Linking theory and practice in pre-service teacher training in France: ECTS and Masters Degrees to the rescue?”

Résumé En

Research on reflexive practice (Perrenoud, 2004) points out that, unlike engineers or medical practitioners who have to be trained to use their theoretical knowledge in practical ways, pre-service and in-service teachers are unwilling to be drawn from practice to theoretical foundations. This paper will present an on-going action research with pre-service teachers in a French teacher training college. Now in its second year, our research has revealed young teachers' interest in action research but has also brought to light their little use of research literature in language teaching. This may change now that teacher training colleges in France have been made to integrate a university. From next year, teacher training will become the sole responsibility of universities. This change, like all changes in France, is provoking uproar, but we argue that as long as university teacher/researchers and school teachers are allowed to work alongside, it may be our best opportunity to bridge the gap between theory and practice.