New research co-authored by Dr Meera Varadharajan and Professor Miriam Tanti finds that career changers often enter initial teacher education with strong commitments to equity, inclusion and social justice.
“Despite the growing popularity of employment-based pathways into teaching and the increasing number of career changers entering these programs, we know very little about their social justice beliefs before they begin formal teacher education,” says Dr Varadharajan.
The study, which examined written statements submitted by candidates for La Trobe’s Nexus program, suggests that career changers have pre-existing views on social justice.
“Most candidates articulated some form of knowledge, belief or value related to social justice in education,” Dr Varadharajan says. “Many demonstrated nuanced understandings of equity and inclusion across diverse community contexts, often grounded in their lived experiences and previous professional roles.”
Dr Varadharajan says the research highlights how teacher education programs and school communities can help advance equity and inclusion.
“A stronger understanding of candidates’ personal and professional backgrounds, including their experiences of social justice, can help educators support their development as socially just teachers.”
Dr Varadharajan’s next step is to share these findings with school leaders to help them better understand the values that prospective teachers bring with them when entering initial teacher education.
