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Teacher Education Research in the Twenty-First Century

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The Palgrave Handbook of Teacher Education Research

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to offer a rationale for both the contents and structure of The Palgrave Handbook of Teacher Education Research. Firstly, three “precepts” underlying teacher education research are set out. In combination, these precepts create an argument for adopting an anthropological approach to the study of teacher education. The chapter then turns to a discussion of the significance of teacher education as a field of research and the reasons for the substantial expansion of activity within the field over recent decades. Three relationships between teacher education and research are then outlined, followed by the identification of a number of key themes within the field. A discussion of the most commonly deployed methodologies ensues, illustrated by reference to chapters in the handbook. An explanation of the structure of the handbook is then offered with a brief account of what is covered in each section. Drawing on what has preceded, the conclusion affirms the value of adopting an anthropological perspective in the undertaking of teacher education research, a perspective that is all too frequently underplayed in the field.

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Acknowledgments

Many thanks to Meg Maguire, Nicole Mockler, Margery McMahon, Tore Bernt Sorensen and Maria Teresa Tatto, who offered very helpful comments on a draft of this chapter.

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  1. Department of Education, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Ian Menter

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    Ian Menter

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Menter, I. (2023). Teacher Education Research in the Twenty-First Century. In: Menter, I. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Teacher Education Research . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16193-3_85

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