RETURNING TO PESS: RESEARCHING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING THROUGH SOCIAL LEARNING SPACES – DR DENIZ HUNUK.

Returning to PESS: Exploring Social Learning Spaces in Teacher Education

I am an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Sport Sciences at Hacettepe University, Türkiye. In the first week of September, I joined the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences at the University of Limerick as a postdoctoral researcher. I was awarded funding through the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) 2219 International Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Programme to carry out my ten-month postdoctoral research at UL, and I look forward to working with Professor Ann MacPhail during my time here.

During my time at UL, I will be working on the project, “The Impact of Long-Term Participation in Social Learning Spaces on Teacher Educators’ Professional Development.” The study examines how teacher educators learn with and from one another through sustained participation in social learning spaces. I’m particularly interested in how participation in these spaces can support teacher educators’ professional learning and development, and how they create and sustain value over time. Ultimately, I hope the study will contribute to a better understanding of how social learning spaces can support meaningful and sustainable professional learning for teacher educators.

This is my second experience at PESS, which makes this postdoctoral opportunity especially meaningful to me. In 2010–2011, during my PhD at Middle East Technical University in Türkiye, I conducted part of my research at the University of Limerick and collaborated with Dr Deborah Tannehill. That period was significant for my development as a researcher and teacher educator, so returning to PESS after many years is particularly rewarding.

Being back at PESS after so many years feels both familiar and new, and I’m excited to see how this experience will shape my research, thinking, and future collaborations. While at UL, I look forward to reconnecting with the PESS community and engaging in discussions on physical education teacher education, professional learning, and social learning. I also hope to develop new collaborations and opportunities for shared learning and research. Beyond the university, I’m also looking forward to exploring more of this beautiful green country over the coming months.

If you would like to find out more about my research, you can visit my Avesis and Linkedin profiles.

Deniz Hünük