Claiming and reclaiming the voice of the profession: Teacher educator policy advocacy through the lens of Bakhtin's theory of dialogism

Abstract

With rising contestations around educational policies, teacher educators are increasingly called to engage in policy debates. To date, few studies have explored how they engage in policy advocacy. This multi-case qualitative project addresses this gap by drawing on Bakhtin's theory of dialogism to explore how teacher educators in several states worked to reclaim the position of a speaking subject in policy contexts. The findings capture participation in policy dialogues including monitoring of policy proposals, mobilization of collective responses, and engagement with decision-makers. The variation in advocacy outcomes among the cases raises questions about the future of teacher education reforms.