Teacher Pedagogical Studies Students’ Perceptions of Good Teacherhood and The Required Knowledge

Abstract Book of the 10th International Academic Conference on Education

Year: 2026

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Teacher Pedagogical Studies Students' Perceptions of Good Teacherhood and The Required Knowledge

Sirpa Purtilo-Nieminen, Sanna Hyvärinen, Krista Rautio

ABSTRACT:

This presentation examines Teacher Pedagogical Studies (60 ects) students’ perceptions of good teacherhood and the knowledge required in contemporary and future educational work. The research is part of a larger research entity aiming to develop and study this teacher training program at the University of Lapland. The study presented draws on two datasets: student-generated reflections produced within a teacher education course, and a literature review. The theoretical framework is grounded in perspectives on continuous and transformative learning, in which learning is understood as an ongoing, epistemologically oriented process rather than the mere accumulation or updating of skills (Mezirow, 1991, 1995; Sterling, 2011; see also Clavert & Nevgi, 2011). Teacher learning is approached as a holistic (e.g., Korthagen, 2017) and multidimensional process (Blömeke, et al., 2015) where personal experiences and professional knowledge intertwine (Leeferink et al., 2019).
Teacher education and the development of teacher identity have been widely researched, yet studies focusing specifically on Teacher´s Pedagogical Studies remain comparatively limited. This study addresses that gap by examining the 60 ECTS teacher education program at the University of Lapland, Finland. The research context is particularly interesting because the student group is heterogeneous: some students have extensive teaching experience across educational sectors, while others enter the program without prior teaching experience.
The first dataset consists of collaborative student assignments collected in autumn 2025; the second will be compiled in autumn 2026. The presentation discusses preliminary findings from the initial dataset, offering early insights into the topic.

Keywords: Teacher’s Pedagogical Studies, Teacher Development, Teacher´S Professional Knowledge, Continuous Learning, Transformative Learning