Regenerating Rural Social Space? Teacher Education for Rural—Regional Sustainability

TLDR

Rural‑regional sustainability depends on attracting and retaining high‑quality teachers, yet the field is framed within a deficit discourse that highlights educational challenges. The study models a concept of rural social space that integrates social, economic, and environmental dimensions of rural‑regional sustainability. The framework merges quantitative definitions with situated demographic and social data across geographic and cultural formations. The model’s implications underscore its importance for teacher education.

Abstract

The complex interconnection among issues affecting rural—regional sustainability requires an equally complex program of research to ensure the attraction and retention of high-quality teachers for rural children. The educational effects of the construction of the rural within a deficit discourse are highlighted. A concept of rural social space is modelled, bringing together social, economic and environmental dimensions of (rural—regional) sustainability. This framework combines quantitative definitional processes with more situated definitions of rural space based on demographic and other social data, across both geographic and cultural formations. The implications of the model are examined in terms of its importance for teacher education.