Session Information

01 SES 07 A, Teachers of Young Children

Parallel Paper Session

Time:

2012-09-19

17:15-18:45

Room:

FCEE - Aula 2.5

Chair:

Naomi McLeod

Contribution

The main research question addressed in my dissertation is: what kinds of meaning do preschool teachers derive from employer initiated continuing education?

My dissertation has its point of origin in the changes the preschool teacher profession has gone through during the VK's (Venstre and Konservative, parties of government) reign (study period 2001 to 2008). During my research study preschool teachers along with other employees in the public sector have been the subject to what might be called a third phase of modernization (Boltanski & Chiapello 2007, Ejersbo and Greve 2008, Højlund and Knudsen 2008, Jensen 2009). In brief terms, the VK's reign in the preschool field may be characterized by a political transformation from a "daginstitution" (day-care) to a "dagtilbud" (day – service), from semi-profession to welfare profession, and not least from predominantly self-management (education and everyday life based on the local children's lives) to political management (education and everyday life based in the terms of policy objectives and curricula). These changes have resulted in an increased and growing portfolio for the teachers, an increase in participation in local political projects as well as increased demands for participation in required employer initiated continuing education.

Method

The research falls in two parts, one is a discource analysis of the political changes in the preschool field, and the second part is a phenomenological and symbolic interactionism-inspired analysis, based on the empirical data I have generated through my participation in educational processes and interviews with participants and college faculty.

Expected Outcomes

I am presenting how continuing education, despite the political intention of a joint-oriented academic boost and implementation of new knowledge in the field, appears as a delegated and individual education. Through my studies of the participants' constructions of meaning in the educational processes, I hereby present a picture of how a societal project’s management, unfolds itself grammatically and become embedded in the constructions of meaning in the educational process. Along with new public management and its constant focus on political goals and preschool curricula follows an increasing portfolio and demands for continuing education. This form of management challenges the preschool teacher community, because tasks and political goals are being divided between the teachers, whom hereafter individually are being responsible for the final implementation of the political initiated efforts.

References

Beck, Ulrich. (1997). Risikosamfundet. København: Hans Reitzels Forlag. Becker-Schmidt, Regina & Gudrun-Axeli Knapp (1994). Vi har ikke et minut, det er minutterne, der har os. Boltanski, Luc & Eve. Chiapello. (2007). The New Spirit of Capitalism. London: Verso. Boltanski, Luc. (2008) Kritiske handlinger, krav om retfærdiggørelse og bearbejdning af sociale modsætninger. Dansk Sociologi 2/19. s.13-37. Ejersbo, Niels og Carsten Greve (2008). Moderniseringen af den offentlige sektor. Børsens forlag. Fairclough, N. (2001). The Dialectics of Discourse Textus. n.fairclough@lancaster.ac.uk, artikelbase. Fairclough, Norman (1998). Discourse and Social Change. Cambridge. UK: Polity Press Fairclough, Norman (2008). Kritisk diskursanalyse. En tekstsamling. København: Hans Reitzels Forlag. Fangen, Katrine. (2008). Deltagende observasjon. Bergen: Fagbokforlaget Vigmostad & Bjørke A/S. Hjort, Katrin. (2001). Moderniseringen af den offentlige sektor. Roskilde: EVU gruppen, Roskilde Universitetsforlag. Hollway, Wendy & Tony Jefferson. (2000). Doing Qualitative Research Differntly. London: Sage Publications. Pedersen, Dorthe et al. (Red) (2008). Genopfindelsen af den offentlige sektor. Ledelsesudfordringer i reformens tegn. København K: Børsen. Sennett, Richard. (2007). Den ny kapitalismes kultur. Viborg: Forlaget Hovedland.

Author Information

Ida Charlotte Kornerup (presenting / submitting)

UCC

Videreuddannelsen

København N

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