Competency profile in upper secondary education. Main results 2017

This report utilizes register-based information to describe the teaching staff in terms of formal education, gender, age, type of school, geography and terms of employment. Following up on this report, Statistics Norway will carry out a survey of teachers in upper secondary education, to assess the educational and technical competence of teachers. This survey is scheduled to take place during the fall of 2017, culminating

This report presents the results of a survey on upper secondary school teachers’ formal qualifications in the subjects they teach combined with register-based information about gender, age, educational attainment, pedagogical education etc. The survey includes teachers (based on their occupation, not their formal qualifications) in upper secondary education in August 2017.

The survey covered subjects taught in general as well as vocational programmes, including common core subjects and programme subjects. The report mainly describes teachers’ formal qualifications in view of the current requirements in the Education Act and related regulation (“forskrift til opplæringsloven” § 14-4).

Many teachers currently teaching in upper secondary schools have specialized in and achieved 60 credit points (or equivalent) or more in the subjects they teach. This applies to 80 per cent of teachers in most common core subjects, but with certain differences across subjects. Amongst teachers in the core common subjects, the percentage with both at least 60 credit points relevant to the subject and tertiary educational attainment with pedagogy varies from 67 per cent for geography teachers and more than 85 per cent for history and Norwegian Teachers.

Comparing teachers in common core subjects in vocational versus general streams, the latter have a on average a higher educational attainment and a larger propensity to have pedagogy and a relevant subject specialization as part of their formal education.

Younger teachers in common core subjects tend to a larger extent than older teachers to have both a higher education and a relevant subject specialization than older teachers. With regards to higher educational attainment including pedagogy a similar age pattern applies to teachers in programme subjects.

The degree of subject specialization (defined here as at least 60 credit points or equivalent) amongst teachers in programme subjects varies quite a bit across upper secondary education programmes. On average, teachers’ formal qualification in the programme subjects they teach is lower amongst teachers in vocational streams.

The Ministry of Education and Research has funded the survey.