Beginning teacher resilience in remote Australia: a place-based perspective

ABSTRACT

Enhancing resilience is key to reducing teacher attrition and addressing the challenges of the profession but scant research exists on resilience in regional and remote settings, where there is a shortage of quality, specialist and lead teachers. The aim of this study was to combine ecological and relational perspectives on resilience to examine pre-service and early career teacher resilience in the remote context of central Australia. The findings suggest that beginning teacher resilience in central Australia involves a particular set of enablers and constraints which are characterised by teachers’ capacity to build connections to place, connections as a learner and connections in relationships. A transactional systems model is presented that articulates the dynamism of the resilience processes and offers a way to better understand the ecological interdependencies unique to a particular context and culture. This understanding will enable teachers, initial teacher educators, school leaders and policy makers to better address the challenges facing this profession.

KEYWORDS:

• Resilience
• teachers
• remote
• relational
• ecological

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Charles Darwin University LEBA Faculty Grant.

Notes on contributors

Lisa H. Papatraianou

Dr Lisa Papatraianou is a Senior Lecturer in Education, Professional Learning at the Charles Darwin University Adelaide Learning Centre.  Her areas of interest include: research methodology, professional learning, the beginning phase of teaching and the attrition and retention of workers, professional experience and human resilience. 

Al Strangeways

Dr Al Strangeways is a Senior Lecturer in Education at the Alice Springs Campus of Charles Darwin University. Her areas of interest include arts-based research, including narrative inquiry and pedagogy, practitioner research, initial teacher education (especially remote Indigenous teacher preparation and non-linear approaches to reflective practice) and teacher identity.

Susan Beltman

Susan Beltman is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at Curtin University, Western Australia. She researches in the areas of resilience and mentoring in various education settings. She has been a chief investigator, partner and expert reference group member for several national and international projects research projects relating to resilience and mentoring.

Emma Schuberg Barnes

Emma Schuberg Barnes is an artist, educator, and early career researcher. She holds a Bachelor of Art Education (Hons) from the University of New South Wales, and is a PhD Candidate with Charles Darwin University. Her intradisciplinary PhD research pursues understanding and communicating complex, evolving relationships and dimensions between humans and digital technologies.