Career Change Teachers in Rural Schools: A Recognition Theory Approach to Understanding Teacher Retention
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| Title: | Career Change Teachers in Rural Schools: A Recognition Theory Approach to Understanding Teacher Retention |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Hernan Cuervo (ORCID |
| Source: | Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education. 2026 54(1):74-88. |
| Availability: | Taylor & Francis. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 15 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Early Childhood Education Preschool Education Elementary Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Career Change, Rural Schools, Teaching (Occupation), Teacher Persistence, Adjustment (to Environment), Barriers, Professional Identity, Foreign Countries, Motivation, Resources, Public School Teachers, Preschool Education, Elementary Secondary Education, School Culture, Teaching Conditions |
| Geographic Terms: | Australia |
| DOI: | 10.1080/1359866X.2025.2606702 |
| ISSN: | 1359-866X 1469-2945 |
| Abstract: | The appropriate staffing of rural schools has been an enduring challenge in Australia and internationally. Recruiting career changers into rural teaching has become an important policy initiative to redress this persistent challenge. It is often understood that individuals change careers into teaching due to labour, personal and altruistic factors. Yet, less attention has been placed on understanding why and how career change teachers stay working in rural schools, despite evidence of high attrition in schools outside the metropolis. In this article, drawing on data from life-history interviews, I examine career change teachers' trajectories in rural schools to identify the factors contributing to their retention. The data reveals that career changers found the transition to teaching difficult in the first years. Applying a recognition theory lens, I argue that a positive recognition of teachers' work by school and community members serves to counterbalance the challenges of the first years in the job and to constitute their professional identity as teachers. These symmetrical relations of recognition with students, colleagues and the community enhance their ability to build a sense of solidarity and satisfaction with work and to develop a formation of belonging to living in rural places. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1495958 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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