Deconstructing the standards for ‘high quality’ initial teacher education in Ireland: implications for teacher educators’ professional learning and agency

This paper critically examines the Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education in Ireland using Bacchi’s (2009) ‘What’s the Problem Represented to Be?’ framework. It explores how the problem of teacher education quality is constructed, the assumptions underpinning this representation, and the silences, tensions, and contradictions within the policy. The analysis reveals that Céim frames the problem narrowly around accreditation and standardisation, leaving structural, epistemological, contextual, and equity-related issues largely unexamined. we argue, echoing existing literature, that Irish teacher educators and institutions retain some flexibility to interpret and enact policy in ways that support professional learning and agency. Ultimately, this paper invites reflection and invites teacher educators to move from passively accepting imposed policy frameworks, to actively engaging with them to foster innovation, growth, and critical dialogue.