A Comparative Study Investigating the Enablers and Barriers Facing Teacher Educators in a Regional University: Snapshots from 2013 and 2020

Y

14

Teacher Educators; Barriers; Influences; Foreign Countries; Teaching Experience; Teacher Motivation; Preservice Teacher Education; Teacher Characteristics; Faculty Development; Educational Objectives; Teaching Skills; Knowledge Base for Teaching

0313-5373
1835-517X

Although the provision of initial teacher education has been the subject of more than 100 inquiries and multiple reforms, the work of those in teacher education remains under-researched. This comparative research provides two snapshots of teacher educator surveys conducted seven years apart (2013 and 2020) in a regional university in Australia. The primary aim of the research was to examine how teacher educators describe their work and goals and to identify the barriers and enablers that are present in their practice. The data were thematically coded and categorised. The outcomes highlight that personal and professional experiences do shape the goals and motivations of teacher educators; that knowledge and skills impact the ways that they enact their work, and that professional development is essential. Issues pertaining to the discipline of teacher education and an increasingly casualised workforce need to be addressed by those within and external to the profession.

As Provided

2023

EJ1388385