Professional learning for in- and out-of-field mathematics teachers: participation, needs, and barriers

Out-of-field (OOF) mathematics teaching is a common phenomenon in many countries. While it may be a necessary response during times of teacher shortage, it has been associated with reduced teacher confidence and sense of professional identity. Professional learning (PL) is one means of improving OOF teachers’ knowledge and practice. Using an online survey we examine how OOF teachers’ (n = 97) PL needs and participation compare with in-field teachers’ (n = 120), from 48 government secondary schools in NSW, Australia. We found that OOF teachers expressed greater need, but participated less, in mathematics-related PL compared to their in-field teacher colleagues. We further found that OOF teachers with higher formal qualifications in mathematics participated in more PL than OOF teachers with lower mathematics backgrounds, and found it more helpful. Our findings reinforce the need to recognise the heterogeneity of OOF mathematics teachers, particularly regarding their mathematics qualifications, and for PL pathways to be created that accommodate their differences.