The Recruitment, Support, Retention and Attrition of Teachers in Australia

Varadharajan, Meera; Buchanan, John

doi:10.1007/978-981-16-6038-2_2

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Indeed, for some time now, it has been argued that a teacher's commitment is inextricably linked to their sense of identity (Day et al, 2005) and teacher identity lies at the heart of teacher development (Beauchamp & Thomas, 2010). It is therefore imperative to consider teacher identity in an international context of persistent teacher recruitment and retention challenges, most notably in countries such as the UK (See & Gorard, 2020), USA (Dee & Goldhaber, 2017), Australia (Varadharajan & Buchanan, 2021) and continental Europe (European Commission, 2018). It is beyond the scope of this article to address the ways in which a better appreciation of teacher identity can contribute to solving pressing and enduring policy problems.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding teacher identity in teachers' professional lives: A systematic review of the literature

Rushton,

Rawlings Smith,

Steadman

et al. 2023

Review of Education

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This article presents a systematic review of a substantial body of literature that considers the ways in which the concept of teacher identity has been used to understand and explore teachers' professional lives. The aim of the review was to go beyond the limitations of specific areas of teachers' practice to explore the broad and rich field of teachers' professional lives. Drawing on 412 articles from 2000–2021, the review demonstrates the growth in teacher identity research, particularly since 2010. Results from the review are categorised into seven thematic groups that span key areas related to teachers' professional lives: (1) Models and frameworks of professional lives; (2) Narratives of professional lives; (3) Becoming a teacher; (4) Contexts; (5) Communities; (6) Change, transition and conflict; and (7) Subject specialisms. The review reveals gaps in teacher identity research, such as: few research studies from Global South countries; a limited number of studies focusing on non‐core curriculum subjects, including arts, history, geography and physical education; fewer studies focusing on primary school and early years teacher identities; and a divide between identity scholarship and research, and policy and practice. The article concludes with a call for teacher identity research to be expanded and broadened with the aim to facilitate the progress of identity work in scholarship, policy and practice. Context and implicationsRationale for this studyIn the context of a growing body of research on teacher identity, particularly in the last decade, there remains a paucity of identity‐focused systematic reviews. Existing systematic reviews tend to focus on specific fields such as subject specialisms, teacher education and beginning teachers. However, far fewer reviews span the broader field of teachers' professional lives; this article responds to this gap in the literature.Why the new findings matterThe findings from this review are important in highlighting the most commonly explored areas in teacher identity research as it relates to teachers' professional lives. As such, the findings can inform policy and practice for teacher education and professional development at local, national and international scales. The findings also highlight gaps in the literature and the implications this may have on teacher identity scholarship.Implications for educational researchers and educatorsFirstly, educational researchers can identify key themes arising from existing teacher identity research studies. This can help them to focus on specific areas that would benefit from further research as well as providing them with a single space from which to draw on the existing corpus of research studies. Secondly, teacher identity research is important for the professional lives and practice of educators and this review provides educators with an opportunity to understand the teacher identity scholarly landscape and, in turn, apply findings from the research to their own professional practice.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding teacher identity in teachers' professional lives: A systematic review of the literature

Rushton,

Rawlings Smith,

Steadman

et al. 2023

Review of Education

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“…The early career framework (ECF) provides an illuminative example of such policy impact, with its origins stemming from the increasingly international challenge of teacher recruitment and retention (See et al, 2020). Teacher supply is under pressure across the globe, with shortages noted in Europe (European Commission, 2018), Australia and New Zealand (Varadharajan and Buchanan, 2021) and in the USA (Sutcher et al, 2016). A raft of international responses and initiatives to attract and retain teachers have emerged and the ECF is the latest policy solution for English schools.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early career mentoring in England: a case study of professional discretion and policy disconnection

Cronin¹

2023

IJMCE

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PurposeThis paper aims to consider the practices and experiences of the new school-based mentors for Early Career Teachers (ECT's), emerging from the UK Government's new early career framework (ECF) policy (DfE, 2019a). The paper uses Lipsky's (2010) framing of professionals as “street level bureaucrats” to consider the extent to which the ECT mentors, as new policy actors, exercise professional discretion (Lipsky, 2010) in negotiating and aligning the new ECF policy with existing practice.Design/methodology/approachTo research the mentor's interpretation and enactment of the new ECF policy, semi structured interviews were undertaken with an initial sample of nine mentors and four induction tutors who were also mentors. Online semi structured interviews were held, lasting around 50 min. This method was largely pragmatic as the study started during a period when schools were still cautious of face-to-face visitors in terms of COVID-19. Although the benefits for the interviewer experiencing the culture and context in which the ECT mentor was situated were lost, offering online interviews was critical in securing mentors' time.FindingsFindings suggest a disconnect between the intentions of the policy and the reality of its enactment at a local level. The ECT mentors have limited professional discretion, but some are exercising this in relation to their own professional development and the training they are providing for their ECTs. Most of the mentors are adapting the ECT's professional development journey whilst mindful of the programme requirements. The degree to which the ECT mentors used professional discretion was linked and limited largely by their own levels of confidence and experience of mentoring, and to a lesser extent the culture of their schools.Research limitations/implicationsThe ECF policy represents an important step in acknowledging the need to professionally develop mentors for the work they undertake supporting beginning teachers. However, the time and the content of the mentor training have not been given sufficient attention and remains a hugely missed opportunity. It does not appear to be recognised by the government policy makers but more significantly and concerning in this research sample it is not being recognised sufficiently by those mentoring the ECTs themselves.Practical implicationsThere is an urgent need by the UK government and school leaders to understand the link between the quality of mentor preparation and the quality of the ECTs who will be entering the profession and influencing the quality of education in future years. More time and resourcing need to be focussed on the professional development of mentors enabling them to exercise professional discretion in increasingly sophisticated ways in relation to the implementation of the ECF policy.Originality/valueThe ECF policy is the latest English government response to international concerns around the recruitment and retention of teachers. The policy mandates for a new policy actor: the ECT mentor, responsible for the support and professional development of beginning teachers. The nature of the mentor's role in relation to the policy is emerging and provides an interesting case study in the disconnect between the intentions of a policy and its initial enactment on the ground. The mentors may be viewed as street level bureaucrats exercising degrees of professional discretion as they interpret the policy in their own school context.

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The Recruitment, Support, Retention and Attrition of Teachers in Australia

Cited by 2 publications

References 27 publications

Understanding teacher identity in teachers' professional lives: A systematic review of the literature

Understanding teacher identity in teachers' professional lives: A systematic review of the literature

Early career mentoring in England: a case study of professional discretion and policy disconnection

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