Interpreting The What, Why and How of Self-Study In Teaching And Teacher Education

Abstract

In this chapter, I attempt to answer the following questions regarding self-study in teaching and teacher education: • What is the nature of self-study? • Who does self-study in teaching and teachcr cducation and why do they do it? • How do these people engage in self-study? I then ask, "What contributions can self-study in teaching and teacher education make to scholarship in education and educational research?" First, I admit bias centred upon the notion of self. All thinking, feeling and acting in educational research, as with any other human endeavour, has a significant subjective element. The nature, structure and message of this chapter, as with all the other chapters in the volume, reflect the self of each author. In some ways, the writing of the chapter involves a measure of self-study: self-study into the nature of self-study! Thus the consideration below of what self-study is - what distinguishes this field of scholarship is necessarily imbued with my experiences, beliefs and values. For all of the questions above, but particularly the first, there is extensive discussion elsewhere in this handbook. In this chapter, I try to infer the nature of the endeavour of self-study from what has been written by the chapter authors in this section. Thus my discussion is limited to my interpretation of Chapters 31 through 37, all set within the context of teaching and teacher education. Two conceptual perspectives, both of which arise from my research, frame my interpretations of the questions above. One perspective links personal and professional thinking, feeling and acting; the second interprets such thinking, feeling and acting according to the generation of personal challenge that comprises both cognitive/metacognitive and affective elements. I introduce these perspectives as I summarise diverse perspectives on the nature of self-study in teaching and teacher education.