Twelve Months On: Navigating the Disparity Between Vision and Reality for Religious Education Teachers in Australian Catholic Schools

This study builds on previous research exploring the formation needs and experiences of Early Career Teachers (ECT) in Catholic Schools in an Australian regional context, particularly concerning their understanding of Catholic identity and the teaching of Religious Education. Conducted twelve months...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Joan Lancaster, Kurt Challinor, Richard Rymarz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń 2025-01-01
Series:Paedagogia Christiana
Subjects:
Online Access:https://apcz.umk.pl/PCh/article/view/58334
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1823860895101485056
author Joan Lancaster
Kurt Challinor
Richard Rymarz
author_facet Joan Lancaster
Kurt Challinor
Richard Rymarz
author_sort Joan Lancaster
collection DOAJ
description This study builds on previous research exploring the formation needs and experiences of Early Career Teachers (ECT) in Catholic Schools in an Australian regional context, particularly concerning their understanding of Catholic identity and the teaching of Religious Education. Conducted twelve months after the previous study, ‘And Now I’m Teaching in a Catholic School’ – The Experiences of Early Career Teachers (ECT) in Lismore Catholic Schools and What Can Be Learned to Support Their Formation: A Preliminary Study (Challinor, Lancaster & Rymarz, 2022), follow-up interviews with twelve ECTs indicated an ongoing cognitive dissonance between the expressed ideal of Catholic education and the lived reality in Catholic schools. The study highlights the importance of ongoing staff formation and mentoring for ECTs. Three vignettes are provided as composite accounts of the range of ECTs engaged in the study, and the various challenges and learning opportunities experienced in their early years of appointment are highlighted. Further research is planned in four years to understand how the experience of ECTs continues to evolve and what can be learned to support their retention and continual formation.
format Article
id doaj-art-3ce74f1a02a2418186ecf32132b04281
institution Kabale University
issn 1505-6872
2451-1951
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
record_format Article
series Paedagogia Christiana
spelling doaj-art-3ce74f1a02a2418186ecf32132b042812025-02-10T09:13:01ZengNicolaus Copernicus University in ToruńPaedagogia Christiana1505-68722451-19512025-01-0154220322210.12775/PCh.2024.02354028Twelve Months On: Navigating the Disparity Between Vision and Reality for Religious Education Teachers in Australian Catholic SchoolsJoan Lancaster0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2039-808XKurt Challinor1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8305-4757Richard Rymarz2https://orcid.org/0009-0004-4392-3849Diocese of Lismore – Catholic SchoolsDiocese of Lismore – Catholic SchoolsUniversity of Notre DameThis study builds on previous research exploring the formation needs and experiences of Early Career Teachers (ECT) in Catholic Schools in an Australian regional context, particularly concerning their understanding of Catholic identity and the teaching of Religious Education. Conducted twelve months after the previous study, ‘And Now I’m Teaching in a Catholic School’ – The Experiences of Early Career Teachers (ECT) in Lismore Catholic Schools and What Can Be Learned to Support Their Formation: A Preliminary Study (Challinor, Lancaster & Rymarz, 2022), follow-up interviews with twelve ECTs indicated an ongoing cognitive dissonance between the expressed ideal of Catholic education and the lived reality in Catholic schools. The study highlights the importance of ongoing staff formation and mentoring for ECTs. Three vignettes are provided as composite accounts of the range of ECTs engaged in the study, and the various challenges and learning opportunities experienced in their early years of appointment are highlighted. Further research is planned in four years to understand how the experience of ECTs continues to evolve and what can be learned to support their retention and continual formation.https://apcz.umk.pl/PCh/article/view/58334catholic schoolsearly career teachersformationcatholic school identityreligious educationsecularisation
spellingShingle Joan Lancaster
Kurt Challinor
Richard Rymarz
Twelve Months On: Navigating the Disparity Between Vision and Reality for Religious Education Teachers in Australian Catholic Schools
Paedagogia Christiana
catholic schools
early career teachers
formation
catholic school identity
religious education
secularisation
title Twelve Months On: Navigating the Disparity Between Vision and Reality for Religious Education Teachers in Australian Catholic Schools
title_full Twelve Months On: Navigating the Disparity Between Vision and Reality for Religious Education Teachers in Australian Catholic Schools
title_fullStr Twelve Months On: Navigating the Disparity Between Vision and Reality for Religious Education Teachers in Australian Catholic Schools
title_full_unstemmed Twelve Months On: Navigating the Disparity Between Vision and Reality for Religious Education Teachers in Australian Catholic Schools
title_short Twelve Months On: Navigating the Disparity Between Vision and Reality for Religious Education Teachers in Australian Catholic Schools
title_sort twelve months on navigating the disparity between vision and reality for religious education teachers in australian catholic schools
topic catholic schools
early career teachers
formation
catholic school identity
religious education
secularisation
url https://apcz.umk.pl/PCh/article/view/58334
work_keys_str_mv AT joanlancaster twelvemonthsonnavigatingthedisparitybetweenvisionandrealityforreligiouseducationteachersinaustraliancatholicschools
AT kurtchallinor twelvemonthsonnavigatingthedisparitybetweenvisionandrealityforreligiouseducationteachersinaustraliancatholicschools
AT richardrymarz twelvemonthsonnavigatingthedisparitybetweenvisionandrealityforreligiouseducationteachersinaustraliancatholicschools