From April 8 to 12, 2026, the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting was held in Los Angeles, USA. Themed “Unforgetting Histories and Imagining Futures: Constructing a New Vision for Education Research,” the conference drew education scholars from around the globe. Associate Professors Wei LIAO and Huajun ZHANG, along with doctoral students Lilin CHEN, Xingzhou WANG, Peili YUAN, and Yuwei LUO from the Center for Teacher Education Research at Beijing Normal University（CTER-BNU）, had their papers selected from a large number of submissions and presented their research at the conference.

Associate Professor Wei LIAO: Systematically Reviewing Research Methodology and Focusing on Non-University-Based Teacher Educators

Associate Professor Wei LIAO presented papers and engaged in academic exchanges across multiple sessions, sharing his latest research findings on the professional development of teacher educators and self-study research methodology.

In a paper session, LIAO co-presented with WuweiRan WU (Ph.D. graduate of the Center, supervised by Professor Huan SONG, now a lecturer at the College of Teacher Education, Southwest University). Their presentation, titled "Self-Study in Higher Education: Insights from a Three-Decade Methodological Review," systematically analyzed 78 empirical studies from 1994 to 2024, exploring core issues such as the conceptualization, theoretical foundations, data collection and analysis methods, research ethics, and quality assurance of self-study in higher education contexts.

In a roundtable session, LIAO presented a study titled "Non-University-Based Teacher Educators Learning to Develop Researcherly Dispositions Within and Across Communities of Collaborative Action Research Practice." Based on a teacher educator professional development program in the Chinese context, the study investigated how non-university-based teacher educators gradually develop researcher-related identities, cognition, and abilities during the collaborative action research process.

Associate Professor Huajun ZHANG: Organizing a Symposium on Dewey's Thought and Exploring Qualitative Thinking in the AI Era

Associate Professor Huajun ZHANG convened a symposium titled "Dewey in the Age of Artificial Intelligence; Or, On Being Human," which was selected as an invited session by the AERA John Dewey Studies SIG. In her individual presentation, "Re-claiming the Educational Value of John Dewey's 'Qualitative Thought' in the Age of AI," ZHANG sparked lively discussion and positive feedback among the audience.

Peili YUAN: Exploring Principals' Perspectives on Leading School Digital Transformation

Doctoral student Peili YUAN (supervisor: Professor Huan SONG) presented a paper titled "School Principals’ Perspectives and Leadership Styles for Digital Transformation." Using Q methodology, the study found that Chinese primary and secondary school principals exhibit a continuum of attitudes towards generative AI, ranging from cautious observation and skeptical optimism to active embrace. The study identified four typical leadership styles: technology gatekeeping, cultural transformation, emotional enabling, and strategy-driven. These perceptions and styles are shaped by Confucian cultural values, local educational governance structures, and high parental expectations for student academic achievement. Furthermore, structural constraints in resource supply reinforce principals' reliance on maintaining "Guanxi" (relationships). This research enriches global understanding of the diversity of principal leadership practices and provides practical insights for governments and principals to more effectively promote AI-empowered digital transformation in schools.

Xingzhou WANG: Analyzing Pre-service Teachers' Personality Traits and Learning Well-being

Doctoral student Xingzhou WANG (supervisor: Professor Huan SONG) presented a report titled "Who Is Learning Happier? Profiles of Pre-service Teachers’ Personality Traits and Their Relationship with Learning Well-being." Based on a large-scale survey of first-year students at a local normal university, the study employed a person-centered approach to identify three personality profiles: maladaptive, adaptive, and highly adaptive. These three student types showed distinct scoring patterns on the Big Five personality traits, which were significantly associated with learning well-being as defined by the PERMA model (Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment).

Lilin CHEN: Focusing on Dance Student Teachers' Internship and Interdisciplinary Embodied Teaching

Doctoral student Lilin CHEN (supervisor: Professor Xudong ZHU) participated in the SIG- Arts and Learning Forum, presenting both a paper and a poster. Her paper presentation, titled "Becoming a Dance Teacher: Chinese Dance Student Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Student Teaching Experience," shared qualitative findings on dance student teachers' internship experiences; she also served as a discussant. During the poster session, she presented "Bridging Silos Through Dance Pedagogy: Integrating Biology, Geography, and Embodied Teaching in Graduate Education," an innovative attempt to use dance-based embodied pedagogy to connect natural sciences (biology, geography) with arts education, breaking down disciplinary silos.

Yuwei LUO: Comparing Teaching Intention of Tuition-Free Normal Students and "Excellent Teacher Program" Candidates

Doctoral student Yuwei LUO (supervisor: Professor Qiong LI) presented a study titled "Understanding Two Targeted Teacher Education Policies in China: A Person-Centered Study of Teaching Intention." The study focused on two targeted teacher education policies in China: the "Tuition-Free Normal Student" policy (aimed at provincial-level cultivation) and the "Excellent Teacher Program" (aimed at schools in poverty-stricken counties). The findings revealed that a considerable proportion of students under these policies had less-than-ideal intentions to pursue teaching. Using latent profile analysis on survey data from 350 tuition-free normal students and 301 candidates of the "Excellent Teacher Program," the study identified three types of teaching intention (low, medium, high) in each group, and found significant differences in the characteristics and distribution of these types between the two groups. This study provides empirical evidence for improving targeted teacher education policies in China and beyond.

Promotion of the BIRE International Journal

Associate Professors Huajun ZHANG and Wei LIAO, in their roles as Executive Editor and Associate Editor respectively of the Beijing International Review of Education (BIRE), an English-language international journal of the Faculty of Education at Beijing Normal University, joined other BIRE editorial board members at the "Meeting Editors" session. They promoted the journal to colleagues and attendees, further expanding its potential readership and authorship, and enhancing BIRE's international visibility and impact.

The American Educational Research Association (AERA), founded in 1916, is one of the world's largest and most influential academic organizations for education research. Its annual meeting brings together education scholars, researchers, and practitioners from across the globe to discuss cutting-edge issues in the field and is considered a bellwether for global education research. The participation of our Center's faculty and students not only showcased their latest research achievements in teacher education but also enhanced the Center's international visibility and academic influence through dialogue and exchange with peers worldwide.