Abstract:
Australia is currently facing a severe teacher shortage due to a combination of insufficient new entrants, high turnover rates among current teachers, and an increasing demand for educators. Recent research underscores that social approval and the perceived status of the teaching profession have a stronger association with teachers’ intentions to remain in the field than most other factors.
The 2022 Quality Initial Teacher Education Review emphasised the need to raise the status of teaching as its top recommendation. Negative portrayals of teachers in the news media have contributed to a declining respect for teachers within local communities, further exacerbating retention challenges.
To investigate the role of media in shaping public perceptions, the Teachers on Screen project conducted a pilot study analysing over 1,200 teachers in more than 500 films and television series from the past 25 years. This analysis identified several troubling trends:
Negative Stereotypes: Teachers are frequently depicted as losers, liars, or unlikable authoritarians.
Abusive and Incompetent Characters: Many teachers in media are shown as abusive, negligent, or incompetent.
Lack of Diversity: The portrayal of teachers is predominantly limited to white, middle-class women. Although black teachers are often depicted positively, they are significantly underrepresented, and portrayals of teachers from other ethnic backgrounds are rare.
Good Teachers Leave: Media often shows good teachers leaving the profession early.
Questionable Pedagogies: When teachers are portrayed positively, they often employ unconventional and sometimes inappropriate methods.
These pervasive negative portrayals undermine the social status of teaching and can contribute to the profession's declining attractiveness and retention rates. Given the significant impact of societal respect on teachers' career decisions, more positive and realistic representations of teachers in media could serve as a strategic intervention to improve the profession’s status, attract new entrants, and retain current educators. This approach parallels successful retention strategies used by luxury brands to encourage loyalty.
The 2022 Quality Initial Teacher Education Review emphasised the need to raise the status of teaching as its top recommendation. Negative portrayals of teachers in the news media have contributed to a declining respect for teachers within local communities, further exacerbating retention challenges.
To investigate the role of media in shaping public perceptions, the Teachers on Screen project conducted a pilot study analysing over 1,200 teachers in more than 500 films and television series from the past 25 years. This analysis identified several troubling trends:
Negative Stereotypes: Teachers are frequently depicted as losers, liars, or unlikable authoritarians.
Abusive and Incompetent Characters: Many teachers in media are shown as abusive, negligent, or incompetent.
Lack of Diversity: The portrayal of teachers is predominantly limited to white, middle-class women. Although black teachers are often depicted positively, they are significantly underrepresented, and portrayals of teachers from other ethnic backgrounds are rare.
Good Teachers Leave: Media often shows good teachers leaving the profession early.
Questionable Pedagogies: When teachers are portrayed positively, they often employ unconventional and sometimes inappropriate methods.
These pervasive negative portrayals undermine the social status of teaching and can contribute to the profession's declining attractiveness and retention rates. Given the significant impact of societal respect on teachers' career decisions, more positive and realistic representations of teachers in media could serve as a strategic intervention to improve the profession’s status, attract new entrants, and retain current educators. This approach parallels successful retention strategies used by luxury brands to encourage loyalty.