The work of teacher educators - the people who teach teachers - and their professional development have attracted much interest and attention from practitioners, policymakers, and researchers over the past two decades as the demands and expectations of teacher education have increasingly been under scrutiny (Cochran-Smith et al., 2020; Czerniawski et al., 2021; Izadinia, 2014; Loughran, 2014). As a distinct group of faculty in higher education (Kosnik et al., 2015; Murray et al., 2021), while they are considered to be the linchpins in several educational reforms and responsible for preparing high-quality teachers (Cochran-Smith et al., 2020), a large body of research has revealed that becoming a teacher educator is clearly a complex and challenging endeavor as it includes various roles including teaching, research, coaching, collaboration with diverse organizations and educational stakeholders, assessment, curriculum development, and so on (Ataş et al., 2023; Czerniawski et al., 2021, Lunenberg et al., 2014; Ping et al., 2018; Swennen et al., 2010). Despite the multiple demands placed on teacher educators, what is missing from the conversation is the lack of attention to developing policies and models, as well as creating the conditions that would support their ongoing professional development (MacPhail et al., 2019; Meeus et al., 2018). As a key education policymaker at the international level, the European Commission (2013) also puts forth that teacher educators do not always receive the support they need regarding their education and professional development. Undoubtedly, this affects their well-being negatively, influences their job satisfaction, and subsequently makes a negative impact on their retention in the profession (European Union [EU], 2020).

While there is an abundant number of research focusing on the models of and approaches to the professional development of “teachers”, research on the professional development of “teacher educators” has only begun to emerge recently (Loughran, 2014; Ping et al., 2018; Snoek et al. 2011). Teacher educators’ professional development tends to be situated within a complex amalgam of factors, such as their personal backgrounds and educational/professional experiences; skills; values and dispositions; the institutional/country context and policies, and the wider international discourses and policies (e.g., metrics concerning performance and effectiveness) largely characterized by the marketization of public sector with which countries battle to secure greater value for money and establish education systems that respond more to the requirements of the industry (Czerniawski et al., 2017; Hargreaves, 2014). Within this context, in order to better support teacher educators' continuous development and growth, this study aims to gain insight into the world of teacher educators in a private university in Türkiye and explore their professional development needs based on their perspectives and lived experiences, through the lens of Bourdieu’s theory of habitus (institutional factors) (1972/1977) and the Self-Determination Theory (individual factors) (Deci & Ryan, 1985; Deci et al., 2017; Ryan & Deci, 2017), which will be discussed in detail further. Specifically, the study asks the following research questions:

(1) What are the self-perceived professional development needs of teacher educators?

(2) What are the drivers of and barriers to the teacher educators' engagement with professional development activities?

(3) How could teacher educators' professional development and growth be better supported?

Recent calls by the EU underline the need in most member states to not only define the competencies required for teacher educators but also provide explicit policies to support their academic and professional development systematically (EU, 2020). Accordingly, lessons from this study could offer insights for various stakeholders at the universities and faculties of education in EU member states to support teacher educators’ professional needs by developing effective policies and practices that respond to the key individual and institutional factors influencing their work.

To gain a deep insight into the participants’ perceptions and experiences about their professional development needs, as well as the factors behind their engagement with professional development activities and how they might be supported better, this study is designed as phenomenological research, which aims to understand and describe the essence or the core meaning of individuals’ lived experiences regarding the phenomenon being investigated (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007; Creswell, 2013). Accordingly, the participants included 21 teacher educators who were purposefully chosen using criterion sampling and maximum variation sampling strategies (Patton, 1990) from a faculty of education in a private university in Türkiye. Based on criterion sampling, the participants only included the full-time faculty members. Utilizing maximum variation sampling, the participants showed variation in terms of their seniority (e.g., professional experience, academic titles, positions), academic departments, roles and responsibilities, which provided a diverse set of experiences to uncover the commonalities or essence across them. As suggested by phenomenological studies, the data were collected using semi-structured and in-depth individual interviews with the participants to obtain data in their own words (Creswell, 2013; Marshall & Rossman, 2011), each lasting 30-60 minutes. To that end, an interview schedule was developed by the researchers including both demographical (e.g., gender, age, teaching experience, department) and open-ended questions (e.g., How do you self-evaluate your academic and professional development?, What are the positive and negative factors that affect your motivation to work as a teacher educator?). A pilot study was conducted with 2 participants. All interviews were conducted face-to-face, audio-recorded with the participants’ consent, and transcribed verbatim. The data have currently been analyzed through the content analysis method. First, an iterative and inductive coding has been done by each researcher independently to identify smaller codes, which are then categorized into common sub-themes (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007; Creswell, 2013). To that end, we first coded a sample of transcripts and met regularly throughout the data analysis, which enabled us to discuss and refine our codings, patterns, and emerging themes. Once the sub-themes are developed, we will further employ deductive coding to organize them into the related components of Bourdieu’s theory of habitus (e.g., institutional climate, teacher education policies) (1972/1977) and the Self-Determination Theory (e.g., autonomy, perceived competence, and perceived relatedness) (Deci & Ryan, 1985; Deci et al., 2017; Ryan & Deci, 2017). Lastly, to establish the trustworthiness of the study, we used several strategies, which will be presented further.

The preliminary findings revealed that most teacher educators, first and foremost, considered their main role as a researcher to pursue a career in higher education, fuelled by intrinsic (e.g., achievement, responsibility) and/or extrinsic motivation (e.g., working conditions, promotions). The participants perceived knowledge of research and rigor in scholarly work as crucial to both conducting high-quality research and also informing their teaching practices. This is especially important given the juxtaposition of the perceived pressures for research productivity in the tenure process and the lack of adequate opportunities for building professional and academic networks, interacting and collaborating with colleagues to develop relationships and be a part of a research team, secure internal/external research grants, and strengthen their research capacity together, among other needs. Moreover, the participants expressed a strong desire to learn to develop international research projects, closely examine exemplary mentor projects, and participate in workshops/seminars to use the new tools and technologies. Informed by Self-Determination Theory, these findings highlighted teacher educators’ psychological needs for competence, greater professional autonomy and empowerment, and relatedness to the environment in which they work to build their academic competencies, grow professionally, and increase their motivation for their work. Grounded in Bourdieu’s theory of habitus, the findings further showed that multiple responsibilities including heavy academic, non-academic, and/or administrative duties, institutional expectations and yet the lack of adequate institutional support mechanisms, constantly changing teacher education curricula/policies, insufficient numbers of faculty members and graduate programs, and publish or perish pressures were among the major impediments to teacher educators’ engagement with professional development activities in their work habitus. Consequently, these findings can offer chief insights for educational stakeholders, nationally and internationally, to look forward and develop effective policies, structures, and practices to support the work and continuing professional development of teacher educators, as will be presented by our findings further.

Ataş, U., Daloğlu, A., & Hilden, R. K. (2023). Teacher educators in Finland and Turkey: Their roles, knowledge base, and professional development profiles. European Journal of Teacher Education, 46(4), 727-745. Bogdan, R. C., & Biklen, S. K. (2007). Qualitative research for education: An introduction to theory and methods. Pearson Education. Bourdieu, P. (1972/1977). Outline of a theory of practice (R. Nice, Trans.). Cambridge University Press. Cochran-Smith, M., Grudnof, L., Orland-Barak, L., & Smith, K. (2020). Educating teacher educators: International perspectives. The New Educator, 16(1), 5-24. Czerniawski, G., Guberman, A., & MacPhail, A. (2017). The professional developmental needs of higher education-based teacher educators: an international comparative needs analysis. European Journal of Teacher Education, 40(1), 127-140. Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. Plenum. Deci, E. L., Olafsen, A. H., & Ryan, R. M. (2017). Self-determination theory in work organisations: The state of a science. Annual Review of Organisational Psychology and Organisational Behavior 19–43. European Commission. (2013). Supporting teacher educators for better learning outcomes. https://school-education.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2024-04/Supporting-teacher-competence-development-for-better-learning-outcomes.pdf European Union. (2020). Council conclusions on European teachers and trainers for the future. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=uriserv:OJ.C_.2020.193.01.0011.01.ENG Hargreaves, A. 2014. Foreword: six sources of change in professional development. In L. Martin, S. Kragler, D. J. Quatroche, & K. L. Basuerman (Eds.), Handbook of professional development in education. Guildford. Izadinia, M. (2014). Teacher educators’ identity: A review of literature. European Journal of Teacher Education, 37(4), 426-441. Lunenberg, M., Dengerink, J., & Korthagen, F. (2014). The professional teacher educator: Roles, behaviour, and professional development of teacher educators. Sense Publishers. MacPhail, A., Ulvik, M., Guberman, A., Czerniawski, G., Oolbekkink-Marchand, H., & Bain, Y. (2019). The professional development of higher education-based teacher educators: Needs and realities. Professional Development in Education, 45(5), 848-861. Meeus, W., Cools, W., & Placklé, I. (2018). Teacher educators developing professional roles: Frictions between current and optimal practices. European Journal of Teacher Education, 41(1), 15-31. Marshall, C., & Rossman, G.B. (2011). Designing qualitative research. Sage Publications, Inc. Murray, J., Smith, K., Vanderlinde, R., & Lunenberg, M. (2021). Teacher educators and their professional development. Routledge. Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods. Sage Publications, Inc. Ping, C., Schellings, G. L. M., & Beijaard, D. (2018). Teacher educators’ professional learning: a literature review. Teaching and Teacher Education, 75, 93-104. Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Press.