The Out-of-Field Phenomenon: Synthesis and Taking Action

Having examined the various dimensions of the out-of-field phenomenon,
and methodological issues facing researchers, this chapter provides a synthesis of the themes emerging from across the chapters. The chapter begins with aligning some of the ideas emerging in the preceding chapters with a set of priority actions proposed at the first TAS Collective symposium in 2014. Five recommendations are proposed to highlight what is needed to reduce the need for out-of-field teaching and improve the quality of teaching when teachers are faced with having to teach out-of-field, and the need to prepare teachers for the challenges that they may face on entering the teaching profession. Where is change needed and why? Who is responsible for creating that change? And what disruptions within the education systems in different countries will be needed to bring the traditional school structure and teaching into the twenty-first century? Informed by the findings of the chapters in this book, an agenda for research and action presents the locus of change as sitting not only with the teachers, but also with those responsible for school governance structures, systemic and societal change, and initial and continuing teacher education. A cross-national perspective on understanding the out-of-field phenomenon is presented as being essential for informing both local and national responses to the issues.