Beyond knowledge mobilisation: epistemic reflexivity and professional judgement in initial teacher education

Knowledge mobilisation is often framed through an instrumentalist logic in which research is produced, disseminated and applied in practice. Within this model, teachers are positioned primarily as consumers of evidence who must develop research engagement skills through initial teacher education (ITE), supported by mechanisms such as professional standards, quality assurance processes and research–practice partnerships. However, framing teaching as the application of research knowledge underplays the epistemic complexity of professional practice. Research engagement skills insufficiently account for how teachers determine which knowledge is relevant, weigh competing evidence or justify decisions in contexts characterised by uncertainty and paradigmatic incongruity. Drawing on the concept of epistemic reflexivity, this paper reconceptualises research use in teaching as an interpretive, deliberative and context-sensitive process rather than a problem of knowledge transfer. It argues that ITE curricula must move beyond research engagement towards designing conditions for the development of professional judgement and formation of epistemically capable professionals.