Beyond the Belief–Practice Gap: Competing Models of Pedagogical Justice in STEM Education

Social inequalities often persist despite widespread endorsement of universal norms such as fairness and equality. One explanation is that actors interpret these principles differently in practice, generating divergent forms of action within the same institutional setting. This study examines this process in the context of gender equity in STEM education by analysing how teachers organise beliefs, awareness, pedagogical practices, responsibility, and the perceived value of gender equality when reasoning about pedagogical fairness. Using an exploratory case study with a theory-guided, person-centred typological classification approach, questionnaire data from teachers in a Portuguese school cluster (Grades 1–12) were analysed through quantitative classification and interpretive analysis of open-ended responses. Rather than differing only in degree of commitment to equality, teachers’ reported reasoning was organised into three theory-guided orientations: Procedural Impartiality (fairness as identical treatment), Compensatory Intervention (fairness as corrective action), and Reflexive Professional Responsibility (fairness as situated professional judgement). The resulting profiles showed differentiated configurations across the five analytical dimensions, particularly in the relative organisation of awareness, pedagogical practices, responsibility, and the perceived value of gender equality. Descriptive subgroup distributions also suggested tentative variation across disciplinary field, sex, and teaching experience, although these patterns should not be interpreted as systematic or generalisable associations. The findings indicate that teachers’ reported reasoning can be organised into distinct theory-guided orientations and suggest that shared commitments to gender equality may coexist with different professional interpretations of fairness and legitimate pedagogical intervention. The study therefore proposes a framework for examining how equity is interpreted as a professional category in educational contexts, while recognising that further research is needed to examine how such orientations relate to observed classroom practices and student outcomes.