Teachers’ professional journeys during the first decade longitudinal study: Design and instruments technical report: Report No.2

The purpose of this report is to provide an account of the conceptual framework and research design of the Teachers’ Professional Journeys (TPJ): The First Decade longitudinal study (2024-30). This second report presents the TPJ conceptual framework in the context of the TPJ study aim and research objectives, and together these underpin the research design and data collection instruments developed to investigate the evolving professional lives of teachers in Ireland in the primary, post-primary and further education and training (FET) sectors. The study explores how newly qualified teachers navigate their first decade in the profession, with attention to beliefs, competencies, school and classroom environments, system influences, and broader career trajectories. Informed by cognitive and sociocultural perspectives on learning and development, and conceptualising teaching as a socially situated practice, the TPJ study employs an accelerated longitudinal design, integrating validated international scales, as well as custom instruments, to support analysis over time and across cohorts. Jointly funded by the Teaching Council and the Department of Education and Youth, this accelerated longitudinal mixed-methods study examines the key personal, educational, professional, and systemic influences shaping teachers' early careers and practice over their first nine years. It tracks three distinct cohorts of graduates (2019, 2022, and 2026), providing insights into the impact of policy developments and the evolving 'architecture of the continuum' in teacher education. This report details the rationale behind the selection of survey instruments, interview protocols, and focus group approaches, as well as the ethical and methodological considerations informing the study. Teachers’ professional journeys are inevitably and consequently shaped by a wide range of policies vis-à-vis curriculum and assessment, special education needs, educational disadvantage, Irish language and teacher education, among others. Importantly, for example, while the study is informed by a continuum of teacher education national policy and its constituent frameworks, i.e. Céim, Droichead, and Cosán, the TPJ study is not an evaluation of policy implementation per se. Rather, it seeks to understand the lived experiences of teachers and the myriad of complex factors shaping their professional journeys, encompassing teacher background and experiences, the wide landscape of relevant policies and school culture along with the changing dynamics of current and future education. Emphasis is placed on coherence across data sources, attention to inclusivity, and strategies to ensure quality, trustworthiness, and relevance. The TPJ conceptual framework in this report, informed by the aim and research objectives of TPJ, provides the foundation for data collection, analysis, and engagement in subsequent phases.