Four spheres of knowledge required: an international study of the professional development of literacy/English teacher educators
Abstract
This paper reports on a research study of 28 literacy teacher educators (LTE) in four countries: Canada, the USA, England and Australia. It identifies three main forms of professional development: informal, formal and communities of practice and four spheres of knowledge: research; pedagogy of higher education; literacy and literacy teaching; and current school district and government initiatives. The study reveals the sheer scale of knowledge required to be an effective LTE and demonstrates how participants used the three forms of professional development to enhance their knowledge in each sphere. It concludes that the professional development of teacher educators is not conducted systematically; rather, it is quite ad hoc with much of it occurring through learning while doing. All had to construct their own programmes for professional development, which added yet another layer to their responsibilities.
Reference
Kosnik, C, Menna, L., Dharamshi, P., Miyata, C. Cleovolou, Y., & Beck, C. (2015). Four spheres of knowledge required: an international study of the professional development of literacy/English teacher educators. Journal of Education for Teaching, 41(1), 52-77.
Journal
Journal of Education for Teaching
Analysis
Is this article part of a larger project or series of studies?
no
Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?
no
Research Approach
Geographic Setting
- Australia
- Canada
- United Kingdom
- United States
Institutional Context
Certification Level
Programatic Focus
- English Language Arts (ELA)
Research Location Context
- Courses related to English language arts
- Multi-sited (across universities)
Preservice Participants
Preservice Sample Size
0
Other Participant Data
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
Data Analysis Tools
- grounded theory
- NVivo software
Researcher Positionality
- Outside (not directly invested in the program or operations)
Research Questions
What kinds of knowledge do Literacy Teacher Educators (LTEs) need?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
In what forms of professional development do Literacy Teacher Educators (LTEs) engage?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes