Conference Agenda

In 2024, EERA celebrates its 30^th anniversary. This makes ECER 2024 in Nicosia the ideal moment to look back at the previous conferences in order to get a grasp of the central topics that were addressed throughout the years. This is precisely the focus of this EERA session. The session starts with a presentation of the preliminary results of an empirical analysis of the ECER abstracts database identifying the most important topics that were addressed in the previous three decades. This is followed by a panel discussion in which is explored what this means for the field: Which topics have been dominating European educational research, what has been under-addressed so far, and where do we see promising and necessary pathways for the future?

This EERA session is part of an ongoing research project aimed at identifying the most important themes or research topics (both substantive and methodological) that have been addressed in the previous decennia of European Conferences on Educational Research. The aim is to create an overview of the very diverse work that has already been done in the field, in doing so offering an insight into which research topics dominate the field. The focus of the research project purposefully supersedes the level of the individual networks, using abstracts across the networks as a window into what European educational research these past years has been about.

The session pivots around the results of an empirical analysis of the ECER abstracts database. This is done through topic modelling, which is an automated content analysis technique for the analysis of large corpora (Arora et al., 2018). It is a powerful text mining technique that derives latent meaning from a body of text by investigating large patterns over multiple documents. This general approach is also called distant reading (Wiedemann, 2013). Topic modelling reduces the complexity of a corpus by finding topics, “collections of words that have a high probability of co-occurrence” within documents throughout the corpus (Jaworska & Nanda, 2018, p. 11). A topic model is then a model consisting of several “topics” that together represent the content of the corpus. Every topic has a weight that reflects its importance in the corpus. Taken together, this means that the topics this study identifies are collections of words that are repeatedly used together throughout the analyzed ECER abstracts, in this way representing the most important themes or topics that have been addressed at the conferences.

Increasing teacher and school leader shortages and, simultaneously, an increase of demands regarding student achievements and teacher quality force schools to invest in their ‘human capital’ (OECD, 2023). While this means a challenge in itself, due to all kinds of social, political, and economic problems (see also the call of proposals of ECER, 2024), the context wherein schools operate has become more and more complex and uncertain. For example, younger colleagues often have other job-expectations than their older counterparts (Skýpalová, 2023) causing challenges to retain them; more diversity in the classroom and the call for more equal chances among pupils force schools to formulate specific policies (Donlevy et al, 2015); uncertainty and instability in funding causes problems in policy implementation (Waslander, 20123); technological developments, such as AI, alter our conceptions of assignments and assessments, leading to curricular changes and professionalization needs.

While all these developments require learning and development of all educational professionals, simultaneously, they impact its facilitation, hence making it a ‘wicked issue’ (Runhaar, 2023). Wicked issues are ambivalent and cannot be ‘solved’ in the sense they disappear (Bore & Wright, 2009). In order to understand wicked issues, an ecological perspective is needed (Wielkiewicz e.a. 2005), meaning that the impact and interdependence of factors playing a role at different levels of the system at hand need to be acknowledged and that multiple theoretical perspectives as well as the views of different actors are included. But how to study these types of issues?

The papers of our symposium are all about learning and development in education, but focus on different types of professionals (e.g. school leaders and starting teachers) working in different types of schools (e.g. secondary or vocational schools) or other organizations (e.g. child centra, teacher education institutes). Professional learning is conceptualized in various ways (e.g. as induction or as collaborative learning) and multiple perspectives are taken into account. Taken together, the papers contain ingredients for studying complex issues from an ecological perspective. We aim to formulate practical recommendations for educational research by discussing the differences and similarities among the papers with the audience.

The symposium is supported by the The Netherlands Educational Research Association (VOR) (www.vorsite.nl).

The first presentation explores how induction can be embedded in schools’ HRM (human resources management), with HRM referring to all practices targeted at attracting, retaining, developing, and rewarding teachers in such a way that it results in optimal teacher and school performance (Runhaar, 2017). To this end, two studies, conducted in Dutch schools for secondary and vocational education and training are discussed. Background Too many starting teachers (STs) leave the profession too early due to a lack of support and guidance (Helms-Lorenz et al., 2013). This is problematic, giving the worldwide teacher shortages (OECD, 2023), hence schools implement induction-programs, i.e. practices aimed at improving and accelerating ST’s professional development and enculturation in schools (Green, 2015). Although induction programs appear effective (e.g. Harmsen et al., 2019), STs’ job-satisfaction and wellbeing is also influenced by, for example, recruitment and selection procedures, career opportunities and payment, and thus of good personnel policy (Kutsyuruba et al., 2019). Induction therefore should include other HRM-practices next to professional development and socialization (cf. Fantilli and McDougall, 2009). Methods Through an online reflection-instrument, called the ‘Startwijzer’, qualitative and quantitative data were gathered among different actors (i.e. STs, coaches, HRM professionals, team leaders, schoolleaders) in secondary and VET schools (n= 558 respondents, 96 reps. n=629 respondents in 41 schools). The instrument was developed in a nationwide program on improving induction funded by Dutch government. The Startwijzer is based on induction- and HRM-literature. With the AMO-Theory of Performance (Appelbaum et al., 2001)– which states that employee performance is a function of their abilities (A); their motivation (M) and the opportunities they are offered to exert their expertise (O) - as framework, 13 indicators of a smooth landing are formulated. Respondents indicate to what extent the indicators have been realised (1 = ‘not in order’, 2 = ‘doubt’ and 3 = ‘in order’) and provide an explanation for their scores. Outcomes Respondents’ ratings of the 13 indicators differed across secondary and vocational education schools and among schools within both sectors. Also ratings differed among actors. For example, in both sectors: if actors differed in how they evaluated indicators, school leaders and team leaders were mostly more positive than the other actors, while HRM-professionals tended to be less positive than others. The qualitative data show that a smooth landing can be enhanced by more and clear communication among actors and by formalizing issues such as performance appraisals

Appelbaum, E., Bailey, T., Berg, P., & Kalleberg, A. L., 2001. Do high performance work systems pay off? In:The transformation of work. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Fantilli, R. D. and McDougall, D. E. (2009). A study of novice teachers: Challenges and supports in the first years. Teaching and teacher education, 25(6), 814-825. Green, A. (2015). Teacher induction, identity, and pedagogy: hearing the voices of mature early career teachers from an industry background. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 43(1), 49-60. Harmsen, R., Helms‐Lorenz, M., Maulana, R. and van Veen, K. (2019). The longitudinal effects of induction on beginning teachers’ stress. British journal of educational psychology, 89(2), 259-287; Helms-Lorenz, M., Slof, B., & van de Grift, W. (2013). First year effects of induction arrangements on beginning teachers’ psychological processes. European journal of psychology of education, 28(4), 1265-1287 Kutsyuruba, B., Walker, K. D., & Godden, L. (2019). Contextual factors in early career teaching: A systematic review of international research on teacher induction and mentoring programs. Journal of Global Education and Research, 3(2), 85-123. OECD (2023). Education at a Glance 2023. Geneve: OECD Runhaar, P. (2017). How schools and teachers benefit from human resources management? Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 45(4), 639-656.

Strengthening school leadership to optimise school organization for student and school team needs is an ongoing challenge. Recognizing the need for stronger support for school leaders, the Flemish Government (Belgium) has supported two-year professionalization initiatives (PI) for school leaders within a collaborative network. The central premise of the PI was collective learning among school leaders, as previous research has shown that this is a powerful tool for school leaders (Orr & Orphanos, 2011). The research aim was to study these PI by mapping conditions (e.g., characteristics of PI, collaborative network, school leader, and school), learning processes, and results of PI (Merchie, et al., 2018). First, a literature review about school leader professionalisation and strong school leadership was conducted to identify which conditions and results were best studied. This review led to a research model for the study. This model presents several elements: 1) purpose of PI, 2) characteristics of PI, 3) characteristics of collaborative networks, 4) characteristics of school leaders and their context, and 5) indications of effects. To study these, survey data were collected from school leaders and PI organizers at the start (n=396) and end of the PI (n=269). Furthermore, a case study was conducted to analyse learning processes of school leaders in 4 purposefully selected collaborative networks using logbooks, focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis. The results show that the PI have led to positive effects in terms of participant satisfaction, changes in knowledge, skills, and attitudes, as well as changes in the practices of school leaders. The research makes observations that are important to consider in shaping future PI for school leaders. For instance, the process coach, associated with a collaborative network, plays a crucial role for indications of effects and the way in which the characteristics of the PI are perceived. How the process coach puts PI characteristics into practice influences how participants experience the program and its effects. Also, some characteristics play a larger role when considering indications of effects. Offering a coherent program, taking into account individual needs and prior knowledge, and providing opportunities to apply what has been learned appear to be crucial. Additionally, collaborative network characteristics play a role. More specifically, trust among school leaders within the network is essential for achieving collective learning. In line with previous research (Orr & Barber, 2007), the study concludes that characteristics of school leaders and schools play a limited role.

Merchie, E., Tuytens, M., Devos, G., & Vanderlinde, R. (2018). Evaluating teachers’ professional development initiatives : towards an extended evaluative framework. RESEARCH PAPERS IN EDUCATION, 33(2), 143–168. Orr, M.T., & Barber, M.E. (2009). Program evaluation in leadership preparation and related fields. In M. D. Young, G. M. Crow, J. Murphy, & R. T. Ogawa (Eds.), Handbook of research on the education of school leaders (pp. 457- 498). New York, NY: Routledge Orr, M. T., & Orphanos, S. (2011). How graduate-level preparation influences the effectiveness of school leaders: A comparison of the outcomes of exemplary and conventional leadership preparation programs for principals. Educational Administration Quarterly, 47 (1), 18–70

With the increasing complexity of school leader's role (Beausaert et al., 2023), leadership development research becomes more urgent. Investing in professional development of principals is key in raising the quality of teaching and education (Rodriguez-Gomez et al., 2020). However, there is limited research on professional learning of these leaders (Lovett et al., 2015). Moreover, the notion of effective professional development of school leaders lacks clarity (Daniels et al., 2019), and comprehensive research addressing the reciprocity between professional development activities and school leaders’ daily activities in practice is lacking (Daniels et al., 2019). Thus, this paper aims to answer the following research question: How did design criteria and contents of a professional development programme, according to participants, contribute to the development of their inclusive leadership behaviour? To this end, we followed 17 school and childcare leaders collaborating in Dutch child centres for education and childcare, who participated in a dedicated professional development programme (PDP) on inclusive leadership. Inclusive leadership is a promising leadership approach in context where teams are diverse, such as interprofessional teams in education and health care (Nembhard & Edmondson, 2006). Following the theoretical framework of Randel et al. (2018), inclusive leadership consists of two dimensions: facilitating belongingness and valuing uniqueness. We utilised qualitative data from observations and interviews, complemented by pre- and post-programme self-evaluations for a comprehensive analysis. Six distinct design criteria derived from the literature where tailored to developing inclusive leadership, which formed the basis for the programme that consisted of four sessions, spread over 5 months. The main finding suggests that participants' involvement in the professional development programme resulted in an augmented awareness of inclusive leadership which was manifested through the adoption of new behaviours or an increased application of inclusive leadership behaviours. Essential design criteria for this purpose, according to participants, included collective learning and participation in pairs, Organising collective learning is considered a crucial design criterion for PDPs tailored to school leaders, recognising that the role of a school leader is sometimes perceived as isolating (Service et al., 2018). Self-regulated learning through the use of learning logs and reflective interviews, was highly valued by the participants, particularly when learning logs and reflective interviews were combined. The non-parametrical Wilcoxon signed-rank test demonstrated a significant increase in two aspects of inclusive leadership. Furthermore, both in the pre-test and the post-test, it was evident that participants considered fostering belongingness to be more important than valuing uniqueness.

Beausaert, S., Froehlich, D. E., Riley, P., & Gallant, A. (2023). What about school principals’ well-being? The role of social capital. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 51(2), 405-421. Daniels, E., Hondeghem, A., & Dochy, F. (2019). A review on leadership and leadership development in educational settings. Educational Research Review, 27, 110-125. Lovett, S., Dempster, N., & Flückiger, B. (2015). Personal agency in leadership learning using an Australian heuristic. Professional Development in Education, 41(1), 127-143. Nembhard, I. M., & Edmondson, A. C. (2006). Making it safe: the effects of leader inclusiveness and professional status on psychological safety and improvement efforts in health care teams. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 27(7), 941-966. Randel, A. E., Galvin, B. M., Shore, L. M., Ehrhart, K. H., Chung, B. G., Dean, M. A., & Kedharnath, U. (2018). Inclusive leadership: Realizing positive outcomes through belongingness and being valued for uniqueness. Human Resource Management Review, 28(2), 190-203. Rodriguez-Gomez, D., Ion, G., Mercader, C., & López-Crespo, S. (2020). Factors promoting informal and formal learning strategies among school leaders. Studies in Continuing Education, 42(2), 240-255. Service, B., Dalgic, G. E., & Thornton, K. (2018). Benefits of a shadowing/mentoring intervention for New Zealand school principals. Professional Development in Education, 44(4), 507-520