Geert Kelchtermans

• PhD
• Professor (Full) at KU Leuven

Using educational advisors to facilitate the implementation of innovations in schools is a widespread, yet still relatively little studied and understood strategy in reform policies. This article reports on an exploratory, multiple case study on the support provided by external advisors to secondary schools in Flanders (Belgium) on the implementati...

In this article, we explore the concept of teacher professionalism in the higher education context of neoliberal performativity driven educational policy. We do so by analysing the extended narrative of Ursula, an academic working at a large, research-intensive university in Australia. Through this analysis, we see the debilitating effects of neoli...

This concluding chapter starts by relating the meaning and potential of narrative for educational research to its subjective, intersubjective and discursive nature. Together they encompass what could be seen as the existential meaning of narrative in human lives. Building on this the second section addresses three important epistemological and meth...

Het 'maken' van een ruimte tot plaats waar theatrale ontmoeting mogelijk wordt

Både i forskning och i media finns det gott om exempel på de svårigheter som kan vara förknippade med att vara ny lärare. Under de senaste tre decennierna har olika typer av stöd utvecklats och implementerats för nya lärare internationellt. Det vanligaste stödet är att få en mentor, där en mer erfaren lärare ger råd till en yngre kollega. Trots god...

We argue that overlooking teacher professional development's (TPD) temporal and spatial situatedness neglects similarities and differences throughout teachers' career stages and organizational contexts. Using latent profile analyses for early-career (n = 383), mid-career (n = 355), and late-career (n = 296) teacher groups, we found four TPD profile...

Leraar zijn is leraar worden, eerder dan andersom. Wie je bent als leraar, blijkt uit de praktijk. En uit de verhalen die je erover vertelt. Die praktijk en die verhalen zijn geworteld in de context van tijd en ruimte: in de eigen biografie en de schoolorganisatie. Maar die praktijk en die verhalen evolueren, ontwikkelen. En dat doet ook het beeld...

The narrative-biographical perspective is a theoretical and practical approach to teaching and teacher development. More in particular it draws on narratives, metaphors, (auto)biographical accounts to either study teaching and teacher development or to design and enact powerful pedagogies to stimulate (student) teachers' professional learning. Draw...

The 21st century and its many challenges (invasion of digital technology, climate change, health crises, political crises, etc.) alert us that we need new educational responses, led by new education professionals. Research has shown that for these professionals to change in a substantial and profound way, they must change their identity, that is, t...

The university of the 21st century is undergoing a radical and accelerated transformation. Factors such as the continuous increase in students with very different profiles, global competition between universities, the impact of ICT or the emergence of new pedagogical paradigms, such as teaching by competencies, or formative assessment, require new...

Teachers' relational experiences in the classroom shape their interpretations and behaviors in interactions with students. In order to understand teachers' relational experiences, this study analyzed the narrative accounts of three teachers on the individual teacher-student and peer group relationships in their classrooms. A qualitative-interpretat...

Relationships with children with special educational needs can be emotionally challenging for teachers and conflicts may negatively impact both children and teachers. Beginning teachers in particular may struggle with negative teacher-child relationships and the emotions these invoke. A first step in coping with relationship difficulties with speci...

This article examines emotionally challenging expectations in the relationships beginning teachers have with students' parents. The data consist of narrative interviews with 17 Japanese beginning teachers. Due to strong cultural and social norms prescribing appropriate social interactions, Japanese teachers have little leeway in negotiating parents...

Artefacts can evoke stories. This article explores the use of artefacts in narrative pedagogies in the context of teachers' professional development during the induction phase. The research question is: What kind of stories about beginning teachers' work does the use of artefacts in narrative pedagogies evoke? The article is based on two peer group...

The article discusses parent–teacher relationships in school micropolitics based on beginning teachers’ stories. We employ a narrative approach and investigate how micropolitical conditions and strategies are portrayed in beginning teachers’ stories of parent–teacher relationships. The research material consists of narrative interviews with seven F...

Much research on educational innovations treats them as purposeful endeavours, initiated with a clear goal for improvement of practice and eventually evaluating the fidelity of their implementation as well as effectiveness. However, innovative practices in schools can have many sources and their implementation often takes a surprising and unanticip...

Much research on educational innovations treats them as purposeful endeavours, initiated with a clear goal for improvement of practice and eventually evaluating the fidelity of their implementation as well as effectiveness. However, innovative practices in schools can have many sources and their implementation often takes a surprising and unanticip...

De implementatie van onderwijsvernieuwingen is een complex proces waarbij schoolteamleden vernieuwingsoproepen interpreteren en vertalen naar hun eigen situatie. Op basis van een kwalitatieve meervoudige gevalsstudie van vijf secundaire scholen die het M-decreet (gericht op meer inclusief on-derwijs) implementeren biedt deze studie een conceptuele...

Resumen La cantidad de docentes que deciden abandonar el aula antes de cumplir cinco años de experiencia es una preocupación creciente a nivel internacional. Para contribuir a la discusión, este estudio realiza una revisión sistemática de la literatura en torno al abandono docente producida en América Latina. El texto se focaliza en las razones alu...

Growing numbers of teachers are leaving the classroom before having served five years, and this is increasingly becoming an international concern. To contribute to the discussion, this study systematically reviews the literature on teacher attrition in Latin America, focusing on the reasons teachers give for abandoning their profession, in this spe...

Onderwijsvernieuwingen worden vaak onder-steund door artefacten: doelbewust ontwik-kelde instrumenten om vernieuwingsdoelen te realiseren. Soms vormen die artefacten op zichzelf de vernieuwing. Deze studie rapporteert over een enkelvoudige gevalsstudie van de implementatiepraktijken in een kleuterschool na de adoptie van één educatief artefact: de...

Hoe 'old school' kan het zijn? Een groep mensen rond een tafel en op die tafel een tekst. Iedereen heeft de tekst vooraf gelezen en nu komt de groep samen om hem te bespreken. Ziedaar de contouren van een leesseminarie. Een werkvorm die sinds mensenheugenis gebruikt wordt in hoger onderwijs, volwasseneneducatie en allerlei vormen van nascholing. Ma...

Previous research has pointed at the pivotal role of professional collegial support relationships to keep beginning teachers in the profession. In this study, we build on previous research by using follow-up mixed-method social network data to explore (1) to what extent, in what ways and for which reasons beginning teachers’ work-related network (p...

En este artículo se discute el concepto de “alfabetización micropolítica” (Micropolitical Literacy), el cual surge como una metáfora del proceso de inserción de docentes principiantes en la organización escolar, entendiendo este proceso como “aprender a leer y escribir en la micropolítica de la escuela”. Este concepto está focalizado desde la compr...

RESUMEN: En este artículo se discute el concepto de "alfabetización micropolítica" (Micropolitical Literacy), el cual surge como una metáfora del proceso de inserción de docentes principiantes en la organización escolar, entendiendo este proceso como "aprender a leer y escribir en la micropolítica de la escuela". Este concepto está focalizado desde...

Over the past three decades, teacher induction or the socialisation of new teachers into the profession has received ample attention from researchers and policy makers. Despite well-intended interventions to support early career teachers with the challenges of the induction phase, many of these supportive practices have been caught up in deficit th...

Drawing theoretically from the social network perspective, this article focuses on the collegial support networks of two beginning teachers, and how this is related to their job attitudes. A whole-school survey to investigate the support network structure of their primary school team, and an in-depth interview with the beginning teacher to explore...

Over the past three decades, teacher induction or the socialisation of new teachers into the profession has received ample attention from researchers and policy makers. Despite well-intended interventions to support early career teachers with the challenges of the induction phase, many of these supportive practices have been caught up in deficit th...

In research on teacher induction, scholars have pointed at the pivotal role of collegial support to overcome the challenges inherent to the first years of teaching. In this quantitative study, we extend current work by using a social network perspective to examine characteristics (i.e. network size, frequency and perceived usefulness) of profession...

Research stresses the importance of teacher sensitivity for the development of special needs students, including students with attachment problems. However, little is known about the antecedents of teacher sensitivity. This study investigated associations between teachers’ daily negative emotions and teacher sensitivity towards individual students....

Lerarenopleiders staan voor de taak hun studenten voor te bereiden op de spanning tussen verandering en stabiliteit die het onderwijsveld typeert. Tijdens hun loopbaan worden leraren immers onontkoombaar geconfronteerd met onderwijsvernieuwingen. Op basis van eigen en internationaal onderzoek, analyseert de auteur het fenomeen onderwijsvernieuwing,...

Following recent studies that have mapped history of education research practices, this article aims to map contemporary history of education teaching practices. Drawing on data from interviews with history of education university lecturers and a global digital survey, we explore the rationale behind teaching practices and teaching beliefs in histo...

Teaching as a practice, situated in a context of time and space, is where teachers’ self-understanding – their sense of self- emerges. Taking this practice-based stance, the author argues that teachers’ self-understanding is at the same time the result or outcome of experiences in practice as well as a condition for future professional practice. Th...

Teacher attrition is a global concern that is particularly prevalent among beginning teachers. Teachers’ intrinsic motivation to teach, affective organisational commitment and job satisfaction are considered job attitudes that stop them from dropping out of the profession. This study explores the interplay between factors at the school level (i.e....

Elien’s self-study project is rooted in some frustrating experiences in her role as the internship coordinator at the bachelor program of early childhood education at Thomas More University College. Year after year, she noticed that student teachers did not make use of the conceptual frameworks and tools from the theoretical courses in the program...

Before his retirement, Ludo worked as a teacher educator in the teacher education program of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the University of Leuven for over 10 years. A central component of the program is the student teaching internship. Roughly halfway into the internship, Ludo visits his student teachers in schools and obs...

In this section, we will present the experiences and findings from the first systematic project of self-study of teacher education practices in Flanders (Belgium), entitled “Learning and facilitating learning in the workplace: A project of self-study in teacher education.” This chapter sets the scene and orients the reader to the rest of the sectio...

“If you’re good at something, if you really master the content, teaching seems to work much better. Students give you the feeling that you have something valuable to offer because you exude expertise. They show interest. It seems like you can only really be a teacher if you’re holding expertise in a particular area.” These words are taken from the...

To understand and support teacher–student interactions, there is a need for research on teachers’ daily emotions in interactions with students. Therefore, this study investigated the development of teachers’ negative emotions in interactions with individual students with attachment problems. Using a 3-week diary study, data were collected from 71 t...

What does it mean to live a teacher’s life? What does it mean to be a teacher, to become a teacher, to stay in teaching, or to leave the profession? Why are teachers doing what they are doing the way they are doing it? These questions have fascinated me throughout my academic career as a researcher as well as in my teaching and my work as a teacher...

The paper starts from the observation that teacher attrition/retention seems to be a wicked issue: it seems to have strong face validity and a commonsense meaning, but the literature doesn’t provide a clear and distinctive definition. In the first section, the author analyzes the different ways in which the issue of teacher attrition and retention...

Educational reforms are often translated in and implemented through artifacts. Although research has frequently treated artifacts as merely functional, more recent work acknowledges the complex relationship between material artifacts and human/organizational behavior. This article aims at disentangling this relationship in order to deepen our under...

The outcomes of an international collaborative project are presented, involving experienced teacher educators and researchers from eight different countries, who engaged in a series of structured discussions on the professional development of teacher educators. We start with an overview of the needs in practice and policy, as well as the research i...

Innovative policies often enter schools as educational artifacts which teachers are expected to implement. Conceptualizing the interaction between teachers and artifacts as a process of interpretative negotiation, we use frame analysis to unravel the implementation practices of one exemplary artifact: the TraPS-file. This file aims at warranting co...

Prior research on peer groups and their potential for student teachers and teachers is still very limited. This article focuses on how a teacher's self-understanding is reconstructed in a peer group and how vulnerability is present in this process. The data focusing on one teacher's story is from a long-term peer group of 11 Finnish teachers. The r...

This article reports on a narrative analysis of one teacher educator’s learning journey in a two-year professional development project. Professional development is conceived of as the complex learning processes resulting from the meaningful interactions between the individual teacher educator and his/her working context. Our analysis indicates that...

Over the past 15 years, emotions have been recognized by an increasing number of educational researchers as essential in education and schooling. This also applies to the situation of student teachers. The process of becoming a teacher is highly emotional. In this chapter Kelchtermans and Deketelaere present what international educational research...

Using autobiographical reflection, Kelchtermans presents the narrative-biographical perspective on teacher development (both as a theoretical stance and a methodology) and explains how his research on the emotions in teaching is rooted in that work with teachers’ career stories. Concluding he argues for the relevance and power of this perspective i...

This article addresses how institutional logics are translated, maintained, or disrupted by actors and their (inter)actions within schools. The changing policy environment for mentoring beginning teachers in Flanders (Belgium) provides a fertile context for answering this question. Combining neoinstitutional and sensemaking lenses and analyzing the...

This study analyses the collaboration between principals within four Flemish school federations (voluntary collaborative networks between either primary or secondary schools). Interview data from principals were analysed using a micropolitical perspective. A central idea in micropolitical theory is that organization members’ actions (and sense-maki...

This article addresses the argument that in order to offer responsive teacher education which acknowledges student teachers as active members in their education process, teacher educators need to know more about who student teachers are. The context of the research is Finland, in which teacher education is highly selective. The interest in this art...

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This article reports on a two-year study of a self-study research group facilitation. The research group was designed as a professional development project in which six experienced teacher educators investigated their practices using a self-study approach. The pedagogical rationale of the facilitation was based on four broadly shared theoretical pr...

This article reports on a systematic review of the Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices research literature published between 1990 and 2012. Self-study research refers to teacher educators researching their practice with the purpose of improving it, making explicit and validating their professional expertise and, at the same time, contributing...

Lerarenopleiders vormen de sleutel tot de opleiding van professionele leraren. Toch is er pas recentelijk (onderzoeks)aandacht gegroeid voor hun professionele expertise en noden. In dit artikel staat de professionaliteit van de lerarenopleider centraal. We rapporteren de resultaten van een interpretatieve analyse van interviews met twaalf ervaren l...

The notion pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) was introduced by Shulman (1986, 1987) and refers to the knowledge that teachers use to support students' learning of a particular subject matter, taking into account specific characteristics of the students and the context. The present study investigates mathematics teachers' and social studies teache...

Samenvatting De inhoud en doelen van onderwijsvernieuwingen krijgen vaak gestalte in concrete objecten. De ideeën achter de vernieuwing worden dan als het ware gematerialiseerd in speciaal ontworpen instrumenten die tot doel hebben bij te dragen tot betere onderwijspraktijken, ook wel artefacten genoemd. Gedurende lange tijd werd het precieze aande...

De professionalisering van lerarenopleiders krijgt recent steeds meer de aandacht die het verdient. Opvallend daarbij is dat veel professionaliseringsinitiatieven doelbewust een groepscomponent inbouwen: men gaat ervan uit dat samenwerken met anderen de professionele ontwikkeling van alle betrokkenen faciliteert. In dit artikel analyseren we onze e...

Narrative-biographical perspectives have taken on a very prominent role in both the research on and practices of teacher education (both preservice and in-service) over the past decades. This chapter briefly situates and explains this "narrative turn," and continues with the presentation and discussion of concrete pedagogical applications of narrat...

This study connects to the international call for research on teacher educator professionalism. Combining positioning theory with the personal interpretative framework, we examined the relationship between teacher educators' positioning and their teacher education practices. The interpretative analysis of qualitative data from twelve experienced Fl...

Des évolutions récentes dans l’éducation telles que la décentralisation, l’augmentation de la taille (regroupement d’écoles) et une plus grande responsabilisation des écoles affectent le leadership au sein de celles-ci. Ceci soulève la question de la manière de conceptualiser et d’étudier le leadership dans des écoles qui ont significativement chan...

Beter leraren kunnen opleiden door het onderzoeken van je eigen praktijk als lerarenopleider, dat is de inzet van dit boek. Het is ook de inzet van LOEP: Lerarenopleiders Onderzoeken hun Eigen Praktijk. Met de LOEP-benadering introduceren we in het Nederlandse taalgebied het gedachtegoed van de “Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices”-beweging,...

In this article, we report upon an international literature review of the Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices research. We describe self-study as a particular methodology teacher educators use to research their practice research which has the following characteristics: self-study focuses on one's practice; it privileges qualitative research m...

Este artículo se centra en la particular relación que existe entre un profesor y su asignatura, y en él se analiza la forma en la que esta relación se conceptualiza en la investigación educativa. Cuatro campos temáticos se desprenden de este análisis: las creencias de los profesores sobre su asignatura, su conocimiento de la asignatura, los sentimi...

Beyond learning how to manage children in a classroom, new teachers also must learn how to manage relationships with the adults in their school. Every new employee, whether a teacher or an accountant, must be socialized into membership of their new work organization. In the case of teachers, that's the school and the district. Being socialized into...

Beyond learning how to manage children in a classroom, new teachers also must learn how to manage relationships with the adults in their school. Every new employee must be socialized into membership of their new work organization. In the case of teachers, that's the school and the district. In a study of beginning teachers in Flanders, the Dutch-sp...

Implementing educational innovations is far more complex than the straightforward execution of policy prescriptions. The diversity in implementation variants reflects an inherent tension between stabilizing and change-driven processes in school organizations. This article tries to capture this complexity by focusing on how individual and collective...

The phenomenon of teachers taking on leadership tasks beyond their classroom duties has become widespread internationally. Although presented as a catalyst for school improvement and professional development, the practices and experiences of teacher leaders are more complex than that. The change in roles blurs the traditional division between teach...