Chapter 10: Self-Study And Preparing The Next Generation Of Teacher Educators

Self-study research has been a fixture in my scholarship and teaching practice since I was a new doctoral student. When I struggled with my identity as a doctoral student, I relied on self-study to make sense of how and why my identity developed in the way it did. When questions arose about my role as a university supervisor and course instructor, I turned to self-study, and self-study has continued to serve me as a method to critically reflect upon and improve my practice as I now prepare the next generation of teacher educators. Yet, when one thinks about the relative newness of self-study research and small numbers of teacher educators who conduct self-study, it is highly likely that few doctoral students are prepared in programs where teacher research methods like self-study are taught as viable alternatives, or at the very least companions, to traditional research methods.