Self-Study as a Qualitative Research Methodology in Teacher Education

Abstract

As a qualitative research methodology, the self-study methodology has recently become widespread and has been accepted as a prestigious research methodology by academia. This methodology helps teachers and teacher candidates explore and analyse their practices. In self-studies, teachers and teacher candidates aim continuous inquiry of their individual practices based on reflection and they determine themselves as research topic. By systematic data collection, the researchers develop a better understanding of their own teaching practices. The purpose of the researchers is also to help readers link the study with their own worlds and picture the context of the study in their minds and in this way take lessons from the lived experiences. Contrary to the benefits it offers, the self-study is not sufficiently known in Turkey. For this reason, firstly the brief history of the self-study is presented and its development as a qualitative methodology is explained in this paper. Then, the characteristics of the self-study are introduced and its distinctive features from the other qualitative methodologies are illustrated. The final part of the paper discusses how self study can be used in teacher education.