As educators of teachers, where and when do our responsibilities end?

Abstract

Quality education is a basic right of every South African learner, though despite many positive changes in the country since 1994, the legacy of low–quality education in many historically disadvantaged parts of the school system remains. It is, therefore, not surprising that the quality of teacher education itself is becoming a crucial point of debate. The purpose of this research was to explore the perceptions of teacher educators at a teacher education institution in South Africa regarding the nature of their responsibilities as educators of teachers.This paper offers insight into the nature of teacher education and the importance of researching teacher education practices. A qualitative research design was utilized to gain a deeper understanding of the context and the participants categories of meaning. The paper outlines what it means to professionally develop as a teacher educator as well as the ways in which teacher educators perceive their own professional development and the extent of their responsibilities.