The (in)coherence of European Teacher Education: A Comparative Mapping of Policies at National and Institutional Levels

In the past twenty years, the quality of teacher education has received growing attention in Europe with national governments seeking to reform their teacher education systems with the objective of improving students’ learning outcomes. A central aspect of such reform efforts is the improvement of coherence of teacher education in terms of interlinking phases, actors, contents of teacher education, and professional knowledge domains. The aim of this chapter is to map contemporary policies related to coherence across teacher education systems of different European countries in order to identify convergences and divergences. The study was developed in the context of an EU funded project that involves seven universities from five countries. Data were gathered via two qualitative questionnaires focusing on aspects of governance across the continuum of teacher education and the organisation of initial teacher education (ITE) programmes at universities. Findings reveal an incoherence within and across teacher education systems, particularly regarding the continuum of teacher education. Although the structure and duration of ITE proves coherent, the distribution of knowledge domains and contents differs significantly among countries.