Teacher Education Reform and Recognition of Teachers as Professionals

Abstract

This paper confirms the characteristics of teachers’ perceptions of the teaching profession. Further, it considers the correlation between such characteristics and various measures for teacher education reform since 2000. 　　 The characteristics of teachers’ perceptions are as follows. 1. They deem that they are “professionals with diverse specialties.” 2. Being workers, they experience a desire to limit their duties. 　　 Specifically, their consciousness as workers was considered to be influenced by the characteristics of the deprofessionalization of teacher education reform. 　　 Conversely, there were concerns that the awareness of “wide range professionals” also involved the following problems. With the increased participation of parents and residents in school education, the recognition of “teachers are professionals” has come to be shared. However, faculty members are not actively interested in quality assurance as professionals since professionalism is shared, rather than the actual conditions. 　　 Additionally, the teacher standard index and the core-curriculum of the teaching profession are formulated in teacher education in the “accountability model.” Sincere and enthusiastic teachers believe that responding to these and receiving high marks consist in “guaranteeing professionalism.” In this process, there was concern that the greater the number of teachers who actively work on teacher evaluation, the more heteronomous it becomes. 　　 Hence, it was highlighted that the “accountability model” of teacher education may hinder the autonomous movement of teachers toward securing their professionalism.