Author Identifier (ORCID)
Abstract
As policymakers address a teacher attrition crisis, this paper examines how the Australian policy response mobilises affect to address and manage teacher recruitment. Drawing on affect theory and governmentality, we analyse a case study–the Australian Government’s Be That Teacher campaign–as a policy instrument that seeks to cultivate among would-be-teachers desirable feelings and aspirations aligned with state priorities. Our analysis shows how a sentimental and idealised figure of the ‘inspirational’ teacher is mobilised as a form of affective governmentality through two interconnected dynamics: (1) the construction of teaching as emotionally fulfilling and morally meaningful work through narratives of inspiration, care, and personal transformation; and (2) the individualisation of responsibility for recruitment, retention, and teacher wellbeing through affective appeals that articulate positive public sentiment while obscuring the structural causes of teacher attrition. Together, these dynamics demonstrate how affective governmentality aligns personal attachment, public feeling, and policy priorities, and how such strategies risk reproducing the very conditions that they seek to address.
Keywords
Affect theory, governmentality, teacher attrition, teacher recruitment, teacher workforce policy
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
1-1-2026
E-ISSN
14645106
ISSN
02680939
Publication Title
Journal of Education Policy
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
School
School of Education
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Karnovsky, S., Gobby, B., Variyan, G., Wilkins, A. W., & Olmedo, A. (2026). Crafting the inspirational teacher: Governing through affect as policy response to teacher recruitment in Australia. Journal of Education Policy. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2026.2724919