If teacher education is to be taken seriously, it must be research-based with teacher educators as active researchers and perceived as 'public intellectuals'. This re-positioning of teacher education to be 'research driven' comes with pressure on teacher educators to focus on securing research funding and increase publication output. This…

This paper contributes to debates about gender and diversity in teaching. Exploring the underrepresentation of males, socially constructed as a privileged group, is a complex task for researchers working within a social justice framework. Drawing on a national dataset (N = 5,627), we explore entry patterns to primary and post-primary Initial…

Diversifying the teaching population is of international concern. Ireland has experienced significant socio-demographic change in the last decades, but we lack adequate data on the backgrounds of student teachers, especially in relation to nationality and ethnicity. In this paper, we examine the nationality/ies, ethnicity/ies and experiences with…

Teachers are widely recognised as the most powerful determinants of pupil achievement. Those countries considered to have high-performing education systems, such as Finland and Singapore, have prioritised investment in initial teacher education. In the Irish context, teacher education programmes have been high-status, over-subscribed, attracting a…

Teacher research has been identified as a transformative model of CPD. However, as illustrated in the OECD's TALIS study, while teachers recognise the benefits of classroom enquiry for their own work, their participation in it is low. This paper examines the possible reasons for this discrepancy by considering the views of Irish teachers surveyed…

This article explores pre-service and in-service science teachers' perceptions on active learning, and examines the effectiveness of active learning by pre-service science teachers in the Irish second level classroom through a two-phase study. In the first phase, data on perceptions were gathered from final year pre-service teachers and in-service…

The aim of this paper is to analyse Irish school placement cooperating teachers' supervisory experiences when involved in various structures of communities and explore factors which enabled or challenged them in cultivating relationships with school placement stakeholders where there is no formal system of supervision established in schools in the…

There has been much international debate on the role of the university tutor in the supervision of student teachers during school-based work. This study focuses upon the Irish context, where there has been little research. It involves a comparative study of the views and attitudes of university staff, student teachers and class teachers from the…

While recognising the fact that historically teacher education and adolescent literacy are two fields that have had limited intellectual contact, the development of reading literacy is increasingly now accepted internationally as a core responsibility of all teachers and teacher educators. Adopting a socio-cultural perspective, this paper, drawn…

Examined the academic and social integration experiences of English and Irish first-year preservice teachers. Survey data indicated that students in both countries were committed to their courses, satisfied with their choice of courses, and planning to continue the next year. They had high academic aspirations. English students appeared better…

An intensive remedial program of teaching skills is used in the Irish College of Education to improve the practical teaching performance of student teachers. A description of this program, which includes students' assessment of the program, is offered. (Author/DF)

Discussion of quality issues in Ireland's preservice and inservice teacher education examines the 1992 Green Paper on Irish Education, which highlighted several proposals regarding establishment of a system of quality assurance in higher education institutions to offer students the best possible education and ensure high standards of quality in…

The article provides a history of the status of preservice and inservice teacher education in Ireland from the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922 to the present, noting the role of educational research. It also examines the relationship of teacher education and educational research, focusing on six related themes. (SM)

Examined newly certified Irish secondary teachers' feelings about the adequacy of their preservice teacher preparation, experiences with beginning teacher supports, and visions for induction. Results indicated they were generally satisfied with preservice training, enjoyed the rewards of seeing students learn, but were concerned about discipline…

Examined frameworks that might be robust across different cultures and educational systems in describing teachers' approaches to teaching mathematics, discussing their application in teacher education courses. Examination of lesson plans (related to teaching the concept of area) from Irish and Dutch preservice teachers produced a two-dimensional…