'Ground breaking' study to ensure teachers have best start to career

Education Minister Norma Foley said: 'The research study demonstrates the strong commitment of both the Department and the Teaching Council to listen to the voices and experiences of teachers in a way that can shape and reshape future policy on teaching and teacher education'. Picture: Moya Nolan

The Government has begun a "ground breaking" research study on teaching aimed at ensuring that prospective educators have "the best possible start to their careers".

The research will explore teachers' early career experiences — from completing their initial education to becoming established in the profession.

It will run for the next six years at an overall cost to the State of €2.8m. The study was launched on Tuesday by the Department and the Teaching Council.

The results from the study will "inform and shape policy in a range of areas," according to a spokesperson for the Department. These include:

• Initial teacher education
• Induction into the profession
• Early professional development.

It will encompass primary, post-primary and further education teacher graduates from the classes of 2019, 2022, 2025 and 2026, as well as other key stakeholders.

The research will be conducted by a consortium comprising the University of Limerick (UL), the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and Mary Immaculate College (MIC), under the leadership of Professor Paul Conway from UL, Professor Emer Smyth from the ESRI, and Professor Aisling Leavy from MIC.

Education Minister Norma Foley said: “The research study demonstrates the strong commitment of both the Department and the Teaching Council to listen to the voices and experiences of teachers in a way that can shape and reshape future policy on teaching and teacher education.

I hope that all teachers in the relevant cohorts and other education stakeholders will see the value in contributing to this study, which is the first of its kind for this country.

Teaching Council chairwoman Michelle Keane said: "As this project is jointly commissioned with the Department, and will involve a collaborative, participatory approach to research design and implementation, it very much reflects our commitment to a partnership approach, and I am delighted to see it getting off the ground as I conclude my term of office as Chair.” 

The research leads for the study Professors Paul Conway, Emer Smyth and Aisling Leavy said that: "The Teachers’ Professional Journeys (TPJ) longitudinal study will provide a valuable opportunity to understand the learning and development of teachers during their first decade in the profession. 

"Central to realising this potential will be the contributions of teachers and other stakeholders in enhancing our understanding of their experiences of teaching and teacher education”.

Ireland currently has 75,000 teachers in the system, but some have said they are in "crisis mode" due to numerous factors, including a lack of available accommodation in cities.