**3. The relevance of self-study in teacher education**

Teacher educators who engage in self-study often share a broad motivation to improve; teacher education both individually and institutionally, goal of building new knowledge and understanding that can be brought into the field, increase the knowledge and understanding of teaching about teaching by researching and improving their own practice [33]. Whitehead [34] articulates this motivation to improve practice through some questions such as: "How do I help / support my students improve the quality of their learning and development?", "How do I live my values more fully in my practice?" and "How do I improve my practice?" ([33], p. 1308). Other questions that can be asked regarding to own practice can be:


These are just a few examples of what questions teacher educators can ask related to their own teaching and practice. One of the problems in teaching is that teachers tend to act before they know how things are related or evolved, or that teachers act from past experiences and habits, without knowing they do it [35, 36]. In Dewey's theory of learning and development, which is one of the sources of inspiration for self-study, he makes a clear distinction between actions based on habits and actions based on knowledge [11]. He claims that in situations where we have control, overview and know what it takes to solve the task, we do it based on our habits and learned ways of doing things. In such situations, thinking is unnecessary. It is when challenges or problems arise that cannot be solved with habits and learned methods that we must apply our ability to think and do something with our habits, methods and actions. Dewey [11] describes this as changing habits and actions from being unintelligent to becoming intelligent habits and actions. Based on this theoretical framework, Keltchermans and Hamilton [37] point out that one of the purposes of self-study is that self-studies can help teachers to look beyond technical and mechanical reductionism, i.e. from the perspective of "knowing how" to the perspective of "knowing why", and "becoming some-one-who – for students". This mean: for teachers and teacher educators to live up to society's demands for high-quality education in the 21st century, teachers must be more than professional and educational experts [38]. This in turn means that teaching involves a moral obligation, a moral dimension of one's knowledge that includes personal attributes such as vulnerability, honesty, integrity and credibility that are important in the work of teacher and teacher educators [37]. Here we are talking about a deeper understanding and knowledge that we also can understand considering Schön's concept of single and double loop learning [13]. Where single-loop learning confines itself to focusing on the instrumental, technical, mechanical actions, while double-loop learning goes beyond the actions itself, and to the underlying beliefs, values and attitude to the individual and institutional. When there are tensions and contradictions between how practice actually is carried out and our beliefs and values, it is not enough to just fine-tune actions. Then we must go beyond them and back to the sustaining factors to see what changes and improvements can be made so that the teaching can reflect our beliefs and values. An essential purpose in addition to developing practice is to develop one's own moral awareness related to teaching and being a teacher educator. Focusing on self-study for understanding

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

changes in identity and practice [39], and, have a moral purpose [23].

own practice and self-esteem means that teacher educators critically examine their own personal values [21], work towards better self-understanding [22] and positive

Another purpose of self-study is to "model" something for the students. The concept of "modeling" in an educational context can easily be misunderstood, and in some cases the perception of modeling may be to imitate, do the same, model or template for reproduction, or some form of indoctrination. Despite the potential for misunderstandings, the term is widely used in education, but through selfstudy research the language, intensions and results of modeling are understood differently [10]. In self-study research, modeling is understood as i.e.: 1) a way to illustrate something, 2) a way to process and operationalize something, 3) a way to experiment with something, 4) a perspective and approach how to investigate something, and 5) modeling becomes viewed as a starting point for professional

An essential purpose of self-study is also linked to the need to ask critical questions about teaching, learning, development and knowledge, and to articulate the silent knowledge and understanding about the practices of teacher educators. This is also about clarifying pedagogical reasoning and pedagogical argumentation and justification. In other words, making teacher educators thinking, actions, concerns, challenges and professional development more explicit and accessible to other teacher educators [19, 31, 40]. If the result of self-study really intended to influence the work within teacher education beyond the individual, the studies must demonstrate scholarship and knowledge generation that may be central to teacher education and the research field more generally. Self-studies must be made available for public criticism, critical review and evaluations from other teacher educators, so that others can use, build on, develop, adapt and adjust the work in meaningful ways that suit their own teaching context and own level of knowledge. Bullough and Pinnegar [41] emphasize that the question "so what?" is a critical reference for the quality of self-study. In other words: What is the significance of the study for others? What meaning does the study give to others? Is the study transferable to other contexts? If questions like these remains unanswered, the self-study may become a navel-gazing study that others in the field will not benefit from or contribute to knowledge generation [24]. Considering that the methodology in self-study can be perceived as a bit diffuse, it will further be elucidated some methodological aspects

As previously mentioned, Bullough and Pinnegar [20] point out that self-study is not a recipe or a procedure, but rather a methodology. Pinnegar [42] highlights the fact that self-study is a methodology for studying the professional practices of teacher educators, and that there is no particular method or correct way to conduct self-study. Rather, what determines how a self-study is conducted depends on which focus area of practice that is wanted to be better understood and developed. Pinnegar [42] offers a way to understand the methodological when she states:

*"while the methods and methodologies of self-study are not much different from other research methods, self-study is methodologically unique … self-studies involves a different philosophical and political stance … researchers who embrace self-study through the simple act of choosing to study their own practice, present an alternative representation of the relationship of the researcher and the researched … as they* 

*explore the development of understanding practice" (p. 31–32).*

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

growth and development.

related to self-study research.

**4. Methodology of self-study**

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

own practice and self-esteem means that teacher educators critically examine their own personal values [21], work towards better self-understanding [22] and positive changes in identity and practice [39], and, have a moral purpose [23].

Another purpose of self-study is to "model" something for the students. The concept of "modeling" in an educational context can easily be misunderstood, and in some cases the perception of modeling may be to imitate, do the same, model or template for reproduction, or some form of indoctrination. Despite the potential for misunderstandings, the term is widely used in education, but through selfstudy research the language, intensions and results of modeling are understood differently [10]. In self-study research, modeling is understood as i.e.: 1) a way to illustrate something, 2) a way to process and operationalize something, 3) a way to experiment with something, 4) a perspective and approach how to investigate something, and 5) modeling becomes viewed as a starting point for professional growth and development.

An essential purpose of self-study is also linked to the need to ask critical questions about teaching, learning, development and knowledge, and to articulate the silent knowledge and understanding about the practices of teacher educators. This is also about clarifying pedagogical reasoning and pedagogical argumentation and justification. In other words, making teacher educators thinking, actions, concerns, challenges and professional development more explicit and accessible to other teacher educators [19, 31, 40]. If the result of self-study really intended to influence the work within teacher education beyond the individual, the studies must demonstrate scholarship and knowledge generation that may be central to teacher education and the research field more generally. Self-studies must be made available for public criticism, critical review and evaluations from other teacher educators, so that others can use, build on, develop, adapt and adjust the work in meaningful ways that suit their own teaching context and own level of knowledge. Bullough and Pinnegar [41] emphasize that the question "so what?" is a critical reference for the quality of self-study. In other words: What is the significance of the study for others? What meaning does the study give to others? Is the study transferable to other contexts? If questions like these remains unanswered, the self-study may become a navel-gazing study that others in the field will not benefit from or contribute to knowledge generation [24]. Considering that the methodology in self-study can be perceived as a bit diffuse, it will further be elucidated some methodological aspects related to self-study research.
