Profiling the Status of Out-of-Field Teaching in Western Australia: Graduate Teacher and Principal Perspectives

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23

Teacher Qualifications; Foreign Countries; College Graduates; Public School Teachers; Beginning Teachers; Faculty Workload; Faculty Development

10.1080/1359866X.2024.2326878

1359-866X
1469-2945

This paper shows how system-level data can generate useful insights into the profile of first-year graduates who are teaching out-of-field (OOF). Understanding in-school demand and impacts on first-year graduates teaching OOF is important, especially when the first years of teaching are complex, busy, and involve a steep learning curve. A mixed methods sequential explanatory design was used to generate qualitative and quantitative data collected from teacher and principal surveys. This study establishes the prevalence of OOF teaching amongst first-year graduates in Western Australian public schools and develops a profile of their OOF experiences and support needs based on their perceptions and their principals' perceptions. This study details the supports that will make a difference to teachers' capability, in particular a reduction in load where the OOF teaching workload is high, and access to formal subject-specific mentoring, both noted in research as important support mechanisms. This paper provokes new research questions, highlights areas for further research, and establishes the need for more large-scale datasets and longitudinal studies to examine change over time and the enduring effects of OOF teaching, both in relation to transitions into teaching, as teachers learn on-the-job, and when teachers undertake formal professional development programmes or courses.

As Provided

2024

EJ1424847