The systemic influence of the neoliberal ideology, with its political and social business rationalities, appears to be having an impact on a teacher's way of being. In this context, the ontological nature of teachers' conversations is largely hidden and seemingly silent. This study reports on the findings of a hermeneutic phenomenological inquiry…

Our research using hermeneutic phenomenology positions a pre-service or graduate teacher's learning to be a teacher as a process of formation which involves relational sensibilities and ontological understandings that are often taken for granted and can be drawn from teacher's everyday experiences of 'being-in' their practice. We live in…

This article reports on phenomenological research which explored meanings and understandings that were taken for granted within teachers self-selected best teaching experiences. The research occurred within a pre-service Early Childhood Education teacher education course. This research was designed to understand teacher's perceptions of their best…

This paper reports on findings from a phenomenological inquiry into the nature of the teacher-student relationship. Participants' stories showed that "who we are" and "how we are" is integral to our experiences in education. More specifically, a teacher and a student's way-of-being is essential to the nature of relational…

This paper reports on a hermeneutic phenomenological research inquiry which explored "lived experiences" of the teacher-student relationship in teacher education. An essential understanding from this research is that teachers and students experience their relationship as a play that is uncertain and lived beyond the rules of engagement. Teachers…

Research that seeks to understand the lived experience of the teacher-student relationship is not prevalent. This article reports on a phenomenological inquiry which explored the nature of this relationship in the context of teacher education. Participant's lived experiences were hermeneutically interpreted against the philosophical writings of…

While appreciative inquiry (AI) has its origins in organizational development, this article considers the application of AI within a course evaluation in higher education. An AI process was deemed appropriate given its concern for peak performance or life-centric experiences. Former students of a particular course, along with current students,…