Proceedings of The International Conference on Advanced Research in Education
Year: 2019
DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.33422/educationconf.2019.03.120
Moving from Policy to Practice:The Teachers’ Role in Ensuring Educational Equity and The Prevention of Early Leaving from Education and Training (ELET)
Pamela Marie Spiteri
ABSTRACT:
This small-scale pilot case study investigated the implications arising from experiences of teachers with no teaching degree and international documents that support their role within schools to prevent early leaving from education and training (ELET) and promote educational equity. This case study was designed with a two-part social justice theoretical framework using Bourdieu’s ‘field theory’ and Fraser’s ‘participatory parity’. Consequently, its main research methods include interviews with supply teachers in Malta, currently holding one of the highest rates of ELET and an analysis of international documents promoting educational equity.Subsequent to a thematic analysis of all findings, while adopting the two-part theoretical framework, I concluded that teachers need immediate practical support to face their daily challenges in reaching out to all students. Pedagogical training and a monitoring system could enhance a whole-school approach, thereby enabling them to implement policies more effectively. Findings further identified the need for teachers to be recognised as individual active agents within schools and policies. Case studies could also be a useful research tool for international policies that aim to reach out to teachers around the globe thereby ensuring educational equity.
Keywords: pedagogy; globalization; continuous education; early school leaving.