Preservice teachers' perceptions of teacher competence: the influence of national and global frameworks

The aim of this study was to explore preservice teachers' perceptions of the notion of teacher competence, under the potential influence of national and/or global teacher competence frameworks. By selecting participants from one country that had a national teacher competence framework (France) and a country that did not (Greece), we conducted a case study as part of our collaboration within the CIVIS University network. Thinking with Bourdieu's concepts of habitus, capital and field, our research questions were: (a) What are preservice teachers' perceptions on the concept of teacher competence? and (b) How do these perceptions relate to national and/or global notions? Bringing a thematic and a Bourdieusian analysis together, the themes produced were: (a) perceptions as a dialectic between habitus, capital and field, (b) perceptions as the projection of (inter)national norms. Preservice teachers (re)produced habitus and capital based on the opportunities they were given at a national or European level and the way they projected themselves as professionals within a shifting teaching field. This has significant implications for the design of teacher education programmes, suggesting that teacher competence needs to be conceptualised around understandings that can leverage teachers' ability to unpack and negotiate established (inter)national norms.