When Research Doesn't Travel: Borrowing From the US to Influence English Policy on Teacher Education

Abstract

The prevalence and drawbacks of policy borrowing in teacher education are widely acknowledged. In England, there has been extensive use of research conducted in the United States as justification for a prescriptive approach to teacher education nationwide. This raises questions about evidence borrowing from different contexts as a key facet of policy making, with inherent concerns about how the contextual influences on that research influence its effectiveness in transitioning to new spaces. Through the use of spatial theory, this chapter examines this phenomenon and highlights how inferences made from research undertaken in one context, but applied in another, can be detrimental to the established practices and expertise of teacher educators.

Citation

Brooks, C. (2023), "When Research Doesn't Travel: Borrowing From the US to Influence English Policy on Teacher Education", Craig, C.J., Mena, J. and Kane, R.G. (Ed.) Studying Teaching and Teacher Education (Advances in Research on Teaching, Vol. 44), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 299-313. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-368720230000044029