E-CER – In Search for the Good Teacher – Centre for Excellence in Research

The international network "In Search of the Good Teacher" brings together researchers from Canada, the USA, the Netherlands, Germany, England and Australia. The network is funded by the European Association of Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI) and coordinated by DIPF and the University of York.

Theoretical development: Up to now, disparate lines of research on teacher quality have existed independently of each other. The network now aims to bring these lines of research together for future research.

Methodological development: Only a few standardized instruments measuring teacher quality in international contexts exist. In this network, researchers work jointly on further improvement and validation. In the spirit of Open Science these standardized instruments will be made available to the research community.

Interdisciplinarity: The networks focus lies on interdisciplinarity. Questions about “good” teachers may need input from different fields such as psychology, educational science, or experts in subject matter.

Practical impact: These findings can contribute to the creation of effective teacher education:

1. Teacher selection: Who should enter the teaching profession? Which features should one look for when recruiting teachers?
2. Teacher training and continuing education: How important are aspects such as subject-matter knowledge or motivation? How can they be fostered?

The aim of the research group is two-fold: First, we link the theoretical approaches in a collective model. Second, we establish new research connections. This is done both through the sharing and advancing teacher assessment instruments, and through joint work on existing study data and the planning of new cooperative studies that allow for a high degree of generalization.

This project is being carried out in cooperation with...

• Robert Klassen (University of York)
• Lisa Bardach (University of York/University of Tübingen)
• Courtney Bell (Educational Testing Service/University of Wisconsin)
• Heather Hill (Harvard Graduate School of Education)
• Uta Klusmann (Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN))
• Nancy Perry (University of British Columbia)
• Thamar Voss (University of Freiburg)
• Helen Watt (University of Sydney)
• Marjolein Zee (University of Amsterdam)