DEVELOPING RESEARCH IN TEACHER EDUCATION

GOOD TEACHER EDUCATION, INFORMED BY RELEVANT RESEARCH, IS JUDGED BY POLICY MAKERS AND PRACTITIONERS ALIKE TO BE CENTRAL TO INCREASING THE QUALITY OF SCHOOLING IN MANY COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD. YET, IN THE UK, RESEARCH ON TEACHER EDUCATION IS OFTEN ACKNOWLEDGED TO BE LESS WELL DEVELOPED THAN OTHER AREAS OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND TO BE OVER-DETERMINED BY EDUCATION POLICY. IT HAS ALSO BEEN ACCUSED OF A LACK OF RIGOUR AND OF BEING ATHEORETICAL. A FURTHER CHALLENGE IN DEVELOPING GOOD RESEARCH IN TEACHER EDUCATION IS THAT NEW TEACHER EDUCATORS COMMONLY FACE THE CHALLENGE OF MOVING INTO ACADEMIC WORK WITHOUT RELEVANT RESEARCH SKILLS AND THE READY CAPACITY TO PRODUCE HIGH QUALITY RESEARCH OUTPUTS. FOR THESE REASONS, THEN, STRENGTHENING RESEARCH IN AND ON TEACHER EDUCATION IS HIGH ON EDUCATIONAL AGENDAS IN THE UK. THIS BOOK EXAMINES THE EXACT NATURE OF THESE CHALLENGES IN TEACHER EDUCATION AND THE INITIATIVES ARISING TO ADDRESS THEM IN DIFFERENT SETTINGS ACROSS THE FOUR NATIONS OF THE UK. THE C