Thesis

An exploration of how teachers in Scotland enact professional standards and the influence of teacher professionalism

Creator
Rights statement
Awarding institution
  • University of Strathclyde
Date of award
  • 2023
Thesis identifier
  • T16627
Person Identifier (Local)
  • 201793912
Qualification Level
Qualification Name
Department, School or Faculty
Abstract
  • There is a plethora of literature that discusses Professional Standards, however, there is a lack of empirical research about the impact of the enactment of Professional Standards. The aim of this research is to add to this literature, as it investigates how teachers in Scotland enact Professional Standards as policy. In this research, I adopted a multi-perspective research approach (Kincheloe, 2011) and adapted and combined theoretical frameworks, rather than accepting a pre-existing framework that did not fully fit with my research. This involved critical analysis of policy and Positioning Theory, drawing on the work of Adams (2011, 2016), Bamberg (2014) and Davies & Harré, (1990), interrogating literature on Professional Standards and teacher professionalism through Evetts (2013) lens of organisational and occupational professionalism and using Ball’s (1994, 1997, 2008) Theory of Enactment. This was supported through data collection from semi-structured interviews to gather the voices of Scottish teachers about their enactment of Professional Standards. Professional Standards promote a particular view of teachers, teaching and teacher professionalism. Their multiple purposes are not widely acknowledged, and the policy discourse offers various positions within the macro, meso, micro and nano levels of policy enactment. Teacher professionalism, school leaders and context have an important role toplay in determining how, or whether teachers enact Professional Standards. I have offered a new contribution to knowledge about the enactment of policy, which considers policy discourse and the influence of Positioning Theory, and teacher professionalism to show how this creates a multitude of outcomes in practice. Finally, I suggest further research that would be insightful to support further knowledge development about the enactment of policy and Professional Standards.
Advisor / supervisor
  • Adams, Paul, 1969-
Resource Type
DOI
Date Created
  • 2022

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