| dc.description.abstract | Few would question the important role of teachers in influencing the quality of education in schools; who teachers are, how they teach and what they teach are all essential components in determining the quality of the education they are instrumental in delivering. It is a logical extension to assume that the same factors matter with regard to teacher education.
This thesis explores the professional identity of those involved in the preparation of new teachers – the teacher educators. Within this group, English language teacher educators, represent a small but significant subset, and one whose role in contexts such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is expanding beyond the confines of English language teaching alone and into the wider education arena. It is hoped that this study may provide a useful contribution to ongoing discussions about teacher education at a number of levels. Firstly, it will add to research findings about teacher educators in general, and English language teacher educators in particular, and it is hoped that the study may offer some insights into the professional lives of those engaged in teacher preparation, especially in the United Arab Emirates. Secondly, it aims to give voice to a relatively under-researched body of professionals with the aim of discovering why they do the job they do and what they value in that job, in so doing it is hoped that it may be able to uncover what, if anything, constitutes the professional identity of teacher educators as a distinctive professional group. | en_GB |
