A discourse analysis of teacher professionalism in England since the 1980s

摘要

Teacher professionalism is a concept with a contentious history. In the midst of widerudresearch debates concerning professionalism, however, less attention has been paid toudthe processes in which professionalism is discursively constructed. This thesis attemptsudto explore the conflicting notions of de/re-professionalisation and is mainly about theudinvestigation and identification of the recurring and salient discourses of teacherudprofessionalism in England since the 1980s. By addressing the changing power relationsudbetween teachers and the state, this thesis aims to examine closely the ways in whichudcontemporary teachers have been made and remade via education policy centred onuddiscourses of professionalism. This is done by examining policy and practices of bothudteacher education and school management. Through a discourse analysis of policyuddocuments and data from 18 interviews this thesis argues that a new sense ofudperformative professionalism in England has been produced via a neoliberal educationudpolicy that rests on the discourses of practicality, standards and management. Audpractical-based mode of teacher formation, standards-driven policies and systems ofudmanagerial control in schools work together interdiscursively and produce new ways ofudbeing professional.udSpecifically, the 'making up' of new teachers with particular performative dispositionsudand sensibilities is facilitated by an interplay of heterogeneous powers, which involvesudassembling different forms of power — sovereign power, disciplinary power andudgovernmentality in complex and subtle ways. 'New' teachers are technical expertsudoperating within a delimited space of autonomy and expected to follow directives;udconcurrently, they are framed as having 'freedom' and made 'responsible' for performance outcomes. Teachers are disciplined and empowered simultaneously withinudthis dual transformative process. Moreover, professionalism is a discursive technology,udwhich turns teachers into agents of governmentality who produce the human capitaludneeded by the economy and serve the interests of capital. Teachers are made docile andudproductive at the same time.