Qualitative Research, Professional Development and the Role of Teacher Educators: fitness for purpose

Abstract

This paper focuses upon the purposes, prejudices, practices and contexts of those who teach education in all its forms within higher education and schools. It examines some of the difficulties and challenges those in education departments whose significant history is school teaching face in extending their own learning opportunities as part of their moral purposes as professionals engaged in the 'betterment' of education, and it will suggest routes for research which might contribute to their thinking and action and thus, ultimately, to the education of students and pupils. There are, of course, examples of tutors in higher education engaging in development through 'reflective practice' and of pre-service teacher education courses which are based upon notions of reflective practice. The purpose of this paper, however, is to examine the roles and responsibilities of teacher educators through an analysis of their historical, social and psychological contexts and, through this, to propose a particular partnership model of qualitative research and development which appears to 'fit' closely to purpose. This paper is an expression of my own values, which themselves have been and still are being fashioned and refined through processes of information, experience, reflection and interaction blended by historical, social and environmental influences-over which I do not claim to have entire control and which are not always rational. Indeed, the neutralisation of voice and the absence of the first person singular is seldom a feature of the qualitative studies which I shall propose (Eisner, 1991)-so it is biased and partial though it will be based upon considerable collected practical wisdom, and 'connoisseurship'. For these reasons, T will be used rather than pretending that the T is not involved in the values, ideas and experiences which stand behind the text. In this sense, then, the paper adopts the stance of active feminist scholarship:First, the author is explicit about the space in which she stands politically and theoretically, even as her stances are multiple, shifting, and mobile. Second, the text displays critical analyses of current social arrangements and their 0141-1926/95/030357-13 © 1995 C. W. Day ideological frames. And, third, the narrative reveals and invents disruptive images of what could be. (Fine, 1992, p. 221)

Facilitating self-study of teacher education practices: toward a pedagogy of teacher educator professional development

“…Therefore, the theoretical description of each principle below ends with rephrasing the principle as a proposition or working hypothesis ('if … then …') for facilitators' actions. First, there is agreement in the research literature on the fact that professional development not only involves changes in professional practice (actions), but also in practitioners' thinking about the how and why of that practice (Little 1993, Ross and Regan 1993, Day 1995, Borko 2004, Day and Sachs 2005, Kelchtermans 2009). Professional development aims at a more refined and effective repertoire of educational practices and strategies, as well as a more grounded (validated) knowledge-base of teacher educators' professional responsibilities and situations (Kelchtermans 2004).…”

The future of educational research in the context of the social sciences: A special case?

“…Indeed, even some of those who still see a role for academic researchers also advocate action research partnerships between academics and teachers in schools (Day, 1995). Day sees action research as 'the study of a social situation, involving the participants themselves as researchers, with a view to improving the quality of action within it' (Somekh, 1995, p. 164).…”

Different Approach in Teaching and Learning in Science for Mongolian Secondary Schools

“…In contrast to much educational research, which is sometimes criticised on the grounds that it is frequently of little practical benefit to teachers (Hopkins, 1987;Day, 1995;Hargreaves, 1996), we believed that the concept cartoons could have a direct and immediate effect in the classroom. They also seemed to promote a goalful way to practical work -a "hands-on, minds-on" way (Lorsbach and Tobin, 1992) -rather than the more mechanical way to practical work which is sometimes adopted (Woolnough and Allsop, 1985;Hodson, 1990).…”