Developing Culturally Nourishing Pedagogies and Teacher Self-efficacy Through a Research-Practice Partnership

Abstract Culturally Nourishing Schooling is a research-practice partnership project between Australian schools and universities. In this partnership, cultural mentors’ knowledge, university educators’ guidance, and teachers’ expertise are shared through professional learning contextualised across eight schools using five interwoven strategies. We focus on one strategy, culturally nourishing pedagogies, through a case study aimed at developing teaching practices and increasing teachers’ self-efficacy for supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Within the context of the larger project, this study applies social cognitive theory to understand the professional learning experience of three teachers in one remote government school. With results from multiple sources of qualitative data collected across three school terms (2023–2024), we argue that professional learning in culturally nourishing pedagogies needs to be more than a one-off experience. For change in practice to occur, participating teachers identified enablers (a supportive learning community, time for critical reflection) and barriers (remote location, teaching expectations, competing priorities). Conclusions include practical recommendations for schools and future research for partnerships aimed at providing time, support, and tools for ongoing professional learning for teachers to develop in their confidence with applying culturally nourishing pedagogies.