Problems to Problematics: A Journey.

For full text: http://www.avetra.org.au/PAPERS%202001/walsh.pdf.

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Adult Education; Career Change; Career Development; Developed Nations; Electrical Occupations; Employed Women; Foreign Countries; Identification (Psychology); Individual Development; Intellectual Development; Job Satisfaction; Midlife Transitions; Personal Narratives; Reminiscence; Role Perception; Self Actualization; Self Concept; Teacher Researchers; Theory Practice Relationship

This paper describes the journey of a former female electrician turned technical and further education teacher turned professional development officer who is now completing her PhD. It also describes the challenges she overcame to make the transition from tradesperson to researcher. It is a personal account of discovery. It describes the most important relationship between role changes and professional growth. Most importantly, this paper develops the argument that without sustained access to purposeful conversations that promote higher order thinking skills, teachers are unlikely to become able to see their work as problematic and identify their practices as research. (YLB)

2002

ED456327