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    • Belinda Schmolke
      https://www.ecu.edu.au/__data/assets/image/0008/962009/Belinda-Schmolke.jpg
    • Belinda Schmolke

      Belinda Schmolke

Belinda Schmolke

Project title:

  • Positive veteran science and maths teachers

Supervisors:

Summary of thesis:

What can the novice teachers of today learn from the positive veteran science and maths teachers of today to become the positive veteran teachers of tomorrow?

While the teacher career trajectory literature suggests many teachers wind down in the final stages of their careers, the same literature reveals a small cohort, described as positive veteran teachers who remain positive, enthusiastic, and passionate right through until retirement. A systematic review of literature published in English between 2000 and 2020 reveals the characteristics of positive veteran teachers to be varied and multi-faceted. Positive veteran teachers are defined as having been in the classroom more than 20 years or are older than 40 years; they demonstrate a strong sense of agency and professional identity including a continuing desire to experiment and embrace changes; a high level of personal comfort in their teaching role and a willingness to take on leadership roles. Leadership roles can be either formal or informal and are acknowledged within the school context.

Most of the existing research has investigated the general characteristics of positive veteran teachers as a whole and while some studies have been undertaken within subject domains, there is as yet no clear differentiation between the characteristics of positive veteran Science/Mathematics teachers and the general cohort. This research aims to investigate potential differentiation by interviewing purposefully selected positive veteran Science/Mathematics teachers in Western Australia to determine whether general characteristics from the wider literature apply to this specific teacher group. Transcripts of semi-structured face-to-face interviews will be thematically analysed for similarities and potential differences between positive veteran Science/Mathematics teachers and the existing literature. Based upon the findings, the study aims to offer recommendations to stakeholders and policy makers regarding enabling novice Science/Mathematics teachers of today to become the positive veteran Science/Mathematics teachers of tomorrow.

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