Beyond the theory-practice divide: a systems analysis of beginning teacher learning-practice through complex theoretical frameworks

Traditional teacher development research conceptualises the relationship between preservice learning and classroom practice as linear transfer, perpetuating ‘theory-practice divide’ narratives that obscure the actual complexity of learning-to-teach processes. In this systematic interpretive literature review, we expand on existing systems mapping by synthesising studies drawing on theoretical frameworks that conceptualise beginning teacher learning-practice as interactive (and in posthuman terms, intra-active) systems to generate a more nuanced understanding of the complex nature of beginning teachers’ learning-practice. Our analysis reveals that learning-practice emerges through dynamic interactions among nested systems – teacher, mentor, classroom, school, district/policy, and sociocultural-political. Key findings demonstrate that (1) learning-practice involves translation and hybridisation rather than direct transfer; (2) systemic contradictions create both constraining and generative conditions for development; and (3) affective responses to disequilibrium serve as embodied mechanisms for professional growth. These insights fundamentally reframe teacher development as collectively constructed, challenging individualistic, deficit-based models and calling for approaches that prepare teachers to navigate complex educational ecologies and productively engage contradictions.