Hebammengesetzes: aktuelle Entwicklungen und Herausforderungen. Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde, 79(8), pp. 854–862.
Radaelli, C. M. (2004). Europeanisation: Solution or problem? European Integration online Papers, 8(16), pp. 1–16.
Schneider, V., & Janning, F. (2006). Politikfeldanalyse. Akteure, Diskurse und Netzwerke in der öffentlichen Politik. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.
23. Policy Studies and Politics of Education
Paper
Through disciplinary lenses – Students’ voices filtering Internationalization-at-home policies
Nafsika Alexiadou, Linda Rönnberg, Zoi Kefala
Umeå University, Sweden
Presenting Author: Alexiadou, Nafsika
Internationalisation-at-home (IaH) is one of the key dimensions of comprehensive internationalisation processes in higher education (Hudzik 2011). Driven by globalisation influences on higher education, IaH is valued by universities for its assumed contribution to high quality learning contexts, increase of students’ intercultural and international competences, and the formation of global citizens (Dagen and Fink-Hafner 2019; Hudzik 2011). It refers to the ‘purposeful integration of international and intercultural dimensions’ into the curricula and experiences of students during their studies (Beelen and Jones 2015:76), and as such, is increasingly embedded in the narratives of universities and faculties across Europe and beyond.
Sweden has provided a very active policy context for investing in internationalization, and for the development of internationalization strategies (Alexiadou & Rönnberg; SOU, 2018:3). A recently conducted inquiry urged the government to adopt a more systematic approach towards policies and practices on internationalisation (SOU 2018:3; 2018:78). It suggests, among others, that ‘All students who earn university degrees have developed their international understanding or intercultural competence’ (SOU 2018:3), and thus, connects the wider internationalisation debates to university curricula. Universities mediate internationalisation policies and enact strategies to serve their missions, and institutional objectives, given their history, size and location (Alexiadou and Rönnberg 2022). In addition, the different academic and disciplinary organisations of natural and social science faculties frame the engagement with internationalisation differently (Knight, 2011; Kwiek, 2020; Luijten-Lub et al., 2005).
In our presentation we focus on ‘internationalisation at home’ (IaH) conceptions and experiences of students in two large Swedish Universities.
Theoretically we view the disciplinary perspectives as key in the ways in which IaH is organized and practiced (Iosava, L., Roxå, 2019; Leask & Bridge, 2013). Disciplines, as ways of organizing and defining knowledge domains (Becher and Trowler, 2001; Klein, 1990), academic practices and socialization of students (Biglan, 1973; Trowler et al., 2014), shape learning and teaching cultures, as well as the attitudes of teachers, researchers and students towards teaching practices, education values, and philosophies (Neumann, 2001; Sawir, 2011). Internationalisation of the student experience through the curriculum and teaching and learning practices, will have different meanings across the disciplines, and the professions they correspond to (Leask & Bridge, 2013). Following Becher’s (1989) and Biglan’s (1973) classifications of disciplines into ‘hard pure/applied’ and ‘soft pure/applied’ we study the ways in which ‘home students’ in the Natural and Social Sciences in two Swedish universities position themselves towards internationalization and their universities’ internationalization policies.
In particular we address the following research questions (a) How do students from different disciplinary contexts experience internationalization in their studies? (b) what are the subject specific narratives that define their position? and, (c) what do students view as the disciplinary and institutional facilitators and obstacles in integrating internationalization in their studies?
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedIn our study, we expect institutional and disciplinary contexts and cultures to play an important role in the understanding and experience of internationalisation when we examine the students’ narratives from different universities and faculties. Our comparative focus of students in two different Universities and in the Sciences and Social Sciences faculties aims at examining the influence of the different subjects and perceptions of the subject, and the organization of teaching and research work, on internationalisation. Our research design is qualitative and consists of 67 in-depth interviews with students across four different faculties in 2 large universities in Sweden. All the students had completed a minimum of 2 (and in several cases 3) years of university education at the time of the interview and they come from a range of disciplines within Natural Sciences (Astronomy, Chemical Physics, Theoretical Physics, Civil and Mechanical Engineering) and Social Sciences (Education, Economics, International Business, and Political Science). Our interview agenda addressed (i) internationalization through the curriculum and course activities; (ii) language of instruction and seminar work; (iii) subject knowledge; and, (iv) students’ views on their future career. We analysed the data through a thematic analysis and the construction of second order categories, which were reviewed through the research questions and literature concepts.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsEpistemologically-grounded conceptions about the discipline shape the students’ position towards questions of internationalization. The students’ conceptions of their respective subject along its disciplinary organization, knowledge content and relevance, research basis, contextual location, and practice, define a typology of positions along the national-international axis that in turn, and shapes both their views and their expectations around internationalization.
Second, the particular articulations around the nature of disciplines are also connected to pedagogical approaches to the teaching of subjects as experienced by the students, with varying degrees of connection to the theme of internationalization. The strong differentiation of the student positions according to their disciplinary locations has implications for the embedding of IaH across different subject areas (Clifford, 2009). At the same time, we find that the different university affiliation of students does not seem to have any influence on their views and positions. Disciplinary identifications are clearly stronger than institutional ones with regard to IaH issues.
Third, there is more agreement across the students on what facilitates or inhibits internationalization in the students’ experience mainly at the university level, but also significant variation regarding different aspects of internationalization and their relevance for international or intercultural learning.
ReferencesAlexiadou N., & Rönnberg L. 2021. Transcending borders in higher education: Internationalisation policies in Sweden. European Educational Research Journal
Becher, T. 1989. Academic tribes and territories: Intellectual enquiry and the cultures of the disciplines, Milton Keynes: Society for Research into Higher Education and the Open University Press.
Becher, T. and Trowler, P.R. 2001. Academic tribes and territories: Intellectual enquiry and the cultures of the disciplines (2nd ed.). Buckingham: Society for Research into Higher Education and the Open University Press.
Beelen, J., & Jones, E. 2015. Europe calling: A new definition for internationalization at home. International Higher Education, (83), 12-13.
Biglan, A. 1973. Characteristics of subject matter in different academic areas, Journal of Applied Psychology, 57, 195-203.
Clifford, V. A. 2009. Engaging the disciplines in internationalizing the curriculum, International Journal for Academic Development, 14:2, 133-143.
Dagen, T., Fink-Hafner, D. 2019. Impact of Globalisation on Internationalisation of Universities. Ljubljana: Založba FDV.
Hudzik, 2011. Comprehensive Internationalisation: From Concept to Action, Washington D.C: Association of International Educators.
Iosava, L., Roxå, T. 2019. ‘Internationalisation of universities: Local perspectives on a global phenomenon’, Tertiary Education and Management 25: 225-238.
Klein, J. T. 1990. Interdisciplinarity: History, Theory, and Practice. Detroit. Wayne State University Press.
Knight, J. 2011. Five myths about internationalization. International higher Education, (62).
Kwiek, M. 2020. ‘What large-scale publication and citation data tell us about international research collaboration in Europe: changing national patterns in global contexts’, Studies in Higher Education. Epub.
Leask, B., & Bridge, C. 2013. Comparing internationalisation of the curriculum in action across disciplines: Theoretical and practical perspectives. Compare, 43(1), 79–101.
Luijten-Lub, A., Wende M.V., Huisman, J. 2005. ‘On cooperation and competition: A comparative analysis of national policies for internationalisation of higher education in seven western European countries’. Journal of Studies in International Education 9(2): 147-163.
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