History education that deals with the controversial and sensitive past is a vehicle for peacemaking in conflict-affected societies. However, its success is dependent on teachers taking risks to challenge entrenched 'us versus them' views of history. How does a student teacher in Northern Ireland grapple with risk-taking when learning to teach…

Previously the authors have reported on the merits of involving student teachers in school-based curriculum development projects (McCullagh and Doherty, 2018; Earle and McCullagh 2020; McCullagh and Doherty 2021). These projects have involved up to 20 primary science specialist student teachers planning and teaching lessons in a small number of…

The attitudes of student-teachers to Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) remains an under-explored topic in research literature. This mixed-methods study engaged student-teachers in focus group discussions at commencement and completion of Initial Teacher Education (ITE). These student-teachers were situated across England, Scotland, Wales,…

Enquiry-based learning (EBL) in primary schools is a constructivist approach which has a strong focus on children asking questions, working together, selecting and interpreting sources, on collecting information, and on interpreting and analysing what is found. This paper reports the results of questionnaire surveys and focus group interviews…

In an attempt to resolve some of the lingering tensions involved in understanding play as learning in practice, a group of Irish student teachers in the final years of their degree programme participated in an intervention known as 'PLAI' (Playful Learning Across Ireland). This paper reports on the impact of such an intervention on student…

This paper considers how teacher educators can better understand how to prepare pre-service teachers for teaching pupils who have English as an additional language. Qualitative methods are used to allow student teachers in the middle of their pre-service course in Northern Ireland to present honestly about their experiences of teaching newcomer…

Research exploring the well-being and pastoral care of pupils attending primary and post-primary schools has become an issue of increased discourse and growing national and international concern in recent years. Society often expects that teachers can support or facilitate pupils experiencing such issues; however, there is little research that…

This paper reports in detail on the qualitative findings from a study which aimed to critically examine the experiences and confidence of student teachers in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in relation to disablist bullying. This paper focuses in particular on the voice of student teachers from six focus group interviews (n = 29)…

In a divisive age, how do we support beginning teachers in taking up the challenge of teaching controversial topics and creating classroom environments that promote civil discourse? For insights, the author looked to the work of teacher educators in Northern Ireland, a region that is still affected by many generations of intense sectarian…

This study explored the knowledge, experience and confidence of student teachers from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in relation to disablist bullying. Adopting a mixed methodological approach of four focus groups (N = 18) and a pencil-and-paper questionnaire (N = 257), the study explored the students knowledge, experience and…

There has been much international debate on the role of the university tutor in the supervision of student teachers during school-based work. This study focuses upon the Irish context, where there has been little research. It involves a comparative study of the views and attitudes of university staff, student teachers and class teachers from the…

The potential, for the learner, of a maths trail was documented in MT219. Here, the focus is on the planning element of such an event from the perspective of a group of student teachers. Personal reactions, and insights are used to demonstrate that "real, and authentic, learning" takes place for all those involved in the activity.

Primary geography education is an important part of initial teacher education. The importance of prior experiences in the development of student teachers has long been recognised and there is growing evidence of the nature of those experiences in areas such as geography. This paper reports the findings of research conducted with one cohort of…

The paper examines the school-based element of initial teacher education (ITE) and the ways in which it contributes to the professional learning of student teachers in Finland (University of Helsinki) and Northern Ireland (University of Ulster). In particular it seeks to assess the potential of Training Schools for Northern Ireland. Universities…

This study examines the role of teacher educators working within a permeated teaching model in Northern Ireland, and student teachers' attitudes towards special educational needs (SEN) and inclusion. A cohort of 125 student teachers representing eight subject areas responded to a survey exploring attitudes towards issues relating to inclusive…