Neither leisure time teacher nor teacher in arts and esthetic subjects? A study of leisure time teachers and the new double vocational role after the teacher education reform in 2011

The purpose of this study is to examine the interaction in the daily work between leisure time teachers and teachers in arts and esthetic subjects. What possibilities and difficulties does the new vocational role leisure time teacher entail? How does the new education correspond with the demands of the curriculum? The study examines the experiences of teachers with a double role, as both leisure time teachers and teachers in arts and esthetic subject.

The main research questions involves the problems that appears between these two vocational categories in the light of sociological research on professional theory. One of the main findings is that deeper knowledge is required in the arts and esthetic subjects than what is provided by the education that is given today to be able to maintain a high quality teaching. The findings also indicate that it will likely prove difficult to combine teaching in arts and esthetic subjects with leisure time teaching, due to the significant differences between the two vocational categories. The interviewed teachers all claim that they will likely chose a career in only one of the two vocational categories. This will probably undermine the efforts to raise the status of leisure time teachers by integration with the established teacher profession.