Abstract:
Initial teacher education is under the political spotlight for the role it can play in supporting teacher retention and short-term responses to the teacher shortage. As attempts are made to attract, retain, and graduate quality teachers, more research is required to inform evidenced-based decisions to scale-up bespoke mid-career ITE programs such as DoE’s Turn to Teaching (TTT) program introduced in 2022. An alliance of Queensland universities (GU, QUT, UNiSC & SCU) are using a multi-case study to illuminate the affordances and constraints of the TTT program and appraise the implications of these for ITE providers, employers, and employment-based pathways into teaching. Seeking perspectives from a broad range of key stakeholders of the TTT program, the qualitative dominant mixed-method approach will reveal in-depth understandings of the TTT graduates’ identity development and preparedness for teaching. Elucidating transformative ways of thinking about professional learning during ITE, the findings will inform evidenced-based strategies to support a changing landscape of ITE and shifting focus on employment-based pathways. In this presentation, early data from the 18-month study will be shared with the goal of stimulating rich conversations and the team will share the future plans for the study.