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Out-of-Field Teaching Across Teaching Disciplines and Contexts pp 23–48Cite as

Defining Teaching Out-of-Field: An Imperative for Research, Policy and Practice

Abstract

A lack of common understanding of what constitutes out-of-field teaching can make it difficult to assess the extent and impact of out-of-field teaching. This project draws on existing research findings to ascertain a definition for teaching out-of-field that can be translated across jurisdictions, and which can inform policy, practice and research. Funded by the Victorian Department of Education and Training, the project uses the state’s policy context to develop a definition of out-of-field teaching for secondary schools in Victoria. We conducted a review of the literature (2010–2020). Definitions of what constitutes an in-field and out-of-field teacher were developed based on criteria derived from the literature. For external validation, these definitions were presented to experts to ascertain usefulness, applicability and implications in the Victorian context. The outcome is a multi-faceted definition that provides a measure of alignment, risk and capability. Suggestions are provided for how the definition can be ‘put to work’ as a tool for managing the out-of-field phenomenon.

Keywords

  • Definition
  • Regulations and policies
  • Teaching out-of-field

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Victorian Government Department of Education and Training in 2020. We thank the experts who participated in the interviews to inform this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC, Australia

    Linda Hobbs, Coral Campbell, Chris Speldewinde & Jerry Lai

  2. Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, Australia

    Seamus Delaney

  3. Intersect Australian, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Jerry Lai

Authors
  1. Linda Hobbs
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  2. Coral Campbell
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  3. Seamus Delaney
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  4. Chris Speldewinde
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  5. Jerry Lai
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Linda Hobbs .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC, Australia

    Assoc. Prof. Linda Hobbs

  2. Faculty of Humanities, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany

    Prof. Dr. Raphaela Porsch

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Hobbs, L., Campbell, C., Delaney, S., Speldewinde, C., Lai, J. (2022). Defining Teaching Out-of-Field: An Imperative for Research, Policy and Practice. In: Hobbs, L., Porsch, R. (eds) Out-of-Field Teaching Across Teaching Disciplines and Contexts. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-9328-1_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-9328-1_2

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