Australian Journal of Teacher Education - Volume 47 - Issue 3 - Article 3 - Integrated Curriculum Approaches to Teaching in Initial Teacher Education for Secondary Schooling: A Systematic Review

Oct 15, 2026

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Demands that Initial Teacher Education (ITE) prepare teachers who can equip students to be agile real-world problem solvers are frequent. Guidance about ITE integrated curriculum approaches is harder to find, creating a significant gap amid increasing time and policy pressures for ITE educators. Drawing from an Australian context, this systematic review examines how integrated curriculum is conceptualised and enacted in secondary schooling ITE courses.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Integrated Curriculum Approaches (Conceptualisations)

Interdisciplinary approaches

Disciplinary Literacy approaches

Transdisciplinary approaches

Benefits and Barriers

Recommendations for Further Research and Practice

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 47 Issue 3 | Article 3 | | --- | --- | | 2022
Integrated Curriculum Approaches to Teaching in Initial Teacher Education for Secondary Schooling: A Systematic Review
Terri Bourke
Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane
Lyra L’Estrange
Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane
Jill Willis
Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane
Jennifer Alford
Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane
James Davis
Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane
Deborah Henderson
Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane See next page for additional authors
Follow this and additional works at: [https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte)
Part of the Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Higher Education and Teaching Commons, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons, and the Secondary Education and Teaching Commons | | Recommended Citation Bourke, T., L’Estrange, L., Willis, J., Alford, J., Davis, J., Henderson, D., Tambyah, M., Henderson, S., & ClarkFookes, T. (2022) . Integrated Curriculum Approaches to Teaching in Initial Teacher Education for Secondary Schooling: A Systematic Review. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 47(3) . [http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2022v47n3.3](http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2022v47n3.3) [This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[ ](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol47/iss3/3](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol47/iss3/3) Integrated Curriculum Approaches to Teaching in Initial Teacher Education for Secondary Schooling: A Systematic Review Authors Terri Bourke, Lyra L’Estrange, Jill Willis, Jennifer Alford, James Davis, Deborah Henderson, Mallihai Tambyah, Senka Henderson, and Tricia Clark-Fookes This journal article is available in Australian Journal of Teacher Education: [https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol47/iss3/3](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol47/iss3/3) Integrated Curriculum Approaches to Teaching in Initial Teacher Education for Secondary Schooling: A Systematic Review Terri Bourke Lyra L’Estrange Jill Willis Jennifer Alford James Davis Deborah Henderson Mallihai Tambyah Senka Henderson Tricia Clark-Fookes Queensland University of Technology Abstract: Demands that Initial Teacher Education (ITE) prepare teachers who can equip students to be agile real-world problem solvers are frequent. Guidance about ITE integrated curriculum approaches to achieve this aim is harder to find, a significant gap given increasing time and policy pressures for ITE educators. Drawing from an Australian context, this systematic review investigates how integrated curriculum is conceptualised and enacted in secondary schooling ITE courses. Three conceptions ofintegrated curriculum for ITE are highlighted – Interdisciplinary, Disciplinary Literacy, and Transdisciplinary approaches – alongside benefits and barriers to enacting integrated curriculum. Recommendations for further research and practice around integrated curriculum are proposed. Keywords: integrated, interdisciplinary, ITE, school, teaching, transdisciplinary Introduction Visions for students to be agile problem solvers as evident in the OECD’s 2030 learning futures agenda (OECD, 2018) highlight the importance of curriculum that focuses on interdisciplinary capabilities and problem solving. Concomitantly, schools and Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programs are experiencing a narrowing of curriculum driven through standardisation processes as part of accountability regimes. Highly prescribed disciplinespecific curricula are a result of what Pasi Sahlberg called the Global Education Reform Movement (GERM) . GERM has manifested in five globally observable trends in the name of improving quality in education: standardisation; an increased focus on core subjects; prescribed curriculum

FAQs

What gap does the systematic review address in initial teacher education?

It addresses the limited guidance on integrated curriculum approaches in ITE, despite growing time and policy pressures on ITE educators.

Which three conceptions of integrated curriculum are highlighted?

The review highlights interdisciplinary, disciplinary literacy, and transdisciplinary approaches for ITE.

What is the focus of the review in terms of educational context?

It investigates how integrated curriculum is conceptualised and enacted in secondary schooling ITE courses in an Australian context.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Franzy