Teachers in the postdigital era: Tracing Teacher Postdigital Professional Identities (TePPI) across educational ecosystems and career stages

Objective

At a time when education systems worldwide face a teaching vocational crisis and urgThis project investigates teacher postdigital professional identity (TePPI): an innovative framework for understanding how teachers’ professional roles, agency, and values emerge and evolve in deeply digitally entangled education ecosystems. Using a longitudinal, mixed-methods design that integrates Epistemic Frame Theory (conceptual foundation), Quantitative Ethnography (research approach), and Epistemic Network Analysis (analytical method), the study will trace TePPI markers (pedagogical values, roles, agency, reasoning) in both traditional and postdigital education contexts across initial teacher education and early career stages. The unprecedented TePPI model will be shaped through the unique research environment of Monash’s Virtual School, while its robustness and generative potential will be leveraged at the University of Padova to drive curriculum reform within a rapidly transforming teacher education system. Ultimate outputs will be validated research instruments, evidence-based models of TePPI trajectories, and TePPI-informed teacher education modules co-designed with stakeholders. Beyond academia, outputs such as toolkits, guidelines, and policy briefs will benefit teacher educators, mentors, and policymakers, strengthening teacher preparation and retention. The project combines advanced methodological research training at Monash University with real-world curriculum reform at the University of Padova. Outcomes will contribute to European and international educational priorities (see the Digital Education Action Plan 2021–2027 and SDG4), by fostering competent, resilient and adaptable teachers for postdigital education ecosystems. By integrating interdisciplinary insights and fostering international collaboration, this project advances educational research while addressing the teaching vocational crisis and supporting inclusive, high-quality education in Europe and beyond.