Literary scholar, teacher educator? : English staff profiles and attitudes to teacher education

Abstract

Over the past decade, what it means to be an academic teacher of English-language literature in Swedish institutions of higher education has changed. As a result of recent political reforms, many literature staff have come to assume the role as teacher educators. To better understand the implications of this development, the article maps the academic qualifications and research interests of English staff who teach on teacher education (TEd) literature courses nationally and their attitudes to TEd teaching. The article is based on data gathered via a semi-closed questionnaire and analysed using content and discourse analysis. It shows that a majority of the study participants are PhD holders in English with a specialisation in literature. Although few staff are qualified teachers and/or are engaged in literature teaching and learning scholarship, several have school teaching experience. Respondent attitudes to the teacher educator role vary, as do the conditions for TEd teaching at different institutions. The findings suggest that respondent expertise and self-identification and their previous TEd teaching experiences are consequential for their attitudes, as is the matter of whether the role requires that they address areas, such as school-oriented teaching and learning theories and practices, in which they lack competence. These findings, the article suggests, have bearing on future strategic discussions in English studies.