Numerous studies emphasise the contribution of inquiry-based learning approaches to positive learning outcomes for students; however, in this study, we explore how a scientific methods assignment may qualify as a profession-oriented, inquiry-based learning approach in teacher education. The paper presents analysis of student teachers' reports on a…

The aim of this research was to understand what motivates teachers and keeps them engaged with obligatory professional development courses (PDC), as part of formal in-service training (IST). Thirteen teachers from a secondary education school in Cyprus participated in a qualitative research. Data were collected with semi-structured interviews and…

The purpose of this research was to examine the ways that a metaphor could help describe and make sense of the facilitation practices of a teacher educator who collaborated in a self-study of teacher education practice project with colleagues in Norway, and an international critical friend. Our research question was: 'How does the metaphor of…

Virtual exchange, a form of internationalisation at home, provides an opportunity to increase teacher access to international learning experiences, but so far it has mainly been studied in the context of foreign languages teacher education. This article explores the design and implementation of a virtual exchange between an Austrian and a French…

In recent years, increased attention has been focused on the mentoring of teacher candidates throughout Turkey. In particular, the requirement for school principals and mentor teachers to attend mentor education programmes as specified in the Teacher Strategy Document (TSD) set forth by Ministry of National Education (MoNE). Therefore, the aim of…

This paper compares conceptions of teacher quality in two education systems -- Singapore and Hong Kong -- that consistently perform well in international assessments of student achievement. Both systems constantly refresh their expectations of teacher competencies, with recent iterations, which offer a just-in-time opportunity to learn from how…

The overall objective of this study was to investigate the constraints that have occurred regarding the first-year English language teachers' professional identity construction at five Chinese universities. The approach adopted in the study was Narrative Inquiry. Interview data with five teachers were collected and analysed through a framework…

Mentoring of pre-service teachers in their school practicum is vital to integrating different parts of the educational programmes and supporting the pre-service teachers to become educational professionals, but for mentors in schools this task often comes on top of the other requirements they face as teachers. In this study, we present findings…

In Malta, most science teachers are likely to have a teaching degree level qualification in one science subject. When teaching science in the first two years of secondary school they will be teaching outside their area of science specialism, that is teaching a subject/s that was not studied at degree or Advanced level. A study was conducted to…

The practicum is an essential component of teacher training plans and a key element the process of learning to teach. Various documents, guides and protocols have defined the aims of this training phase and the functions of those involved: supervisors, tutors and students. To identify the tasks student teachers perform during the practicum, a…

High percentages of newly qualified teachers (NQTs) drop out during their first 5 years in the classroom. Often, formal support systems are put in place to overcome 'practice shock'. However, in this research, it was hypothesised that it is not the formal support structure put in place that determines whether starting teachers feel satisfied in…

Teacher knowledge is currently explored in three major research paradigms. This paper reviews how teaching and personal educational knowledge are related in these three paradigms, namely: the evidence paradigm, the life history paradigm and the practice theory paradigm. The paradigms can be linked through their demand to elaborate knowledge…

This article investigates the interaction between educational research and practice in school systems, through a bi-dimensional framework. Forty-four papers were selected and analysed, and were grouped based on their pertinence to the categories: "system level" (macro-meso-micro) and "locus of need"…

The use of mentoring group conversations as a tool to support pre-service teachers' professional development has become more common. However, there is still a lack of research that shows how conversations are used to develop knowledge. The present paper is based on ethnographical observations of mentoring group conversations, and describes how…

Based on experiences from a number of large scale data- and research-informed school development projects in Denmark and Norway, led by the author, three hypotheses are discussed: that an effective way of linking research and practice is achieved (1) using a capacity building approach, that is, to collaborate in the practical school context…