The changing work of teacher educators in Aotearoa New Zealand: A view through activity theory

Abstract

The study of recruitment practices for teacher educators in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) universities reveals the academic category of teacher educator (TE) constituted along three related trajectories: a professional expert (not required to research), a traditional academic (not required to hold a teaching qualification or teacher’s practicing certificate), and one who is dually qualified, to teach (as a registered NZ teacher) and to research. It is the dually qualified type of TE who can service the full scope of university based initial teacher education (UBITE). Recent recruitment practices have however focused on employment of professional experts and traditional academics.

Drawing from document analyses and interviews we present a picture of changing work for TEs. Our study argues that policy environments and universities’ responses are changing the objects, rules and divisions of labour in UBITE. We comment on the evolution initial teacher education in NZ, its likely trajectory, and its potential for development.