“A casual teacher is a gardener”: metaphors and identities of casual relief teachers in the Australian primary school context

Uchida, Minami; Cavanagh, Michael; Moloney, Robyn

doi:10.1080/00131911.2019.1622511

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…In regard to qualifications, Uchida and colleagues (2021) explained that in Australia substitute teachers must meet the same requirements as permanent full-time staff, including attainment of teaching qualifications (usually a 4-year bachelor’s degree or 2-year Masters of Teaching), successful completion of a suitability interview, successful completion of police background checks, and holding training in first aid. In the United States, the required qualifications varied; some studies indicated that teachers needed to be certified (e.g., in the Borderlands in the south-west; Bletzer, 2010), although in other states substitute teachers did not require certification (Amacher, 2021; Landis, 2019; Schkolenko, 2018; Topchyan & Woehler, 2021).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finding appropriate ways to manage student behavior was a problem given the “challenging and chaotic nature of teaching students” as a substitute teacher (Uchida et al, 2021, p. 305), which required them to “think on their feet” (Facchin, 2016, p. 53) and find ways to adapt to “unfamiliar or difficult” situations (Uchida et al, 2021, p. 304). As Charteris, Jenkins, Bannister-Tyrrell, and Jones (2017) explained, deciding how best to manage student behavior is challenging for Australian early career substitute teachers, due to their lack of teaching experience, and this is exacerbated by their desire to be seen as competent.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, Uchida and colleagues (2020) reported that teachers with 3 or more years’ experience as a substitute teacher found that their work experience helped them to “be adaptable and open to change,” equipped them with effective behavior management strategies, and increased their “confidence over time as [they] learnt how to adapt their practice across different classroom settings.” This capacity to adapt appeared vital in sustaining work as a substitute teacher, with participants noting that: In order to survive as a casual teacher, they must be able to multi-task, wear a mask to appear calm and confident, cope effectively with the unknowns (e.g., not knowing students’ names), and adapt quickly to unfamiliar or difficult situations. (Uchida et al, 2021, p. 304).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An Exploration of the Experiences of Substitute Teachers: A Systematic Review

Reupert

Sullivan²,

Tippett

et al. 2023

Review of Educational Research

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This article reports on a systematic review of literature on the experiences of substitute teachers, also known as casual or relief teachers. This occupational group are an essential part of school improvement efforts, allowing release time for other teachers to participate in professional learning, complete administrative duties, and attend to personal matters. Although a ubiquitous component of the teaching workforce, little is known about their work conditions, motivations, experiences, and support. This study involved a mixed-methods research synthesis approach. Peer-reviewed studies and dissertations that examined the experiences and needs of substitute teachers in primary/elementary, middle, and secondary/high schools were examined. The study found that, although substitute teachers are a heterogeneous group, their conditions and experiences are less than satisfactory, exacerbated by a lack of targeted support. Education systems need to consider professionalizing this occupational group further. In addition, systems need to develop policies and practices that improve substitute teachers’ work.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

An Exploration of the Experiences of Substitute Teachers: A Systematic Review

Reupert

Sullivan²,

Tippett

et al. 2023

Review of Educational Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Participants’ demographic data, levels of satisfaction with their work and progress towards proficient accreditation were examined in 10 quantitative questions, while 5 qualitative questions were used to gain respondents’ perspectives on their experience of casual teaching. This article draws on the findings from the survey responses, except for Q13 which asked participants to represent casual teaching as a metaphor (for analysis of responses to this question, see Uchida et al ., 2019). In total, there were 110 responses to the survey posted on the Facebook group.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysing the experiences of casual relief teachers in Australian primary schools using practice architecture theory

Uchida

Cavanagh

Lane

2020

British Educational Res J

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This study examines the professional experiences of casual relief teachers (CRTs) and some of the challenges they face through the lens of practice architecture theory. Practice architecture theory considers human activity through the multi-layered lens of sayings, doings and relatings. A survey was used to collect responses from 104 CRTs who are teaching or have previously taught in Australian primary schools. The responses were examined using thematic content analysis to gain insights into their experiences of professional practice. In addition, the demographic information from the survey identified three main categories of CRTs which contributed to better understanding of distinct needs and experiences of each type of CRT. Results indicate that many participants saw casual teaching as a negative and alienating experience due to lack of access to school information, lack of support for accreditation and feelings of exclusion from school communities. The need for greater access to information about professional learning was also highlighted. However, others enjoyed the flexibility and sense of belonging they experienced as CRTs. The present study contributes to CRT research by identifying similarities and differences across the three CRT groups and applying practice architectures as a new theoretical lens through which to analyse their professional experiences.

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“…A metaphor is used by giving symbolic meanings to familiar words through figurative comparisons (Uchida et al, 2019). In the context of teaching, metaphors produced by teachers may enable them to understand themselves as teachers better.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Malaysian ESL pre-service teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning through metaphors

Yunus

2020

SiELE

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Teaching metaphors are often used in teacher education programmes for pre-service teachers to critically reflect on their teaching. Metaphors not only give insights into teachers’ beliefs and principles about teaching and learning but may also guide classroom practices. This article sought to explore three Malaysian ESL pre-service teachers’ teaching metaphors in different situations during their teaching practicum. The study also explored what the selected metaphors revealed about the pre-service teachers’ pedagogical beliefs. Data in this study was collected qualitatively by using semi-structured interviews and reflective tasks assigned after the pre-service teachers’ teaching practicum at local government schools. Findings indicated that the pre-service teachers have multiple roles, which are represented by various metaphors they formulated in different situations. It has been suggested that metaphors can be effective in eliciting beliefs as the constructed metaphors reveal much about the roles of the pre-service teachers. The major beliefs about teaching and learning generated by the research participants include meeting students’ needs, varying teaching approaches, and facilitating students. The implications of this study are for teacher educators to utilize metaphors in teacher education programmes and to acknowledge pre-service teachers’ beliefs as this may highly impact their practices and development.

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“A casual teacher is a gardener”: metaphors and identities of casual relief teachers in the Australian primary school context

Cited by 6 publications

References 42 publications

An Exploration of the Experiences of Substitute Teachers: A Systematic Review

An Exploration of the Experiences of Substitute Teachers: A Systematic Review

Analysing the experiences of casual relief teachers in Australian primary schools using practice architecture theory

Understanding Malaysian ESL pre-service teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning through metaphors

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