‘Selling’ the rural to pre-service teachers: the role of marketing in rural placement programs

Abstract

Rural placements are a long-standing strategy employed to encourage pre-service teachers (PSTs) to consider teaching in areas often prioritised in workforce planning due to ongoing staffing challenges. While policy has focused on offering placement incentives, less attention has been paid to how rural placements are actually ‘sold’ and how this marketing shapes how PSTs come to understand rural teaching. This study examines the marketing of rural placement incentives and investigates how rural teaching and community life are portrayed. Employing qualitative content analysis of publicly available web-based marketing materials, this study explores how marketing depicts rurality through themes ..