From Educator To Teacher Educator -a Study On The Adaptation Of Novice University-based Teacher Educators

With the deepening of educational reform,the requirements of teachers are becoming more and more rigorous.And the new attention is given to teacher educators who are responsible for teaching teachers.Existing research have investigated the concept,types,roles,professional qualities and professional standards of teacher educators to explore the characteristics of their professional development.However,we know little about the induction period of teacher educators.This study investigates the status of university-based teacher educators during their induction period,analyses the process of the adaptation and provides the strategies to support their adaptation.The thesis consists of four chapters.Chapter one is introduction.The literature study showed that the research on the adaptation of novice university-based teacher educator is limited and fragmented.We know little about what happened during their induction period and how do they become teacher educators.Thus the strategies are lack of pertinence.Therefore,this study identified the research approach from an investigation of status to the analysis of the process then to the exploration of supporting strategies.Chapter two presents the status of eighteen university-based teacher educators' adaptation,including their pre conditions,the difficulties and coping and re-adjust of part of teacher educators.Chapter three analyzes the process of adaptation of teacher educators.We find that the peculiarity of teacher educators' adaptation is dualism.This is followed by the analysis of the reasons for it.Then the relationship between the realization of “dual adaptation” and the awakening of teacher's role consciousness is analyzed.The obstacles in “dual adaptation” and the causes are expounded.Chapter four explores the strategies to promote university-based teacher educators adaptation.Based on the understanding of teacher educators' adapta-tion,the strategies put forward are for two distinct adaptation parts.There are four tips:Tip One: Helping teacher educators integrate into the environment of higher education for the first part of adaptation.Tip Two: Guiding teacher educators make their role consciousness waken to promote the second part of adaptation.Tip Three: Renew novice teacher educators' concept of teacher education to eliminate the rejection of “dual adaptation”.Tip Four: Provide sufficient learning support to ensure the sustainable development of teacher educators.