‘I think it's a rebrand…’: Pre‐service teachers' conceptualisations of adaptive teaching and differentiated instruction

Abstract This paper explores how pre‐service teachers (PSTs) conceptualise adaptive teaching in relation to differentiation within the contemporary policy landscape in England. Drawing on qualitative focus group data and informed by Bourdieu's theory of practice, the study examines how pedagogical understandings are shaped by social justice concerns, institutional constraints and emerging professional identities. The findings introduce pedagogical cynicism as a significant lens through which PSTs interpret reform alongside nuanced forms of teacher agency. The study offers original insight into how ambiguous pedagogical concepts are constructed in practice, highlighting implications for Initial Teacher Education and the development of socially just teaching.