Research on Teacher Staffing Challenges in Rural Education

This report examines the multifaceted challenges associated with staffing rural schools, drawing on research from various scholars. The report analyzes the issues of teacher transience, recruitment, and retention, highlighting the difficulties in attracting and retaining teachers in rural areas. It explores the impact of geographical and sociological factors on teacher motivation, including extrinsic and intrinsic motivators, and discusses the importance of work-life balance. The report references articles by Kelly and Fogarty (2015), McConaghy (2006), Jervis-Tracey et al. (2016), and Downes and Roberts (2017) to provide a comprehensive overview of the challenges faced by professionals, including teachers, in rural settings. The analysis covers governmental policies, legislative requirements, and the need for professional development and mentoring to improve staffing outcomes in remote areas.

Running head: RESPONSE ON ARTICLES
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The primary topic of discussion in the selected research works pertains to the different
approaches that can be utilized to identify the nature and scope of teachers and other
professionals, providing their services in rural areas. The issue of staffing in schools of rural
areas have been analyzed in the four articles, which will be discussed in the following
sections. The article by Kelly and Fogarty (2015) highlight upon the methods in which
teachers can be attracted and retained to provide their services in the rural areas of Australia.
The article by McConaghy (2006) focuses on the psychoanalytic aspects of identifying how
the location and sociology of places affect the services provided by the teaching staff. The
article by Jervis-Tracey et al. (2016) focuses on the understanding of the work-life balance,
statutory responsibilities and dimensions of tensions experienced by professionals offering
their services in rural areas. The article by Downes and Roberts (2017) highlights the various
issues and concerns regarding staffing at schoolhouses located in rural parts of Australia.
Therefore, the researchers have conducted an extensive study regarding the various issues of
staffing, recruitment, behavior and retention of teaching staff in rural areas.
One of the primary concerns involving the teaching staff travelling to rural areas to
provide their services pertains to the motivation provided to them. According to the
observations of Kelly and Fogarty (2015), certain governmental policies in favor of the
teaching staff providing their services in rural areas can be of assistance. These forms of
motivation may include government funds for research purposes, attractive salary structures,
provision of infrastructural facilities and the like. Furthermore, the researchers of this article
have also addressed the pertinent issue of the manner in which these teaching staff may be
retained. For this purpose, existing models of retention have been discussed and a new model
has been developed based on the available data on the issue. An analysis of the different
motivating factors for the teaching staff to travel to rural places and provide their services has

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shown that extrinsic motivators like an increase in salary provides short-term motivation
whereas, intrinsic motivators like job satisfaction provides a long-term motivation.
Another important aspect pertaining to the provision of services by teaching staff in
rural areas is the understanding of their psychology on the basis of geographical and
sociological factors. The article by McConaghy (2006), highlights upon the different
challenges that may be faced in teacher motilities. The author has described the issue of
mobility or journey from an external geographical perspective as well as an internal
psychoanalytic perspective. In both of the cases of mobility and displacement, several
challenges or discomforts may be observed which can be explained and analyzed using socio-
psychoanalytic models and theories. These theories in turn help in the determination of the
tendencies of entries and exits of teacher mobility on an internal as well as external basis.
The provision of services by teaching staff at rural locations involves several challenges and
concerning issues. The article by Jervis-Tracey et al. (2016) highlights certain key aspects
such as the maintenance of a work-life balance, performing of statutory responsibilities and
provision of efficient services in the rural communities. Using a mixed method combining
quantitative as well as qualitative data, the researchers have evaluated and analyzed the
nature of relationships that may be formed between the staff and the local rural communities
in which they provide their services. Unlike the articles of McConaghy (2006) and Kelly and
Fogarty (2015), this research widens the area of its study to include professionals from
various fields of service such as social workers, teachers, medical practitioners, paramedics
and nurses. Another important area that concerns the issues faced by such professionals in
rural areas are the governmental policies and legislative requirements concerning their
services.

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The process of recruitment or staffing of employees and professionals in rural areas
can be particularly challenging due to the availability of lesser amount of resources. The
article by Downes and Roberts (2017), reviews such issues pertaining to the staffing or
recruitment of teaching staff to the isolated and remote schools located in the rural areas of
Australia. The themes that have been evaluated in the research include the opportunities and
challenges that may be faced by these professionals in the location and society of the rural
area. Furthermore, the authors have also discussed the issues of motivation, incentives,
leadership, preparatory training, professional development, teacher education and mentoring
pertaining to the recruitment of teaching staff to schools located in rural areas of Australia.

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References
Downes, N., & Roberts, P. (2017). Revisiting the schoolhouse: A literature review on staffing
rural, remote and isolated schools in Australia 2004-2016. Australian and
International Journal of Rural Education, 28(1), 31-54.
Jervis-Tracey, P., McAuliffe, D., Klieve, H., Chenoweth, L., O'Connor, B., & Stehlik, D.
(2016). Negotiated policy spaces: Identifying tensions for rural professionals in
delivering their statutory responsibilities. Journal of Rural Studies, 45, 123-133.
Kelly, N., & Fogarty, R. (2015). An integrated approach to attracting and retaining teachers
in rural and remote parts of Australia. Journal of Economic and Social Policy, 17(2),
1.
McConaghy, C. (2006). Transience and teaching: Place and the new psychoanalytic
sociologies of teaching. Education in Rural Australia, 16(2), 47.