beyond being able to identify quantitative approaches includes the ability ‘what works’ using and willingness to explore qualitatively and something and also systematically ‘how works’ it does and Borte 2016, 552). Therefore, all teachers need to know, not ‘why work’ (Lillejord not only, how to use research evidence critically but also how to actively engage in research with their pupils as co-researchers as an integral part of their everyday teaching and learning practice; research literacy should not be seen as a separate entity but as a sustained and integral part of being a teacher professional (NCSL 2012). There are a number of transitions in a career and the between initial teacher’s ‘bridging gap’ teacher education preparation and career development in their first phases of teachers’ teaching in schools is essential. Creating a variety of tracks to a higher level qualification for teachers wishing to conduct research is important (Winch et al. 2013). Preparing early career teachers (ECTs) to be able to engage in, and with, research in order to be able to use research discerningly to inform their own practice and that of others is also extremely important. While the recent English government (DfE 2016a) guidelines on effective professional development highlight the important role of research, the extent to which teachers are aware of these and have the time to consider and plan research within their own practice is debateable. Collaboration Promoting research literacy within initial teacher education and professional development programmes needs to be considered carefully in collaboration with schools and those responsible for newly qualified induction programmes and early career teachers. teachers’ Fletcher and Luft (2011), in an exploratory, longitudinal study across three years involving five newly qualified secondary science teachers, found that by the end of their first year of teaching, these beliefs about teaching shifted towards more traditional and didactic teachers’
beyond being able to identify ‘what works’ using quantitative approaches includes the ability and willingness to explore qualitatively and systematically ‘how something works’ and also ‘why it does not work’ (Lillejord and Borte 2016, 552). Therefore, all teachers need to know, not only, how to use research evidence critically but also how to actively engage in research with their pupils as co-researchers as an integral part of their everyday teaching and learning practice; research literacy should not be seen as a separate entity but as a sustained and integral part of being a teacher professional (NCSL 2012). There are a number of transitions in a teacher’s career and ‘bridging the gap’ between initial teacher education preparation and teachers’ career development in their first phases of teaching in schools is essential. Creating a variety of tracks to a higher level qualification for teachers wishing to conduct research is important (Winch et al. 2013). Preparing early career teachers (ECTs) to be able to engage in, and with, research in order to be able to use research discerningly to inform their own practice and that of others is also extremely important. While the recent English government (DfE 2016a) guidelines on effective professional development highlight the important role of research, the extent to which teachers are aware of these and have the time to consider and plan research within their own practice is debateable. Collaboration Promoting research literacy within initial teacher education and professional development programmes needs to be considered carefully in collaboration with schools and those responsible for newly qualified teachers’ induction programmes and early career teachers. Fletcher and Luft (2011), in an exploratory, longitudinal study across three years involving five newly qualified secondary science teachers, found that by the end of their first year of teaching, these teachers’ beliefs about teaching shifted towards more traditional and didactic
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