In search of the re-made teacher; 'master or marionette'?

Abstract

This research concerns Secondary Schools. It is pertinent to students and tutors involved in the Postgraduate Certificate of Education, staff delivering induction programmes to Newly Qualified Teachers, all Secondary School teachers and those in government responsible for policy making in education. The investigation is a case study of the first two years in post of ten Newly Qualified Teachers in a comprehensive school. It analyses their induction programme and interrogates their views on the purpose of education, the measurement of their effectiveness and their sense of professional identity in terms of power, resistance, autonomy and self-definition. The research was undertaken because of profound changes taking place in education policies which are ultimately due to global, market-driven priorities. These priorities have changed the goals of education and hence affected the teacher's role. This "re-made' teacher is formed by policies which some believe undermine autonomous, active practice. The outcomes show discrepancies between the participant teachers' motivations and those of the government, a significant lack of clarity about their professional identity, contradictions in their acceptance of audit and wide variety in their definition of autonomous action. The results suggest that the changes in education policy have formed a new definition of the teacher's role and affected autonomy. There are indications that, in teacher training, induction and throughout the teacher's career, there should be opportunities for teachers to consider and constructively question their role in order to formulate their own interpretation of government requirements and the interpretation of their own beliefs in practice. Aspects of the theories that underpin the research design, namely Critical Theory and Interpretivism, are suggested as beneficial to beginning teachers in the formulation of their professional identity. The key benefit of this research is the recommendation to give teachers a greater voice in the creation of their own professionalism and to suggest future comparative research projects.

A thesis submitted for the Degree of EdD (Doctorate in Education), 2006, Keele University, UK.

Date of Award	4 Oct 2006
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Keele University
Supervisor	Ken Jones (Supervisor)