Teacher induction, identity, and pedagogy: hearing the voices of mature early career teachers from an industry background

Abstract

In considering the blurring of boundaries between vocational education and school education since the introduction of Vocational Education and Training in Schools (VETiS) in the senior secondary school system in Australia, it could be argued that the key figures in practice are the VET teachers in schools. The focus in this paper is 12 career-change teachers from an industry background during their first 3 years as technology and VETiS teachers in New South Wales, Australia. Their vocational content knowledge and teacher preparation provided pedagogical and curriculum knowledge. Through interviews, site visits, emails, and phone calls, a descriptive analysis was undertaken to investigate how these early career teachers had adapted to their new roles. The study investigated the ways in which these teachers ascribed meaning to their professional lives. Cross case analysis and discourse analysis confirmed themes emerging from the data about these particular new teachers and their different pathway to the profession.