The Coordinated Mechanism For Rural Teacher Preparation In Western Australia:Based On The Perspective Of Knowledge Governance

The preparation of rural teachers has become a common action to promote education equity and quality around the world.In the context of globalisation,the widespread spread of neoliberalism has pushed teacher education into the era of deregulation,which leads to the reform of the governance structure and governance mechanism in teacher education.With the participation of multiple subjects in the process of teacher training,rural teacher preparation has shown a trend of openness and coordination.In order to motivate dynamics of governance of multiple subjects and to improve the quantity and quality of rural teacher supply,each state in Australia has carried out explorations based on local contexts.Western Australia,which has the largest proportion of rural areas and the greatest cultural diversity,has been able to share teacher education knowledge through a multi-layered network of interaction among universities,schools,rural communities and professional associations,and has produced many culturally sensitive,locally rooted and qualified rural teachers.The research on the process of rural teacher preparation in Western Australia can help to provide suggestions for the construction of the coordinated mechanism and promotion of the high-quality supply of rural teachers in China.Based on the perspective of knowledge governance,this research conducts a case study and selects Edith Cowan University(ECU),schools,rural communities and professional associations in Western Australia as research objects.Using the research techniques of text analysis and social network analysis,this study explores the roles of multiple subjects,the paths of interaction between these subjects and the coordinated mechanism in the process of rural teacher preparation in Western Australia.On this basis,this study gives an in-depth explanation of the hybrid governance structure of teacher education in Australia.According to the research findings,the government is the real steerer through financial support,standard management and accountability;the university is a key actor who has the function of provision,with varying degrees of agency in its interactions with different actors;schools,rural communities and professional associations are collaborative actors,with different paths of interaction based on their values,professional functions and resource advantages respectively.In addition,this study also shows that,in the process of rural teacher preparation in Western Australia,contract and standard are fundamental coordinated mechanisms,trust and dialogue are complementary coordinated mechanisms,and multiple subjects explore innovative coordinated mechanisms including social network,communication flows and gift exchange in local contexts.Furthermore,in the field of teacher education in Australia,the hierarchical governance structure has not faded under the influence of neoliberalism,but has evolved into the hybrid governance structure,retaining its core spirit through a shell created by market governance ways of standards and accountability.Based on the above findings,combined with an analysis of the local context of rural teacher preparation in China,this study provides some suggestions: Firstly,the market of teacher education should be appropriately opened up under the standards,encouraging the participation of diverse agents in rural teacher preparation.Secondly,knowledge funds and cultural wealth of communities should be mobilized to prepare culturally sensitive rural teachers.Thirdly,coordinated mechanisms which consist of contract and standard,trust and dialogue and communication flows should be mainly developed for rural teacher preparation in China.