Teachers can profit from a solid knowledge base that can function as a frame of reference to help them organize their thinking. However, theoretical knowledge is easily "washed out" during the first confrontations with practice. For this reason, several Dutch university-based teacher education programs use a realistic approach to teacher…

This study used responses of 20 student teachers to describe the different ways in which student teachers perceive the practice of their mentors as internal triggers for learning in their practicum experiences in the schools. Reported observations from pedagogical journals of student teachers were described according to various kinds of teaching…

Universities are supposed to be institutes where research and teaching are closely related. To understand this relationship fully, it is necessary to learn how academics perceive these key components. Different conceptions among academics may stem from varying conceptions of knowledge. Thirty academics were interviewed by means of metaphors about…

This article reports on a research project that studied the nature of reflection in the portfolios of student teachers: 39 learning portfolios were analysed. Current theories on reflection offered little on which to base a system of categories for analysing the content of the portfolios. Theory on learning activities was used. We found that the…

Teacher research is increasingly described as an important aspect of professional development. In response, teacher education programs incorporate teacher research in their curricula. We report on the collaborative research processes of two groups of student teachers in a university teacher education program, focussing on elaboration and decision…

George Kelly's repertory grid application seems a promising method for researching the moral significance of teaching from a "life world" perspective. However, we encountered several challenges employing the repertory grid in its standard form for an inquiry into the inherent moral significance of teachers' everyday classroom interactions. In this…

In this study, relations between learning activities of teachers and changes in their beliefs were examined. Thirty-four teachers in Dutch secondary education were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their beliefs about teaching and learning on two occasions. They were also asked to report on learning activities that they undertook.…

The studies considered in this review of recent research on teachers' professional identity can be divided into three categories: (1) studies in which the focus was on teachers' professional identity formation, (2) studies in which the focus was on the identification of characteristics of teachers' professional identity, and (3) studies in which…

This study concerns the relation between teachers' beliefs towards teaching behaviour and their actual teaching behaviour in teacher portfolio assessment. We analysed the beliefs and behaviour of 18 teachers as described in their portfolios. In addition, each portfolio was independently assessed by two trained raters on eight content standards and…

Surveyed experienced Dutch secondary school teachers regarding their professional identities, examining ways that they saw themselves as subject matter experts, didactical experts, and pedagogical experts. Surveys indicated that most teachers saw their professional identity as consisting of a combination of the distinct aspects of expertise.…