Teachers and their knowledge of the law : what level of knowledge do Australian school teachers have about Australian law and their legal obligations and responsibilities?

David Newlyn

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

School teachers undertake an incredibly important nonpareil role in our society. They have undertaken this role for centuries. Whilst they have the important role of delivering classroom instruction and curriculum in order to facilitate the learning of students, they also have both an implicit and explicit connection with the law. It is this connection to the law which has changed and increased with the professionalization of teaching, primarily over the past century. The undeniable stark reality is that many aspects of a school teachers role are guided by and regulated by both common and statute law. School teachers have legal obligations imposed upon them simply because of the position that they hold. That is because they are members of a particular professional group they have inescapable legal responsibilities and duties. Yet it is unclear whether school teachers are receiving sufficient instruction about the law and their professional legal responsibilities which is essential in order for them to fulfil they mandatory legal obligations. School teachers operate in an environment where their work is not only continually scrutinised and judged but it is also legalised. This study aims to examine one of the potential sources of knowledge that teachers have about the law and their legal obligations and responsibilities. This study measures the instances of and degree of legal education that is being delivered to school teachers by universities in Australia. Changes over a three year period of this information are specifically examined in order to see if there has been any measured difference in the level of legal information being provided to teachers by Australian universities.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)13-20
Number of pages8
JournalInternational Journal of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences Studies
Volume4
Issue number9
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Keywords

  • teachers
  • training of
  • law
  • obedience (law)
  • Australia

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