Ben Smit (1958) graduated in 1985 as a psychologist at Leiden University, with a major in educational studies and minors in educational sociology and computers & education. After graduating he worked as a researcher and project leader, first at the Leiden Interdisciplinary Centre for Educational Research (LICOR) and later at the Leiden Institute for Social Science Research (LISWO), where he specialised in the fields of educational policy research, student careers in higher education and teacher education.

Since 1995 he has worked at ICLON Graduate School of Teaching at Leiden University as a advisor/researcher in the field of research on teachers and teacher education. From 2008 until 2011 he has combined his position at ICLON with activities as an advisor/researcher in a newly established research group at Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Education. Furthermore, he is an International Coordinator of the Pedagogy, Education & Praxis (PEP) research programme and active member of the PEP Theme Group 'Learning & Didaktik/Professional Learning’.

In the last 10 years, Ben’s research interests circle around action research and practitioner research in educational settings, specifically in teacher education. Beside methodological issues related to this type of research, student participation and the changing position of participants in educational research have become the focus of his research. In 2015, Ben started his PhD project 'Teachers and students as partners in researching educational practice'. 

Publications

Activities