Thesis
Historical Antecedents and Major Influences That Shaped Teacher Accreditation in New South Wales
Southern Cross University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Southern Cross University
2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25918/thesis.498
Appears in Recent Southern Cross PhD Theses
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Abstract
After more than two centuries of schooling in New South Wales, October 1, 2004, marked a significant policy shift: the introduction of mandated teacher accreditation. Initially, this requirement applied to fewer than 6,000 teachers, while the remaining 160,000 were assured that they would not be subject to accreditation. That assurance was overturned in 2013 with the release of the New South Wales government policy document Great Teaching, Inspired Learning: A Blueprint for Action. This document set the path toward universal accreditation in the state, which was fully implemented on January 1, 2018. This policy reversal marked a major turning point in both the professional regulation of teaching and the expectations placed on the existing teaching workforce. Many existing teachers expressed disbelief at the sudden and unexpected shift, particularly because they had been assured in 2004 that accreditation would not apply to them. Initiatives such as teacher accreditation do not arise independently; they are shaped by shifting social, political and economic forces and educational needs in response to evolving societal demands. This thesis investigated the historical antecedents and major influences that shaped the development of teacher accreditation in New South Wales. Employing a historical narrative methodology, this investigation draws on documentary analysis, interviews with key informants, and reviews of local and international teacher registration trends to examine developments from the nineteenth century to 2018. Thematic chapters structure the account. The main thesis finding is that education policy determination is irrevocably embedded in the actions of key influential personalities and the contested dynamics between state and federal governments. From colonial times to 2018, social, political and economic influences determined education policy outcomes in each era. Teacher accreditation, in turn, was as much a neoliberal triumph as an educational reform. This investigation contributes to the history of education and teacher policy literature by addressing a gap in research on the development of teacher accreditation in New South Wales. It also demonstrates the value of historical narrative as a methodological approach to examining long-term educational change.
Details
- Title
- Historical Antecedents and Major Influences That Shaped Teacher Accreditation in New South Wales
- Creators
- John William Baker
- Contributors
- Richard Allan Smith (Supervisor) - Southern Cross UniversityMarilyn Chaseling (Supervisor) - Southern Cross UniversityBrad Shipway (Supervisor) - Southern Cross University
- Awarding Institution
- Southern Cross University; Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Theses
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Southern Cross University
- Publisher
- Southern Cross University
- Number of pages
- xvi, 330
- Identifiers
- 991013295455602368
- Copyright
- © John W. Baker 2025
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Education
- Resource Type
- Thesis