On the Role of Philosophical Work in Research in Teacher Education

The paper begins by arguing for the importance of the contribution of philosophy to educational research in general and then goes on to illustrate the contributions it can make to teacher education research sepcifically. Section 36.2 considers philosophy ‘of’ teacher education which might be concerned with epistemological, ontological and ethical questions about teacher education. It discusses epistemological questions around the kinds of knowledge teachers need, whether these relate to their subject or theoretical knowledge and ongoing questions around the theory practice relationship. Section 36.3 explores philosophy ‘as’ teacher education research. Examples of teacher educators’ own philosophical work argue for the importance of practical grounding in experience for both philosophical and empirical enquiry into teacher education. Finally, Sect. 36.4 reflects on the role of philosophy ‘in’ inter or multidisciplinary teacher education research