Policy quirks and prospects for teachers’qualities and competencies

Abstract

This study focuses on the “policy quirks” related to teachers’ qualities and competencies, extracts them, and examines the inertia of the policy quirks and the future direction of the policy.　Consequently, the following policy quirks are evident: （ 1 ）a structure dependent on quantity and comprehensiveness,（ 2 ）the presence of missing models, （ 3 ）over　reliance on mechanisms　（institutions）, hence（ 4 ）disregard for feasibility,（ 5 ）disregard for resource constraints, and（ 6 ）lack of personnel during implementation.　Furthermore, these quirks are accentuated by the viscosity derived from the path dependence of policies and institutions and the informal common rules that support them. This study demonstrates that strategies are needed to overcome these problems, specifically,（ 1 ）a shift to field-based learning,（ 2 ）a shift from an obligatory orientation to rights-based learning,（ 3 ）securing a foundation for learning, and（ 4 ）maintaining and securing external dialogue that can sustainably support this. Keywords: policy quirks, quantity and comprehensiveness, missing models, feasibility, resource constraints