Research Design
Teachers’ Professional Journeys is a longitudinal study aiming to investigate the key personal, educational, professional and systemic influences that define and shape teachers’ careers during their first decade.
The study adopts a multi-disciplinary approach and mixed-methods methodology. Central to the design of the study is a theoretically informed multi-level approach spanning policy intention, policy enactment, lived experiences and outcomes.
TPJ presents a potential groundbreaking opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of how initial teacher education graduates and early career teachers develop, possibly leave or move within the profession and engage with established and reform-minded practices. The study will provide insight into how they consider their role (both current and future) as teachers within primary, post-primary and further education sectors which play an increasingly significant role in students’ education, health, economic and social outcomes across the lifespan.
TPJ’s Five Research Objectives
The overall aim of the Teachers’ Professional Journeys study is to understand teachers’ professional journeys, by examining the key personal, educational, professional and systemic influences that define and shape their early careers and practice, including the impact of different learning and professional development phases.
To examine teachers’ attitudes, values, beliefs and formative experiences in relation to teaching and learning
- Teachers’ values and their role as educators
- Teachers’ biographies and their experiences of ITE
- Pedagogical preferences and policy requirements
To investigate early career teachers’ and other stakeholders’ perceptions of their capacity to meet the needs of learners in a variety of school context
- Teachers’ learning needs
- Preparedness for inclusive and collaborative practice
- Feelings of competency and confidence
To explore teachers’ early professional learning and career experiences as they leave ITE and transition across the 3 phases of professional development
- Different ITE models and their impact
- Transitions between ITE, Droichead, and Cosán
- Curriculum subject and professional experience
To review ability of ITE programmes, Droichead and Cosán to respond to national priorities, policy & practice developments
- Understanding ITE providers’ response to policy
- ITE programmes’ recognition of national priorities
- Engagement with Droichead and Cosán
To consider issues relating to teacher supply, diversity, and retention including
- ITE programmes contribution to supporting/ensuring future teacher supply
- ITE programmes promotion of the attractiveness of the teaching profession
- Increasing and enhancing diversity and inclusion
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.
