Teachers Professional Journeys: The First Decade study

The TPJ study is a groundbreaking longitudinal research study on teaching in Ireland. This first-of-its-kind research study will explore teachers’ early career experiences from primary, post-primary and further education as they complete initial teacher education and become established in the profession.

Introduction

The Teaching Council and the Department of Education and Youth jointly commissioned the longitudinal study and will be conducted by a research consortium comprising of researchers from the University of Limerick (UL), the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and Mary Immaculate College (MIC). The study will run from 2024 and is due to be completed in early 2030.

Aims and objectives

The study aims to investigate the key personal, educational, professional and systemic influences that define and shape teachers’ careers and practice including the impact of different learning and professional development phases during their first decade in the teaching profession.

The five research objectives of the study include:

To examine teachers’ attitudes, values, beliefs and formative experiences in relation to teaching and learning.
To investigate early career teachers’ and other stakeholders’ perceptions of their capacity to meet the needs of learners in a variety of school context.
To explore teachers’ early professional learning and career experiences as they leave ITE and transition across the three phases of professional development.
To review ability of ITE programmes, Droichead and Cosán to respond to national priorities, policy and practice
To consider issues relating to teacher supply, diversity and retention.

Research design and focus

The TPJ is an accelerated longitudinal study and adopts a multi-disciplinary approach and mixed-methods methodology focused on understanding the dynamics of teacher learning and development from the final year of initial teacher education (ITE) through the first nine years of teachers work within classrooms and schools in the context of the wider education system in Ireland.

The study is focused on the professional experiences of primary, post-primary and further education teachers who have graduated from initial teacher education (both undergraduate and PME) in 2019, 2022 and 2026.

Stakeholder engagement

Stakeholder engagement in the TPJ study is organised in a variety of ways i.e. system-wide Teacher Education stakeholders, TPJ stakeholder advisory panel and the TPJ teacher advisory panel.

Future impact

The TPJ study presents an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of how initial teacher education graduates and early career teachers develop, possibly leave or move within the profession and engage with established and reform-minded practices. The study will provide insights into how they consider their role (both current and future) as teachers within primary, post-primary and further education sectors which play an increasingly significant role in student’s education, health, economic and social outcomes across the lifespan.

This research will adopt a ‘future focus’, identifying where and how the findings can inform and shape initial teacher education, induction and early professional development, to ensure all teachers have the best possible start to their careers.

Information and Publications

More information, news and publications from the study can be found on the TPJ study website www.tpjstudy.ie