Empowering Pre-service Teachers for Social Justice: A Case Study in Türkiye’s Post-Disaster Education Landscape

Around the world, the pandemic and natural disasters such as the February 6, 2023 Earthquake and floods in Türkiye, and wildfires in Italy and Greece have affected every facet of our lives in these unprecedented times. They have widened social and economic inequalities and inequities, adversely affecting the quality of teaching, learning, and assessment of students in many parts of the world. From this perspective, while trying to maintain the quality of education we provide, we at the same time try to deal with the justice, equity, and equality issues that the pandemic and natural disasters have generated with the closure of schools and remote education (Martin & Mulvihill, 2021). To specify, many K-12 students do not always have access to adequate computing devices and stable internet connectivity. Many student-teachers had minimal or no face-to-face instructional time with students, causing a learning loss by their side. As a result of these unprecedented developments, it has become a matter of question whether teacher education has been affected by systemic inequities and whether and how PSTs are educated to promote social justice and equity in their pre-service education (Martin & Mulvihill, 2021).

Aligned with the Goal 4, “Quality Education” in the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, educational systems must operate under a social justice framework to reach everyone, especially those affected by inevitable factors that cause inequity. A just educational system should promote equality, equity, diversity, and inclusion and guarantee individuals’ right to participate effectively in all areas of human experience (Banegas & Sanchez, 2024). Along with these notions, there has been a growing body of research recently on social justice and teacher education, especially after the pandemic. Accordingly, I categorised these studies according to the target group and aims, and shared them here.

The first research group examines PSTs’ views on and understandings of social justice in pre-service teacher education (PSTE). Diaz Maggioli (2024) found that seminars increased PSTs’ awareness about social justice but failed to provide them with strategies for how to teach social justice. Also, research has highlighted the potential for shifts in PSTs' pedagogical perspectives as a result of experiencing crises. For example, as they navigate the challenges posed by these crises, PSTs may adopt more inclusive practices that reflect a commitment to equity and justice (Barahona & Ibaceta-Quijanes, 2024). This shift may manifest in various aspects, including curriculum design, teaching methodologies, and social-emotional learning (SEL) practices. Chubbuck (2007) also examined PSTs’ understanding of social justice in a course based on critical pedagogy. Through reflective journals and focus group interviews, an increase in the teachers’ enthusiasm and willingness to cover social justice issues in their curriculum was observed. It was argued that to achieve social justice awareness and practices, educators needed to employ a critical pedagogy perspective. In Hyland’s (2010) study, PSTs’ perceptions of social justice were examined through journals, class notes, and informal conversations. He found that their perceived sense of justice was on race and sexuality, noting that these conceptions were not stable but changing and changeable. He also advocated the necessity of intensively integrating a cohort model and teaching social justice in PSTE so that PSTs could reconceptualise their positions as social agents and develop a sense of social justice.

The second group of research focuses on PSTs’ changes in beliefs. Frederick et al. (2010) examined PSTs’ belief changes about social justice in a course. PSTs expressed that reflective analysis of their visits to local schools, learning about the history of diverse students from their perspectives, and simulation activities caused a change in their thinking about social justice. By the end of the course, they perceived themselves as responsible agents of change. Moore (2024) explored the use of reflective writing as a tool to develop PSTs’ beliefs and attitudes towards social justice in the post-pandemic era. Following critical incident framework, Moore (2024) argued critical reflection positively affected PSTs’ beliefs to critically examine their assumptions and biases, and to support equity and engage in culturally responsive pedagogy. Romero (2024) investigated PSTs’ experiences working in marginalised schools in Chile in the post-pandemic term. As these PSTs gave their attention to vulnerable groups, their professional identity began to be shaped as agents of change. It was suggested PSTE curriculum should consider the needs of vulnerable students, their families, and the complex realities of the context.

The third group of studies addresses issues of social justice in practicum. Spalding et al. (2007) examined the impact of a 9-day field trip to Poland on the attitudes toward the diversity of future U.S. education professionals. The students showed changed thinking about diversity and eagerness to be active in social injustice, suggesting that non-schooling environments may provide opportunities for authentic social justice experiences. Bieler (2012) advocated the vital role of reflective tasks as an example of experiential approach and writing social justice goals in lesson plans as evidence for PSTs’ orientations into social justice. Similarly, McDonald (2005) argued that conceptual tools rather than practical tools affected PSTs’ views of teaching more and that practicum created more authentic opportunities to learn about social justice. Graziano (2008) examined the experiences of 22 U.S. PSTs in the course “Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice”. They stated a need for deeper and richer dialogues on social justice issues from student-centred instruction instead of the teacher educator being the expert and teaching the issue more traditionally. Moreover, Schiera (2019) investigated the relationship between PSTs learning critical conceptual tools about justice and equity, and the ‘problem of enactment’ of leveraging that learning in their practice. PSTs in this study first conceptualised their professional vision toward social justice, but the complexities of practice teaching complicated living these visions in practice. As an implication, Schiera (2019) argued that without critical consciousness by the PSTs, social justice core practices are useless because one may not notice and identify the moments of inequity, highlighting the necessity of action and reflection in SJTEP.

To sum up, all these studies have several concerns in common: (a) social justice assignments and coursework include the individualistic view of justice, so the existing curriculums fail to promote new understandings of justice after the pandemic, (b) the social justice perspective through action and reflection should be employed in all PSTE courses, given the unpredictability of the future crises, (c) collaboration and dialogues between PSTs and educators is proven to be the key to success in the reconceptualization of inequity and injustice, (d) practicum is considered as one critical factor in supporting PSTs to develop social justice dispositions and enactments, and e) equity over equality should be prioritised in SJTEP especially after the pandemic.

Despite being distinct crises, both the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent February 6, 2023 Earthquake in Turkiye underscore the urgent need to address educational inequities: disruptions to educational access, the need for trauma-informed and socially equitable practices, and the role of teachers in supporting students affected by unfair conditions. The earthquake affecting 11 cities further compounded these challenges, particularly for students affected unfairly, emphasising the importance of trauma-responsive and socially just teaching practices. In both crises, issues of equity, inclusion, and educational justice are brought to the forefront as PSTs navigate their roles as future educators in unpredictable times.

Particularly, in the context of teacher education, the aftermath of the earthquake intensified disparities and exposed challenges for students and PSTs. For instance, many PSTs found themselves unprepared to address the unique challenges faced by victim students affected by the earthquake, such as trauma, disrupted learning environments, and heightened socioeconomic disparities. The disruption to schooling, particularly for students from low-income families and those with limited access to educational resources, underscores the importance of preparing PSTs to teach in ways that are pedagogically responsive to such crises. This study, therefore, does not view the earthquake as an injustice but as a contextual crisis that exacerbated pre-existing inequities in education, raising urgent questions about how teacher education can better address issues of equity and justice in response to such emergencies. In other words, the earthquake acts as a catalyst for re-evaluating and reforming teacher education practices.

Accordingly, this study addresses the need for teacher education that prepares PSTs to respond to such crises and foster equity and justice in their classrooms, an issue that became more urgent in Turkiye following the earthquake, which revealed inequities in education, economics, health, and access to information. Specifically, this study serves three aims in light of the post-COVID-19 context and the recognised lack of social justice practices in teacher education. First, it analyses and problematises the injustices PSTs experienced during their local practicum in secondary schools after the 2023 Earthquake in Türkiye. Second, it explores responsive teaching practices developed through dialogues between the supervisor and PSTs in post-conference meetings during the practicum. Third, it observes and reflects on how these practices contribute to PSTs learning to teach for equity and social justice. By addressing these points, I aim to contribute to the development of teacher education programmes that prioritise social justice and equity, ensuring that future educators are equipped to enact meaningful change in their communities. Therefore, this study was guided by three research questions: (a) What are the injustices PSTs perceived in the post-quake term practicum? (b) How did PSTs respond to the injustices in the practicum? (c) What are the reflections of PSTs in the post-quake practicum?

This study is a model grounded in social justice teacher education practices (SJTEP) in a practicum context through dialogic reflection and process in which the supervisor and 12 PSTs questioned the status quo of the English language teaching curriculum and the syllabus for secondary English language classes in the aftermath of the February 6, 2023 Earthquake in Turkiye. They collaborated to reconceptualise the natural disasters, survival, social inequities resulting from the earthquake, and students’ well-being and needs. The contradictions, tensions, and unpredictable results provided a smooth transition for transformative practice in language teaching. It is through dialogic engagement across this awareness that change occurs. After the adaptations in the syllabus and lesson plans and the implementation of these plans in language classes with these groups for four months, praxis emerged as a change in teaching practice that promotes social justice, and the focus is on understanding how lesson plans support this change. In this case, PSTs collaborated with their practicum supervisor through collaborative dialogue to build new understandings and mediate meanings out of the newcomer students’ earthquake experiences. In the post-conference meetings of the practicum, dialogues were used to raise questioning, analysis, and reflection among the participants and to reflect on their students’ sociocultural backgrounds and earthquake experiences brought to the learning environment. As a result, it was concluded that the awareness of social justice issues should be linked to language teaching practices in the form of lesson plans and teaching activities. PSTs reflected on the dialogic process in their reflective papers at the end of the practicum component. Power is distributed between the supervisor and PSTs in this case. Each group states their observations of social injustice in the post-quake classes, advises necessary changes and adaptations in the lesson plans, and determines the timeline in the academic schooling term. Based on these negotiations, the second term syllabus and lesson plans were re-designed through a reconceptualisation of participants’ awareness of social justice and language teaching from a critical perspective.

In line with the research questions, three themes emerged: PSTs' senses of injustice, their responsive teaching practices, and reflections on these practices in the post-quake practicum period. Each theme underscores the relationship between social justice, professional responsibility and agency, and educational justice, providing a comprehensive understanding of PSTs’ roles in addressing injustices.

Justice educational research should identify cultural mechanisms that could shape PSTs’ justice preferences and senses of injustices across various educational contexts (Sabbagh & Resh, 2016). This study presents a cultural context in which social injustices were experienced as a result of the most devastating earthquake of the twenty-first century in Turkiye on February 6, 2023. Drawing on contextual injustices from victim students’ lives from an observer perspective, PSTs took a prosocial attitude. They implemented social justice-oriented lesson plans, combining global perspectives from the literature with their pedagogical knowledge and creating their own responsive teaching practices. From this aspect, the findings of this study have created a new norm in which social justice, sustainable development goals, and subject knowledge were moulded in lesson plans and teaching practices in practicum in a PSTE programme. Specifically, the link between PSTs’ perceived injustices and their responsive teaching practices was examined (Mills & Ballantyne, 2016).

PSTs in this study did research, synthesised evidence, and created their own responsive practices. Engaging with concrete, pedagogical, psychological, and practical dilemmas led them to problematise, synthesise, reflect, and react contributing to their social justice mindset and a new perspective on the world. In this regard, they started to construct a professional identity as agents of change. Feedback from peers and the supervisor in this process also allowed them to develop a social justice mindset. As Mills and Ballantyne (2016) argue, one stand-alone course in a PSTE programme is not enough to change PSTs’ social justice development. Hence, practicum meetings should be empowered not just about social justice learning but also about learning to teach for social justice (Banegas & Sanchez, 2024) and encouraging PSTs as social agents (Chubbuck, 2007).

PSTs’ experiences with integrating social justice focus in their practicum were combined with interviews, journals, and plans all in the form of reflective tasks for their conceptualisations and teaching practices. In contrast to Lee’s (2011) findings, they internalised the injustices and reflected on their pedagogical practices through these tools rather than viewing social justice as an extra content area. Namely, I could identify PSTs’ conceptual development and practices through these tools (McDonald, 2005). Therefore, as also advocated by Bieler (2012), experiential studies should employ these reflective tools to gain deeper insights into PSTs’ mindsets and practices. Also, the necessity for adaptability in lesson planning became evident as PSTs confronted the realities of teaching in the post-disaster era. They developed innovative strategies to integrate social justice themes into their lessons. This finding supports the idea that education must respond to the immediate needs and contexts of students, creating a learning environment that promotes resilience and agency. However, continuous assessment of PSTs’ attitudes and practices is essential in SJTEP, so these teachers should be monitored in their novice years of the profession. Future studies should identify the assessment methods of PSTs in SJTEP.

Practicum provided PSTs with space to develop theories, beliefs, and attitudes, apply them in practice, interact with students in real classes, and collaborate with peers and the supervisor in building their lesson plans and responsive practices. This collective approach allowed them to share resources and best practices, strengthening the idea that addressing social justice is a communal responsibility. Rather than lecturing merely, PSTs experienced hands-on teaching practices by going through quality teaching stages, as proposed by Olson and Craig (2012), of doing research, interrogating injustices of victims, making and confirming hypotheses, designing lessons, applying and reflecting on the whole process. The experiences of victim students’ inequities in the post-disaster period increased PSTs' sensitivity and awareness to social injustices. This heightened awareness translated into a more profound commitment to addressing issues such as equity, access to resources, and the psychological impacts of such crises on students. PSTs then began to view their role not only as future teachers but also as advocates for their students' well-being, emphasising the need for inclusive and responsive teaching practices.

This study is limited to a one-term practicum course in a PSTE programme. Given the amount and timing, this experiential study should be implemented over a longer period to better observe PSTs’ developmental stages for the challenges of catering for injustices in socially just ways. Although data triangulation was achieved, only PSTs were under investigation in this study. Large-scale studies that require cross-cultural and longitudinal designs with multiple participants (mentors, students, parents) may, therefore, be implemented in the future. Another limitation was the uptake of equity sense by the students in practicum schools. A new study may examine how they interpreted and benefitted from PSTs’ lessons, how they reacted and felt, and whether they created a change in students’ equity and justice perceptions.