The Contrasting Discourses in the Professional Lives of Educators in Vancouver, Canada

Autor/inn/en	Grimmett, Peter P.; Dagenais, Diane; D'Amico, Laura; Jacquet, Marianne; Ilieva, Roumi
Titel	The Contrasting Discourses in the Professional Lives of Educators in Vancouver, Canada
Quelle	In: Journal of Educational Change, 9 (2008) 2, S.101-121 (21 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1389-2843
DOI	10.1007/s10833-007-9039-5
Schlagwörter	Educational Change; Educational Policy; Work Environment; Teachers; Administrators; Politics of Education; Identification; Psychological Patterns; Foreign Countries; Canada (Vancouver) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Bildungsreform; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Arbeitsmilieu; Lehrer; Lehrerin; Lehrende; Educational policy; Identifikation; Identifizierung; Ausland
Abstract	This study investigated the relationship between education policy changes and the working conditions of teachers and school leaders in Vancouver, Canada. We found that policy does shape educators' discourse about their work conditions. This shaping manifested itself in the emotions teachers experience as they attempt to construct their identity as professional educators. Apparent contradictions emerged in educators' discussions of their work conditions, particularly their contrasting reports of feeling satisfied with their working environment, yet concerned about issues related to workload and recognition. Two different discourses, the political and the professional, emerged at a deep level of practice. These discourses express conflicting emotions about teaching and teachers' identity struggles in a context of rapid policy changes. The political discourse is framed around a partisan response to policy changes. The professional discourse focuses on engagement in satisfying educational activities. This study proffers a different conclusion to other studies implying a lack of understanding of practice by policy reformers. It suggests that, while teachers are very aware of policy changes, frequently engaging in a partisan critique thereof, they nevertheless temper that critique with a professional discourse shaped by pedagogical concerns in the local context. This concern with the classroom context enables them to focus their energies on constructing their sense of professional identity that frequently leads them to reinterpret policy initiatives from a local educator's perspective. While the political discourse has trappings of despair, the professional-pedagogical contains glimpses of hope. (Author).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10