Moira Hulme

A Guide to Practitioner Research in Education

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Developing a ‘clinical’ model for teacher education

This paper reports on the introduction of a ‘clinical model’ of teacher education at the University of Glasgow in 2011. The account is set against the backdrop of a review of major contemporary developments in teacher education. The common focus in this work is on such themes as the key function of the practicum, on ‘teaching schools’ and on the roles and responsibilities of the various players in teacher professional learning. The context for reform of teacher education in Scotland is described, showing how the opportunity for a radical intervention arose. The distinctive features of the Glasgow model are set out and a summary of the findings of the internal evaluation carried out at the University is offered. Issues identified include challenges of communication, the nature of professional learning and the cultural embeddedness of existing practices. In the light of this initiative, the paper then reviews insights gained concerning the relationship between policy, practice and research in teacher education, before concluding with comments on the future of research in teacher education.

The importance of collegiality and reciprocal learning in the professional development of beginning teachers

This paper discusses factors that enhance induction experiences for beginning teachers. It reports the findings from case studies that explore the impact of new entrants to the teaching profession in Scotland. The data suggest that the most supportive induction processes mix both formal and informal elements, but that the informal elements such as collegiality, good communication and a welcoming workplace environment should not be underestimated. The study also highlights the potential benefits of a more collegiate environment for teachers across the career phases. Experienced teachers and new entrants had a range of experience to offer each other, thus creating more cohesive professional working which was supportive of early career teachers while encouraging reflection on practice among the more experienced professionals.

Is small beautiful? Policy‐making in teacher education in Scotland

This paper examines the extent to which political devolution has influenced the nature of education policy‐making in Scotland, taking initial teacher education and early professional development as a case. Pre‐devolution studies of the policy community in Scotland stressed the close relationships between the various stakeholders and the inherent conservatism that sometimes appeared to ensue from this. It might be anticipated that the removal of formal responsibility for education from the UK government in London to the Scottish Executive in Edinburgh might have unsettled such ‘cosiness’ and also that the influence of New Labour approaches may be less prevalent in Scotland than in England. The processes of change in Scotland appear to have been less radical and at a slower pace than in England; however, they have been achieved through a more consensual process and so in the long term are likely to be more embedded than those in England.

Teacher education in the United Kingdom post devolution: convergences and divergences

This paper examines the roles of research in teacher education across the four nations of the United Kingdom. Both devolution and on-going reviews of teacher education are facilitating a greater degree of cross-national divergence. England is becoming a distinct outlier, in which the locus for teacher education is moving increasingly away from Higher Education Institutions and towards an ever-growing number of school-based providers. While the idea of teaching as a research-based profession is increasingly evident in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, it seems that England, at least in respect of the political rhetoric, recent reforms and explicit definitions, is fixed on a contrastingly divergent trajectory towards the idea of teaching as a craft-based occupation, with a concomitant emphasis on a (re)turn to the practical. It is recommended that research is urgently needed to plot these divergences and to examine their consequences for teacher education, educational research and professionalism.

Mapping the Field of Teacher Education Research: Methodology and Issues in a Research Capacity Building Initiative in Teacher Education in the United Kingdom

This article discusses the first stages of the work of the Teacher Education Group (TEG) in building research capacity in teacher education research and identifies the potential of the model adopted for future European initiatives in the field. The TEG work is part of the second phase of the Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP), based on an embedded social practices model of research capacity building. The article opens by outlining the broad context of research capacity building initiatives and identifying general factors which create concerns about the sustainability of teacher education research in the United Kingdom. It then describes the initial impetus, within the TEG, for the creation of an up-to-date annotated mapping of current research in teacher education and outlines the practices used to generate the model used for the mapping. In conclusion, the article discusses some of the methodological, ethical and epistemological issues raised by the mapping exercise and the challenges ahead in disseminating and embedding the initiative.

Teacher education reform in Scotland: national and global influences

This article provides an overview of the background and recent developments leading to the current reshaping of teacher education in Scotland, starting with the developments emanating in the past decade from the McCrone Report and finishing with the recent Donaldson Report, Teaching Scotland’s Future. It documents the key features of the report and the impact that this will have on current teacher education provision in Scotland.

Teacher education in times of change

Why are policies regarding teacher education politically, sociologically, and educationally significant? While teacher education as a practice has long been recognized, the importance of teacher education policy has only recently begun to be appreciated. Teacher Education in Times of Change offers a critical examination of teacher education policy in the United Kingdom and Ireland over the past three decades, since the first intervention of government in the curriculum in 1984. Written by a research group from five countries, it makes international comparisons and covers broader developments in professional learning, placing these key issues and lessons in a wider context.

Building capacity through teacher enquiry: the Scottish Schools of Ambition

There has been much recent interest in collaboration and networking within and between schools to promote innovation, school improvement, and professional development. This paper starts with a brief review of the recent history of teacher research in the UK in order to consider how pre‐ and in‐service teachers are currently positioned in relation to research. Drawing on the case of the Scottish Schools of Ambition, a network of 52 schools receiving additional resource for targeted school improvement, the paper identifies some of the challenges and opportunities presented by sponsored research engagement. Tensions between evaluating and being supportive when engaged in an externally sponsored initiative with the specific goal of demonstrating school improvement are highlighted. The perception that any change in modes of working tends to be more visible in the institutional context of school rather than the university is also noted. Based on the experience of this Scottish case and a review of current research into school–university partnerships, we argue that effective collaborations need to address questions of power to ensure mutual benefits, reciprocity, and a genuine coalition of interest amongst partners. The paper suggests that teacher educators may have an important contribution to make to building capacity through teacher enquiry given their position as mediators between schools and university faculties of education.

Trading places: The role of agents in international student recruitment from Africa

As state subsidies to higher education contract, the recruitment of international students is becoming a strategic priority for many UK universities. Academic roles are reconfigured as the commercialisation of higher education and the commodification of education services re-position the student as consumer, academic as entrepreneur, and university as ‘marketer’ (Slaughter and Rhoades 2009). Despite rapid growth in the number of students and universities using external third-party recruitment agents, little research has been undertaken on the work of agents and the relationships between agents, institutions and students. Drawing on a case study of one UK higher education institution conducted in May–June 2012, this paper considers the role and experiences of the principal actors in this economised relationship: educational consultants/recruitment agents operating in the sub-Saharan African market, university international officers (UK-based and offshore), faculty and international students. The paper considers the position and role of education brokers (within public and for-profit contexts) in the international higher education market. Whilst these actors pursue common activity in linking students with providers, they differ in terms of rationale and stance. Although internationalisation presents opportunities for enhanced revenue, questions of ‘value’ raise important educational and ethical issues for universities as they develop collaborative ventures in emerging markets.