Teacher educators navigating barriers and facilitators in teaching research-informed practice in Poland, Portugal and Hungary: Insights from focus group discussions

Drawing upon a larger study, this paper explores how teacher educators in Poland, Portugal and Hungary navigate the barriers and facilitators involved in teaching research-informed practice (RIP) within master’s-level initial teacher education (ITE), as well as what recommendations they would propose for strengthening this process. Thematic analysis of focus group data revealed a range of barriers: institutional fragmentation and ‘policy silence’, curricular and organisational constraints, limited student research literacy and underused opportunities within existing ITE curricula. Conversely, facilitators were found to stem largely from individual commitment and collaboration – teacher educators’ identities as researchers and motivation for teaching RIP, collaborative microcultures and students’ emerging curiosity towards research – as well as institutional openness and opportunities. Despite their contextual differences, the participants across all three countries emphasised the need for coherent support systems, professional learning opportunities for teacher educators and school–university partnerships. The study concludes that sustaining the teaching of RIP in ITE necessitates systemic support that aligns policy, institutional frameworks and professional cultures, moving beyond a reliance on isolated individual efforts.