TAP research report 2018

Abstract

The Teacher as Practitioner (TAP) project is unique in combining a longitudinal approach (now into its eight year) and a quasi-experimental design (its intervention being participation in a themed annually curated group exhibition/exposition) in providing empirical grounds for claims about the role and place of 'practice' in becoming practitioner in early career teaching, supporting quality of teaching as practitioner and improved teacher retention. Notwithstanding that few studies to date have gathered evidence over a comparable time scale, and teacher retention research has a dearth of intervention studies, the research presented here is also a much needed contribution to studies that attend to practice as a central concern for education across all disciplines.

TAP is building evidence that small but well-designed practice-based interventions can have a positive impact on perceptions of quality of teaching, and that developing a practitioner 'identity' has an impact on expectations of retention. One implication of this is the realisation that learning communities and schools can retain effective and engaged teachers for longer through continued professional learning strategies. A more important implication concerns quality of teaching as evidence is emerging to support the claim that even small amounts of 'practitioner activity' can increase the quality of teaching in our classrooms.

This article reports a number of key findings concerning practice. Firstly, a 'practitioner' identity. seems to affect the amount of practice they do and to a larger extent their quality of teaching. Identity also has an impact on teachers' perceptions of retention in the profession: with a particularly significant relationship between identity and retention for those who identified as practitioners who teach. We define a practitioner who teaches as one who is engaged in activities related to professional practice, or a teacher who practices in their field or across disciplinary domains as a teacher practitioner. Whilst identity was the key driver in perceptions of retention, neither early career teacher status nor length of career (in years) had a statistical impact on retention. Moreover, the TAP intervention itself appears to be having a positive impact on participants' practice. For the whole sample, TAP participants generally practice more than the control group. This practice, in turn, seems to have a small, but significant effect on these individuals' perceptions of teaching quality. While there is no direct relationship between participation in TAP and increased retention, observable trends shows that TAP participants are generally more inclined to stay in teaching once they have moved beyond the early career stage of their teaching.

Full text

A case for the impact of practice: The Teacher as
Practitioner (TAP) report, 2018
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1. School!of!Education,!Edith!Cowan!University,!Western!Australia,!Australia!
2. Melbourne! Graduate! School! of! Education,! The! University! of! Melbourne,! Victoria,! Australia!
!
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(TAP!participant,!2018).!
!
Abstract(
The!Teacher!as!Practitioner!(TAP)!project!is!unique!in! combining!a! longitudinal! approach!(now!into! its!
eight!year)! and! a! quasi-experimental!design! (its! intervention! being! participation!in!a!themed! annually!
curated!group!exhibition/exposition)!in!providing!empirical!grounds!for!claims!about!the!role!and!place!
of!‘practice’! in! >38(4$1@!practitioner! in!early! career! teaching,! supporting!quality! of! teaching! %*!
practitioner!and!improved!teacher!retention.!! Notwithstanding!that!few! studies! to!date!have!gathered!
evidence! over! a! comparable! time! scale,! and! teacher! retention! research!has!a! dearth! of! intervention!
studies,! the! research! !presented!here! is! also! a! much! needed! contribution!to! studies! that! attend! to!
practice!as!a!central!concern!for!education!across!all!disciplines.!!!
!
TAP!is!building!evidence!that!small!but! well-designed! practice-based!interventions!can!have!a!positive!
impact!on!perceptions!of!quality!of!teaching,!and!that!developing!a!practitioner!‘identity’!has!an!impact!
on! expectations! of! retention.!One! implication! of! this! is! the! realisation! that! learning! communities! and!
schools!can! retain! effective! and! engaged!teachers! for! longer!through! continued! professional! learning!
strategies.! ! A! more! important! implication! concerns! quality! of! teaching!as!evidence! is! emerging! to!
support!the!claim!that!even!small!amounts!of!‘practitioner!activity’!can!increase!the!quality!of!teaching!
in!our!classrooms.!
!
This!article!reports!a!number!of!key!findings!concerning!practice.!Firstly,!a!‘practitioner’!identity.!seems!
to!affect!the!amount!of!practice!they!do!and!to!a!larger!extent!their!quality!of!teaching.!Identity!also!has!
an! impact! on! teachers’! perceptions! of! retention! in! the! profession:! with! a! particularly!significant!
relationship! between! identity! and!retention! for! those! who! identified! as! practition ers! who! teach.! We!
define!a!practitioner!who!teaches!as!one!who!is!engaged!in!activities!related!to!professional!practice,!or!
a! teacher! who! practices! in! their! field! or! across! disciplinary! domains! as! a! teacher! practitioner.! Whilst!
identity!was!the!key!driver!in!perceptions!of!retention,!neither!early!career!teacher!status!nor!length!of!
career!(in!years)!had!a!statistical!impact!on!retention.! Moreover,!the!TAP!intervention!itself!appears!to!
be!having!a! positive!impact!on!participants’!practice.!For!the!whole! sample,! TAP!participants!generally!
practice!more!than!the!control!group.!This!practice,!in!turn,!seems!to!have!a!small,!but!significant!effect!
on! these! individuals’! perceptions! of! teaching! quality.! While! there! is! no! direct! relationship! between!

participation! in! TAP! and! increased! retention,! observable!trends!shows! that! TAP! participants! are!
generally!more!inclined!to!stay!in!teaching!once!they!have!moved!beyond!the!early!career!stage!of!their!
teaching.!!
(
Introduction(
Since!2010,! The! Teacher! as! Practitioner!(TAP)!project!has! offered! a! community!of!practice!for!early!
career!teachers!which!supports!and!encourages!the!continuation!of!their!art!making.!Qualitative!data!
collected! as! part! of! the! TAP! survey! suggest! that! participation! minimises! the! sense! of! isolation!
experienced! by! artists,! and! creates! a! connection! between! graduates! that! extends! beyond! the!
teaching!profession:!
!!
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@)%9"%.3&%).$*.*D!(TAP!2017!research!participant).!
!
Whilst!another!participant!expanded!on!the!reciprocal!benefits!of!TAP!participation:!
!
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It!seems!fitting!then!that!the!theme!and!title!of!the!2018!exhibition/exposition!that!constitutes!the!TAP!
intervention!–!Community:!Becoming!With!–!is!also!emblematic!of!the!communal!dimensions!of!practice!
that! show! up! in! the! data! set! examined! in! this! report.! That! is,! the! complex! and! significant!
interdependencies! between! practitioner! identity,! quality! of! teaching! and! retention! in! the! profession!
reported!here,!exist!within!a!context!in!which!both!=)%8.$83!and!>3$1@-a-practitioner!also!accommodates!
shared! experiences! of! >38(4$1@!practitioner! across! time! and! place.! Hence! the!longitudinal! nature! of!
TAP! not! only! affords! the! grounding! causal! claims! in!evidence,! but! it! also! provides! insights! into!
fundamental!questions! concerning!whether!teacher/practitioner! identity! is! a! proclamation!of!who!one!
$*!or! a! description! of! one’s! ongoing! process! of! becoming.! Addressing! the! retention! and! quality! of!
teachers!hinges!upon!answers!to!such!questions!and!therefore!invites!a! closer!examination!of! the!sites!
of!practice!offered!by!TAP.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!
This,! the! eighth! annual! report! on! the! survey! results! for! the! TAP!project,! marks! the! continued!
consolidation!of!a!move!towards!investigating!practice!across!disciplinary!borders!and!boundaries.!!TAP!
began! with! a! Visual! Art! Secondary! focus,!and! while! that! remains! its! central! focus,! over! the! past! two!
years! it! has! begun! the! process! of! examining! if! and! how! the! idea! of! practice! as! elucidated! from! the!
experiences! of!early! career! art! teachers! as! practitioners! might! also! apply! to! early! career! science!
teachers! as! practitioners.! !In! late! 2017! TAP’s! scope! was! further! extended! through! the! invitation! of!
Secondary! Science! graduate! teachers! and! a! science! education! specialist! into! the! TAP! community! of!
practice-based!educators.!The!inclusion!of!an!undergraduate!program,! new! disciplinary!area!and!team!

members!marked!a!turn!towards!a!re-examination!of!the!praxis,!practice!and!pedagogy!that!was!already!
an!important!feature! of! TAP.! This!(re)orientation!towards!a!refined! understanding! of! practitioners!and!
the! move! to! a! multi-site! context! necessitated! the! project’s! new! moniker;! Teacher! as! Practitioner!
suitably! broadening! the! scope! o f! the! project! to! accommodate! other! disciplinary! and! interdisciplinary!
conceptions!and! instantiations! of! practice.! This! has! brought! new! challenges! to! understanding! and!
investigating!the!nature!of!practice;!especially!given!that!practitioners’!discipline-based!ontological!and!
epistemic! commitments! shape! what! they! see! as! constituting! practice! both! as! an! individual! and! a!
collective!enterprise!-&%&8(44"1$.0B!!!!!!!
!
Each!year!this!project!has!undergone!a!tangible!shift,!as!each!incoming!practitioner!cohort!brought!with!
them!new! material! practices,!experiences!and! knowledge,!whilst!new! TAP! research!team!membership!
invited! fresh! approaches ! into! both! the! community! and! also! its! cu lminating! exhibition.! This! year! is! no!
different!and!has!called!for!significant!changes!to!the!research!instruments!and!ways!of!interpreting!the!
resultant! data.! These! shifts! have! reflected! new! insights! into! practice-based! pedagogies,! practitioner!
identities,!and!practice-based!research!in!response! to!the!diversity!of!the!project!team! and! participant!
cohort.!For!instance,!questions!in!the!survey!instruments!pertaining!to!practice!had!to!contend!with!the!
degree!to!which!the!concept!of!practice!–!or!the!kinds!of!embodied!activities!the!term!practice!indexes!–!
could! translate! between! the! world! of! the! teacher-artist! practitioner! and! their! scientific! counterpart.!
What! this! example! illustrates! is! how! the! shift! to! Teacher! as! Practitioner! has! raised! new! theoretical,!
methodological,!and!interpretive!questions!that!not!only!inform!how!the!project!addresses!disciplinary!
practices!beyond!the!arts,!but!also!how!one!might!re-examine!the! legacy!and!foundation! which!is!TAP.!
Hence,! the! research!findings! and! interpretations! offered!here! should! be! read,! at! least! in! part,!in! the!
context! of! the! project’s! ongoing! inquiry! into!the! disciplinary! and! transdisciplinary! nature! of! what! it!
means!to!be!an!active!practitioner.!
!
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N7OP&5Q+5&)3*3%)8/&=%).$8$=%1.SB!
!
As! the! shift! in! TAP! occurred! in! recent! years,! significant! changes!in! the! team! structure! of! the! project!
resulted!in!new!ways!of!exploring!the!phenomena!that!is,!TAP.!No!longer!seen!as!a!project,!but!rather!a!
methodological!approach!to!teaching!teachers!in!both!institutional!programs,!and!supporting!their!early!
careers!as!a!community!of!practice,!TAP!has!become! (necessarily)!an! entangled! force! in! initial!teacher!
education!(ITE)!at!MGSE!and!in!ECU’s!visual!arts!&!design!learning!areas.!Since!2010,!TAP’s!longitudinal!
research!design! has! explored! the! hypothesis!that! maintaining!an!early!career!teacher’s!(ECT)!personal!
practice!in! the!discipline!in!which! they! were!trained!and!now!teach,! increases!their!perceptions!of! the!
quality!of!teaching,!as!well!as!ECT’s!expectations!of!remaining!in!the!workforce.!!
!
In! the! context! of! art! educators,! Irwin! and! O’Donoghue! (2012)! suggested! that! “preparing! secondary!
school! art! specialists! is! not! just! about! preparing! educators! for! teaching! art,! it! is! also! about! artists!
preparing! to! teach! and! artists! preparing! to! produce! art! while! teaching”! (p.! 222).! They! reveal! the!
difference! that! practitioner! inquiry! has! made! in! their! professional! practice,! their! understanding! of!
student! learning,! their! content! area! knowledge,! and! their! career! trajectories.! This! extensive! work! by!
visual!art!researchers! now! informs! a! wider! conversation! about! teachers! becoming! active!practitioners.!

TAP! is! evolving! to! become! an! examination! of! how! practitioner! inquiry! impacts!professional! practice,!
school! culture,! and! career! trajectories.!It! is! looking! to! embrace! the! use! of! complexity! and! network!
theories! to! understand! how! practitioner!inquiry! is! able!to! create! its!ripple!effect.!It! is! seeking! greater!
use! of! testimonies! from! educators! with! experience! as! inquirers.! It! is!extending! its! scope!to! include!
practices! from! other! school!settings,! classroom! and! leadership! roles,! general! education! and! specialist!
settings.!TAP!is!not!only!working!across!traditional!disciplinary!boundaries,!but!also!across!the! arbitrary!
distinction!between!practice!and!theory.!
!
Significant!evidence!points!to!the!quality!of!teaching!as!the!most!significant!factor!in!improving!student!
learning! outcomes! (Hattie,! 2003).! Evidence! also! supports! the! view! that! efforts! to! understand! and!
promote! the! retention! of! ECTs! beyond! approximately! 5! years! in! the! workforce! are! an! international!
concern! (Buchanan,! Prescott,! Schuck,! Aubusson,! Burke! &! Louviere,! 2013).! Hence! TAP’s! significance! in!
addressing!Australia’s!need!for!quality!teachers,!and!its!need!to!keep!them!practicing!positively!in!both!
the! classroom! and! also! in! the! school! both! during! and! also! beyond! the! critical! early! years! after!
graduation.! This! focus! on! the! teacher-as-artist,! -researcher,! -educator! and! -practitioner! stimulated!
further!consideration!into!the!question!concerning!the!transferability!of!the!phenomena!investigated!by!
TAP!to!practice-based!subjects!other!than!visual!art!–!in! this!case,!science!education,!with!potential!for!
other!learning!areas!to!also!be!included!in!future,!including!other!art!form!practices.!
!
In!many!ways!ECTs!in!the!sciences!encounter!issues!not!unlike!art!practitioners.!For!instance!in!the!way!
they!negotiate!that!continuous!movement!that!spans!their!disciplinary!training,!their!practice!within!the!
community!defined!by! that! discipline,!their!experiences!of! learning!about!and! enacting!the!teaching! of!
that!discipline,!and!how!this!comes!to!define!who!they!are! in!the!space!of!teaching.!Do!these!roles!and!
disciplinary! identities! overlap?! Is! the! actual! day-to-day! work! of! each! very! different?! The! context,!
audience! and! purpose! dramatically! shift! away! from! the! teacher,! to! the! artist! students! and! to! other!
practitioners!in!each!role.!How! do! we! live!and!work!in! this!entangled!and!often!liminal!space?!Indeed,!
the! word! ‘space’!here! points!to! another! parallel,! namely:! the! role! that!spaces!like!the! studio! and! the!
laboratory!play!in!negotiating!practice!across!a!lifetime!–!bearing!in!mind!that!such!spaces!are!very!often!
shared! with! colleagues,! students,! outsiders,! peers,! mentors,! family,! friends,! and! others.! Thus,! the!
research! presented! here! is! likely! to! inform! ontological! explorations,! deeper! inquiries!into! disciplinary!
and! trans-disciplinary! practices,!and! the! relationships! to! education,! professional! life!and! identity,! and!
community,!amongst!other!things.!
!
We!have!now!cemented!the! research!relationship! between! the!MGSE!and!ECU,! who! are!contributing!
significantly! to! the! research! impact! and! reach! of! TAP;! providing! a! third! year! of! continuous! data ! from!
their!Bachelor! of! Education!cohort.!!This! has! also!added! a! new! layer! of! analysis,! as! we! investigate!the!
role! and! place! of! identity! in! graduate! >38(4$1@!teachers! who! have! a! practice! (MGSE),! qualified! by!
credentials! and! industry! experience! as! artists,! designers! and! scientists,! and! those! >38(4$1@!teachers!
(ECU)! as! they! develop! practice! in! an! undergraduate! program.! !When! added! to! the!MGSE! !science!
educators! who! have! joined! the! project! in! recent! years,! we! are! establishing!a! baseline! of! data! from! a!
broader!group!of!early!career!teachers.!!!!
!
In! the! context! of! the! expanded!research! scope! offered! by! the! current! TAP! configuration,! three! key!

research!questions!have! guided! the! 2018!analytic!focus!on!practice,!practice! and! teaching! quality,!and!
practice!and!retention.!These!questions!have!remained!throughout!the!eight!years!of!TAP,!but!they!now!
carry!fresh!significance!due!to!the!emerging!cross-disciplinary!nature!of!the!new!structure:!
•! Question! 1! (Does! early! career! teaching! impact! participants’! practice?)! explores! rates! in!
participants’!practice!over!time.!Participants’!amount!of!time!practicing!is! collected! in!hours!per!
week,!and!this!is!mapped!to!years!since!graduation.!
•! Question! 2! (Do! participants’! perceptions! of! ‘quality! of! teaching’! change! over! time,! and! does!
practice!have! any! impact! on!these! changes?)! explores! how!early!career! teachers! perceive! their!
own!quality!of!teaching!against!the!P)$18$=#3*&(?&T3%)1$1@&%19&73%8/$1@!(Department!of!Education!
and! Training,! 2018).! Participation! in! TAP! is! also! analysed! as! an! independent! variable! on!
individuals’!perceptions!of!teaching!quality,!as!well!as!their!self-selected!identity.!
•!Question!3!(Do!participants’!expectations!of!retention!in!teaching!change!over!time,!and! does!
practice! have! any! impact! on! these! changes?)! explores! participants’! intention! to! remain! in!
teaching!and!whether!TAP!participation!impacts!on!retention!in!the!profession.!
!
This!report!presents!the! latest!survey!method,!analysis!strategy,!and! results!bearing!in!mind!that!these!
necessarily!build!upon!and!articulate!with!previous!TAP!reports!and!the!overall!context!and!rationale!for!
TAP,!which!is!explored!in!greater!detail!therein.!
!
Research(Design(
Sampling)
Two! groups! are! convenience! sampled! from!the!MGSE! and! ECU.! Participants!self-select! into! the! two!
groups:!!a! control! group! that! completes!an!annual! survey,! and! an!experimental!group! that! completes!
the!survey!and!participates! in! an! annual!exhibition,!respectively.!Additionally,! in!the! survey! responses,!
participants!self-identify! as! having! one! of! the! following! identities:! a! practitioner,! a! practitioner! who!
teaches,!a!teacher!who!also!practices,!and!a!teacher.!This!allows!for!analysis!of!other!surveyed!data!with!
respect!to!participants’!self-reported!identities.!
!!
Data)analysis)
The!full!TAP!survey!has!66!items,!exploring!the!impact!of!early!career!teaching!on!practice,!the!impact!of!
practice! on! both! the! quality! of! teaching! and! also! on! retention! in! teaching.! Quantitative! data! are!
collected! through! an! annual! online! survey,! with! a! range! of! binary! response! items! (yes/no)! and! Likert!
scales.! Qualitative! data! are! also! collected! through! the! survey! that! provide! us! with! personal! practice!
insights.!
!
Similar!to!previous!years,!three!key!research!questions!guided!the!2018!analysis.!Question!1!(Does!early!
career! teaching! impact! participants’! practice?)! explores! rates! in! participants’! reported! practice! over!
time.!Participants’!amount!of!time!practicing!is!collected!in!hours!per!week,!and!this!is!mapped!to!years!
since!graduation.!Question!2!(Do!participants’!perceptions!of!‘quality!of!teaching’!change!over!time,!and!
does! practice! have! any! impact! on! these! changes?)!explores! how! early! career! teachers! perceive! their!
own! quality! of! teaching! using! the! structure! of! the! Victorian! Department! of! Education! and! Training’s!
(2018)!P)$18$=#3*&(?&T3%)1$1@&%19&73%8/$1@!(POLT).!!In!addition,!participation!in!TAP!is!also!analysed!as!an!
independent! variable!on!individuals’! own!perceptions! of! teaching!quality,! as! well! as!their!self-selected!

identity.!Question!3!(Do!participants’!expectations! of!retention!in! teaching! change!over! time,! and! does!
practice!have!any!impact!on!these!changes?)!explores!participants’!intention!to!remain!in!teaching!and!
whether!TAP!participation!impacts!on!retention!in!the!profession.!
!
For!this!analysis!ANOVAs! were!used!to!determine!any! significance! between! groups! (TAP! or! control,! or!
identity! groupings).! Correlations! were! also! used! to! determine! relationships! between! the! dependent!
variables,!using! Pearson’s! U!to!indicate! a! small! (.10),! medium!(.30)!or! strong! (.50)! correlation!(Cohen,!
1992).! While! there! are! some! repeated! measures! ANOVAs! that! explored! changes! for! individuals! over!
time,! most! of! the! ANOVAs! analysed! the! data! using! time! (as! opposed! to! individual! participant)! as! an!
identification!variable.! This! was! because! we! were! interested! in! how! the! experience! of! teaching! and!
practice!changed!over!time!and!the!trends!that!emerged!from!each!year!of!teaching.!For!the!most!part,!
omega-squared! effect! sizes! were! calculated! from! the! ANOVAs,! where! .01!is! a! sm all! effect! size,! .06! a!
medium!and!.14!a!large!effect!size!(Kline,!1999).!!
!
Results(
The!total!sample!includes!173!participants!who!responded!to!the!survey!635!times!across!the!past!eight!
years.! The! majority! of! participants! (86%)! had! graduated! from! the! University! of! Melbourne,! while! the!
remaining!14%!of!participants!graduated!from! Edith! Cowan! University.!The!majority!of!the!longitudinal!
data!set!were!art!major!teachers!(98%),!1%!had!art!and!science!as!their!major!and!minor!subject!areas,!
and! the! remaining! 1%! were! science! teachers.! In! the! current! longitudinal! data! set,! 69%! of! responses!
were! from! early!career! teachers! (in! the!first! five! years! of! their!career),! while! the! remaining! 31%! had!
been!teaching!for!six!or!more!years.!
!
Question)1:)Does)early)career)teaching)impact)participants’)practice?)
<KG3)0&*/(A&;&/%G3&3L/$>$.39&$1&/%*&>331&%&#3%)1$1@&3L=3)$3183&%19&./30&%#*(&(=31&"=&V"$.3&%&>$.&(?&
8)3%.$G3&9$*8(")*3D&N7OP&=%).$8$=%1.,&5Q+WSB&
&
A!repeated!measures!ANOVA!was!conducted!on!the!longitudinal!data!to!explore!the!difference!between!
the! number! of! years! teaching! and ! the! amount! of! time! participants! spent! on! their! practice! per! week.!
Mauchly’s!test!indicated!that!the!assumption!of!sphericity!had!been!violated,𝜒5(27)!=!.00,!=&X&B00,!which!
was!likely!due!to!the!minimal!variance!in!responses!across!the!data!set.!Therefore,!Greenhouse-Geisser!
corrected!tests! are! reported! (ε!=! .232).! The! results!showed! length! of! time!teaching! had! no!significant!
effect!on! the! time! participants!spent! on!their!discipline! practice,! Y(1.62,! 16.25)!=! .94,! =&=! .085,! ω2!=! -
.0003.!!
!
While!the!amount!of!time!participants!spent!on!their!practice!did!not!change!greatly!from!year!to!year,!
the! data! were!explored! in!more! detail! to! determine! if!early! career!teacher! status!or! identity!had! any!
effect!on!amount!of!practice.!A!one-way!ANOVA!of!participants!who!were!mostly!employed!as!teachers!
in! the! past! 12! months ,!f ound! that! ECT! status! also! did! not! have! a! s ignificant! effect! on! the! amount! of!
practice!per! week!for!participants,!Y&(9,!405)!=.472,! =&=!.894,!ω2=!.01.!It! also!did!not!have!an!effect!on!
their! desire! to! practice,! Y& (1,! 625)! =! 2.49,! =& =! .115,! ω2<! .01.! However,! when! exploring! the! effect! of!
identity! on! participants’! amount! of! practice,! there! was! a! significant! difference! (shown! in! figure! 1).!

Practitioners!who!teach!increased! their! practice!after!six!years!of!teaching;!practitioners! generally! had!
higher!amounts!of!practice,!but!this!also!increased!in!years!seven!and!eight.!
!
(
Y$@")3&+B!Median!amount!of!time!per!week!spent!on!practice!by!participants,!where!1!=!0-5!hours,!2!=!6-
15!hours,!3!=!16-25!hours,!4!=!26-35!hours,!5!=!40+!hours.!
!
A!Pearson’s!correlation!showed!a!moderate!correlation!between!identity!and!time!spent!on!practice!(in!
hours!per! week),! )!=!-.409,! =&Z&.001.! A! follow-up! one-way! ANOVA!found!a! significant!difference!with!a!
small-moderate!effect!size,!Y(3,!592)!=!94.12,!=&Z&.001,!ω2!=!.32.!Of!all!participants,!those!who!identified!
as!a! practitioner!who!teach,!generally!spent!the!most!time! on! their!practice!('& =!4.61,&[\&=!.52)!while!
those!who!identified!at!teachers!spent!the!least!time!doing!practice!('&=!3.00,&[\!=!1.11).!This!validates!
to!some!degree!the!self-identity!categories!used!within!TAP.&
!
Question)2:)Do)participants’)perceptions)of)‘quality)of)teaching’)change)over) time,)and)does)practice)
have)any)impact)on)these)changes?)
)
Items!28!to!40! of! the! TAP!survey!ask!participants! to!report!on!their! teaching! quality!in!alignment! with!
the!POLT.!While!POLT!is!used!in!Victoria,!the!same!sentiment!is!echoed!in!ECU’s!educational!jurisdiction!
of! Western! Australia! through! the! P)$18$=#3*& (?& 73%8/$1@,& T3%)1$1@& %19& O**3**431..! Only! participants!
who! were! mostly! or!fully! employed! as! a! teacher! in!the! preceding! 12! months! were! included!in! these!
analyses.!There! was! a! statistically!significant,! large!effect!on!quality! of! teaching!over!time,!F! (9,! 400)! =!
2.51,!=&X&B008,!ω2!=!.07.!
!
While! agreement! on! the! quality! of! teaching! items! was! highly! consistent! among! the! identification!
groups,!practitioners!who!teach!had!the!highest!scores!over!time!(figure!2).!
!

!
Y$@")3&5.!Median!response! on! the!quality!of!teaching! scale,! analysed!by!identification! group!and!years!
since!graduation.!
!
There! was! a! significant! difference!in! teachers’! perceptions! of! their! quality! of! teaching! based! on! early!
career!teacher!status,!with!a!small!effect!size,!Y(1,!408)!=!10.61,! =&=!.001,!ω2!=!.02.!ANOVAs!were!also!
used!to! determine!the!effect!of! participants’!identities!on!their!perceived!quality!of!teaching.!The! only!
ANOVA!that!was!significant!was!for!the!practitioner!who!teaches!group,!Y(1,!163)!=!6.04,!=&=!.015,!ω2!=!
.01.!For! these!teachers,! their!perceived! identity!had! a! small!effect! on!their! quality! of!teaching! scores.!
However,! correlations! were! used! to! further! explore! the! relationship! between! identity,! quality! of!
teaching,! and! discipline! practice;! with! those! correlations! more! significant! for! the! teachers! who! also!
practice!()&=!.23,!=&X&.003)!and!non-significant!for!practitioners!who!teach!()&=!.018,!=&=.815).!!
!
Question)3:)Do)participants’)expectations)of)retention)in)teaching)change)over)time,)and)does)practice)
have)any)impact)on)these)changes?)
Early!career!teacher!status!did!not!significantly!affect!teachers’!perceptions!of!staying!in!the!profession!
if!the!individual!had!been!mostly!employed!as!a!teacher!in!the!past!12!months,!Y(1,!409)!=!.37,!=&=!.542.!
However,! there! was! a! small! but! highly! significant! difference! for! early! career! teachers! who! had! 1(.&
primarily! worked! as! a! teacher! in! the!past! 12! months,! Y(1,! 200)! =! 11.10,! =& X& .0 01,! ω2!=! .10.! This!sub-
sample!included!individuals!who!were!on!short-term!or!relief/casual!teaching!contracts.!The!length!of!a!
teachers’!career!also!did!not!affect!retention,!Y(9,!401)!=!.28,!=&X&.981.!!
!
There! is! a! low,! but! significant,! correlation!between! individuals’! scores! on! the! desire! to! practice! scale!
(i.e.,!interest!in!maintaining!a!personal!connection!to!their!main!discipline)!and!teaching!as!a!career!(i.e.,!
their! retention! in! the! profession).! This! was! evident! for! individuals! who! were! mostly! employed! as!
teachers!in!the!past!12!months!()&=!.109,!=&=!.02)!as!well!as!those!who!were!not!()!=!.339,!=&<!.001).!!
!
A! one-way! ANOVA! was! used! to! explore! the! relationship! between! identity! status! and! perceptions! of!
retention! in! teaching,! Y(2,! 592)! =! 27.19,! =& <! .001,! ω2!=! .17.! Participants’! identity! did!impact! on! their!
intention! to! leave! the! teaching! profession! (shown! in! figure! 3).! There! was! also! a! small,! significant!

correlation! between! practice! and! teaching! as! a! career! for! those! who! saw! themselves! as! practitioners!
who!teach!()&=!.286,!=!<!.001).!This!effect!was!not!seen!for!teachers!who!also!practice!()&=!-.25,!=!=!.715)!
or!teachers!()&=!.01,!=!=!.962).!!
&
&
Y$@")3&].!Mean!response!for!the!item!‘At!the!moment!I!feel!I!am!likely!to!stay!in!the!teaching!profession!
for! at! least! the! next! three! years’! for! each! of! the! participant! identification! groups,! where! 1! =! strongly!
disagree,!2!=!disagree,!3!=!unsure,!4!=!agree,!5!=!strongly!agree.!
!
The(Effect(of(TAP(
<;&./$1M&$.^*&%&A()./A/$#3&%19&$1.3)3*.$1@&=)(C38.,&3G31&$?&1(.&3G3)0(13&8%1&=)(9"83&%).&A()M*&?()&./3&
3L/$>$.$(1&8(4=(131.&3G3)0&03%),&./3&9%.%&$*&*.$##&$4=().%1.&.(&@%$1&%1&"193)*.%19$1@&(?&./3&>%#%183&(?&
A()M&_&=3)*(1%#&8)3%.$G$.0`*3#?&$931.$.0D&N7OP&=%).$8$=%1.,&5Q+WSB&
&
While! the! broader! findings! of! TAP! explore! early! career! teacher! status! and! identity! perception! as!
independent! variables,! the! TAP! intervention! is! also! of! interest,! as! a! key! driver! for! the! project! is! to!
enhance! quality! teaching! and! quality! teacher! retention! through! practice-based! interventions.!
Consequently,!the!effect!of!TAP!participation!on!amount!of!practice,!quality!of!teaching!and!perceptions!
of!retention!was!also!explored.!
!
The!number! of! TAP! exhibition/exposition!individuals! participated! in! did!affect!their!desire!to! practice,!
with!a!small!effect!size,!Y(6,!619)!=!2.881,!=&=!.009,!ω2!=!.02.!Figure!4!shows!that!while!the!control!group!
spend!more!time!on!practice!in!the!first-year!post-graduation,!TAP!participants!spend!the!same!or!more!
time!on!practice!in!subsequent!years.!
(

!
Y$@")3&aB!Median!amount!of!time!per!week!spent!on!practice!by!participants,!where!1!=!0-5!hours,!2!=!6-
15!hours,!3!=!16-25!hours,!4!=!26-35!hours,!5!=!40+!hours.!
!
Correlations!were!used! to! explore!if! TAP!participation!had! an! effect! on!teachers’!perceived!quality! of!
their!teaching.!A! Pearson’s! )&correlation!showed!a! small!but!significant!effect,!)&=!.14,&=&=!.004.!Despite!
the!limited!variance! in!median!scores!on!the! quality!of!teaching!scale!(figure! 5),!a!small!effect! was!also!
seen!in!a!one-way!ANOVA!using!number!of!TAP!exhibitions/expositions!as!an!independent!variable,!Y(6,!
404)!=!2.33,!=&=!.032,!ω2!=!.02.!!
!
&
Y$@")3& bB& Median! response! on! the! quality! of! teaching! scale,! analysed! by! TAP! participation! and! years!
since!graduation.!
(
The! number! of! TAP! exhibition/exposition! individuals! participated! in! did! not! significantly! affect! their!
perceptions!of!teaching!as! a! career,! Y(6,! 605)!=1.61,! =& =!.141,!ω2!=! .01.! However,! figure!6! shows!that!
after!the!fourth!year!of!teaching,!those!who!participate!in!TAP!are!generally!more!inclined!to!remain!in!

teaching!than!those!in!the!control!group.!In!interpreting!figure!6!it!should!be!noted!that!the!sample!sizes!
for!times!7!and!8!are!comparatively!smaller!than!the!rest!of!the!groups!(n!>!25)!and!are!less!robust!than!
the!early!years. !!
!
!
Y$@")3&c.!Mean!response!for!the!item!‘At!the!moment!I!feel!I!am!likely!to!stay!in!the!teaching!profession!
for!at!least!the!next!three!years’!compared!for!TAP!participation!and!control!groups,!where!1!=!strongly!
disagree,!2!=!disagree,!3!=!unsure,!4!=!agree,!5!=!strongly!agree.!
!
(
Conclusion(
From! this! analysis,! it! is!becoming! apparent! that! disciplinary,! cross! -! and! multi-disciplinary!practice! is!
affecting! teachers’! perceptions! of! their! own! quality! of! teaching.! For! those! who! are! teaching,! a!
practitioner!identity!(practitioner!who!teaches!or!teacher!who!practices)!seems!to!affect!the!amount!of!
practice! they! do,! and! perhaps! more! significantly,!has! a! large! effect! on! their! quality! of! teaching.! In!
addition,! there! is! a! small! but! statistically! significant! correlation! between! the! desire! to! practice! and!
quality!of!teaching!as!well.!As!one!of!our!TAP!participants!shared!this!year:!
!
<;&A("#9&>3&$1.3)3*.39&$1&=%).%M$1@&$1&./3&?".")3&1(.&(1#0&.(&13.A()M&A$./&?".")3&.3%8/3)*&%19&%).$*.*&>".&
.(&*33&/(A&(./3)*&%*&%).$*.*&=)(9"83&A()MB&:$./&%1&3G3)&3G(#G$1@&A()#9&%19&.38/1(#(@$3*&(=31$1@&"=&13A&
%G31"3*&?()&%).&4%M$1@&;&./$1M&$.&A("#9&>3&>313?$8$%#&.(&=%).$8$=%.3&%@%$1B&7/3&3L/$>$.$(1&%#*(&=)(G$93*&%1&
$1831.$G3&.(&4%M3&.$43&%19&=)(9"83&%).&A/$#3&.3%8/$1@D!N7OP&=%).$8$=%1.,&5Q+WSB!
!
Identity! also! had! an! im pact! on! teachers’! perceptions! of! rete ntion! in! the! profession.! While! an! AN OVA!
showed! significance! overall,! the! most! significant! relationship! was! found! for! those! who! identified! as!
practitioners! who! teach.! Identity! was! the! key! driver! in! perceptions! of! retention,! while! early! career!
teacher!status!or!length!of!career!(in!years)!had!no!statistical!impact!on!retention.!!
!
The! TAP! intervention! appears! to! be! having! a! positive! impact! on! the! extent! of! participants’! ongoing!
practice.!For!the!whole!sample,!TAP!participants!generally!practice!more!than!the!control!group,!outside!

of!the!first-year!post-graduation!period.!Furthermore,!this!practice!seems!to!have!a!small,!but!significant!
effect! on! these! individuals’! perceptions! of! teaching! quality.! While! there! is! no! direct! relationship!
between!TAP!and!increased!retention,!analysis!of!this!observed!trends!shows!that!TAP! participants!are!
generally!more!inclined!to!stay!in!teaching! once! they! transition! beyond!the! early!career!stage! of! their!
teaching.!Additional! analysis! of! the! data! is! required!to!determine!if!there!is!an!indirect!effect! between!
TAP!participation,!quality!of!teaching!and!perceptions!of!retention.(
!
!
References(
Australian!Council!for!Educational!Research.!(2014).!Staff!in!Australia’s!schools!2013:!Main!report!on!the!
survey.!Retrieved!from!
https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/sias_2013_main_report.pdf!
Buchanan,!J.,!Prescott,!A.,!Schuck,!S.,!Aubusson,!P.,!Burke,!P.,!&!Louviere,!J.!(2013).!Teacher!retention!
and!attrition:!Views!of!early!career!teachers.!O"*.)%#$%1&!(")1%#&(?&73%8/3)&K9"8%.$(1,&]W(3).!doi:!
http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2013v38n3.9!
Cohen,!J.!(1992).!A!power!primer.!P*08/(#(@$8%#&d"##3.$1,&++5(1),!155-159.!!
Department!of!Education!and!Training.!(2018).!Principles!of!Learning!and!Teaching.!Retrieved!from!!!!
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/practice/improve/Pages/
principlespolt.aspx!
Fetherston,!T.,!&!Lummis,!G.!(2009).!Why!Western!Australian!secondary!teachers!resign.!O"*.)%#$%1&
!(")1%#&(?&73%8/3)&K9"8%.$(1,&]R(4),!1-20.!!
Hattie,!J.!(2003).!73%8/3)*&4%M3&%&9$??3)3183e&:/%.&$*&./3&)3*3%)8/&3G$93183f!Paper!presented!at!the!
Building!Teacher!Quality:!What!does!the!research!tell!us!ACER!Research!Conference,!Melbourne,!
Australia.!Retrieved!from!http://research.acer.edu.au/research_conference_2003/4/!!
Irwin,!R.!L.,!&!O'Donoghue,!D.!(2012),!Encountering!pedagogy!through!relational!art!practices.!
;1.3)1%.$(1%#&!(")1%#&(?&O).&_&\3*$@1&K9"8%.$(1,!]+,!221–236.!doi:10.1111/j.1476-
8070.2012.01760.x!
Kline,!P.!(1999).!7/3&/%19>((M&(?&=*08/(#(@$8%#&.3*.$1@!(2nd!ed.).!London,!England:!Routledge.!
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