Preparing preservice teachers for culturally and linguistically responsive K–primary classroom practice: ecological agency and fidelity in mixed-reality simulation

Sustainable Development Goal 4 calls for inclusive and equitable quality education, including teacher preparation that helps future teachers respond to diverse learners. In initial teacher education, mixed-reality simulation is increasingly used to bridge coursework and practicum. Its value, however, depends less on technological novelty than on the quality of the teaching encounters it makes possible. This conceptual paper uses ecological agency to examine how mixed-reality simulation may support preservice teachers’ readiness for K–Primary classroom practice. Drawing on published work from Australian and South African programmes, the paper focuses on fidelity: the extent to which a simulation maintains the role relationships, learner behaviours and classroom demands that matter for the teaching judgement being rehearsed. Fidelity has a long history in simulation research showing how simulation specialists maintain fidelity in mixed-reality teacher education. Building on these insights, this paper examines fidelity through an ecological agency lens and considers how it operates across Australian and South African programmes preparing preservice teachers for culturally and linguistically responsive classroom practice. The paper argues that the platform alone does not produce fidelity. Fidelity is maintained through scenario design, specialist enactment, and cultural and linguistic contextualisation. Feedback, reflection, and links to placement help make these simulated encounters educative. It also identifies risks, including stereotyping, role confusion, uneven access, weak programme integration and overclaiming the contribution of simulation to SDG 4.