‘Partners in education’: Primary educational publishers’ understanding of their role

Abstract

The twenty-first century has seen the education ecosystem change drastically, with increased digitization of the classroom and more recently the global pandemic. These changes have been entwined with publishers’ own understanding of their role. Based on semi-structured interviews with ten industry professionals, this article aims to understand how primary educational publishers see their role and the future of the industry. The findings reveal a mission-driven sector operating in a complex environment, shaped by government policies and regulations, and the impact of technology, educational research, pedagogy and learning design. To support educators, publishers produce teaching resources and learning materials, interpret government regulation and curricula, research and develop expertise in learning design and pedagogical knowledge, research user and market needs, and provide professional development to educators. Despite these challenges and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the interviewees believed that primary educational publishing would continue to expand, innovate and support the educators of Australia in the future by producing a combination of print and digital resources.