Teaching Without Training: Understanding PhD Graduates’ Adaption to School Teaching Through an Ecological Approach to Teacher Agency

• In Event: Centering Equity & Agency in Teacher Learning: Innovations & Tensions in Professional Development Across Contexts

Abstract

Recently, many PhD graduates have chosen non-academic career paths, including teaching roles, rather than pursuing traditional academic careers. Using the ecological model of teacher agency by Priestley, Biesta, and Robinson (2015), the research explores how these graduates navigate their new roles in the classroom. The model views agency as emerging from the interaction between individual abilities, cultural norms, and structural conditions. By focusing on three dimensions of agency—iterational (past), practical-evaluative (present), and projective (future)—the study highlights how past academic experiences, present decisions, and future aspirations shape teaching practices. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of supportive relationships and school contexts in shaping agency. This research offers insights into how PhD graduates adapt to teaching and exercise agency without formal pedagogical training.

Author

• Chujun Luo, Chinese University of Hong Kong