Relational pedagogy in a vocational programme in upper secondary school: A way to make more students graduate

Ulrika Gidlund

doi:10.3384/njvet.2242-458X.20102106

Authors

Ulrika Gidlund Mid Sweden University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3384/njvet.2242-458X.20102106

Keywords:

dropouts, graduation, relational pedagogy, upper secondary school, vocational education

Abstract

In Sweden, many students start but do not graduate from upper secondary school despite preventive efforts. The reasons for students dropping out of school have been examined and opposed, but there is still more to be done. The overall aim of this study was to contextualise and understand teachers’ and students’ experiences and perceptions of relational pedagogy in a vocational upper secondary programme in Sweden. The theoretical framework was relational pedagogy to investigate theoretical knowledge of pedagogical relations. The data for this qualitative study was collected through two focus group interviews with 10 teachers and 10 individual student interviews. Directed content analysis was used to analyse the data in order to pay attention to the core concepts of relational pedagogy as a theoretical encoding scheme. The findings show that teachers and students find their working and learning atmosphere much safer and more secure compared to earlier; both groups mentioned relational pedagogy as promoting student participation, engagement, and motivation in school. This study contributes with knowledge of how vocational teachers and students perceive working with relational pedagogy to promote learning and school attendance, but there is still a need to find out more about how teachers’ relational competence is acquired.

References

Aspelin, J. (1996). Thomas J. Scheffs socialpsykologi. Sociologisk forskning, 33(1), 71-86.

Aspelin, J. (2006). Beneath the surface of classroom interaction: Reflections on the microworld of education. Social Psychology of Education, 9, 227-244.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-006-0008-2

Aspelin, J. (2016). Om den pedagogiska relationens gränser: Relationskompetens i gränslandet mellan närhet och distans. Nordisk Tidskrift för Allmän Didaktik, 2(1), 3-13.

Aspelin, J. (2018). Lärares relationskompetens: Vad är det? Hur kan den utvecklas? Stockholm: Liber.

Aspelin, J. (2019). Enhancing pre-service teachers' socio-emotional competence. International Journal of Emotional Education, 11(1), 153-168.

Aspelin, J., & Jonsson, A. (2019). Relational competence in teacher education. Concept analysis and report from a pilot study. Teacher Development, 23(2), 264-283.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2019.1570323

Aspelin, J., & Persson, S. (2011). Om relationell pedagogik. Malmö: Gleerup.

Aultman, L.P., Williams-Johnson, M.R., & Schutz, P.A. (2009). Boundary dilemmas in teacher-student relationships: Struggling with "the line". Teaching and Teacher Education, 25, 636-646.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2008.10.002

Cornelius-White, J. (2007). Learner-centered teacher-student relationships are effective: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 113-143.
https://doi.org/10.3102/003465430298563

Darby, L. (2005). Science students' perceptions of engaging pedagogy. Research in Science Education, 35, 425-445.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-005-4488-4

Elo, S., & Kyngäs, S.H. (2008). The qualitative content analysis process. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 62(1), 107-115.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2007.04569.x

Fejes, A., & Köpsén, S. (2014). Vocational teachers' identity formation through boundary crossing. Journal of Education and Work, 27(3), 265-283.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2012.742181

Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. London: Routledge.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203887332

Hermerén, G. (2011). God forskningssed. Stockholm: Vetenskapsrådet.

Holen, S., Waaktaar, T., & Sagatun, Å. (2018). A chance lost in the prevention of school dropout? Teacher-student relationships mediate the effect of mental health problems on noncompletion of upper-secondary school. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 62(5), 737-753.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2017.1306801

Hsieh, H.F., & Shannon, S. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative Health Research, 15, 1277-1288.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732305276687

Jensen, E., Bengaard Skibsted, E., & Vedsgaard Christensen, M. (2015). Educating teachers focusing on the development of reflective and relational competences. Educational Research Policy Practice, 14(3), 201-212.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-015-9185-0

Krane, V., Ness, O., Holter-Sorensen, N., Karlsson, B., & Binder, P.E. (2017). You notice that there is something positive about going to school: How teachers' kindness can promote positive teacher-student relationships in upper secondary school. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 22(4), 377-389.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2016.1202843

Krippendorff, K. (2018). Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Köpsén, S. (2014). How vocational teachers describe their vocational teacher identity. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 66(2), 194-211.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2014.894554

Lippke, L. (2012). "Who am I supposed to let down?" The caring work and emotional practices of vocational educational training teachers working with potential drop-out students. Journal of Workplace Learning, 24(7/8), 461-472.
https://doi.org/10.1108/13665621211260972

Ljungblad, A.L. (2019). Pedagogical relational teachership (PeRT): A multirelational perspective. International Journal of Inclusive Education.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2019.1581280

Lundahl, L., Lindblad, M., Lovén, A., Mårald, G., & Svedberg, G. (2017). No particular way to go. Journal of Education and Work, 30(1), 39-52.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2015.1122179

Mårtensson, Å., Andersson, P., & Nyström, S. (2019). A recruiter, a matchmaker, a firefighter: Swedish vocational teachers' relational work. Nordic Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 9(1), 89-110.
https://doi.org/10.3384/njvet.2242-458X.199189

Martin, A.J., & Dowson, M. (2009). Interpersonal relationships, motivation, engagement, and achievement: Yields for theory, current issues, and educational practice. Australian College of Ministries Review of Educational Research, 79(1), 327-365.
https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654308325583

Murray, C., & Pianta, R.C. (2007). The importance of teacher-student relationships for adolescents with high incidence disabilities. Theory Into Practice, 46(2), 105-112.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00405840701232943

Nordenbo, S.E., Søgaard Larsen, M., Tiftikçi, N., Wendt, E., & Østergaard, S. (2008). Teacher competences and pupil achievement in pre-school and school: A systematic review carried out for the Ministry of Education and Research, Oslo. Copenhagen: Danish Clearinghouse for Educational Research, School of Education, University of Aarhus.

Nylund, M., & Gudmundson, B. (2017). Lärare eller hantverkare? Om betydelsen av yrkeslärares yrkesidentifikation för vad de värderar som viktig kunskap på Bygg- och anläggningsprogrammet [Teacher or craftsman? The importance of vocational teachers' professional identification for what they regard as important knowledge in the building and construction programme]. Nordic Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 7(1), 64-87.
https://doi.org/10.3384/njvet.2242-458X.177164

OECD. (2019). Secondary graduation rate (Indicator).

Rising Holmström, M., Häggström, M., & Kristiansen, L. (2015). Skolsköterskans rolltransformering till den hälsofrämjande positionen [School nurses' role transformations to the health-promotion position]. Nordic Journal of Nursing Research, 25(4), 210-217.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0107408315587860

Roorda, D.L., Koomen, H.M.Y., Spilt, J.L., & Oort, F.J. (2011). The influence of affective teacher-student relationships on students' school engagement and achievement: A meta-analytic approach. Review of Educational Research, 81(4), 493-529.
https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654311421793

Ryan, R.M., & Deci, E.L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68-78.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68

Sæle, R.G., Sørlie, T., Nergård-Nilssen, T., Ottosen, K.O., Bjørnskov Goll, C., & Friborg, O. (2016). Demographic and psychological predictors of grade point average (GPA) in North-Norway: A particular analysis of cognitive/schoolrelated and literacy problems. Educational Psychology, 36(10), 1886-1907.
https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2014.998630

Scheff, T.J. (1990). Microsociology: Discourse, emotion and social structure. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Skolverket. (2011). Läroplan för gymnasieskolan 2011, examensmål och gymnasiegemensamma ämnen. Stockholm: Skolverket.

Skolverket. (2012). Arbetet med att främja närvaro och att uppmärksamma, utreda och åtgärda frånvaro i skolan - För grundskolan, grundsärskolan, specialskolan, sameskolan, gymnasieskolan och gymnasiesärskolan. Stockholm: Skolverket.

Skolverket. (2019). Statistik om gymnasieskolan. Retrieved 2. February, 2019, from https://www.skolverket.se/skolutveckling/statistik/sok-statistik-omforskola-skola-ochvuxenutbildning?sok=SokC&verkform=Gymnasieskolan&omrade=Betyg%20och%20studieresultat&lasar=2017/18&run=1

Specialpedagogiska skolmyndigheten. (2015). Beviljad projektansökan för bidrag till "Särskilda Insatser i Skolan (SIS)" [Accepted project application for funding for 'Special Interventions in Schools'].

Temagruppen Unga i arbetslivet. (2013). 10 orsaker till avhopp: 379 unga berättar om avhopp från gymnasiet. Stockholm: Temagruppen Unga i arbetslivet, 2013:2.

Thurfjell, K. (2017). En av tre klarar inte gymnasiet. Dagens Nyheter. Retrieved 5. July, 2017, from https://www.svd.se/en-av-tre-klarar-inte-gymnasiet

Törrönen, J. (2002). Semiotic theory on qualitative interviewing using stimulus texts. Qualitative Research, 2(3), 343-362.
https://doi.org/10.1177/146879410200200304