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Contribution
The need for capacity building in educational research in the UK has been raised as a serious issue by a number of commentators (see, inter alia, Bassey, 2003; Dadds & Kynch, 2003; ESRC, 2006). Contestations about the place and nature of research in teacher education, particularly in university education departments where pre-service courses are the dominant enterprise, have persisted for many decades (Goodson, 1995). But following changes to the funding mechanisms for research in the UK, the maintenance of research bases within many such departments has become increasingly tenuous (Bassey, 2003). For example, approximately 80% of all pre-service students in England are now taught in teacher education departments which have no core research funding. There is general acceptance in the field of teacher education that research capacity building can only be achieved if adequate resources and support are provided to assist new researchers acquire the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding of methodological, epistemological and ethical issues. Nevertheless, many new teacher educators face significant challenges in becoming research active (Maguire 2000; Murray and Male, 2005).This paper focuses on some of the cultural, methodological, epistemological and ethical issues about research capacity building in teacher education which have emerged from the work of the Teacher Education Reference Group (TERG) in the UK. TERG is part of the Teaching and Learning Research Project (TLRP) Capacity Building Programme, funded by the ESRC, to build research capacity in educational research.The paper works draws on and analyses a range of policy initiatives and literature (see, inter alia, Furlong et al, 2000; Mahony and Hextall, 2002; Menter, Brisard and Smith, 2006). Further perspectives are provided by the following: firstly, a case study of a curriculum development project, conducted at the Institute of Education in London, which looks at how an action research paradigm, informed by pedagogic and psychological research, could be embedded within a pre-service course; secondly, the findings of two empirical studies, drawing on biographical and life history traditions, to explore the place of researchThe final part of this paper draws together our conclusions about the shifting place of research in pre-service and serving school teachers' and teacher educators' constructions of their changing academic/professional identities. It also explores the self-positionings of these groups in relation to the often contradictory discourses and practices about research which they encounter in school and university workplaces dominated by reductionist and technical rational discourses of teaching, learning and evidence-based practice.Bassey, M. (2003) Out of this Nettle, Danger, We Pluck this Flower, Research Intelligence no. 84. pp 34-37. Dadds, M. and Kynch, C. (2003) The Impact of the RAE 3b Rating on Educational Research in Teacher Education Departments, Research Intelligence no. 84. Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) (2006) Demographic Review of the UK Social Sciences. London: ESRC. Furlong, J., Barton, L., Miles, S., Whiting, C., & Whitty, G. (2000). Teacher Education in Transition. Buckingham: OUP. Goodson, I. (1995) Education as a Practical Matter: some issues and concerns, Cambridge Journal of Education 25(2), pp. 137-148. Maguire, M. (2000). Inside/Outside the Ivory Tower: Teacher Education in the English Academy. Teaching in Higher Education, 5(2),149-165 Mahony, P. and Hextall, I. (2000) Reconstructing teaching: standards, performance, and accountability. London; Routledge. Menter, I., Brisard, E., and Smith, I. (2006) Convergence or Divergence? Initial Teacher Education in Scotland and England.Murray, J. and Male, T. (2005) Becoming a Teacher Educator: evidence from the field. Teaching and Teacher Education (Invited contribution to Special Edition on teacher educators). vol. 21. no. 2.
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