Further Education Teacher Educators
Project
(FETEP):
the
journeys,
pathways, qualifications, professional
identities and some statistics.
Heather Booth-Martin, Craven College
Dr. Jim Crawley ,Bath Spa University
Introduction
We are: G. Ade-ojo, H. Booth-Martin, J. Bostock, J.
Crawley, B. Eberte, S. Loo (PI), N. Sowe and S. Spencer.
 The rationale for researching in this area…
 The aims of this project are:
What are the routes to becoming teacher educators/
trainers in the sector? How do teacher educators train
others to become teachers? What knowledge(s) do they
draw upon and apply in their work? How do they maintain
their professional development? How do they view
themselves?
 Visions of the project: inclusive, collaborative and
democratic group to build research and publication
capacities.

Research methodologies
 The
research methodologies include a range of
quantitative and qualitative research methods.
They are: questionnaires, one-to-one semistructured interviews, documentary research and
‘Talking Heads’.
 The participants in this project include all the
researchers and colleagues in the field. The
anticipated sample of the project is 33/34.
 Part of this methodological approach is the use of
‘buddy researchers’.
 The methodological ‘safeguards’ include: pilot
study, guidelines for researchers as participants,
quality control of data capturing and analysis.
Some conceptual frameworks
 Communities
of practice, legitimate peripheral
participation, and situated learning (Lave and
Wenger, 1991)
 Experiential learning (Kolb, 1984)
 Modes of recontextualisation (Bernstein, 2000;
Barnett, 2006; Evans et al., 2014)
 Social realist concept of ‘powerful knowledge’
(Young, 2013)
Some preliminary findings - I
Using the questionnaire survey as a source of data
capture only and basing on 23 participants to date
(expecting 33/34 in total), here are some of the
findings:
Gender – F 78% (18), M 22% (5) [F 60% & M 40% –
Frontier Economics, 2014].
Working in – HEIs 48% (11), FE 35% (8), PP 13% (3), and
Comm. org. 4% (1).
Age groups – 50’s 70% (16), 40’s 17% (4) and 30’s 13%
(3).
Geographical locations – 75% (17) from the UK, 17%
(4) the Continent, and 4% (1) from Africa and Asia.
Cont.. II
Journeys of being teacher educators (currently or
previously):
Via teaching in FE – 18 participants (overwhelmingly
all teacher educators except for 3 participants came
via this route)
Via HEIs – 11
Via ESOL, EFL and related areas – 6
Via consultancy – 5 (incl. private providers)
Via teaching abroad – 4
Via community institutions – 2
Via awarding body or nursery institution – 1 each
Cont…III
Qualifications (in addition to teaching ones):
ESOL, EFL and related qualifications - 7
First degrees: 3 in Education, 2 Art, and the rest one
each in Bus/Econ, Drama, English Lit/Lang., History
and Archaeology, Hotel and Catering, HRM, Islamic
Studies, Journalism, Politics and Zoology.
Professional qualification – 1 in Accountancy
MAs – 19 in Education-related areas (incl. 1 each in
Health Studies, HRM and Polish)
PhDs – 3 and EDs – 5
Professional identities: 65% (15) Most definitely; 4% (1)
Definitely; 9% (2) Yes; 13% (3) Mixed views; 9% (2) Up
to a degree; 0% (0) Certainly not and Most certainly
not. There were 7 choices.
Future activities
 Group
activities around analysis of the captured
data
 Overview of the data analysis: audit trail and intermethodological triangulations
 Group activities around dissemination of the
findings – conferences and publications
And now to you…
 Thank
you for listening to us!
 We welcome questions on any aspects of the
project
 We look forward to further dissemination of our
findings
References
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Barnett, M. 2006. “Vocational knowledge and vocational
pedagogy.” In Knowledge, Curriculum and Qualifications for
South African Further Education, edited by M. Young and J.
Gamble, 143-158. Cape Town: Human Sciences Research Council
Press.
Bernstein, B. 2000. Pedagogy, Symbolic Control, and Identity. New
York: Rowman and Littlefield.
Evans, K., D. Guile, J. Harris, and H. Allan. 2010. “Putting
knowledge to work: a new approach.” Nurse Education Today 30
(3): 245–251.
Frontier Economics Limited. 2014. Further Education workforce
data for England: Analysis of the 2012-2013 staff individualized
record data. London: Frontier Economics Limited.
Kolb, D. 1984. Experiential Learning: experience as the source of
learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Lave, J., & E. Wenger. 1991. Situated Learning: Legitimate
Peripheral Participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.