The value of master’s projects for the professionalism and self-image of teachers and other professionals in pedagogy

Abstract

Teaching degrees in Iceland require specialized education at university level, consisting of three years of undergraduate and two years of master’s-level study. Until 2020, it was mandatory to complete the master's program with a 30ECTS final project (MEd). As a result of Act No. 95/2019 on the education of teachers and administrators of schools, student teachers now have the choice of obtaining a Master of Teaching (MT) degree through coursework only, without doing a final project.

After completing a master’s degree, teachers should have acquired good academic expertise, be able to apply key research methods, and know how to ground their opinions and decisions in the research. Teachers should be professional leaders, able to create a development-oriented learning community (Act No. 95/2019). It is, therefore, important to ensure that teacher education prepares teacher students for diverse and challenging work.

This study highlights the value of final projects for master’s students in teacher education. We examined the impact of master’s-level studies, concluding in a final project on teachers’ professionalism and practices. The research question was: How does working on the final project affect master’s students’ practice and professional identity? The theoretical framework builds on the concepts of research-based teacher education, professionalism, critical thinking and reflection, teacher agency and empowerment, and learning communities.

This was qualitative research of educational practices that involved collecting meaningful data and critically analyzing that data. Fifty-eight of 91 graduated students responded to a qualitative survey and 20 students participated in focus group interviews. We applied a horizontal analysis of survey responses and a vertical analysis of interviews (Gaudet & Robert, 2018), first individually and then as a group. Through this analysis, we achieved a multi-dimensional overview and depth in shaping our understanding, setting out results, and drawing conclusions. The results were grouped into three categories based on the questions in the interviews and questionnaire.

We found that most participants felt empowered by completing a final project because they had been given opportunities to develop their knowledge, link theories with their work, and reflect on their experiences and decisions (Sigurður Kristinsson, 2013). The scale of the projects allowed them to link specific aspects of the project to the nature and objectives of education (Jón Torfi Jónasson, 2019). In the final project, participants selected issues relevant to them (Eklund et al., 2019; Jón Torfi Jónasson, 2012; Toom et al., 2010), giving them ownership of their projects.

Student teachers are not expected to be academic researchers, but professionals who can apply a disciplined approach to self-reflection. Working on final projects motivated participants to identify actual situations they face (Schön, 1987) and analyze them (Biesta, 2019). Giving students space for self-reflection allows them to develop their own theories on learning and teaching (Hafdís Guðjónsdóttir, 2004) and position their work, based on the overall purpose of education (Biesta et al., 2015).

The empowerment participants experienced through their final projects directly affected their practice. They gained skills to recognize and read into emotions related to the job, engage in professional dialogue, and explain their choices. It gave them agency to step up to new challenges, try new ideas, and take on new roles -- or to push back on situations and policies that were against their professional identities (Atli Harðarson & Magos, 2021; Buchanan, 2015). Examples include holding workshops on their research subjects, approaching their work in a research-oriented way, and applying for grants (Dysthe et al., 2006; Maaranen, 2009). They came to see themselves as trusted professionals in the school community (Cochran-Smith, 2003).

The study shows that the framework of the final project and the learning space it creates has strong potential to empower future teachers to approach diverse topics in an analytical, reflective, and confident way (Anna Kristín Sigurðardóttir, 2014; Batra, 2009). We conclude that supporting master’s students in developing their professional identities through their final projects helps maintain the rigor of teacher education