A critical realist approach to understanding the recruitment and retention problem of secondary school teachers in the UK.

Recent education reforms in Scotland and the current education reform agenda in Wales have centred around the development of 'teacher professionalism' as key to educational improvement. The policies in both contexts advocate extensive professional learning, professional standards, curriculum co-construction and research-literacy for teachers to develop their professionalism. In doing so, they echo dominant international trends that view individual teacher capacity as the key factor in effective schooling. Yet despite the ubiquitous use of 'teacher professionalism' in the Scottish and Welsh policies, the concept is historically contentious and remains widely debated today.

This research project seeks to analyse the reforms in Scotland and Wales to determine whether the kind of professionalism that is being constructed and enabled for secondary school teachers in these contexts can ultimately support good teaching. Utilising an innovative research design formulated around teacher-researcher collaborative workshops, I seek to critically question the nature of teacher professionalism as it is promoted by the policies, cultures and structures of the Scottish and Welsh education systems. Using workshops with secondary school teachers as a medium for knowledge exchange and creation, I will explore and compare how teacher professionalism is understood and enacted in the Scottish and Welsh contexts. Further, I will challenge teachers to critically reflect on their practices and consider alternative ways of working and flourishing as professional teachers. This project is uniquely impactful through its direct contribution to teachers' professional learning, in addition to building critical links between educational research, policy and practice.