Challenging the representations and assumptions of out-of-field teaching

The practice of out-of-field teaching, that is, teaching a subject without a background in the discipline or preparation for teaching it, is an ongoing practice in secondary schools in many countries, including Australia. We used a critical approach to problematise the policies and practices concerning out-of-field teaching in Australia. Documents from the Australian and selected state governments, and interviews with representatives from principal and teacher subject associations and teacher unions, were analysed using Bacchi’s “What’s the problem represented to be?" approach. Stakeholders’ representations of out-of-field teaching and the assumptions underlying these representations are reported along with their perspectives on the effects on teachers, students and schools. A number of silences concerning the politics of out-of-field teaching arose. Challenging the assumptions and addressing the silences requires recognition that specialist teacher supply is a long-term problem.Aneed to attend to teacher attrition and professional development are key actions needing further consideration.