This study investigates the motivations driving qualified academics to transition into teaching in Israel, addressing a significant trend where over 50% of new entrants to the education system are second-career candidates. The research aims to understand this career shift in the context of ongoing economic and social crises, and an era where the status of teachers and the teaching profession has notably declined. Grounded in career transition theories, professional identity reformulation, and socio-economic context analysis, this study examines individual motivations, societal pressures, and the broader landscape shaping career decisions in Israel's educational arena during turbulent times. The research employs qualitative methods, including personal questionnaires and focus groups, to gather data from students enrolled in a teaching certification program during the 2025-2026 academic year. This approach aims to capture nuanced insights into the complex factors influencing their decision to enter teaching despite its diminished social standing. Preliminary findings suggest that Israel's current socio-economic challenges significantly impact career transition decisions. Many academics view teaching as an avenue to effect societal change amidst perceived political turmoil, social division, and crises such as recent global pandemics and regional conflicts. Some participants indicated a desire to contribute to social stability through education, despite the profession's reduced status. The study also reveals challenges faced by these career changers, including adapting to new professional identities and navigating the education system's complexities during crisis periods. Additionally, it explores how these individuals reconcile their career shift with the teaching profession's diminished social and economic standing. This research aims to contribute to understanding professional transitions in education during times of social and economic upheaval, potentially informing policy-making and teacher preparation programs to better support and integrate this growing cohort of educators.

Anxiety is a common experience among EFL teachers, affecting their teaching effectiveness and overall well-being. While previous research has explored social and affective factors contributing to EFL teachers' anxiety, the influence of sociocultural factors (SCF) has received limited attention. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the impact of SCFs on teacher anxiety based on Vygotsky's sociocultural theory and Lantolf's perspective. The aim is to investigate the influence of SCFs ( social interaction, cultural expectations, language proficiency,scaffolding and support,classroom environment ) on EFL teachers' anxiety and their potential implications for quality language teaching and learning. This study adopts an exploratory descriptive causal/quantitative approach to investigate the relationship between sociocultural factors (SCFs) and EFL teachers' anxiety. The research methodology involves the use of several data collection instruments and statistical analysis techniques. Teacher Foreign Language Anxiety Scale (TFLAS) questionnaire specifically developed to assess EFL teachers' anxiety levels was given to 70 EFL teachers. The TFLAS includes items related to teachers' anxiety in language instruction, classroom management, and interaction with students. The results indicate that teachers' perceptions of their own L2 proficiency and competence significantly influence their anxiety experiences. Teachers who possess a positive attitude towards their L2 knowledge exhibit lower levels of anxiety, while those who doubt their proficiency experience higher levels of anxiety. This finding emphasizes the importance of promoting self-efficacy and confidence among EFL teachers. Creating a positive and supportive classroom environment, coupled with effective support systems, can alleviate teachers' anxiety. Strategies such as scaffolding, mentoring programs, and collaborative learning communities can contribute to a supportive teaching environment. Recognizing and addressing cultural expectations and norms can help mitigate anxiety among EFL teachers. By fostering a culturally responsive approach to language instruction, teachers can create inclusive classrooms which in return brings quality in English Language Teaching.

Research aim

The current study explores two questions: (a) How do pre-service teachers conceptualize their experiences of well-being and teacher stress? and (b) To what extent do those conceptualizations differ between pre-service teachers with normal executive function (EF) skills and those with poor EF?

Theoretical framework

Executive functions (EF) are crucial for understanding the cognitive experience of teaching. Daily, teachers use EF skills like emotional regulation, self-monitor, plan/organize, and working memory to manage the classroom, teach students, and stay calm in the frenetic pace of classrooms. Despite the intuitive connection between teachers’ role in the classroom and their executive function, there has been little to no research on the executive function skill development of pre-service teachers (Corcoran & O’Flaherty, 2017).

Methods

Participants’ EF skills were measured using the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function – Adult Version (BRIEF-A; Roth et al., 2005), which is a 75-item self-report measure that includes nine indices of executive function. Participants were also asked a series of questions related to their experiences of well-being and teacher stress.

Findings

The data for this study have already been collected, but the full analysis will be completed in the fall term of 2024. Early results suggest that pre-service teachers with elevated EF difficulties tend to have a different experiences than their peers with normal executive function. Higher rates of stress and less effective approaches for stress management are characteristic of those with poor EF.

Relevance to the Conference theme

Diversity among teachers is a crucial component for helping diverse students. Understanding EF skills and how it affects sense of well-being and stress experiences is crucial for helping teachers in their early teaching experiences, especially for those with difficulties. Ultimately, developing teaching programs with an understanding of EF skills can improve equity and inclusion in teacher education.

It is every child’s right to thrive. To attain and sustain wellbeing, children need to have critical thinking proficiency as well as physical literacy. Metacognition is acknowledged as complex to define (Kuhn, 2021), yet a fundamental disposition for learning. In the current study, participants experienced a semester of a co-constructed PE curriculum. Whilst the curricular plan was set, the game form choices across one of the two weekly lessons was student designed, applying the content and FITT principles across preferred game forms. Four classes experienced the curricular progression spiral through either direct or metacognitive instruction. Both assert children can learn basic skills as a pre-requisite to higher order thinking processes (Stockyard et al., 2018). This project examined the extent to which participants could forward plan, implementing declarative, procedural knowledge in their respective contexts when out of school. For this to occur, students, it was hypothesized, would need to be possess knowledge of what and how to perform their suggested activities, effectively using guidance from FITT principles (frequency, intensity, time, type of physical activity) to best serve their exercise and physical activity targets. Furthermore, it is postulated that they would need have agency in knowing and being able to organise themselves in the context of the respective environment without the explicit support of a teacher. Both approaches have merit for various goals and contexts. In the current context, teachers (N=2) approached the same content and activities through differing lines of more to less direct inquiry. The data collection adopted a quasi-experimental study design and employed a mixed methodology. Participating students (N=100) completed formative and summative national level evaluations, together with pre-post evaluations around critical thinking and health related fitness biomotor indices. The presentation will explore critical thinking competence from school to home practice.

This research explored the long-term impact of a mentor training program for teachers. The program was developed as a systemic response to national and state government reviews of teacher education in Australia. Over six years, 4000 teachers participated in the two-day face-to-face program. On completion, teachers were expected to lead mentoring back in their schooling contexts. Government investment in the program was estimated to be more than A$15 million, with a further A$1 million to the university for the design and delivery of the program. Due to the huge investment of fiscal and human resources, long-term impacts from the program were anticipated. As the program was a system-wide initiative, equitable implementation of mentoring in schools across the sector was also expected.

Three years after the program ceased, the trained mentors were invited to participate in an online survey about the post-program impacts. This paper draws on the 112 responses to the open-ended, short response survey question inquiring about factors impacting on mentoring since the program stopped. Responses were analysed using an iterative approach adapted from Braun and Clarke.

The findings highlighted that although the program was a system-led initiative, there were inequities across the sector in the enactment of mentoring with mentoring approaches dependent on school leadership in school contexts. The disparities in the allocation of time and resources for mentoring across schools added to the inequities. An example here was that while schools were given teaching-release funding by the government, schools could use their discretion as to where the money was spent. Often the participants reported that the money was spent on other priorities than mentoring. While the need for organisational leaders to recognise and prioritise mentoring in educational contexts has been emphasised in previous research, further recommendations to address the inequities of mentoring provisions will be presented.

All authors work in Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI’s) with non-traditional students who have accelerated degree schedules, full-time jobs, are older, have families, take on-line and/or virtual classes, and often are underprepared to navigate curriculum needs or hidden curriculum of the institution, program, and profession. We wondered what a reflective examination of our diverse mentee-mentor experiences could show about improving mentor-mentee relationships within diverse student populations.

Mentoring programs discussed are those in which faculty mentors provide educational, professional, and personal support for students. Relational characteristics of strong mentors for non-traditional students include interpersonal aspects (trust, respect, care, concern, empathy, cultural and individual awareness). While there is much work on characteristics of strong and week mentorship, suggestions on discrete actions or dispositions of mentees are less robust.

We adopted a continuum of care (reciprocal caring) (Noddings, 2012) reframe our mentoring experiences/stories (Russell, 1988). Mentorship narratives supporting socialization in higher education were developed as authors’ personal practical knowledge (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000). Individual/joint journaling further developed our adaptation of the continuum of care over time. Analysis was conducted iteratively in bi-weekly meetings. Axial coding helped clarify, further define, and delineate themes.

Emergent themes became moments along the continuum of care and time with repeated exposure between the mentor-mentee dyad. Moments were named responding, engaging, scaffolding, and co-construction, alliterating the shared knowledge transfer available within the moment. Successful interactions and reciprocity by mentee-mentor pairs in each of these moments leads to continued engagement and deepening of relationship. Successful and unsuccessful practices for each moment are discussed.

Non-traditional students are often vulnerable to the unstated invisible curriculum of institutions, including faculty mentorship. It follows that determining and teaching them promising practices of menteeship and expectations for good mentors, can support socialization within higher educational settings. Implications for mentees/mentors working within non-traditional educational settings are described.

This paper introduces the construct of “organisational creativity” (OC) by exploring its applications in decentralised school systems (Keddie, 2015), with a particular focus on the role of teachers and quality teaching. The Italian context is used as an example, providing useful considerations for school systems with similar characteristics and problems.

The argument is rooted in studies of complex organisations (Merchant & Simons, 2019; Perrow, 2019), in conjunction with theories of equity in education (Griffiths, 2003; Hackman, 2005) and school well-being (O'Brien & Murrein, 2015). Special attention is paid to studies on quality teaching (Bowe & Gore, 2017) and the role of teachers as middle leaders (Lipscombe et al., 2023).

In decentralised school systems, school autonomy institutionalises the use of creativity to design unusual forms of organisation (Hashim et al., 2023; Moultrie & Young, 2009; Puccio & Cabra, 2010), with the goal of equity and improving the well-being of all those involved in school life.

The reflection is based on the literature on these topics and on studies on the Italian school system and the use of school autonomy in this context.

OC consists of developing systemic solutions aimed at changing the usual forms of organisation (times, spaces, class formation, forms of relationship between school and family...). Teachers’ commitment is crucial not only in the classroom, but also at the institutional level: quality teaching is expressed in their role as middle leaders, because they can influence local educational policies to improve school well-being for the whole community.

In Italy, school autonomy allows for OC in all schools, but only a few implement courageous and original innovations without repeating customary patterns far removed from students' needs (Landri, 2019).

The paper aims to contribute to the reflection on quality teaching by highlighting the commitment of teachers as middle leaders involved in OC processes.

Mentor teachers are crucial and considerably influential in teacher development (Goldhaber et al., 2020). We examined the inequitable access to quality urban STEM mentoring for novice teachers. Novice teachers often leave within the first five years (OECD, 2019) with STEM teacher retention even more concerning (Whipp & Geronime, 2017). This study examines the impact of a university-based STEM teacher induction program grounded in culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) (Gay, 2002; Ladson-Billings, 1995).

Bandura’s (1977) self-efficacy framework (SEF) informs the “beliefs in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce given attainments” (p. 3). SEF guided our research on teacher beliefs and their influence on instructional practices since “teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, and priorities are linked closely to their classroom behavior and practices” (Rimm-Kaufman and Sawyer, 2004, p. 322) impacting students’ learning outcomes (Guskey & Passaro, 1994). Acquiring deeper knowledge is paramount to understanding the impact of induction and mentoring experiences in shaping aspiring STEM teachers’ efficacy in quality teaching practices.

We qualitatively examined the self-efficacy of urban STEM mentors and mentees after a yearlong induction program including the New Teacher Academy (NTA) Conference. The mentors and mentees who attended the NTA participated in voluntary, semi-structured interviews. Interviews were transcribed and coded to identify salient emergent themes (Saldaña, 2021). Themes included Growth, Relationships, and Challenges.

Mentors and mentees experienced growth through participation in the induction program, improving mentoring strategies, and novice teachers solidifying their STEM teaching craft around CRP. Relationships were vital to providing support and safety to discuss resources, interactions, and navigating the start-of-school. Mentors and mentees experienced challenges, such as time and consistency, which varied by their roles. The program benefited STEM mentors and mentees by improving self-efficacy in their teacher identity and confidence as teachers and mentors. Implications regarding challenges will be discussed.

As the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has expanded the landscape of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL), the reliance on digital technology is rapidly increasing in teaching spaces that are in or beyond physical EFL classrooms. In addition to increasing the efficiency of teaching and learning, digital technology is a medium that stands in-between teachers and students and facilitates interactions among them (Jones & Hafner, 2021). Thus, the digital literacy of an EFL teacher in a specific teaching context is much more beyond the ability of managing digital tools to navigate online worlds (e.g., to find, evaluate, create and communicate information, etc.); it is more of a teacher’s meaning-making act or practice, which requires his/her cognitive and technical skills and is shaped by his/her identities, beliefs, goals in a specific context (Weninger, 2023). A teacher’s digital literacy thus determines the future of language teaching in the age of AI, which makes it opportune and useful to explore how an EFL teacher’s digital literacy is formed during his/her (re)construction of identities in a “smart classroom” enabled by AI technologies.

As such, this study employs narrative inquiry to investigate the trajectory of how an EFL teacher and her students negotiate alignments and construct bonds of shared values and knowledge in a smart classroom within one semester (i.e., 15 weeks), aiming to decode how an EFL teacher’s digital literacy are formed in the transition from teaching in a traditional classroom toward AI-empowered teaching. By exploring the dynamics of the EFL teacher’s identities when she starts to teach in the context with AI, the research contributes to a deeper understanding of how to enhance a teacher’s digital literacy and leverage AI technologies to build stronger teacher-student relationships and more effective learning communities in the age of AI.

Research Aim:

The paper explores how The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (hereafter TBITSP) can be used to educate students on the pedagogical and moral issues surrounding the text. The ubiquity of the novel and film means dismissing it outright is simply unhelpful; instead, I wanted to find more meaningful ways of engaging with TBITSP that empowered students by making them aware of the socio-political factors concerning the text’s historical inaccuracies and its prominence in education.

Theoretical Framework:

Inspired by critical literacy practitioners such as Hilary Janks, Navan Govender, and Holocaust scholars Andy Pearce and Tony Kushner, this unit explored what preconceptions students had of the Holocaust, their familiarity with TBITSP, and their knowledge of Jewish people in the UK and beyond. The series of lessons leaned on critical literacy methodologies, prompting students to consider the social and political context of TBITSP and why Boyne wrote the story.

Methods:

Students were surveyed on what they knew about the Holocaust, if they’d seen or read TBITSP, and if they thought it was an accurate reflection of the Holocaust. Thereafter, the lessons encouraged students to question whose perspective the narrative was being told from, whose viewpoints were being excluded, and what effect such narrative positioning had in terms of who the audience sympathised and identified with. Students were given the following thesis statement to respond to, using expert-led scholarship to support and augment their argument: TBITSP should not be used to teach students about the Holocaust.

Findings:

At the beginning, almost all students indicated they thought TBITSP was a factual, accurate, and truthful story. By the end of the unit, student surveys showed they no longer felt that to be the case but demonstrated a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of the Holocaust.

This paper investigates the teaching of Literature in Integrated High School (IHS) and the challenges of reader formation, based on the gap between students and "classic" literary texts. Our concern as educators is grounded in the importance of literary reading for the omnilateral formation proposed by Federal Institutes in Brazil. We focus on the teaching project In the Embrace of a Classic, carried out at the Federal Institute of Triângulo Mineiro (IFTM) – Uberaba Campus, in 2021 and 2022. Our goal is to understand how the reading of literary classics in IHS can become an educational and omnilateral experience, where literary literacy is done "with" the group and not "for" the teacher or the school. This is a qualitative case study involving teachers and students who participated in this project-based learning experience. To collect data, we conducted a focus group with ten students and three teachers, after approval by the Research Ethics Committee. Our aim was to explore the different perceptions and values that students and teachers attribute to this literary literacy experience from the selected classics. As theoretical references for our discussion, we based our studies on the current challenges of Literature teaching, literary literacy, reading mediation, and reader formation, on Calvino (2007), Candido (2011), Cosson (2021), Ciavatta (2005), among others. To reflect on the contemporary educational and sociocultural scenario in a post- pandemic context, the act of teaching, "youth" and student protagonism, we based ourselves on Assmann (2007), Demo (2006), Dewey (1979), Freire (1989), Dayrell; Carrano (2014), Bondía (2002), Mantovani (2022), among others. For the analysis and interpretation of the collected data, we selected the Thematization method proposed by Fontoura (2011). The results indicate that shared reading of literary classics can contribute to the omnilateral formation of young students in Integrated High School.

Reflection promotes language teacher praxis (Mills et al., 2020) and beliefs about linguistic diversity (Lucas & Villegas, 2013). Prior research has focused on written reflections, with less research on multimodal reflections. We examine U.S. pre-service teachers’ (PSTs’) multimodal language portraits as critical reflection (Kusters & De Meulder, 2019; Lau, 2016) and an “alter(n)ative” mode of inquiry that is both alternative (versus traditional) and “alter-ative” (potentially change-promoting) (Prasad, 2014, p. 54). We also posit that these promote humanizing pedagogy, as PSTs examine their sociocultural identities in relation to their students (Huerta, 2011).

Participants were 16 PSTs in methods courses for an undergraduate second language teaching minor or a Master’s degree in TESOL or elementary education. Their backgrounds ranged from no formal teaching experience to experienced teachers and paraprofessionals, many from transnational and/or racialized backgrounds. Using colors, drawings, and writing, they completed a language portrait to describe what influences their identity. The template depicted an outline of a body with boxes for languages, identities, and race. We analyzed the portraits with deductive codes (Fallas-Escobar et al., 2022; Kusters & DeMeulder, 2019; Prasad, 2014) and inductive codes. Two researchers analyzed each portrait and any discrepancies were resolved during whole-team research meetings.

Emerging findings showed that the PSTs identified themselves mainly through different named languages, which is natural given the instructions to reflect on their language learning. Most PSTs placed their “native” language visually on their hearts, using warm colors like red, and also listed several other languages, often placing them on their brains or feet, to denote thinking or traveling. In contrast, they were much less comfortable describing their racial identities: some left this box blank or even removed it. One participant wrote, “I do not think race exists.” Implications for teacher education especially with transnational and other “non-traditional” PSTs will be discussed.

In this presentation, we report on an ongoing project, Teaching English Multilingually through Art, starting in April 2024 and implemented in three provinces in Việt Nam: Quảng Ninh, Tuyên Quang, Thái Nguyên. The project represents a researcher-teacher collaboration between researchers from the University of Glasgow and Thái Nguyên University of Education, 65 teacher-facilitators, ±600 teachers from lower secondary schools and 3 museums. The aim of this project is to encourage creativity, pedagogical innovation and transformation of English classroom and to support teachers’ professional development through TAGs (Teacher Activity Groups).

The project builds on two frameworks: (1) a multi/translingual framework acknowledging that language learning and teaching happen when we draw creatively and critically on all the language resources that learners bring to class (Jones 2020; Li 2018); and (2) an arts-based framework that we have developed through our own previous research (Futro, Faulds, & Hirsu 2024; Hirsu, Zacharias & Futro 2021). With the support of these frameworks, we address English teachers’ current challenges: time for creativity in the classroom, the pressure of a structured curriculum, students struggling with English learning orientation, low resources in remote mountainous areas, and the diversity of learners belonging to different ethnic groups. Our project will be of interest to language teachers who want to develop inclusive activities that approach language learning from a place of resourcefulness. In this sense we will share teachers’ experiences from our project based on data collected through surveys, TAGs observations, teachers’ stories of change and classroom materials. More widely, teachers interested in professional development would have an opportunity to learn about our innovative TAGs model of peer-to-peer learning. This model integrates multiple language and arts-based cultural resources with the support of local stakeholders, e.g., educational programme coordinators in local museums, while ensuring the sustainability of the project beyond the classroom context.

In everyday life, we find several texts that follow specific socio-communicative patterns, with functional compositions, distinct enunciative objectives and defined styles, resulting from human interaction. This diversity is textual genres, which play a crucial role in communicative practice (Marcuschi, 2008). With the Internet, memes emerged as a means of disseminating multimodal digital textual genres, which spread spontaneously and are inserted into sociopolitical contexts through social networks. The teaching of legal language is always related to a culture of using elaborate vocabulary, becoming an instrument of exclusion, leaving those under jurisdiction vulnerable to the exercise of citizenship, a topic that is recurrently criticized and mocked in memes circulating on social media. This qualitative study sought to use a didactic sequence to develop media competence, based on the dimensions defined by Ferrés and Piscitelli (2016) and to promote a reflection on the teaching and learning of languages ​​for specific purposes (legal language) with undergraduate students in Literature at a University in Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil. The study stages included: presentation of the meme genre; its production with the proposed theme; reflection on the production process and content; and, the application of the acquired knowledge to develop a legal language teaching plan that met the needs, desires and gaps identified (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987). The analysis of the speeches of the teachers in training, organized by the methodology of Collective Discourse Analysis (Lefèvre & Lefèvre, 2012), revealed a concern with critical legal literacy when creating a teaching plan concerned with combating misinformation and affronts to the full exercise of citizenship.

This paper aims to explicate the teacher education influenced by the two national language policies in Taiwan: the Bilingual 2030 Policy and the Development of National Languages Act. Both policies attempt to address different aspects of language use in Taiwan and significantly impact the nation’s school system. The Bilingual 2030 Policy intends to transform pre-university schooling from a monolingual environment to a bilingual one. The goal is to internationalise the school environment by integrating English into various subjects such as Arts, Music, PE and Health Education. Meanwhile, the goal of the Development of National Languages Act is to revive the local languages such as Taiwanese, Hakka, indigenous languages and Taiwanese sign language. The responsibility of materialising this policy again falls onto education. A crucial issue that emerges from these two policy initiatives is that there are no sufficient bilingual teachers to realise either English-integrated subject teaching or the teaching of national languages. The objective of this paper is to explicate how teacher education programmes respond to two initiatives simultaneously, with a special focus on treating different languages with equity.

The qualitative case study method is applied to explore how the most prominent teacher education institute responds to the fast-changing education environment. The chosen university (the X University) is located in the capital city and trains about one-sixth of preservice teachers in Taiwan annually. Moreover, X University provides the most comprehensive teacher education in Taiwan. With this significance, it is an ideal case to be further explored. Interviewing stakeholders in X University and collecting documents are utilised to get data. The findings offer insights not only to other teacher education institutes in Taiwan but also to international readers who care about language rights and teacher education.

Texts are a central component of U.S. high school (HS) English curricula and instruction, and selecting texts to be included in the curriculum is considered one of teachers' most important instructional decisions (Northrop et al., 2019). Therefore, text selection holds the potential to impact reading engagement, interest, motivation, and overall reading performance (Tan & Mante- Estacio, 2021), and the choice of diverse and multicultural texts is vital to creating culturally inclusive and responsive literacy curricula (Author, 2024). However, little impact has been made on secondary teacher multicultural text selection in the U.S. within the last hundred years despite increasing student diversity and scholarly support for diversification: texts by and about White, straight, cisgender, able-bodied, middle-class people continue to dominate English curricula (Watkins & Ostenson, 2015). This study builds upon previous investigations of curricular text selection (Applebee, 1989), uniquely highlighting the student perspective on these texts.

This study employs a mixed-methods research design to survey 500 undergraduate students from two large universities in the midwestern U.S. to ascertain what book-length texts are included in HS English curricula and the extent to which these texts are diverse or multicultural. This study examines student responses to curricular text selection, including what texts they read, their motivations for reading or not, and what they wish had been different about their high school readings. The following research questions guide this study: 1) What current book-length texts are included in HS English curricula? 2) What is the range of student responses to the texts in their HS English curricula? Quantitative results indicate the texts assigned to participants in their HS English classes were predominantly traditional and lacked diversity in authorship and protagonists. Emergent qualitative themes noted that compliance, enjoyment, and accessibility impacted students’ engagement with and reading curricular texts.

Despite the increasing emphasis on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) principles in higher educational institutions (Scott, 2020), there remains a gap in consistent staff engagement with EDI initiatives and with related literature, which is essential for the goal of many universities of “creating inclusive environments” (Universities UK).
This study investigates the potential of interdisciplinary reading groups as a tool for enhancing staff engagement with EDI literature and practice within academic settings. It explores the implementation and impact of interdisciplinary reading groups across various departments within a university setting, aiming to cultivate a deeper understanding of EDI concepts and their practical applications.
Drawing on the framework of social justice reading groups previously employed in library settings (Harrington, et al, 2020) and amongst graduate students (Mahmood et al, 2021), the study looks at broader interdisciplinary contexts, addressing the unique challenges and opportunities that arise. The methodology includes a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative surveys to measure engagement levels and qualitative interviews to gather insights on the perceived value and challenges of the reading groups.
Existing literature and anecdotal evidence suggest that such reading groups have the potential not only to enhance individual staff members' engagement with EDI topics but also to foster a collaborative culture that supports ongoing professional development in this critical area. The study offers practical recommendations for the implementation of similar initiatives in other educational settings and highlights the potential of interdisciplinary approaches to EDI education.
This research contributes to the broader discourse on how institutions can effectively engage staff with EDI initiatives, aiming to create more inclusive and equitable academic environments.

References:

https://doi.org/10.1080/03323315.2020.1754879

https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/topics/equality-diversity-and-inclusion

https://doi.org/10.1080/0361526X.2020.1772176

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c00407J

This study aims to use May Sarton's 1961 novel "The Small Room "to delve into how the "discipline first" logic of higher education training disciplines teachers and students, causing them to ignore “the life of mind" and bear the "the price of excellence," providing insights for finding a more resonate and open teacher-student relationship in teacher education. This article applies literature research and utilizes the social critical theory of the Frankfurt School and Dewey's philosophical thinking on "experience" to deeply analyze how the progressive logic of "step-by-step improvement" makes teachers and students view the uncontrollability and uncertainty of mindl growth as an "unnatural state", thereby exacerbating emotional dislocation between teachers and students, and between students' internal and external expressions, ultimately leading to an imbalance or even rupture of the triangular relationship between "teachers, students, and subjects". On this basis, this article advocates that teacher educators and their students should present an open and resonant state, so that teachers and students can recognize each other's existence as "whole people" with a more authentic and blended attitude in dynamic and balanced interaction, restore each other's self-efficacy and spiritual resilience as life subjects, and provide a thinking perspective for Equity and inclusion in teacher education from the perspective of teacher-student relationship.

A variety of models have attempted to encapsulate the multifaceted processes involved in reading, ranging from Scarbrough’s reading rope (2001) to the Active View of Reading (Duke & Cartwright, 2021). Our work builds upon the foundation laid by Scarbrough (2001) to more comprehensively capture the strategic, adaptive, and integrative nature of developing literacy. Our approach conceptualizes reading as a transaction that necessitates a socio-constructivist learning environment. We adopt the structure of Scarborough’s (2001) reading rope to underscore the essential skills and strategies it outlines as crucial to the reading process. However, we contend that the rope alone, without additional tools and active engagement from the reader—whether a novice learner or an expert—is insufficient for reaching the metaphorical summit. This model, taking up a rock climbing metaphor, proposes an integrative approach where the climbing tools and the climber's active decision-making processes are pivotal. Our extension of Scarborough’s (2001) rope model introduces elements that are intrinsic to top-rope climbing but extend beyond the rope itself. For example, the harness that connects the climber to the rope symbolizes the reader's motivation, executive function, cognitive development, and linguistic capabilities. Similarly, the handholds and footholds selected by the climber as they ascend represent the metacognitive decisions made during the reading process. These are just two elements of the model that illustrate that achieving proficiency in reading can be likened to reaching a summit, which requires dynamically engaging various skills and strategies beyond those represented by Scarborough’s model. Teaching quality is profoundly influenced by the educational models adopted by school systems. By enhancing Scarborough’s popular model with additional dimensions of reader engagement and strategy use, we offer a framework that not only respects the complexity of reading but also supports effective teaching practices, aligning with the conference’s focus on characteristics of quality teaching.

This study employed Participatory Action Research (PAR) to explore negativism in vulnerable youth and its implications for teacher education, emphasizing the amplification of pupils' voices and the co-construction of common knowledge regarding responsiveness to challenging behaviors. Drawing on Vygotsky's concepts of double stimulation and common knowledge construction, this study investigated how integrating pupils' perspectives into teacher preparation can enhance understanding of negativism. The research, conducted in a therapeutic boarding school setting, involved 8 student teachers, 8 cooperating teachers, 7 high-school pupils, and a clinical supervisor. Data was collected through partnership meeting transcripts, student-teachers' reflective-dialogue journals, and the researcher's reflective journal portfolio. The metaphor of "porcupine children," introduced as a second stimulus, facilitated a deeper understanding of pupils' defensive behaviors and needs. PAR processes enabled the co-construction of common knowledge between pupils and student teachers, leading to more nuanced interpretations of negativism and supporting a shared language for discussing complex behaviors. Both student teachers and pupils illustrated significant growth throughout the process. This mutual development illustrates the transformative potential of integrating vulnerable youth voices into teacher education. The study revealed how negativism can serve as a gateway to higher forms of development, aligning with Vygotsky's view that behind every negative symptom lies positive content. By facilitating collective meaning-making, promoting deep listening, and alleviating tensions, this approach enhances teacher preparation programs' ability to equip future educators with skills to respond effectively to challenging behaviors while empowering pupils to articulate their needs and experiences. This study contributes to the literature on relational approaches in teacher education, offering strategies to amplify sidelined voices of vulnerable youth and their teachers in educational practice and research. It enables more inclusive environments where educators and students develop agency and mutual understanding in addressing complex behavioral issues, ultimately promoting personal recognition and facilitating active listening in teacher education.

Early career teachers (ECTs) often face a myriad of challenges as they transition from preparation programs into professional employment contexts. Contextual resources, such as relationships in professional and personal spheres, as well as other support or social networks, can play a crucial role in enhancing ECTs’ teacher quality and in promoting the quality of teaching. In Mainland China, the teaching-research group (TRG) system, comprising in-school TRGs and external teaching-research officials, has been a deeply embedded professional contextual resource in the Chinese education system. These collaborative structures have been widely implemented to foster teacher development and improve the quality of teaching.

However, the experiences of ECTs in navigating the TRG system and their quest for quality teaching remain underexplored. This qualitative study examines the experiences of ECTs within the TRG system in Mainland China. Drawing on qualitative data from interviews with 11 ECTs, the research investigates the specific challenges they face, the ways in which they leverage contextual resources, and the strategies they employ to navigate this professional landscape in striving for quality teaching.

The findings shed light on the complex interplay between individual and contextual factors that shape ECTs’ experiences within TRGs. The study also explores ECTs’ agentic behaviour in utilizing informal and personal spheres of contextual resources to compensate for the lack of readily available professional resources within the TRGs.

The study highlights the variation of TRGs as a contextual resource and how Chinese ECTs harness different formal and informal contextual resources to navigate the professional landscape in pursuit of quality teaching. Implications emphasize the importance of fostering a more inclusive and empowering environment to address ECTs’ unique needs, and ECTs’ agentic approach in utilizing a range of contextual resources to navigate the complexities of the TRG system and thrive in their quest for quality teaching.

This presentation seeks to address the role of a teacher education program in relation to Truth and Reconcilia(c)tion education. To do so, Algonquin Anishnàbeg First Nations and non-First Nations colleagues will share their experiences and research collaborations aimed at confronting truth before reconcilia(c)tion. Their work emphasizes the importance of co-creating, co-rewriting, and co-restorying anti-colonial narratives that challenge the settler colonial legacy within teacher education and K-12 schooling. Collaborations with the Kitigan Zibi Anishnàbeg First Nations community highlight how meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities are essential for comprehending and addressing the intergenerational impacts of colonialism in relation to the historical consciousness and lived experiences of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous citizens. In alignment with the 2025 International Study Association on Teachers and Teaching (ISATT) conference theme, “Reconciling Tensions for a New Social Contract in Education,” our research collaborations suggests that the historical and contemporary roles of teacher education played in the residential schooling system and its resulting harms must be fully understood before existing relations and their tensions can be reconciled. Through our partnerships with Residential School Survivors, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers teacher education can be transformed to reflect Canada’s colonial history and the lived experiences of Survivors. Our relational pedagogical approach encourages educators to engage with the deep, often painful truths shared by Survivors, ensuring that reconciliation is grounded in relational accountability rather than performative gestures. Inspired by UNESCO’s “Reimagining Our Futures Together: A New Social Contract for Education,” the presentation critiques current framings of reconciliation that overlook the critical processes of truth-telling. Our relationship with the Kitigan Zibi Anishnàbeg community serves as a model for prioritizing truth-telling and creating, supporting, and sustaining a relational social contract. By integrating Indigenous Knowledges and Survivors’ stories into teacher education, structural changes that honor these truths and foster genuine anticolonial futures can emerge.

Research into the experiences of disabled educators highlights how they draw on their own experiences of isolation in school to inform their teaching. They view themselves as empathetic to the challenges of disabled students and committed to disrupting shame/lowered expectations (Duquette, 2000; Ferri, 2001). Their insights support equitable, inclusive, quality instruction. However, there is limited research on disabled teachers and even less on other adults who work with disabled youth.

We apply Disability Sustaining Pedagogy (DSP) which explicitly draws on the knowledge and lived experiences of disabled individuals. DSP honors disability identities as a cultural form of diversity worthy of sustaining (Rabinowitz et al., 2024), a clear connection to the conference theme. This project highlights the knowledge and strategic maneuvering of disabled educators (defined broadly). We ask: what strategies do educators with disabilities use to sustain their own disability identities and support disabled and nondisabled youth?

We completed semi-structured interviews (Spradley, 1979) with ~25 disabled educators. For analysis, we utilized narrative inquiry methods (Chase, 2011), which center life experiences told by those who live them; we analyzed narrative segments using deductive coding for the tenets of DSP. Amplifying narratives disrupts the history of research about disabled individuals that did not include their perspectives (Valente & Danforth, 2016).

We share how the knowledge of participants continues to develop DSP through illustrative narratives. Participants have expertise in the science of neurodiversity because of their experience with the medical system and personal research. They enact complex embodiment (Siebers, 2008) by leveraging their expertise in neuroscience into non-stigmatizing, concrete teaching practices (e.g. play-based instruction for youth with ADHD to promote dopamine production). They create translational research across disciplines, filtering more medicalized knowledge through the lens of their own identities and experiences, which leads them to consider social implications alongside academics.

Research Aim

This study aims to illustrate how special education teachers self-conceptualise curricula to account for varying levels of cognitive development, in the context of the international drive towards inclusive education (Morrissey, King and Keating, 2024).

Theoretical Framework

The research is underpinned by Norwich’s (2010) Curriculum Aspects theory, which espouses four basic ‘aspects’ as a curriculum structure:

1. General principles / aims

2. Areas of learning

3. Programmes of study

4. Teaching practices

In between a completely common curriculum (applicable to everyone) and a completely different curriculum (applicable to a few), there are five hybrid curriculum options with degrees of commonality and difference, depending on how the four curriculum aspects are varied in particular circumstances. This spectrum acts as a structural assemblage for teachers who ‘want to have it both ways as far as possible’ (Norwich 2013, 66) – essentially, a common curriculum with differentiated aspects.

Methods

A two-phase mixed-methods data-gathering apparatus was employed. Phase 1 consisted of a questionnaire distributed to every special school principal in Ireland. Phase 2 consisted of an embedded case study with three special schools.

Findings

The findings endorse the relevance of the Norwich (2010) model. However, this study establishes that there are other curriculum aspects which teachers recognise (and vary), but which to date have not been theorised sufficiently. In particular, it showcases how teachers employ a relatively imperceptible ‘Support’ aspect, to accessibilise the curriculum.

Relevance

Quality, inclusive teaching for learners with special needs is dependent on how teachers calibrate curricula to ensure equity-based models at the micro-level. This is fundamental in enabling active, socially-just participation in society post-school (Gordon-Gould and Hornby, 2023). This paper, in presenting an inclusive curriculum model, aligns perfectly with the conference theme and will interest researchers concerned with both inclusion and/or philosophical debates around what curriculum should look like in a socially-just society.

This study aims to explore cross-cultural understandings of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) among staff in an international school in Thailand. Specifically, it investigates two key areas: (1) the perspectives of both Thai and Western teaching and leadership staff on SEND, and (2) the influence of culture on SEND provision and inclusive practice at both the micro (individual) and macro (school-wide) levels. Using a grounded theory approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff to capture their insights and experiences. The findings were presented in both traditional formats and through the use of creative non-fiction, providing a nuanced view of how culture shapes both perceptions and practices of inclusion.

The study revealed a disconnect between staff members' personal beliefs about SEND, which were largely shaped by their individual cultural experiences, and their professional practices, which were influenced by the prevailing school culture. The school culture was found to be heavily oriented towards measurable academic outcomes and financial priorities, often at the expense of consistent inclusive practices. The absence of a unified approach to inclusion within the school created significant variation in the quality of SEND provision, leading to inconsistent support for students.

The research highlights the critical need for school leadership to consider the role of culture in shaping inclusive practices within international educational settings. Without a coherent, school-wide approach to inclusion, individual staff members' practices may continue to vary, resulting in potentially inequitable provision for students with SEND. This study underscores the importance of fostering a school culture that prioritises both inclusion and academic achievement, ensuring that all students receive high-quality, consistent support.

This paper will aim to contribute to the conference theme of research on equitable teaching practices.

The project Dispositifs inclusifs pour élèves sourds : Comment s’entendre ? (DINCLUES, 2024-2026) aims to better understand the difficulties and successes encountered by Deaf children and adolescents, with or without associated disabilities, in their schooling in France. In collaboration with the Deaf specialist education centre CESDA in Bordeaux, the project aims to promote quality teaching and learning for Deaf pupils in mainstream schools in the Gironde department. This presentation will focus on how interactions between Deaf pupils, families, CESDA, the Aquitaine teacher education centre and mainstream teachers are promoting quality classroom teaching practices, and whether this shows a difference for Deaf pupils in their experiences of mainstream schooling.

Drawing on works from the inclusive education literature (Ebersold, 2017; Bedoin, 2018; Kohout-Diaz & Strouhal, 2021) and Deaf education literature (Clouard, Roux et Seban-Lefebvre, 2007; Le Capitaine, 2013; Beal-Alvarez, 2017 ; Feuilladieu, 2021), we are interested in exploring how learning environments in France are addressing the needs of Deaf pupils in sustainable ways.

Within a participative research-action framework (Payet et al, 2010; OECD, 2021), qualitative data will be gathered between September 2024 and March 2025 on the experiences of the various stakeholders, in semi-structured interviews. Selected case studies of pedagogical practices will provide data through observations and video recordings of teaching and learning sessions. As the project is in its early stages, findings are not yet available, but intend to focus on (1) how Deaf pupils experienced and responded to adaptive pedagogies in inclusion settings, and (2) the experiences and observations of mainstream and SEN teachers during this process, and (3) suggestions from participants, going forward.

Finally, and in response to the ISATT conference theme, this presentation proposes to discuss questions of how to promote equity and inclusion through effective partnership with schools, within the context of Deaf pupils learning in French mainstream settings, supported by multiple stakeholders.

Globally, skepticism surrounding professionalism in education has raised questions about how effectively teachers meet students' needs and their authority in doing so. Current initiatives to professionalize teacher education (TE) face challenges from neoliberal reforms that promote alternative teaching pathways and performance-based accountability measures. In light of such external pressures, this conceptual paper explores the future of TE while addressing complexities inherent to professionalism in education. To this end, two competing ideals of teaching are examined: the teacher as an expert clinician, reflecting expertise-driven professionalism, and the teacher as a democratic pedagogue, rooted in democratic professionalism. To support this argument, I review the literature discussing professionalism within teaching and TE. To explore the expert clinician ideal and its implications for TE, I draw on Abbott’s ecological perspective on expert labor and Bernstein’s concept of ‘recontextualization.’ To investigate the democratic pedagogue ideal, I utilize Biesta’s framework of ‘democratic professionality’ and concepts of democratizing teacher knowledge as foundational to the epistemology of democratic TE. The comparative analysis of these ideals is structured by three emerging features of teachers’ work and learning to teach that the two conceptions treat differently: (a) The goals of the teaching occupation defining teachers’ commitments and central tasks; (b) the nature of teachers’ professional authority; and (c) the epistemology of TE. By recognizing the limitations and clashing logics of both ideals, I propose potential ways to integrate these competing discourses rather than treating them as dichotomous ends. This integration aims to create a more nuanced and pragmatic approach to discussing professionalism in teaching and its implications for TE. Practically, I call for establishing venues for ongoing dialogue among stakeholders from the professional and academic bodies, governmental authorities, and the local community regarding the aims of education, the nature of teachers’ authority, and the epistemology of TE.

Homeroom teachers (HTs) in Israeli schools act as the pedagogical and administrative "managers" of their classes in addition to their role as subject matter teachers.

HT plays a significant role in students' achievements, sense of belonging, well-being, and ability to deal with stressful situations. However, there is no clear definition of the HT role. The present study aimed to illustrate HT's role through four dimensions: HT-student relationships, HT-class relationships, HT relationships with the school staff, and HT-parents relationships. The links between the four dimensions and students' self-esteem and sense of belonging (Jewish and Arab) in middle school were examined.

Data were collected from 1770 middle school students (1090 Jews and 680 Arabs) and 57 HTs (27 Jews and 32 Arabs). Students and HTs completed a questionnaire of HT's four dimensions. In addition, students reported on their self-esteem and sense of belonging.

Factor analysis confirmed the division into four dimensions of HT role dimensions. In addition, findings revealed a correlation between students' (Jews and Arabs) perception of the HT's functions and the student's sense of belonging and self-esteem. T-test analysis between Jewish and Arab students revealed differences in three dimensions (HT-student relations, HT-class relations, and HT involvement in the organization). In each of these dimensions, the Arab students gave their teachers a higher score than Jewish students. No difference was found in the HT-parent relationship dimension. Furthermore, among Jewish, correlations were found between students and HTs regarding the HT role dimensions.

Several conclusions emerged from the research: (1) students' perceptions of HT's function relate to their functioning in school. (2) Arabs and Jewish students and HTs differ in their perceptions of HTs functioning. (3) Teacher training needs to address the role of HTs in all four dimensions.

This paper explores the findings of a Delphi professional symposium, which was embedded in a research project funded by the Society for Educational Studies. The purpose was to examine the extent to which university faculty, associate faculty and school based mentors evaluating/assessing teacher candidates applied consistent patterns and criteria of judgment; drew on the similar observational strategies and voiced similar patterns of justification for such judgment. This element in the research brought together international respected authorities to explore in detail the preliminary findings from earlier phases, which drew upon Social judgment theory (SJT). This approach supported and informed the enquiry (Cooksey, 1998; 1996) and emphasised careful identification and analysis of the context of judgment and the cues and policies used by judges hence making it fit for an investigation into the judgments teacher educators make in coming to a judgement as to early career teacher efficacy. The preliminary findings emerged from an extensive literature review and a tri-nation (England, Wales, Scotland) study of the particular charcateristics of different categories of judges (university faculty/associatetutors/school-based mentors).

Methods: The Delphi method (Green, 2014) brought together nine (9) national and international experts in education to take up these findings in a full day of discussion and consensus building. Drawing upon a four phase, iterative process of questions interspersed with controlled feedback, the goal was to generate a reliable consensus opinion on the priorities afforded to different considerations in the judgement of new teachers’ practices, Each phase was afforded ever greater refinement of the categories of judgment.

Findings:

Some complex themes emerged, including;

the conflation of competence and judgment

the complexity afforded by stakeholder/democratic imperatives

accountability and power

translation problems between different constituencies

the clhallenge of con text and consistency

collaboration and consistency

challenges in maintaining an intergenerational conversation

emerging models and 'clinical' practice

In the 21st century, new social, expressed through the globalization of the economy, technological advancements, human mobility, and environmental concerns , are driving changes in educational systems, teaching practices, and teacher identity. The main research question is: how does the reconfiguration of teacher identity and teacher professionalization of teachers occur in response to these new social demands to achieve more equitable education? The general objective is to examine teacher identity and teacher professionalization, considering changes in basic education pedagogical practice in interactions with quality teaching for a more equitable world. The study methodology is based on narratives. Thirty testimonies from basic education teachers in Brazil were obtained. The study employs the Positioning Theory, the Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) (Engeström, 2008); Analysis of Narratives and Narrative Analysis (Creswell, 2016), teacher identity theories (Marcelo, 2009), and the Multidimensional Adapted Process Model (MADP) (Metsäpelto, et al, 2022). Preliminary results indicate that teachers, most of whom are female, decide to pursue their profession due to family influence and continue to be enthusiastic about teaching. Regarding changes in their profession, the following were indicated: skills for the insertion of digital technologies, welcoming of inclusion students, pedagogical practices for collaborative learning and large-scale assessment. It is worth noting that this is a collaborative research project carried out with the participation of researchers from several countries: Brazil, India, Poland, Finland, Germany, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong. The interactions enable the sharing of knowledge and an expanded understanding of teacher training and professional performance.

As political and social structures continually frame teachers as either monsters or heroes,
teaching professionsals have used social media to share and strengthen their identities as
human beings and competent professionals. By examining the counterspaces teachers have
created on Instagram and TikTok, a team of international researchers investiagte how teachers
use social media to present multiple plotlines of identity in a shared space. By incorporating
global perspectives and the expansive social media environment, an important element of
teacher identity is more fully investigated through a grounded theory approach. This paper
demonstrates how social media community enactment allows teachers to rebel against
narrow, dualisitic images of self to expansive, holistic, and robust idenities that both support
and create practices, methods, and beliefs for a variety of teachers and disciplines.