Social class and teaching in Ireland: A mixed-methods exploration of the impact of social class background upon perceptions of initial teacher education and teaching careers

Throughout Ireland, ongoing policies aimed at recruiting under-represented groups into teaching, in addition to an increasingly diversifying population, and teacher shortage, necessitate an examination of class-related factors which can affect teacher careers. I employed an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study to explore experiences in ITE, experiences of teacher career entry, as well as wider career experiences, in teachers from diverse social class backgrounds throughout Ireland (North and South). I first collected quantitative and qualitative data via an online questionnaire from 265 participants, then conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 of the 265 questionnaire participants. Findings suggest teachers from working class backgrounds suppress classed aspects of their backgrounds to succeed in ITE; whereas teachers from privileged backgrounds employ the norms of privileged classes to extend their professional networks. Teachers from working class backgrounds differed from peers from privileged backgrounds in accessing support from educational professionals in preparation for teacher interviews. There were statistically significant differences in average ratings of satisfaction with students and parents among teachers in DEIS- and/or RAISE-designated schools: teachers from privileged backgrounds had significantly lower ratings than teachers from working class backgrounds. Teachers from working class backgrounds displayed an affinity with DEIS- and/or RAISE-designated schools, whereas teachers from privileged backgrounds distanced themselves from these schools. Lastly, there were classed differences in attitudes about diversification of the teaching profession, with participants from privileged backgrounds expressing bias against teachers from working class and/or minoritised ethnic backgrounds. This study provides evidence of class-differentiated interpretations of ITE, disparities in preparation for teaching interviews, evidence that class impacts engagement with students from different class backgrounds and attitudes toward teacher diversity. Recommendations include a review of teacher hiring practices, incorporation of professional mentors in ITE for students from working class backgrounds, and collaboration among Ireland’s ITE programmes and teacher professional development providers to foster greater consistency in culturally responsive learning.

Publisher

University of Galway

Rights

CC BY-NC-ND

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University of Galway Theses (PhD Theses)