BOOK REVIEW: International Research, Policy and Practice in Teacher Education: Insider Perspective

In the age of globalization and international competitiveness, teacher education (TE) emerges as a national necessity in governments’ attempts to promote knowledge societies (p. 1). The primary impetus behind International Research, Policy and Practice in Teacher Education: Insider Perspectives, edited by Jean Murray, Anja Swennen, and Clare Kosnik, is to deepen our understanding of how teacher educators’ perspectives as insiders could make changes in policy, research, and practice. In addition to an Afterword chapter, the volume amalgamates 13 chapters written by twenty-five authors. In the Preface, A. Lin Goodwin brings into light the inconsistencies, quick sands, and anxieties that teacher educators (TEds) have to live by. For example, even after joining academia, TE is still regarded as a field without a knowledge base (p. v). Despite the close inspection over their job, TEds do not totally submit to the policy makers’ directives. For Goodwin, this collection comes at an opportune moment when the world is witnessing a global reform movement (p. vi).

Keywords:

Research , policy , practice , teacher education , insider perspective