Conference Agenda

For over two decades, Chilean policymakers have used extrinsic incentives as the main lever to regulate teacher work. Despite the mixed effects of these kind of policies for improving teacher performance and qualifications (OECD, 2013), in 2016 Chilean authorities put in place the Teacher Professional Development System (TPDS), which is a schema for promoting teachers on a career ladder. TPDS is a high-stake extrinsic incentives system to hold teachers accountable for their individual performance. The implicit theory of action drawn from this policy design stipulates that the power of summative evaluation, performance scores, and awarding (or denying) the promotion (monetary salary increase) on the career ladder based on performance scores would motivate teachers to improve their professional qualifications. For these kind of policies, it is expected that teachers make a connection between extrinsic incentives and their intrinsic motivation for the quality of their work (Podgursky & Springer, 2007). In this context, we ask: To what extend extrinsic incentives from TPDS connects with teachers’ intrinsic drive for improving the quality of their work; if so, under what circumstances extrinsic incentives connect with intrinsic incentives?

Theoretically, this study drew on the literature of work motivation. We study the connection between extrinsic incentives and intrinsic motivation using the model developed by Harackiewicz & Sansone (2000). They conceptualize a connection between extrinsic incentives and intrinsic motives based on the perception of competence. We also theorized that this connection can be reinforced at the school level through a professional technical culture and leadership practices that support teacher learning (McLaughlin & Talbert, 2001; Tschannen-Moran, 2009).

The research design consists of an in-depth multiple case study (Yin, 2009) of three publicly funded schools from Santiago, Chile. Within each school we interviewed six teachers and two administrators, having a total sample of 24 educators.

Following Harackiewicz & Sansone (2000)s’ model, we found that there is widespread fear, anxiety, and concern about the evaluation process that teachers must go through under the TPDS. Although money is welcome, it does not seem to motivate teachers to improve their craft. When it comes to improve their teaching, more altruistic motives seem to be a stronger driver. Regarding the connection between TPDS-like incentives and the intrinsic desire to improve, we identify two groups of teachers: i) The ones who do not recognize any connection between the evaluation process and improving their craft ii) and the others who, despite the evaluative threat, face the evaluation process in a less dramatic way. For the former, the evaluation does not cue competence, for the latter the evaluation standards are seen as valid, which cues competence as a result. Organizational characteristics such as a pedagogical leadership and extra support for teachers who are going through the evaluation process seem to facilitate the connection between extrinsic incentives and intrinsic desires to improve. In line with the ICSEI 2024 conference theme of quality professional education for enhanced school effectiveness and improvement, understanding how and under what conditions incentives-based policies can motive teachers to improve their craft is paramount.

Teacher professionalism attracts a great deal of interest these days from both scholars and policymakers worldwide due to the significant role played by teachers in improving the education system and enhancing student achievement (Fullan, 2016; Hargreaves & Fullan, 2012; Oon Seng, 2015; Schleicher, 2011; Smylie, Bay, & Tonzer, 1999). With the global movement toward UN Sustainable Development Goals, countries need to ensure the quality of their education systems, and this involves updating the content and undergoing education reforms. Governments, accordingly, are raising teacher professionalism and teacher quality to the top of their agendas to accomplish this goal. Now, more than ever, teacher quality cannot be neglected, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated very clearly that nothing can replace teachers. In the past two decades, Kuwait has made significant investments in reforming its education system in order to develop human capital and decrease reliance on hydrocarbon revenues; however, the reform agenda has neglected teacher policies and professionalism. A look at the reform agenda illustrates that no reform policies were launched concerning teacher professionalism, and this is assumed to have had a significant negative impact on teacher practices. This ongoing study aims to examine the current state of teacher professionalism in Kuwait in light of leading practices, so as to provide recommendations to policymakers for developing and enhancing teacher professionalism in Kuwait. As Hargreaves (2000) argues, policymakers need more studies to realise the importance of professional learning for teachers and to understand its ongoing process. In this research, an in-depth analysis of policy documents and literature was conducted, using the qualitative comparative approach, to evaluate teacher professionalism in Kuwait. Furthermore, this study compared and analysed teacher professionalism in Singapore and Finland to extract valuable insights that could be used to enhance teacher professionalism in Kuwait. It is worth noting that policy learning is a frequent practice in comparative research (Harris & Jones, 2018; Steiner-Khamsi, 2012). The initial findings of this research reveal the low level of teacher professionalism in Kuwait, as well as the lack of a comprehensive system overseeing teacher training. Here, we argue that achieving the goals for education is impossible without acknowledging the significance of teacher training and development and comprehending the process involved. This research contributes to the teacher professionalism literature, as it focuses on an under-researched case that had not been studied well in the literature previously. Moreover, this research attempts to provide a framework for teacher professionalism in Kuwait, based on lessons learned from leading countries in this field. Finally, the research provides policy and practice learning to support teacher and school leader development, because policymakers, politicians, and practitioners need to work together to ensure that teachers maintain a high level of professionality and are capable of achieving the desired educational outcomes.

Internationally, teacher shortage appears to be a major societal problem, including Sweden (Boström et al., 2022; See & Gorard, 2020). According to the United Nations (UNESCO, 2016), the world needs at least 69 million new teachers to reach the education goals of Agenda 2030. In Europe, there is a shortage of teachers in basically all countries (Federičová's, 2020; The European Commission, 2020; OECD, 2020). In Sweden, the Swedish Na-tional Agency for Education [Skolverket] (2019; 2020) and Statistics Swe-den (2017a, b) have alerted to the problem. Various actors (media, politi-cians, opinion leaders and trade unions) have in Sweden expressed their definite and different views on the matter (Kungliga Ingenjörsvetenskap-sakademin,2020). The voices of researchers, teachers and principals are though to a large extent absent (Boström, 2023). At the same time, all stakeholders agree on both the existence of teacher shortage and the im-portance of educated teachers in schools for creating the best possible con-ditions for students to learn.

Our interest is to delineate the specific aspects of the teacher shortage's concerning causes and possible solutions according to professional groups in the field, i.e., that have concrete experience of teacher shortage and its consequences. The research questions for this study are:

• According to seven different professional groups, what are the causes and solutions of teacher shortage?

• Are there differences and similarities between the various professional groups regarding causes and solutions? If so, in what respects?

Theoretical framework for the study is ”wicked problem” (Rittel & Web-ber, 1973). It refers to complex, open-ended, and ambiguous problems that are difficult to define, have no definitive solution, and are interconnected with other problems and societal issues. Wicked problems are characterized by their complex nature, the presence of multiple stakeholders with con-flicting interests, and the lack of clear problem boundaries. The wicked problem theory emphasizes that traditional approaches to problem-solving are often insufficient for addressing complex problems. Instead, it encour-ages a more holistic and collaborative approach, involving various stake-holders, disciplines, and perspectives.

The study is based on a web survey, answered by 605 informants, consist-ing of 40 items about causes and possible solutions based on previous re-search and dialogue meetings with regional and national policy actors. The selection of participants included both academic and practical professions as well as a representation of teacher students. Data are analyzed by de-scriptive and inferential statistics. The results are reported with descriptive statistics and significance testing. Descriptive statistics presents an overall picture of the various items at a group level. Mann–Whitney U- test inves-tigates the distinctions between professional categories.

Preliminary results indicated that items were differently relevant for differ-ent professional groups. Three professional groups diverged largely from other groups, namely health staff, uneducated teachers, and teacher train-ers. The results confirm the importance of seeing the problem as “wicked” and therefore engaging diverse stakeholders in the problem-solving process to foster collective intelligence and shared responsibility. The connection to the conferences is evident, i.e., the role and impact of educated teachers in the context of school effectiveness and improvement.

This qualitative study contributes to systematic knowledge about online education in public upper secondary schools. By conducting a thematic analysis of eight interviews with online teachers in a large region in Norway, the study aims to explore how these teachers experience teaching and learning online in their curriculum-based subjects. In the absence of Norwegian research, the study draws on international studies of online teaching in schools and theories of digital agency to provide a knowledge base for understanding the teachers' teaching context, as well as their pedagogical and technological choices and actions.

Four themes that emerged from the analysis are summarized and discussed in a model for digital maturity in online teaching and learning. The main findings of the study indicate that acquiring professional digital competence in school and education is a good, but not sufficient, starting point for teaching in an online school. The online teachers demonstrated individual professional digital agency, which manifested in the development of new teaching designs, increased utilization of digital tools, independent student work, and oral interaction. These changes contributed to strengthening student engagement and self-directed learning within the framework of each individual subject.

The teachers also exhibited collective transformative agency through collaboration in the development of the online school. Experience sharing and problem-solving during joint gatherings contributed to an enhanced common understanding of online teaching and assessment. The online school represented a digital transformation, wherein the teachers' participation resulted in changes in how the online school organized and structured its subject offerings for all students at school owner and school leadership levels.