**5. Challenges and opportunities**

#### **5.1 Challenges**

The discussion related to challenges in self-study research could have been an article in itself, but here three challenges will be highlighted: 1) the challenge of the self-critical nature of one's own work and practice, 2) the requirement for quality, and 3) the tensions between efficiency and understanding.

Being able to ask "serious" critical questions about own actions and existing interpretations and assumptions is difficult when exploring and investigating own practice and experiences [31, 60]. There is a risk that the learning that comes out of a self-study just becomes a pseudonym for rationalization or self-justification. One of the core elements of self-study is about being informed to a greater extent about and developing own practice through adopting a reflective attitude towards own teaching. A vital feature of reflective teaching involves having a critical view on practice and a critical look at existing assumed assumptions related to various aspects of the educational process. In the field of teacher education there is a widespread agreement that there is a strong relationship between what a teacher believes and how teaching occurs in the classroom [45]. Thus, in order to influence practice, teachers´ thinking about teaching must be transformed and critical questions must be asked about what is being done [45]. But, for various reasons this is easier said than done. Firstly, this is due to the fact that our beliefs, values and knowledge about teaching are derived from our experiences and our personal history which is necessarily limited. Secondly, many of these assumptions are implicit, which means they have never been articulated, not even for us self [61]. It is also a fact that some of these ideas and beliefs about teaching are deeply ingrained in us and intimately connected to our identities as teachers and teacher educators [45]. For these reasons, it can therefore be challenging to ask critical and constructive questions related to one's own teaching and practice.

Another challenge, according to Vanassche and Keltchermans [24] is related to the tensions between the relevance of self-study and methodological rigor. In other words, a question of quality and what requirements are placed on quality for a self-study. Self-studies are inevitable in this field of tensions and it is a direct consequence of its dual research agenda. One the one hand, the requirements to contribute to professional development and improvements in practice, and on the other hand the development of a public and accessible knowledge base in teacher

education. Moving too much towards relevance can produce a solipsistic study, which may result in a study in which the person conducting the study becomes the only one that exist in the text. In other words, a navel-gazing study that will not necessarily have transfer value to other teacher educators. Such studies will probably raise awareness and open up new understandings to the person who completed the study, but the value may not extend beyond the local individual context. On this side of the scale, the study will manifest itself as a study about oneself – of oneself – and for oneself, and the question about "so what", what does this mean for others in the field of teacher education which is a critical reference for quality in self-studies will remain unanswered. On the other hand, moving too much towards rigor and requirements that emphasize methodological concerns to justify a generalization of the study's findings could result in an increased methodological focus and reduced conceptualization in order to allow proper measurements [24, 62, 63]. By reducing the conceptualization, there will be less focus on describing actions and models that integrates ideas and concepts about what is done, why it is done and how the researcher came to this. The problem with such an approach is that there is a danger of less focus on the researcher's actions and behavior in the study, which is an essential part of self-study. The question is on which side of this continuum will the study be located and focused, and what is considered most valuable for moving both the individual / local professional knowledge and the public knowledge base on teacher education going forward in a developing direction.

The final challenge is the tension between efficiency and understanding that is described by several as a demanding balance [24, 64, 65]. Although the framework and mindset within self-study has an agenda among other things to adopt a critical view to education policy that in many countries has promoted a rather narrow and instrumentalist view of practice, learning and knowledge development in teacher education and in schools [66], there are examples of self-studies presenting suggestions for quick solutions to problems and increased efficiency of own practice. In other words, find quick and short-terms solutions to complex problems so that students´ learning can take place effectively, in less time and preferably less resources. Such a technical-instrumentalist approach to self-study as research on teaching and learning has great legitimacy among many policy-makers who want clear evidence of "what works" [64]. Whether researchers in self-studies or other research approaches are put under pressure and made responsible by pointing to evidence of "what works" and how pedagogy should be in teacher education an in schools, it is hardly surprising that reseachers´ may be tempted to limit the research agenda to the question of "what works" [67]. Such an approach will limit the value of self-study to its functional, self-oriented and problem-solving nature which is characteristic of self-study. By doing so, self-study risks being cut off from potential inherent in the opportunities to develop a significant critical-political, educational, and epistemological understanding of the complexities of teacher education and teaching in general. Self-studies should articulate the researcher's understanding of what, why and how the study led to understanding, and the study should uncover tensions in a specific course of action such as why one type of action was chosen over others. This is about offering a conceptualization of how the researcher arrived at what he did and what knowledge was generated, which raised it to a more general level that allows the work to be a contribution to the public knowledge base on teacher education [24].

#### **5.2 Opportunities**

Although some challenges related to self-study have been described, there are also several opportunities for development and knowledge building in this research and development approach. Korthagen and Lunenberg [68] have presented some

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opportunities and gains from engaging in self-study. Firstly, they believed that it is a personal gain to engage in self-study that is about their own professional development as a teacher educator. This is further supported by Clandinin and Connelly [69] and Berry and Forgasz [40] who claims that self-study research is in a particularly good position to influence the teacher education field and develop its knowledgebase. This is because the self-study approach potentially involves changes in the "self", and this is where changes are least likely, but in self-study most suitable to occur. Secondly, Korthagen and Lunenberg [68] believe that there are opportunities to reshape and develop institutions` teacher education in terms of teaching, syllabus, programs and courses. Thirdly, they believed that there are opportunities to lay a foundation for a growing international community for teacher educators who engage in self-studies (or in general teacher education), and who benefit from the ongoing interaction between studies, researchers / teacher educators and the

In a self-study approach, there are opportunities that more traditional approaches to research are probably not as thoroughly able to encapsulate. In particular, this is about examining features of being a "living contradiction" [27], which i.e. means we think and say one thing but do something else in action. It may also be about the fact that as teachers we feel that we are required to practice a practice that goes across our beliefs, values and attitudes. Such contradictions are challenging and demanding to detect, and it is difficult to stop, take a step back from personal experiences and examine these in a free and detached way. An essential characteristic and factor in self-study, is about making some stops to create an overview of own practice and take the important step back to find out what this is really about, take a meta-perspective [70]. Another possibility with self-study is that it is an effort for teacher educators to better understand how to handle, deal with and decide meaningful actions to dilemmas, challenges and problems, rather than seeking the correct answer to these. By seeing dilemmas, challenges and problems from such a perspective, one will, according to Shulman [71], create opportunities that help to shed light on how the reality of what is being examined actually is. Shulman also says that it makes a qualitative difference when it is the practitioner who defines the challenge instead of being introduced or imposed by external obeservers, decision

makers or others, whose work is at distance from the teacher educator.

A self-study research approach can also be a good way to create meaningful processes to become more aware of who you are as a teacher educator and to develop your teacher educator identity. Koster and van den Berg [58] emphasizes that by engaging in self-study, teacher educators can become more aware of who they are- and find their core values as teacher educators. This is about raising awareness of who you are, what you stand for, what are your core values and how to convey these as a teacher educator. The research approach to self-study is closely related to the constructivist approach within the pragmatic paradigm [11]. A key point of Dewey [11] when it comes to learning and knowledge development is that it occurs when people face challenges or problems. Learning and knowledge development lies in dealing with such situations by exploring and engaging in them, working systematically and transforming it into something we understand and master. The new knowledge will then be able to help us change and improve our thinking and actions. When the goal is to create development and generate new knowledge that is important for the practitioner's practice of the profession and to support the teacher students learning, or what Engeström and Sannino [48] describe as developing "something that is not yet there" (p. 2), is testing and experimentation with new approaches to teaching and learning processes a significant factor. Self-study is an appropriate and good approach for experimentation, trying out methods, moving out into the unknown and out of the comfort zone. One of the reasons for this is

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96252*

sharing of insight.

#### *Self-Study Research: Challenges and Opportunities in Teacher Education DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96252*

opportunities and gains from engaging in self-study. Firstly, they believed that it is a personal gain to engage in self-study that is about their own professional development as a teacher educator. This is further supported by Clandinin and Connelly [69] and Berry and Forgasz [40] who claims that self-study research is in a particularly good position to influence the teacher education field and develop its knowledgebase. This is because the self-study approach potentially involves changes in the "self", and this is where changes are least likely, but in self-study most suitable to occur. Secondly, Korthagen and Lunenberg [68] believe that there are opportunities to reshape and develop institutions` teacher education in terms of teaching, syllabus, programs and courses. Thirdly, they believed that there are opportunities to lay a foundation for a growing international community for teacher educators who engage in self-studies (or in general teacher education), and who benefit from the ongoing interaction between studies, researchers / teacher educators and the sharing of insight.

In a self-study approach, there are opportunities that more traditional approaches to research are probably not as thoroughly able to encapsulate. In particular, this is about examining features of being a "living contradiction" [27], which i.e. means we think and say one thing but do something else in action. It may also be about the fact that as teachers we feel that we are required to practice a practice that goes across our beliefs, values and attitudes. Such contradictions are challenging and demanding to detect, and it is difficult to stop, take a step back from personal experiences and examine these in a free and detached way. An essential characteristic and factor in self-study, is about making some stops to create an overview of own practice and take the important step back to find out what this is really about, take a meta-perspective [70]. Another possibility with self-study is that it is an effort for teacher educators to better understand how to handle, deal with and decide meaningful actions to dilemmas, challenges and problems, rather than seeking the correct answer to these. By seeing dilemmas, challenges and problems from such a perspective, one will, according to Shulman [71], create opportunities that help to shed light on how the reality of what is being examined actually is. Shulman also says that it makes a qualitative difference when it is the practitioner who defines the challenge instead of being introduced or imposed by external obeservers, decision makers or others, whose work is at distance from the teacher educator.

A self-study research approach can also be a good way to create meaningful processes to become more aware of who you are as a teacher educator and to develop your teacher educator identity. Koster and van den Berg [58] emphasizes that by engaging in self-study, teacher educators can become more aware of who they are- and find their core values as teacher educators. This is about raising awareness of who you are, what you stand for, what are your core values and how to convey these as a teacher educator. The research approach to self-study is closely related to the constructivist approach within the pragmatic paradigm [11]. A key point of Dewey [11] when it comes to learning and knowledge development is that it occurs when people face challenges or problems. Learning and knowledge development lies in dealing with such situations by exploring and engaging in them, working systematically and transforming it into something we understand and master. The new knowledge will then be able to help us change and improve our thinking and actions. When the goal is to create development and generate new knowledge that is important for the practitioner's practice of the profession and to support the teacher students learning, or what Engeström and Sannino [48] describe as developing "something that is not yet there" (p. 2), is testing and experimentation with new approaches to teaching and learning processes a significant factor. Self-study is an appropriate and good approach for experimentation, trying out methods, moving out into the unknown and out of the comfort zone. One of the reasons for this is

the requirement for interactivity with students, colleagues, literature and research in the field and with own previous practice. In collective processes, creativity and innovation are more likely to emerge than if we work individually, and the implementation of the "new approach" takes place in an environment where the participants have collaborated on the changes [72]. When changes to be implemented are a result of collaboration, it is a factor that also makes it a little safer to try out new approaches [73]. Takahashi [5] says that an important factor for teachers´ development and learning is the necessity of moving out of the comfort zone, and says that's the place where exiting, unpredictable and evolving situations arise. Testing and experimenting is probably something all teachers and teacher educators do to a greater or lesser degree, but it does not mean that the testing and experimentation is studied and has a research approach. Through self-study, teacher educators can research and study this testing and experimentation, go deeper into what they are doing, use students actively in the development of new methodological approaches and construct good and meaningful processes that make sense to students and suit the teacher educator's way of thinking and how to facilitate development- and learning processes. In these exploration and testing processes, Takahashi [5] believes that many teachers are afraid of failing or that it does not work as they had intended, and that this fear of not succeeding can be a hinderance for development and learning. According to Dewey [11], we should not be afraid of making mistakes or that the scheme does not go as planned, because a mistake is not just a mistake. Dewey sees mistakes as a starting point and a potential source for developing new knowledge and further development by looking at mistakes as something instructive.

According to Loughran [31], there is little doubt that teacher educators who explore their own practice through the use of self-study methodology, are serious about seeking a better understanding and execution of their own practice.

## **6. Conclusion**

Self-study is a meaningful approach and tool that can be employed to serve several purposes in the preparation of teacher educators. Through self-study, teacher educators can to a greater extend be able to capture, unpack and portray the complexity of teaching that can lead to a deeper understanding of both practice and students´ learning processes. In this chapter, self-study as research is thoroughly described, and the possible positive influence in teacher educators´ development and practice are illuminated. At the same time, it is important to point out that self-study can be challenging, and it places some demands on teacher educators. It requires from teacher educators the courage to be open, willing to examine their own pedagogical thinking, actions and practice and to be vulnerable. As interactivity is an essential methodological aspect in self-study [45], openness to other views, perspectives and critical remarks from colleagues and students is an essential part. Openness is also about being open to and having the courage to try, test and experiment with new tasks, activities and actions in teaching. In addition, openness is about daring to move out of the comfort zone and into a creative and innovative landscape.

For teacher educators´ who enter self-study, it is of great importance that they are willing to examine their own pedagogical thinking and actions. When teacher educators´ are willing to do this, there is also an inherent desire and goal to make changes and improvements in their practice [35]. A starting point for examining one's own thinking, actions and practice can be based on perceived challenges in teaching situations. By examining own practice and searching for new approach

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**Author details**

teacher education.

Technology, Trondheim, Norway

provided the original work is properly cited.

\*Address all correspondence to: kare.hauge@ntnu.no

Department of Teacher Education, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and

© 2021 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,

Kåre Hauge

*Self-Study Research: Challenges and Opportunities in Teacher Education*

ment of a personal pedagogy of teacher education [29, 30].

and understandings related to challenges, teacher educators´ can make a transformation from being knowledge consumers to being knowledge producers. When teacher educators perceive themselves as producers of knowledge, it also has an impact on their self-confidence, the development of their identity and the develop-

Finally, the importance of having the courage to be vulnerable. Once teacher educators´ frame their research as a self-study, they enter the field of research with a different approach, a personal approach. They enter the field with themselves and about themselves. It requires them to put themselves, their assumptions, their preconceptions, their beliefs and their ideologies of teaching under scrutiny. How one teaches is a product of who one is and what one considers to be one's own beliefs and truths related to teaching (Austin & Senese [74]. An important influence of self-study is that it is a research approach that facilitates to find out who you are as a teacher educator and to dig a little into your own beliefs and truths with the aim of acquiring a better understanding of practice and reconstructing your beliefs, which in turn can lead to improvements in teaching practice and the strengthening of

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96252*

#### *Self-Study Research: Challenges and Opportunities in Teacher Education DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96252*

and understandings related to challenges, teacher educators´ can make a transformation from being knowledge consumers to being knowledge producers. When teacher educators perceive themselves as producers of knowledge, it also has an impact on their self-confidence, the development of their identity and the development of a personal pedagogy of teacher education [29, 30].

Finally, the importance of having the courage to be vulnerable. Once teacher educators´ frame their research as a self-study, they enter the field of research with a different approach, a personal approach. They enter the field with themselves and about themselves. It requires them to put themselves, their assumptions, their preconceptions, their beliefs and their ideologies of teaching under scrutiny. How one teaches is a product of who one is and what one considers to be one's own beliefs and truths related to teaching (Austin & Senese [74]. An important influence of self-study is that it is a research approach that facilitates to find out who you are as a teacher educator and to dig a little into your own beliefs and truths with the aim of acquiring a better understanding of practice and reconstructing your beliefs, which in turn can lead to improvements in teaching practice and the strengthening of teacher education.
