Research aim: ­ to provide an evidence-based explanation of how self-study practitioner-researchers can contribute to the development of education, research, pedagogical practices and policies with values of human flourishing, “to ensure that education truly transforms lives in the world” (Education 2030 Incheon Declaration).

Theoretical framework: integrates insights drawn from practitioners’ values-laden knowledge and theories, generated as they engage in professional practitioner, educational, self-study research, professional development, and theories and knowledge generated by psychologists, sociologists and philosophers (Whitehead and Huxtable, 2024).

Methods: include journaling, narrative, cycles of action-reflection, and living-posters to create and collect data. Innovative methods are used to analyse digital visual data to clarify and communicate embodied meanings of values of human flourishing, which serve as evaluative standards and explanatory principles in explanations for educational influences in learning.

Findings: These are focused on the evidence-based and values-laden explanations of teachers researching their practice to realise their responsibilities as professional practitioners and global citizens. These explanations illustrate the quality of the equitable, educational opportunities; experiences and relationships for all students, whatever their background and circumstance..

Relevance to theme and strands: the research contributes to the growth of educational knowledge and theory formation, and improving the quality of equitable, inclusive teaching practices at all levels of education.

References

UNESCO (2015) Education 2030: Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action Towards inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all. Retrieved from https://iite.unesco.org/publications/education-2030-incheon-declaration-framework-action-towards-inclusive-equitable-quality-education-lifelong-learning/

Whitehead, J. & Huxable, M. (2024) Living Educational Theory Research as an Epistemology for Practice. The Role of Values in Practitioners’ Professional Development. London: Routledge.

Becoming a teacher educator is complex and involves modifications to professional identity. Teacher educators‘ knowledge and identity are in constant progress and can be explored so they can become critical agents actively questioning and negotiating the relationships between theory and praxis and the fluctuating borders of professional roles.

In this self-study I examine my professional experience as a preschool teacher becoming a teacher educator. I draw on critical pedagogy to analyze personal narratives, shedding light on tensions in different professional roles. Data is drawn from a reflective journal, field notes from my teaching, teaching materials and notes from preparation and collaborative meetings. For my analysis, I draw on narrative inquiry to extract stories from my data, that exemplify critical incidents and turning points and on critical pedagogy to identify where power is located.

Analysis revealed incidents within the preschool that led to self-doubt. Transitioning from being a teacher in preschool, to becoming a teacher educator, I mistrusted my ability to fulfil that role. These tensions emerged in (1) professional values and identity shaped by my education and experience as a preschool teacher, and (2) feeling of belonging with a group of teacher educators. Paying attention to particulars in my journey contributes to understanding the importance that educators constantly attend to professional development and how they can enact their professionalism in quality of teaching.

This study contributes to knowledge about how self-study can be an effective approach to understand roles within education and how professional culture can either limit or support teachers´ agency. It also shows the significance of professional reflection when taking on a new role as a teacher educator, as well as the importance of understanding the knowledge and values present in different settings and how these can shape one's identity.

Student voice practices engage children in pedagogical processes that involve and empower them to be collaborators and decision makers regarding their own educational experience (Iannucci & Parker, 2022). It is evident that when students are given authentic opportunities for their voice to be heard, results are positive; students are more engaged in learning (Iannucci et al., 2023). A Student Voice-Professional Learning Community (SV-PLC) of primary physical education teacher educators (PPETEs) was established to support future teachers to learn about and enact student voice as a foundational teaching practice in teaching physical education.

This research aimed to investigate PPETEs’ experiences of enacting student voice pedagogies with pre-service teachers in Ireland. Collaborative self-study of teacher education practices provided the overall frame for this research (LaBoskey, 2004). Seven PPETEs applied student voice practices in primary teacher education programmes in Ireland, with the support of five critical friends during the 2024/2025 academic year. The research involved planning and teaching a module over one semester to support pre-service teachers’ learning about student voice and reflecting both individually and with our critical friends. The data for this self-study comprised of transcripts of eight online SV-PLC meetings and one reflective diary entry from each teacher educator.

Initial findings indicate that teacher educators faced complexities in navigating student voice practices, balancing their roles as models and facilitators of voice. Feedback from critical friends was crucial in helping them reflect on and refine their approaches, balancing explicit instruction with implicit modelling. Findings suggest that protected time is necessary to incrementally build pre-service teachers' capacity to enact their voice. Teacher educators aimed to create democratic learning environments, encouraging pre-service teachers to understand the impact of their decisions, and grow into thoughtful, empathetic individuals. We envisage that our findings will contribute to pedagogical strategies, supporting teacher educators to prioritise student voice.