LEARNING OUTCOMES CHANGING EDUCATION – TRACES OF POLICY IN PRACTICE

This video paper presentation prepared for the vCIES 2020 undertakes a discussion approach to a set of three empirical studies from the Learning outcomes in policy and practice (LOaPP) research project. In LOaPP we investigate how education policy is defined, materialized and operationalized in education practice. The context of the study is a period of intense education reform in Norway introducing learning outcomes as an instrument for education change at policy, school and classroom level. By examining the relationships of the macro-policy of the formal system and the micro-activities of the ‘lived organization’ of administrators, school leaders and teachers the paper generate insights about change in education policy and education practice. The findings of the paper show how the introduction of learning outcomes have led to several changes in Norwegian policy, in schools and in classrooms. The study also highlights the roles of actors in education as co-constructors of education policy and the need for multi level and multi method approaches when studying policy and practice relations in education.