Abstract
Teacher educators are encouraged to promote evidence-based practice in teaching and to use evidence for their own teaching. In the present study, teacher educators’ attitudes, perceived challenges, and uses regarding evidence-based practice are described. Moreover, the extent to which personal factors are related to the use of evidence is investigated. In an exploratory study, 58 teacher educators from higher education participated in an online survey. The results reveal that teacher educators generally have a positive attitude toward evidence-based practice. They use evidence regularly, both for individual learning and for teaching purposes. Furthermore, the study reveals that teacher educators with more experience in research and teaching have a more positive attitude toward evidence-based practice and higher uses of evidence. In comparison, less experienced teacher educators perceived more challenges. It is discussed, how teacher educators can be supported in their professional learning, particularly in light of the increasing scientific knowledge base in education.
Highlights
Current developments in teacher education highlight the importance of evidence-based practice as a way of linking research and practice in teaching (Cutspec, 2004; Bauer and Prenzel, 2012)
Professional standards for teacher education increasingly mention the pivotal role of empirical evidence from educational research into teachers’ professionalism (European Commission, 2007)
For more than half of the teacher educators, evidence-based practice constitutes a priority in their higher education (HE) teaching
Summary
Current developments in teacher education highlight the importance of evidence-based practice as a way of linking research and practice in teaching (Cutspec, 2004; Bauer and Prenzel, 2012). Professional standards for teacher education increasingly mention the pivotal role of empirical evidence from educational research into teachers’ professionalism (European Commission, 2007). Teacher educators need to be critical readers of educational research publications They should base their teaching on the best empirical evidence available, and they should understand that part of their professional role is to contribute to the development and dissemination of research-based knowledge (Livingston et al, 2009; Loughran, 2014). In the field of educational science, teacher educators need to be able to deal with
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