Session Information
11 ONLINE 50 A, Developing teachers' professional competence
Paper Session
MeetingID: 819 2557 7357 Code: m9sSQN
Contribution
1. Research topic/aim
In this paper, the interest is seeking understanding about the role of the teacher in California before and ten years after the introduction of the federal government No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) (2001, 2002). The study explores how teachers perceive own role within an educational policy discourse of external accountability, and where teachers are given discretionary power as professionals guided by internal accountability toward their students (Darling-Hammond, 2006).
Past years constraints of state standards tied to state testing, as well as on institutional structures have resulted in greater demands on schools and teachers. Nevertheless, perspectives from interviews with teachers in California and how they perceive own professional role enable to ask the following research questions:
What views on processes of teaching and student learning are visible by teachers before and after the initiation of the NCLB Act? How do teachers perceive aspects of governing before and after the initiation of the NCLB Act? What views on external and internal accountability can be found in teachers answers in interviews before and after the initiation of the NCLB Act?
The level of micro and the level of macro
Researching teachers in California, a focus on the content of knowledge, and dynamics between the different levels in the system of education is important. Research in pedagogics and classroom studies have past years provided important contributions in understanding aspects of teachers teaching and student learning. However, less attention has been given towards sociological relations of knowledge that schools are part of (Hovdenak, 2011).
At the same time, researchers have directed attention toward education policy looking at this as human capital, efficiency and standardized understanding of quality (Dalland & Bergem, 2010). This makes it necessary to provide research contributing to the relation between micro and what happens in school and the level of macro and what happen in the society schools is part of.
2. Theoretical framework
External and internal accountability
Sociology with Bernstein (1996, 2000) is used contributing toward research on dynamics between the level of micro and macro dividing between a horizontal discourse of knowledge with everyday knowledge- and a vertical discourse of knowledge with knowledge in school. Bernstein shows greater differentiation within explaining the vertical discourse of knowledge comprising performance values and competence values. The vertical discourse shows teachers knowledge base as we find in the subjects. This shows also what values teachers build on in their understanding of actions based on the curriculum and understanding of content in the subjects. Combining the two discourses having a wide view on knowledge in the curriculum is needed for teachers to adjust toward all children level of learning, including all children into the classroom community. Teachers as professionals are guided by practical wisdom and discretionary power with internal accountability toward the students (Darling-Hammond, 2006). Expanding a view on internal accountability, philosophy with Nussbaum (1997, 2010, 2016), show broad areas of knowledge by teachers balancing with mutual dependence between factual knowledge, critical thinking, imaging and empathy. The relational aspect of teachers work becomes crucial. Nevertheless, if too much weight is placed on a vertical discourse and performance values, the relational aspect of teachers’ work may reside leaning towards external accountability (Bernstein, 2000).
Method
Discourse analysis is used exploring relations between professional practice (van Dijk, 1998; Fairclogh, 2003; Gee, 2011), and the wider societal and political practice (Chouliaraki & Fairclough, 1999). Constructions of the social reality is created through language (Winther Jørgensen & Phillips, 2002), seen in how ideas, values and practices are transmitted and developed, (Howarth, 2000), negotiated or resisted. Tension is thus created between discourses contributing to stability and change (Bernstein, 1996, 2000). Data comprises two levels of empirical material. One, policy documents prior to, after, and the NCLB Act. Two, interviews with twelve teachers in California before and after NCLB, circling around four categories: task, demands, competence and change. The sample of twelve teachers illustrates aspects within one teacher.
Expected Outcomes
Preliminary findings indicates that prior to NCLB all teachers have a wide view on knowledge in the curriculum combining a vertical,- and horizontal discourse of knowledge meeting all children needs. Teachers have broad areas of knowledge (Nussbaum, 1997, 2010, 2016) deciding about content, methods and school organization as individuals and colleagues (Bernstein, 2000). Meeting state standards tied to state tests and accountability measures most teachers perceive a tension between external accountability and internal accountability nevertheless with great weight on the discretionary power seeking the relational aspect of knowledge (Pollard et.al., 1994). After NCLB greater weight is placed on performance values within the vertical discourse of knowledge and teachers directed by improving test results leaning toward external accountability and less possibility of internal accountability, however, not without negotiation and resistance.
References
Bernstein, B. (1996). Pedagogy, symbolic control and identity: Theory, research, critique. London: Taylor and Francis. Bernstein, B. (2000). Pedagogy, Symbolic Control and Identity: Theory, Research, Critique. Revised Edition. Oxford: Rowman and Littlefield. Chouliaraki, L. & Fairclough, N. (1999). Discourse in Late Modernity: Rethinking Critical Discourse Analysis. Edinburgh: Edinburg University Press. Dalland, C.P. & Bergem, O.K. (2010). Work schedules, goals and assessment, what do we do? (Translated from Norwegian, Arbeidsplaner, læringsmål og vurdering. Hva gjør vi?). Oslo: Universitetsforlaget. Darling-Hammond, L. (2006). Constructing 21st-century teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 57(3), p. 300-314. Fairclough, N. (2003). Analysing Discourse: Textual Analysis for Social Research. London: Routledge. Gee, J.P. (2011). An Introduction to Discourse Analysis: Theory and Method. London: Routledge. Hovdenak, S.S. (2011) Educationalsociology, from Theory to School Practice. (Translated from Norwegian, Utdanningssosiologi fra teori til praksis i skolen). Trondheim: Tapir Akademisk Forlag. Howarth, D. (2000). Discourse. Buckingham: Open University Press. Nussbaum, M. (1997). Cultivating humanity: A classical defense of reform in liberal education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Nussbaum, M. (2010). Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. Nussbaum, M. (2016). Litteraturens etikk. Oslo: Pax Forlag. No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, P.L. 107-110, 20 U.S.C No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, In U.S. Department of Education. Introduction: No Child Left Behind. Retrieved January 30, 2022 from https://www2.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/index.html Pollard, A., Broadfoot, P., Croll, P., Osborn, M. & Abbott, D. (1994). Changing English Primary School? London: Casell. Van Dijk, T. (1998). Ideology: A multidisciplinary approach. London: Sage Publications. Winther Jørgensen, M. & Phillips, L. (2002). Discourse analysis as theory and method. London: Sage Publications.
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