Building a Research-Rich Teaching Profession : The Promises and Challenges of Doctoral Studies as a Form of Teacher Professional Development

Abstract

This book offers a research-based insight into a unique – and growing – group of teachers: those who have decided to undertake doctoral studies as a part of their ongoing professional development. Drawing on interviews with 30 Polish teachers with PhDs, this book illustrates how the doctorate is an important vehicle for strengthening teachers’ skills and knowledge, leading them to implement research-based teaching and learning pedagogies in their classrooms. Given these promising findings, this text ultimately seeks to identify implications for policy and practice in the process of building a truly research-rich teaching profession. After all, it is time to rethink the current doctoral education landscape, with the goal of enriching the relationship between research and practice. With precision and insight, Kowalczuk-Walędziak unpicks the essential relationship between theory and practice that she believes can be facilitated by teachers’ doctoral research. Erika Kopp, Associate Professor, Eötvös Lorand University, Hungary At a time when there are demands for teachers around the world to become increasingly skilful and knowledgeable, this book provides an invaluable insight into how this may be achieved through their pursuit of doctoral studies. Ian Menter, Emeritus Professor of Teacher Education, University of Oxford, UK The results […] also provide greatly needed new perspectives on the re-invention of PhD training in order to better address the expectations of professional practice in the twenty-first century. Zanda Rubene, Professor and Director of PhD Programmes in Educational Studies, University of Latvia, Latvia I strongly recommend a careful reading of this work by all who are interested in doctoral studies, teachers’ education, and educational and social issues in general. Fátima Pereira, Associate Professor, University of Porto, Portugal