Page 177 - Demo

summary175S2. Does the professional development of teachers in the various career phases at schools with an explicit school vision differ from that at mainstream schools? If so: Does it matter what the vision is based on in terms of philosophy and/or pedagogical views?3. Does the commitment of teachers in the various career phases in schools with an explicit school vision differ from that in mainstream schools? If so: Does it matter what the vision is based on in terms of philosophy of life and/or pedagogical-didactic views?MethodDue to its exploratory, hypothesis-forming nature, the first two studies in chapter 2 and 3 of this dissertation focused on two schools that are comparable in size, level of education given and workforce, but differ greatly in terms of school vision: a Waldorf school with a very explicit school vision, based on the anthroposophical philosophy and the pedagogical views that flow from this and a mainstream school without an explicit school vision. Interviews were conducted at both schools with teachers with 15 years or more of work experience, assuming that if an explicit school vision were important to teachers, it would become most visible in this career phase, in which the need for professionalization and commitment for some teachers declines sharply (Day et al., 2007). The results of these exploratory studies showed differences between the two schools in terms of shared school vision (chapter 3), shared values and beliefs (chapter 2), professional development (chapter 2) and teacher commitment (chapter 3), with the explicit school vision of Waldorf seeming to play a role. It was not clear whether this was due to its anthroposophical philosophy or to the pedagogical views that flowed from it.Quantitative research methods were used to investigate the differences found on a larger scale. Questionnaires were developed for this purpose. Schools were selected on the basis of the description of their vision in their school guide and on their website. Four school categories were selected for the quantitative study: mainstream schools without an explicit vision, schools with a strong philosophical vision (in this case Reformed schools), schools with an explicit pedagogical vision (in this case traditional educational renewal schools such as Montessori, Dalton and Jenaplan schools) and schools with an explicit philosophical and related pedagogical vision (Waldorf schools). In each category, the aim is to provide a representation of Ester Moraal.indd 175 22-09-2023 16:13