Action research in initial teacher education: an explorative study

The aim of the study was to describe students’ and teacher educators’ practical experience with action research and to identify a number of special points for consideration (opportunities and limitations) which could play a role in putting research into practice in concrete terms in the courses. Students and teacher educators on three Dutch initial teacher education programmes which treat action research as both a means of professional development and a necessary professional qualification were involved. These were programmes for specific teaching levels and subjects in Dutch schools. Four special points for consideration are identified: action research and the educational core qualifications of the profession; difference between action research by student teachers during their initial education and experienced teachers in their own workplace; students’ mixed experiences and perceptions of research; and embedded research‐based activities in the programme. The authors conclude that action research should be considered from different perspectives: as a professional approach, a body of skills that is needed to make the connection between knowing that and knowing why; and as a way of improving practice by systematically building up practice‐based knowledge.     

Government research evaluations and academic freedom: a UK and Australian comparison

Performance management systems have been an inevitable consequence of the development of government research evaluations (GREs) of university research, and have also inevitably affected the working life of academics. The aim of this paper is to track the development of GREs over the past 25 years, by critically evaluating their adoption in the UK and Australian higher education sector and their contribution to the commodification of academic labour, and to highlight the resultant tensions between GREs and academic freedom. The paper employs a literature-based analysis, relying on publicly available policy documents and academic studies over the period 1985–2010. GREs are a global phenomenon emanating from new public management reforms and while assessments of university research have been welcomed, they have attracted critique based on their design, the manner in which they have been applied, and the unintended consequences of their implementation on academic freedom in particular. Consistent with international research on the impact of GREs, Australian research assessments appear to be undoing the academic freedom that is central to successful research. Further empirical research on the impact of GREs on academics is urgently needed.     

课改带动科研科研促进课改--简谈教师与课改同步成长

本文简述了小学语文课改过程中的科研活动的定位、指导思想和原则 ,并指明了教师作为研究者的角色地位。     

Archival research as living inquiry: an alternate approach for research in the histories of teacher education

Exploring the role of archives in recovering the histories of teachers' lives and the potential of archival research as living inquiry, a non-traditional perspective is offered concerning life writing as a way into an epistemological storying of the past. Archival research as living inquiry is examined both as a methodological approach to theorizing practice, and as a method of gathering information in public collections that is rendered through life writing. The application of this emerging form of research has the potential to change structures of teaching and learning, and in the process, provide suitable methods to write accounts of educational histories. In this case, I document my archival quest into Bessie's story as an exemplar of how reflective practice can contribute to becoming a researcher of history through unorthodox approaches and methods. This inquiry is motivated by questions that include: Why should a teacher of the past matter to teachers today? What value do archives hold in teacher education? How might we rethink our methods of inquiry to give meaning to the lives of women teachers?     

The composition of applicants and entrants to teacher education programmes in Ireland: trends and patterns

This article presents and discusses some results obtained from the analysis of data collected by the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (NUI) Applications Centre (PDEAC), which was established in 1999 to administer the selection of student teachers for the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) at the education departments of the four NUI (National University of Ireland) colleges centrally. Its main findings are that the number of applications for the PGDE has increased since 1999, that the student teacher cohort remains homogeneous with regard to nationality, that three-quarters of the student teacher body are made up of female students, that the number of mature applicants and entrants to the PGDE programmes has significantly increased, and that the numbers of graduates from Institutes of Technology and of students with business degrees entering teacher training have increased between 1999 and 2005. NUI remains the main provider of applicants to PGDE. The percentage of applicants with honours level primary degrees has increased, and prior teaching experience has become a crucial factor for acceptance.     

The language variable in educational research: an exploration of researcher positionality,translation, and interpretation

In qualitative educational research, the languages spoken by the participants and the researchers can greatly impact the quality of the data collected. This paper will explore the advantages and disadvantages of being an insider researcher by virtue of speaking the same language(s) as the participants. Whether the researcher is a linguistic insider or outsider, he or she will need to make important decisions with regard to translation and interpretation when conducting cross-language research. Such linguistic decisions can also impact the quality of the data collected and the trustworthiness of the research. The advantages and disadvantages of translation and interpretation in qualitative educational research will be explored. This paper offers researchers and students suggestions for conducting cross-language educational research in an ethical and transparent manner.     

Landmarks in the professional and academic development of mid-career teacher educators

This paper focuses on the professional and academic development of mid-career teacher educators from two universities in England. The objectives of the study were to analyse and compare the career experiences of teacher educators; in particular, to identify stages of development, landmark events and contextual factors affecting professional learning and academic identities. In-depth biographical interviews were carried out with 12 teacher educators, together with living graphs of their career paths. Clear landmarks were identified in both contexts, with development in teaching seen as largely positive, while research development was much more varied. Teacher educators who were further on in their careers saw research development as transformative personally as well as academically. In analysing the findings within a sociocultural learning framework, the authors draw in particular on Swennen et al.’s model of teacher educators’ sub-identities, Akerlind’s categorisation of an academic identity and Eraut’s contextual and learning factors.     

Protecting academic freedom in changing times: the role of Heads of Departments

In changing times for higher education that are dominated by a neoliberal ideology, we set out to uncover how Heads of Departments (HoDs) perceive their role with respect to supporting their staff and their academic freedom. Freedom to pursue academic research is seen as key to the generation of new knowledge yet it is potentially constrained by funding regimes and university accountability systems. As HoDs operate at the interface between university systems and individual academic projects, how they perceive their role can have a profound influence on the working environment of their departmental staff. The research study is located in two successful departments in a research intensive university in England. The study shows that the HoDs were not captured by the neoliberal discourse and aimed to protect their staff so they could ‘get on with their work’. In so doing they interpreted university demands to the best advantage of their departments but were not active in challenging university driven changes, thus raising questions about the effects of accommodating to change, so risking incremental change, and of how less successful departments might be able to protect their staff and their academic freedom.     

Cultural dimensions of feedback at an Australian university: a study of international students with English as an additional language

International students with English as an additional language face transitional challenges when entering a new academic culture. One such challenge involves optimising feedback to help foster their academic development, bearing in mind that feedback is not a culturally neutral entity (Nazif, A., Biswas, D., &; Hilbig, R. (2004–2005). Towards an understanding of student perceptions of feedback. Carleton Papers in Applied Language Studies, 21/22, 166–192). The current study of 134 postgraduate international students examines pre-course and in-course perceptions, experiences and expectations of feedback at university in Australia. Responses to questionnaires and in focus groups revealed that students’ previous feedback experiences had largely been summative, with an emphasis on error correction, but they expected to receive more feedback, particularly formative, throughout their courses. They also had concerns about understanding feedback, and about potentially negative remarks. These concerns were partially borne out by a follow-up survey (n?=?43) in which only 29% said they understood everything their lecturers said. Teachers giving feedback to international students may, therefore, need to consider the nature of their comments, their method of delivery and how their feedback affects student development.     

Reconciling rigour and impact by collaborative research design: study of teacher agency

This paper illustrates a new way of working collaboratively on the development of a methodology for studying teacher agency for social justice. Increasing emphasis of impact on change as a purpose of social research raises questions about appropriate research designs. Large-scale quantitative research framed within externally set parameters has often been criticised for its limited potential for capturing the contexts and impacting change, while smaller, locally embedded, mostly qualitative inquiries have been questioned on the grounds of their limited generalizability and sometimes compromising research rigour. New ways of working collaboratively are increasingly explored as a way of reconciling research rigour and impact. The paper presents the procedures for designing a study that is both methodologically rigorous and potentially impactful. Twelve researchers, practitioners and policy-makers in Scotland were extensively involved in designing a mixed-method study of teacher agency for social justice. The Critical Communicative Methodology was employed to establish egalitarian dialogue between researchers and practitioners. The procedures and the resulting research tools can be used in future studies, including large-scale quantitative analysis. The paper discusses the challenges of ownership, choice of methods, and knowledge transfer, that need to be addressed in these ways of working.     

高校熟手型外语教师胜任力特点研究

运用自编的＂高校熟手型外语教师胜任力测评问卷＂对高校熟手型外语教师胜任力特点进行了研究。研究表明：高校熟手型外语教师胜任力整体水平较好;执教年限、学历、职称和学校类别是影响高校熟手型外语教师胜任力的主要因素;随着执教年限的延续,其胜任力会得到提高;性别等特征变量不影响教师胜任力的发展水平。     

Research: an insight on how it is valued by Portuguese and English teacher educators

ABSTRACT

The quality of how teachers are being prepared is seen as a priority in the twenty-first century and engagement with research is often considered a crucial element of initial teacher education programmes. Institutional and national contexts have an impact in the way research is valued. This paper investigates the perspectives of Portuguese and English teacher educators towards the value given to research in initial teacher education. Interviews were completed with teacher educators working within different kinds of higher education institutions—university, polytechnic and teaching-led university. Results suggest that research has a significant presence and relevance in all cases but is valued differently     

Managing change in English language teaching through a journey of learning: a case study from China

In the last two years, English language teaching at the level of basic education in China has been changing very fast due to the new Standard Curriculum. The paper takes a school in the northwest of China as an example, illustrating the process of implementing the Curriculum, summarizing the work the school has done, the problems encountered and arguing for the need to manage the change. The paper also gives some suggestions in conclusion.     

Inclusive academic language teaching in New Zealand: history and responses

Meeting the educational needs of a linguistically diverse population is a challenge for many countries. This is a particular challenge for New Zealand (NZ) which, until the 1980s, had a White Immigration Policy. The last 30 years have seen NZ become a full member of the Asia Pacific Region and move from being a mostly homogenous society to one of the most heterogeneous. This article explores the historical context of education and migration and current initiatives for inclusive academic language teaching (IALT) in NZ. IALT is a teacher-development approach recently developed for multilingual Europe by the European Core Curriculum for Mainstreamed Second Language Teacher Education. The approach rests on principles of acknowledgement of first language and culture, inclusivity and teachers having specialized knowledge of the academic language requirements of their subjects. This analysis seeks to show that knowledge, policy and practices that were once at the margins of the education system must now be central and will benefit all students, particularly those from diverse backgrounds.     

学术英语写作中引语研究的现状与展望

本文从本体、学科、文化和发展特征入手概述学术英语写作中引语研究的现状,基于此从研究内容、理论基础和研究方法三个方面提出不足和展望。研究发现,相关研究着眼于专家作者和英语本族语者的引语使用;以自建语料库为基础、访谈为辅;从人际功能着手聚焦引语的功能分类和评价意义表达。今后的研究需区别对待不同阶段英语学习者引语使用特征,并在引语提取的自动化程度、语料文本的认知思辨、理论视角的深度和广度等方面做进一步努力。     

Rethinking researcher–teacher roles and relationships in educational action research through the use of Nel Noddings’ ethics of care

ABSTRACT

Action research approaches have evolved out of a criticism of previous research traditions, where teachers have been seen as research objects, at risk of being marginalized. Such approaches have also arisen out of the view that teaching, learning, and educational research are interrelated. In action research, teachers are seen as professionals, raising their status to subjects, conducting own research. The research is carried out with or by people rather than on someone, which changes the roles and relationships. Ethical dilemmas can arise, especially evident in action research, where the distinctions between researcher and researched are blurred or removed altogether. This paper aims to explore the changing roles and relationships between researchers and teachers in action research through a philosophical analysis based on the writings of Nel Noddings, especially the concept of ethics of care. The analysis creates an opportunity for a rethinking of researcher–teacher roles, focusing on responsibility and knowledge as well as reciprocity and communication. Based on the author’s own action research experiences, various dilemmas are discussed. Obstacles to and opportunities for developing caring relationships between researchers and teachers will also be highlighted. The implications of the study include valuing both researcher and teacher expertise and learning to understand each other’s perspectives as well as giving tailored care. It is also vital to find strategies to contextualize and enact these views and beliefs within the researcher–teacher relationship. Neither researchers nor teachers will have total control over the process, as they stay open to each other’s perspectives and needs based on a caring relationship.     

Those who can,teach: the academic quality of preservice students in teacher education programmes in Taiwan

Difficulty in recruiting high-calibre individuals into teaching is a perennial issue in the field of teacher education. In some countries, students in teacher programmes are in general found to be lower in academic standing than their counterparts in other fields, which might lead to belief in the old saying that “those who cannot, teach.” In contrast to such discouraging phenomenon, based on analysis of a nationally representative data set, preservice students in Taiwan are found to be academically more outstanding than their nonteaching peers. Underlying policy and sociocultural contexts of such a positive phenomenon of “those who can, teach” are explained and implications for educators are discussed.     

大学学术自由及其限制——古典学术自由观批判

古典学术自由理念是西方启蒙理性的产物，它建基在三大理论支点之上，即“意见自由市场”、“价值中立”及“学者是真理的代言人”。然而，由于这三大理论预设本身难以自洽，故古典学术自由观把学术自由作为一项绝对权利，排斥任何形式的干预的观点是有缺陷的。     

The recursive practice of research and teaching: reframing teacher education

As a field, Teacher Education has lived with continued criticism from governmental and research bodies on the quality of professional preparation and the lack of a strong research base. We respond to such criticisms by considering possibilities for further exploration of the research of practice and the practice of research in both initial and continuing teacher education. As both a theoretical and methodological challenge, this is tied recursively with research and practice in teacher education, for teacher educators, about teacher education. We draw on the theoretical resources of practice theories, to argue that teacher education practice must be informed by the study of the practice of teaching as well as research addressing the teaching of practice. In conclusion, we make a methodological case for reframing the roles of teacher and researcher within a “thirdspace” to consider the practice of researching teaching as recursive and always regenerative.