Moving from the periphery using pre-service teachers' longer-term views of Lesson Study to inform its expansion

Purpose Addressing a gap in the current research, this study aims to capture pre-service teachers' perceptions regarding the nature and impact of Lesson Study in the longer term, one year after completion, thus informing the continued development and refinement of Lesson Study as an embedded, institutionally supported feature of initial teacher education (ITE). Design/methodology/approach A semi-structured focus group interview was selected as the most appropriate data collection method to capture pre-service teachers' perspectives regarding the Lesson Study process one year on, and the impacts of engaging in Lesson Study on their practice in the interim. Findings The findings suggest that, despite initial reservations, all pre-service teachers recognised the value of various Lesson Study practices and the associated positive changes in their knowledge, practice and beliefs. Importantly, these impacts were sustained in the longer term, as pre-service teachers engaged with subsequent school practicum experiences. The study highlights the enduring power of Lesson Study in challenging beliefs about mathematics teaching and in closing the theory to practice gap by activating inert knowledge. In particular, it illuminates the necessity for broadening pre-service teachers' access to transformative Lesson Study practices while identifying strategies to inform its scalability and sustainability moving forward. Research limitations/implications The findings and implications of this study are relevant to all teacher educators who grapple with the logistical challenges of facilitating Lesson Study within initial teacher education. Originality/value This study contributes to the area, examining the understudied longer-term impacts of Lesson Study on pre-service teachers' knowledge, beliefs and practices.