Engaging in Self-Study Research (2011–Present)

Abstract

This chapter marks the Portfolio Group’s initial foray into the self-study of teacher education practice (S-STEP) genre of research. Drawing on our own experiences with learning a new research methodology, we examine our coming to self-study through the braided rivers emergent metaphor that provoked the long-term study of the Portfolio Group’s collaboration. Initial findings and literature connections are shared to show the process of our coming to understand and employ self-study in understanding the sustaining qualities of teacher/teacher educator groups such as ours. The foundations of self-study research (Lyons and LaBoskey in Narrative inquiry in practice: Advancing the knowledge of teaching. Teachers College Press, New York, NY, 2002; Loughran and Northfield 2002; Loughran, Hamilton, LaBoskey, and Russell in International handbook of self-study of teaching and teacher education practices. Springer, New York, NY, 2004; Pinnegar and Hamilton in Self-study of practice as genre of qualitative research: Theory, methodology, and practice. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 2009) are explicated and the rationale for the group’s engaging in self-study is explained.