Insights into the early career experiences of teachers
Teachers Professional Journeys
(TPJ):
The First Decade (2024-2030) is an accelerated longitudinal mixed-methods study focused on understanding the dynamics of teacher learning and development from the final year of initial teacher education (ITE) through the first nine years of teachers’ work within classrooms and schools in the context of the wider education system at primary, post primary and further education (FE) sectors in Ireland.
The study is jointly funded by the Teaching Council and the Department of Education and being undertaken by a research consortium comprising researchers from the University of Limerick (UL), the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and Mary Immaculate College (MIC).
Central to the study design is a theoretically informed multi-level approach spanning policy intention, policy enactment, lived experiences and outcomes. Graduates of initial teacher education programmes from 2019, 2022 and 2025 will likely teach well into the 2060s.
In terms of initial teacher education guidelines/standards, these graduates will have experienced an initial teacher education programme based on either the 2011 guidelines (2019, 2022 and 2025 undergraduate initial teacher education (ITE)) or the 2020 Ceim standards (2025 PME and undergraduate ITE 2026).
Research Design
TPJ study is an accelerated longitudinal mixed-methods study focused on understanding the dynamics of teacher learning and development from the final year of initial teacher education (ITE) through the first nine years of teachers’ work within classrooms and schools in the context of the wider education system at primary, post primary and further education (FE) sectors in Ireland.
Ethics & Data Protection
The Teachers’ Professional Journeys study Research ethics approval is being undertaken via the UL Education and Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee. The study is compliant with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that protects the personal data of student-teachers, teachers and school principals and other research participants that are involved in the study. The joint data controllers for TPJ are the Teaching Council and the Department of Education. The data processors in the study are UL, ESRI, and MIC.
Funders & Stakeholders
Funders
The Teachers’ Professional Journeys study is jointly funded by the Teaching Council and the Department of Education on behalf of the Government of Ireland.
