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Abstract
This article reports on a systematic review of the Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices research literature published between 1990 and 2012. Self-study research refers to teacher educators researching their practice with the purpose of improving it, making explicit and validating their professional expertise and, at the same time, contributing to the knowledge base of teacher education. Reflecting our analysis, we defined self-study as a research approach in the field of teacher education which can be typified by the following characteristics: self-study research focuses on one’s own practice; for this reason, it privileges the use of qualitative research methods; collaborative interactions play a central role in the research process; and its validation is based on trustworthiness. Furthermore, we identified two tensions inherent in the self-study work, on which researchers always and continuously need to position themselves for self-study inquiries to achieve its purposes: the tension between relevance and rigour on the one hand, and that of effectiveness and understanding on the other hand.
Acknowledgement
The authors gratefully acknowledge the comments of Cheryl Craig on earlier versions of this manuscript, which continued to hone our thinking throughout the publication process.
Notes
1. This is not an empirical claim based on the results of this literature review. Rather, it reflects a broadly shared theoretical claim about the need for self-study ‘to move beyond the individual’ (Loughran & Northfield, Citation1998, p. 15). Evidence for this claim can be found in Barnes’ (Citation1998) observation on the characteristics of self-study identified from the first 1996 S-STEP conference, the preface of the International Handbook (Loughran et al., Citation2004), the editor’s note to the Springer book series and the editorial introduction to the first issue of the Studying Teacher Education journal.
2. Self-study research is ahistorical in nature. Some of its ideas had been published before in the associated fields of, for example, action research (e.g. McNiff, Citation1988) and reflective practice (e.g. LaBoskey, Citation1994; Russell & Munby, Citation1992) with an explicit focus on the public articulation of personal dilemmas of practice as a teacher educator.
3. Although the self-study approach originated and developed primarily in the field of (research on) teacher education, more recently, several self-study scholars have pushed the boundaries, to also include and engage also others beyond teacher education settings. A good example can be found in Crowe’s (Citation2010) edited volume in which additional work is included by collaborative groups and individuals who are not (yet) teacher educators and that focuses, for example, on classroom practice in K-12 settings.
4. In this article, we use ‘S-STEP’ as the generic term to refer to the organized movement (i.e. the collection of initiatives, publication platforms and forums tied together by a particular perspective on teacher educator research). With the term ‘self-study’, we refer more specifically to the empirical research practices of authors working within the S-STEP movement.
5. Publications included as data in this review are marked with an * in the reference list.
6. More personal, reflective contributions on websites or forums were not included in this analysis. In addition, the proceedings of the S-STEP conference were not included since this conference attempts to be a forum to discuss research in progress, rather than disseminate the results of finished research. Furthermore, the papers are intended as ‘the first part of a two-part communication, the second part of which is the 50-minute presentation each presenting author makes at the Castle Conference itself’ (Lighthall, Citation2004, 199). The papers in itself include limited detail on research methods and contexts which can be attributed to the strict 3000 word count and purpose of the papers.
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Notes on contributors
Eline Vanassche
Eline Vanassche received her PhD from the University of Leuven, Belgium in 2014. Her interests centre on teacher educators’ professionalism and its development throughout their career. Contact address: Centre of Educational Policy, Innovation and Teacher Education, University of Leuven, Dekenstraat 2, Postbox 3773, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; e-mail: [email protected].
Geert Kelchtermans
Geert Kelchtermans is a full professor and chair of the Centre of Educational Policy, Innovation and Teacher Education. His research focuses on teacher professional development (pre-service, induction and inservice), school development, policy implementation and narrative-biographical research.