‘Endless patience and a strong belief in what makes a good teacher’: teacher educators in post-compulsory education in England and their professional situation

Vocational Teacher Educators’ Role Identity: A Case Study in Malta

“…In particular, the latter are rarely studied, and their lives have been described as "secret" (Noel 2006). Noel (2006), Crawley (2013), andSpringbett (2018) inform this paper as they are the three publications that have specifically focused on TEs working in a VET context.…”

“…Large-scale investigations of the professional situation of TEs in the lifelong learning sector (LLS) were conducted by both Noel (2006) and Crawley (2013). Although Noel's (2006) study provided the most comprehensive demographic profile of the TE profession in the PCE sector to date, she does not explore the meaning of a TE identity within the LLS.…”

“…Although Noel's (2006) study provided the most comprehensive demographic profile of the TE profession in the PCE sector to date, she does not explore the meaning of a TE identity within the LLS. The aim of Crawley's (2013) research was to enhance the professional well-being of TEs within the PCE sector by shedding light on various ways of supporting them. Although Crawley (2013) highlights the essential characteristics that TEs should have, his attempt to provide a clearer and broader picture of their professional situation in the PCE sector and issues of their professional identity or attempts to define it was neglected.…”

“…These two studies (Noel 2006;Crawley 2013) contribute information about TEs, in general, by considering age, ethnicity, and gender. However, there seems to be no in-depth understanding of what their professional identity consists of.…”

The practices of professional development facilitators

“…The FE sector in England is complex, encompassing education for a broad range of students, including 16-19 year olds, higher education learners, those operating in third sector organisations and learning in the context of professional practice such as prison and police educators (Perry and Boodt 2019). Meanwhile, the provision of professional development has been relatively under-prioritised compared to the rest of the education system (Crawley 2013, Springbett 2018, Perry and Boodt 2019. The participants in the programme were representative of the breadth of the sector, and the PDFs were therefore required to manage a variety of contrasting experiences, learning needs and backgrounds within the participant groups.…”