Becoming a scholarly teacher educator

International experiences have provided evidence that self-study research by teacher educators is productive, both for the teacher educators themselves and for the bottom-up development of knowledge about teacher education. This article is a report of a research study into the results of a Dutch project, in which nine teacher educators studied their own practices. The article focuses on the question of what this has contributed to the development of scholarship, and the professional identity of the participating teacher educators. Data sources were digital logbooks, exitinterviews, and follow-up questionnaires. The findings show that the participants grew with respect to their scholarship. Moreover, carrying out self-study research appeared to contribute to how they experienced their own professional identity. For example, they became more used to theory and were able to more easily change their perspectives

Self-Study Methodology: An Emerging Approach for Practitioner Research in Europe

© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2019.This chapter highlights the European contribution to the growing knowledge about self-study methodology. Europe is a patchwork of countries, cultures and languages. Looking at teacher educators in Europe, we see a broad variation in background, tasks and opportunities for professional development and self-study research.In this chapter we firstly map the development of self-study research in Europe which has mainly been the work of individuals and small groups. Then we focus on four countries that are in the forefront: England, Iceland, Ireland and the Netherlands. In all four countries self-study has proved to be a useful and stimulating way to aid the transition from being a teacher - or researcher - to becoming a teacher educator. Self-study methodology not only supported the understanding and development of the teacher education practice, but also led to identity development. Most helpful proved to be working together and mentoring, and sharing results publicly. In this context the role of the biannual S-STEP Castle Conference in England, which offers European self-study researchers to connect with colleagues from North America and Australia, plays an important role