Attracting Preservice Teachers to Remote Locations

Teaching in rural/remote regions poses many challenges to teachers and is identified as a priority research area by the state government. Despite initiatives by the Queensland state government and university providers to solve the issue through various incentives designed to attract teachers, the problem remains significant. This research describes and analyses the impact of a regional university initiative to attract teachers to rural and remote locations in Queensland. The data was gathered through analysis of responses from preservice teachers completing education degrees at a regional university in Queensland. The data revealed that the opportunity to experience rural and remote schools and communities resulted in positive attitudinal changes towards applying for rural and remote school placements upon graduation. The results are significant and suggest that universities have a major role to play in work force planning for graduate teachers.