When ‘picking the right people’ is not enough: A Bourdieuian analysis of social justice and dispositional change in pre-service teachers

Abstract

Teacher educators across the world face a daunting task: preparing predominantly White, middle class, pre-service teachers to be effective educators of diverse students. With predispositions arguably more powerful socialising influences than pre-service education (Lortie, 1975), selective recruitment has been advocated: ‘picking the right people’ rather than trying to ‘change the wrong ones’ (Haberman, 1991a). This article focuses on changes over time in dispositions towards social justice in two of ‘the right people’. Drawing on Bourdieu, it analyses tensions between the habitus of Australian secondary pre-service teachers and the field of schooling practices. It argues for the arrangement of practicum placements (i) with supervising teachers with recognitive dispositions towards social justice; and (ii) that facilitate engagement with students from diverse backgrounds.