Views Of Dutch Teacher Educators And Their Deans On Professional Development Activities For Research

Author(s):

Fer Boei(presenting / submitting)Martijn Willemse(presenting)

Conference:

ECER 2016

Network:

10. Teacher Education Research

Format:

Paper

Session Information

10 SES 09 C, Inquiry, Research and Academics

Paper Session

Time:

2016-08-25

13:30-15:00

Room:

NM-C214

Chair:

Aileen Kennedy

Contribution

Although the general opinion is that research conducted by teacher educators contribute to their professional development, their teaching practice and the curriculum (Loughran, 2014), conducting research isn't always common practice (Murray, 2010, Lunenberg, Dengerink & Korthagen, 2014). This applies in particular for educators working in teacher education departments of institutes for higher vocational education in Europe as these institutes are traditionally teaching intensive (Murray, 2009). Teacher educators for instances are mostly selected on the basis of their performance as teacher, not on their research capabilities (Lougran, 2014). Besides, their hands-on experience with research is quite often from a distant past: mostly gathered during their own master education (Willemse & Boei, 2013).
Similar to the development in other countries (cf. Erixon Arreman, 2008), from 2000 onwards the Dutch government has encouraged these teacher training institutes to include practice-based research in their curriculum and as part of teacher educators' work. As a result, these teacher training institutes changed their policies and started supporting teacher educators - which were often unexperienced in conducting practice-based research or supervising students’ research – in their professional development by offering professional development activities (PDA) (Willemse & Boei, 2013). However, little is known about how these PDAs are put into teacher education practice or how these are evaluated by teacher educators.

The objective of this study was to examine on a national level (a) the present institutional policies, (b) the evaluation of the offered PDAs regarding research or supervising students’ research in all Dutch teacher education institutes for primary and secondary education and (c) the views about retaining professional development support in this regard. The following questions were addressed in this study:

How is teacher educators' professional development on practice-based research and supervising students’ research actually and in the near future supported according to managers of teacher education institutes for primary and secondary education?
What are the opinions, experiences and needs of individual teacher educators with regard to supporting their professional development in research or supervising students' research?

This study contributes to a better understanding how educators are supported in their professional development regarding research. In the presentation a more detailed overview is provided about the policies and the characteristics of the offered PDAs.

Method

In this study a survey was used. Two questionnaires were developed: one addressing the management of teacher education institutes (n=37) and one for members of the Dutch Association for Teacher Educators (VELON, n=614). This first questionnaire explored views of deans on institutional policies supporting professional development on research; the offered activities; and their evaluation of the activities. In the second questionnaire the experiences of teacher educators were examined regarding this support. The questionnaires were analysed using content analyses (Patton, 2015). Attention was paid to similarities and differences regarding separate PDAs. In addition inferential statistics (ANOVAs, Chi Sqare, T-test) were used to explore differences between educators (based on their own educational background, gender) and between teacher training programmes). Hence, outcomes of the views of deans were compared with the answers of educators.

Expected Outcomes

A response was received from 25 managers. At individual level 269 educators filled out the survey. Concerning the actual policies managers as well as educators considered it important that PDAs were offered. Differences were found in policies with regard to who was permitted to conduct research and/or to supervise students’ research. Two types of activities are mentioned most: offering courses or the organization of informal peer consultation. Remarkably a significant difference occurred based on gender. Female educators take more often a course on supervising students’ research where male educators preferred the informal peer consultation. With regard to retaining professional development support most educators answered they have no clear views about their further needs. When educators did have views about their needs they mentioned getting opportunities to conduct research under supervision of an experienced researcher, or continuing with (formal or informal) peer consultation. Managers too mentioned these PDAs as desirable. In addition they expressed the wish for more cooperation on research(programs) between institutions as well as the opportunity for every educator to become involved in research.

References

Cochran-Smith, M. (2003). Learning and Unlearning: The Education Of Teacher Educators. Teaching and Teacher Education, 19, 5-28. Erixon Arreman, I. (2008). The process of finding a shape: stabilising new research structures in Swedish teacher education. European Educational Research Journal, 7(2), 157-175. Loughran, J. (2014). Professionally Developing as a Teacher Educator, Journal of Teacher Education, 65(4), 1–13. Murray, J. Jones, M. McNamara, O. & Stanley, G. (2009). Capacity = expertise x motivation x opportunities: factors in capacity building in teacher education in England. Journal of Education for teaching, 35, 391-408. Murray, J. (2010). Towards a new language of scholarship in teacher educators’ professional learning? Professional Development in Education, 36, 197–209. Patton, M.Q. (2015). Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods (4th ed.). London/New Delhi: Sage. Willemse, T.M. & Boei, F. (2013). Teacher Educators’ Research Practices: An Explorative Study on Teacher Educators’ Perceptions on Research. Journal of education for teaching, 39, 354-369.

Author Information

Fer Boei (presenting / submitting)

Windesheim University of Applied Sciences

Education

Zwolle

Martijn Willemse (presenting)

Windesheim university of applied sciences

education