5. Conclusion, limitations and future research
If a main goal for teacher education is to qualify teachers who can learn systematically, who can identify relevant literature and becritical of new research, who can use inquiry methods, and candevelop knowledge necessary to improve teaching and learning forfuture generations of children, then we must take a closer look athow research and inquiry are addressed in the teacher education programs. We believe that a distinction between research and inquiry can be potent for discussions and for teacher education policy.The examples presented of teacher education goals in Section 1.1 reveal that these terms are used interchangeably and also thatsome programs do not mention them.
The study presented above reveals some promising results concerning the increase in number of teaching faculty with PhDs and the fact that all four areas of the Healey & Jenkins model are in fact represented in the teacher education programs. We have also presented challenging issues both for policy makers, leaders of teacher education programs and teaching faculty. Variation and coherence are two key terms for further investigation. On the national
level, it would be relevant to question “Does variation in contextual factors and in content matter?” or “What consequences does variation have?” These questions would be equally relevant in an international comparison.
This study has included all providers of teacher education for grades 1e7 and grades 5e10 as well as a strategic sample for the interview study. As such, the design is fairly strong. However, results are based on a single interview conducted at one time point with a selection of participants from six out of 19 possible HEIs. The issue of a research based teacher education can be studied in several ways, and a follow-up using another methodology (e.g. several time points, in-depth case analysis) or another line of questioning is advisable. Future research is also needed to investigate whether and how context matters for the development of
inquiry skills, including field practice schools as arenas for learning.