Perfil da escola profissional como uma organização aprendente

Abstract

In the context of current efforts to increase productivity and overcome the competitiveness within the Portuguese Vocational Schools, this study aims to understand and assess in Vocational Teaching Organizations the level of implementation of the guiding principles, what Senge (1990) has called Learning Organizations. Starting from the assumption that Learning is a phenomenon inherent to all human interactions and thus inseparable from the Organizational context in question, it is intended to identify the profile of the Learning Organization in Vocational Schools. To understand this issue, two questions were from the start outlined: what factors determine the classification as a Learning Vocational School Organization?; and the role of agents in the construction of this paradigm?, seeking thereby to promote the construction of Vocational School as a Learning Organization. Thus, the study is a Conceptual Framework and it conducts a Literature Review that culminates with the State-­‐of-­‐ art. As for the empirical part, it is based on an inquiry -­‐ the SSP-­‐LO -­‐ in order to identify, in a sample of Portuguese Vocational Schools, the profile of the Vocational School as a Learning Organization. Through a confirmatory analysis of the results, it was revealed the importance of the SSP-­‐LO survey to assess the capacity of Vocational Portuguese Schools to act as Learning Organizations: it has been shown a consistent pattern of positive interrelationships between the dimensions of the Learning Organization: Actions and Sentiments and the results of the Personal, School Outcomes and Leadership Profiles. Using these results, professionals at the Vocational School are better able to understand and direct the Vocational School Organization as a system of customer service and guide the development of strategies to create a climate of Learning that supports evidence-­‐based Practice and school improvement.

Date of Award	13 Feb 2015
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Albino Pedro Anjos Lopes (Supervisor)