School-based teacher educators’ professional identity and professional needs

This article explores who school-based teacher educators (SBTEs) are, including how they are recruited and prepared, the roles they perform, the nature of their professional identity and what professional learning needs and preferences they have. Fifty-two interviews were conducted with SBTEs across five jurisdictions: England, Flanders (Belgium), Ireland, Israel and Norway. Six themes were explored across the complement of countries and include the (i) predominant role and responsibility of SBTEs, (ii) necessity to be familiar with university policy and procedures, (iii) appreciation of, and involvement in, research-related activities, (iv) SBTEs as a heterogeneous group, (v) being identified as having a disposition to working with student teachers, and (vi) accessing continuing professional development activities. The results of this study challenge ideas present in the literature on the role and subsequent expected practices of SBTEs given that such roles and practices are not necessarily evident in reality.