This paper examines the making of teacher education and how it responds to external pressures, especially those stemming from international and national policy agendas and broader societal demands, and disciplinary norms within Academia. The aim is to analyze how such pressures manifest in teacher education policies and in professional work (Friedson, 2001) of teacher educators in Sweden.  

Historically, teacher education in many European countries was separated from traditional universities. Numerous studies have explored how non-university teacher education institutions align with academic standards and challenges involved (e.g., Calander, 2004; Erixon et al., 2023; Smeplass & Schmess, 2024). There are also critical studies on policy drivers and the pressure of teacher education to conform to academic excellence (e.g. Furlong, 2013; Lawn & Furlong, 2009). Other studies point to a return to practical knowledge and “know-how” (e.g., Beach & Bagley, 2013), while some problematize policy pressures toward so called evidence-based research as the foundation for teacher education (e.g., Biesta, 2017). Several classic studies emphasize how the shift from elite to mass universities has influenced the evolving role of university teachers in general (e.g., Trow 1973; Neave, 1983). Moreover, the autonomy of the universities can vary between countries, leading to differences in how the state controls and regulates teacher education (e.g., Furuhagen, 2019). 

Swedish teacher education is an interesting case in this regard. In 1977, all teacher education programs were integrated into the higher education system. Several reforms (the most recent in 1988, 1999, 2011, and a fourth one currently in progress) have struggled to balance academic demands with occupational relevance (e.g., Åstrand, 2017). 

In this paper, we employ the concepts of “epistemic drift” (Elzinga, 1997) and “academic drift” (Neave, 1979; Kaiserfeld, 2013) to analyze the evolving professional work of teacher educators. Epistemic drift refers to how an academic field gradually shifts its criteria for what counts as valid knowledge in response to external pressures. One longstanding political goal for teacher education has been academization, which is accompanied by a focus on practice, “know-how”, and societal relevance. These goals appear in international policy arenas – such as through the OECD (2015) and the European Commission (2007; 2016) – and have been translated into national teacher education reforms (e.g., Hultqvist et al., 2018; Zapp et al., 2018). Academic drift, by contrast, concerns how education programs – originally established to meet a societal need, such as education of teachers, become increasingly oriented toward research, adopting markers of academic prestige, such as strong research credentials, curriculum modifications, and academic publishing. 

By focusing on these two concepts, we draw attention to translations and the ways in which teacher education intertwines with policy, socio-political, and academic pressures for relevance (see Czarniawska, 2004 on the making of such “action nets”). 

Our starting point is that both forms of drift are present in the everyday work of teacher educators and that the academization of teacher education entails both epistemic drift and academic drift. We therefore ask: How do academic and policy pressures for relevance “attach” to teacher educators’ daily work as frontline professionals (c.f., Lipsky, 2010)? What strategies do teacher educators employ to manage these demands? Thus, our analytical task is to investigate how pressures for relevance appear in policy and in teacher educators’ professional work, which interacting actions and actors are involved, and why?  (Czarniawska, 2004).  

In doing so, our intention is to contribute to ongoing discussions about the dynamics of teacher education in the European context.

We analyzed central policy documents related to teacher education reforms in Sweden since the turn of the millennium, as well as government bills on research policy. In addition, we conducted interviews with 14 teacher educators from one university college and one university in Sweden. All interviewees were actively involved as teachers in various teacher education programs and had – or had previously held – overall responsibilities such as course planning and serving as program coordinators. Teacher educators are viewed as frontline professionals (Lipsky, 2010) in the making of teacher education. Each interview lasted between 45–70 minutes and was recorded. Our analysis proceeded in two steps: We created two narratives on the making of teacher education - one system narrative based on policy texts, and one workplace narrative, derived from interviews. We use these narratives to identify important actions and actors involved in the making of teacher education, translations, and the formation of institutional orders within stabilizing yet contingent action nets (Czarniawska, 2004).

Preliminary findings from the system narrative indicate a dynamic interplay between academic values and a changing science-society contract (Elzinga, 1997), and with evolving scientific priorities and their significance. The workplace narrative reveals the contingent and “messy” nature of the internal organization of teacher education, characterized by horizontal relations, such as research governance, academic credentialing, teaching governance and course responsibility, and school-based practicum. In addition, there are also demands from the university and the state. In particular, the policy ideas of the so-called “nucleus of educational sciences of teacher education” and the idea of “teacher education as the entire university's concern” are present in the workplace narratives. In these narratives, science itself emerges as an actor—both within teacher education and in school practice—often as “a quick way to do science.” Yet, it appears somewhat detached from the workplace narratives of teacher educators, highlighting a tension between policy-oriented visions of “quick science” and the complex realities of everyday professional work.

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