Abstract
In Australian secondary schools, reports show there is a high incidence of geography being taught by an out-of-field teacher. It is also reported that there are a high proportion of specialist geography teachers who are not teaching geography. This chapter reports on findings from a recent longitudinal, qualitative study of five pre-service teachers (PSTs) as they transition into the profession. Participants enter the profession and their early career years with an expectation of being able to teach geography as their specialist subject. However, not only did their timetable include an out-of-field teaching load, they were also called upon to support out-of-field colleagues to teach geography. Reflexivity theory and the professional standards for teaching geography are used to analyse data. Results show a sustained and explicit process of theory–practice reflection enabled the PSTs to discern, deliberate and act upon the strength of their personal values and beliefs about teaching overall and about teaching geography to overcome the constraint of out-of-field teaching.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Abrandt-Dahlgren, M., Dyrdal-Solbrekke, T., Karseth, B., & Nystrom, S. (2014). From university to professional practice: Students as journeymen between cultures of education and work. In S. Billett, C. Harteis, & H. Gruber (Eds.), International handbook of research in professional and practice based learning (pp. 461–484). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8902-8_17
Adler, S. (1991). The reflective practitioner and the curriculum of teacher education. Journal of Education for Teaching, 17(2), 139–150. https://doi.org/10.1080/0260747910170203
Archer, M. S. (1979). Social origins of educational systems. Sage. (Reissued 2014, Routledge.)
Archer, M. S. (1982). Morphogenesis versus structuration: On combining structure and action. The British Journal of Sociology, 33 (4), 455–483. https://www.jstor.org/stable/589357
Archer, M. S. (1988). Culture and agency: The place of culture in social theory (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Archer, M. S. (1995). Realist social theory: The morphogenetic approach. Cambridge University Press.
Archer, M. S. (2003). Structure, agency and the internal conversation. Cambridge University Press.
Archer, M. S. (2010a). Introduction: The reflexive return. In M. Archer (Ed.), Conversations about reflexivity. Routledge.
Archer, M. S. (2010b). Routine, reflexivity, and realism. Sociological Theory, 28(3), 272–303. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25746229
Archer, M. S. (2012). The reflexive imperative in late modernity. Cambridge University Press.
Archer, M. S. (2017). Morphogenesis and human flourishing: Social morphogenesis. Springer.
Archer, M. S. (2020). The morphogenetic approach: Critical realism’s explanatory framework approach. In P. Rona & L. Zsolani (Eds.), Agency and causal explanation in economics, virtues and economics 5 (pp. 137–150). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26114-6_9
Archer, M. S., & Morgan, J. (2020). Contributions to realist social theory: An interview with Margaret S. Archer. Journal of Critical Realism, 19(2), 179–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767430.2020.1732760
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2013). The foundation to year 10 Australian curriculum: Geography. ACARA. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/humanities-and-social-sciences/geography/
Avalos, B., & Valenzuela, J. P. (2016). Education for all and attrition/retention of teachers: A trajectory study in Chile. International Journal of Educational Development, 49, 279–290. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016.j.ijedudev.2016.03.012
Baerwald, T. J. (2010). Prospects for geography as an interdisciplinary discipline. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 100(3), 493–501. https://doi.org/10.1080/00045608.2010.485443
Brooks, C. (2016). Teacher subject identity in professional practice: Teaching with a professional compass. Routledge.
Brooks, C. (2017). Pedagogy and identity in initial teacher education: Developing a professional compass. Geography, 102(1), 44–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/00167487.2017.12094008
Brooks, C. (2021). Teacher identity, professional practice and online social spaces. In N. Walshe & G. Healy (Eds.), Geography education in the digital world linking theory with practice (pp. 7–16). Routledge.
Buchanan, J., Prescott, A., Schuck, S., Aubusson, P., Burke, P., & Louviere, J. (2013). Teacher retention and attrition: Views of early career teachers. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 38(3), 112–129. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2013v38n3.9
Burger, J., Bellhauser, H., & Imhof, M. (2021). Mentoring styles and novice teachers’ wellbeing: The role of basic needs satisfaction. Teaching and Teacher Education, 103, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103345
Butt, G. (2018, October 22). What is the future for subject-based education research? Public Seminar at Oxford University Department of Education.
Campbell, C., Porsch, R., & Hobbs L. (2019). Initial teacher education: Roles and possibilities for preparing capable teachers. In L. Hobbs & G. Torner (Eds.), Examining the phenomenon of ‘teaching out-of-field’ (pp. 342–374). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3366-8_10
Cope, M. (2021). Organising, coding and analysing qualitative data. In I. Hay & M. Cope (Eds.), Qualitative research methods in human geography (5th ed., pp. 355–375). Oxford University Press.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2017). Teacher education around the world: What can we learn from international practice? European Journal of Teacher Education, 40(3), 291–309. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2017.1315399
Department of Education and Training. (2018). Through growth to achievement: Report of the Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools. https://www.dese.gov.au/quality-schools-package/resources/through-growth-achievement-report-review-achieve-educational-excellence-australian-schools
Dimova, Y., & Loughran, J. (2009). Developing a big picture understanding of reflection in pedagogical practice. Reflective practice: International and multidisciplinary perspectives, 10(2), 205–217. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623940902786214
Du Plessis, A., Carroll, A., & Gillies, R.M. (2015). Understanding the lived experience of novice out-of-field teachers in relation to school leadership practices. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 43(1), 4–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2014.937393
Du Plessis, A. E. (2015). Effective education: Conceptualising the meaning of out-of-field teaching practices for teachers, teacher quality and school leaders. International. Journal of Educational Research, 72, 89–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2015.05.005
Du Plessis, A. E. (2016). Leading teachers through the storm: Looking beyond the numbers and turning the implications of out-of-field teaching practices into positive challenges. International Journal of Educational Research, 79, 42–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2016.06.010
Du Plessis, A. E. (2019). Barriers to effective management of diversity in classroom contexts: The out-of-field teaching phenomenon. International Journal of Educational Research, 93, 136–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2018.11.002
Du Plessis, A. E., & Sunde, E. (2017). The workplace experiences of beginning teachers in three countries: A message for initial teacher education from the field. Journal of Education for Teaching, 43(2), 132–150. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2017.1286759
Eckersley, B., Tobin, K., & Windsor, S. (2017). Professional experience and project-based learning as service learning. In J. Kriewaldt, A. Ambrosetti, D. Rorrison, & R. Capeness (Eds.), Educating future teachers: Innovative perspectives in professional experience (pp. 175–192). ProQuest.
Fantilli, R. D., & McDougall, D. E. (2009). A study of novice teachers: Challenges and supports in the first years. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25, 814–825. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2009.02.021
Farrell, T. S. C. (2016). Surviving the ‘transition shock’ in the first year of teaching through reflective practice. System, 61, 12–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2016.07.005
Gallant, A., & Riley, P. (2017). Early-career teacher attrition in Australia: Inconvenient truths about new public management. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 23(8), 896–913. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2017.1358707
Gerber, R. (1990). Geography in Australian education. GeoJournal, 20(1), 15–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02440042
Head, L., & Rutherfurd, I. (2021). The state of geography in Australian universities. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 1–6. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/tran.12456
Heikkinen, H. L. T., Wilkinson, J., Aspfors, J., & Bristol, L. (2018). Understanding the mentoring of new teachers: Communicative and strategic practices in Australia and Finland. Teaching and Teacher Education, 71, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.11.025
Hennissen, P., Beckers, H., & Moerkerke, G. (2017). Linking practice to theory in teacher education: A growth in cognitive structures. Teaching and Teacher Education, 63, 314–325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.01.008
Hobbs, L. (2013). Teaching ‘out-of-field’ as a boundary crossing event: Factors shaping teacher identity. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 11, 271–297. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-012-9333-4
Hobbs, L., & Törner, G. (2019). Teaching out-of-field as a phenomenon and research problem. In L. Hobbs & G. Törner (Eds.), Examining the phenomenon of ‘teaching out-of-field’ (pp. 3–20). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3366-8_1
Hutchinson, N., & Kriewaldt, J. (2010). Developing geography standards: Articulating the complexity of accomplished geography teaching. Geographical Education, 23, 32–40.
Johnson, R. B., & Christensen, L. (2017). Educational research: Quantitative, qualitative and mixed approaches (6th ed.). Sage.
Korstjens, I., & Moser, A. (2018). Series: Practical guidance to qualitative research. Part 4: Trustworthiness and publishing. European Journal of General Practice, 24(1), 120–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/13814788.2017.1375092
Kriewaldt, J., & Mulcahy, D. (2010). Professional standards for teaching school geography. Curriculum & Leadership Journal: An Electronic Journal for Leaders in Education, 8(20). http://cmslive.curriculum.edu.au/leader/professional_standards_for_teaching_school_geograp,31904.html?issueID=12165
Loughran, J. (1996). Learning through modelling: Developing pre-service teachers’ understanding of reflection. Teaching Education, 8(2), 23–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047621970080205
Mason, S., & Poyatos Matas, C. (2015). Teacher attrition and retention research in Australia: Toward a new theoretical framework. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 40(11), 45–66. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2015v40n11.3
McKenzie, F. (2015). The system shift initiative: The story of a social lab seeking better outcomes for Australian children. Australian Futures Project hosted by La Trobe University. http://www.fionamckenzie.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/AFP-Early-Childhood-Development-Story-of-a-Social-Lab-150731.pdf
Miles, R., & Knipe, S. (2018). ‘I sorta felt like I was out in the middle of the ocean’: Novice teachers transition to the classroom. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 43(6), 105–121. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2018v43n6.7
Millar, K. M. (2017). Towards a critical politics of precarity. Sociology Compass, 11, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12483
Mindzak, M. (2019, May 17). Precarious employment in education impacts workers, families and students. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/precarious-employment-in-education-impacts-workers-families-and-students-115766
Mitchell, J. T. (2017). Pre-service teachers learn to teach geography: A suggested course model. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 42(2), 238–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098265.2017.1398719
National Committee for Geographical Sciences. (2018). Geography: Shaping Australia’s future. Australian Academy of Sciences. https://www.science.org.au/supporting-science/science-policy-and-sector-analysis/reports-and-publications/geography-shaping
Neale, B. (2019). What is qualitative longitudinal research? Bloomsbury.
Nixon, R. S., Luft, J. A., & Ross, R. (2017). Prevalence and predictors of out-of-field teaching in the first five years. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 54(9), 1197–1218. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21402
Price, A., Vale, C., Porsch, R., Rahayu, E., Faulkner, F., Ní Ríordáin, M., Crisan, C., & Luft, J. A. (2019). Teaching out-of-field internationally. In L. Hobbs & G. Törner (Eds.), Examining the phenomenon of ‘teaching out-of-field’ (pp. 53–83). Springer Nature.
Rajendran, N., Watt, H. M. G., & Richardson, P. W. (2020). Teacher burnout and turnover intent. The Australian Educational Researcher, 47, 477–500. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-019-00371-x
Ryan, M., Bourke, T., Brownlee, J., Rowan, L., Walker, S., & Churchward, P. (2019). Seeking a reflexive space for teaching to and about diversity: Emergent properties of enablement and constraint for teacher educators. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 25(2), 259–273.
Ryan, M., & Carmichael, M.-A. (2016). Shaping (reflexive) professional identities across an undergraduate degree program: A longitudinal case study. Teaching in Higher Education, 21(2), 151–165. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2015.1122586
Ryan, M., & Ryan, M. (2013). Theorising a model for teaching and assessing reflective learning in higher education. Higher Education Research and Development, 32(2), 244–257. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2012.661704
Ryan, M. E., & Ryan, M. (2015). A model for reflection in the pedagogic field of higher education. In M. E. Ryan (Ed.), Teaching reflective learning in higher education: A systematic approach using pedagogic patterns (pp. 15–27). Springer.
Seow, T. (2016). Reconciling discourse about geography and teaching geography: The case of Singapore pre-service teachers. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 25(2), 151–165. https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2016.1149342
Sharplin, E. D. (2014). Reconceptualising out-of-field teaching: Experiences of rural teachers in Western Australia. Educational Research, 56(1), 97–110. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2013.874160
Stenberg, K., Rajala, A., & Hilppo, J. (2016). Fostering theory–practice reflection in teaching practicums. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 44(5), 470–485. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2015.1136406
Strangeways, A., & Papatraianou, L. H. (2016). Case-based learning for classroom ready teachers: Addressing the theory–practice disjunction through narrative pedagogy. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 41(9), 116–134. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2016v41n9.7
Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group. (2015). Action now: Classroom ready teachers. https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/action_now_classroom_ready_teachers_accessible-(1)da178891b1e86477b58fff00006709da.pdf?sfvrsn=9bffec3c_0
Weldon, P. R. (2016). Out-of-field teaching in Australian secondary schools. Policy insights, 6. Australian Council for Educational Research.
Acknowledgements
The findings reported on in this chapter are from my doctoral study. I would like to acknowledge Associate Professor Michael Cavanagh and Professor Mary Ryan for their exceptional doctoral supervision. I would also like to thank my participants who were always forthcoming in sharing their experiences of transitioning into the teaching profession. In recent months I have been fortunate to join the OOF TAS Collective and I would like to thank Associate Professor Linda Hobbs for offering this opportunity. I would also like to thank the reviewers for their generous feedback and helpful insights to sharpen the focus of this chapter.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Caldis, S. (2022). Transitioning into the Profession with an Out-of-Field Teaching Load. In: Hobbs, L., Porsch, R. (eds) Out-of-Field Teaching Across Teaching Disciplines and Contexts. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-9328-1_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-9328-1_13
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-16-9327-4
Online ISBN: 978-981-16-9328-1
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)