Teachers' work in times of restructuring: On contextual influences for collegiality and professionality

Abstract: The research in this thesis is situated in the intersection of teachers’ work and contexts of education. It departs from an interest in contextual influences on teachers’ work and professionality under restructuring. It is to be understood as a criticism of a widespread focus, sometimes met in research and in policy, on teachers as individuals and a simplification of teachers’ work. It also departs from a questioning of representations: who has the right to problematize teachers’ work and on what basis? I explore how teachers deal as agents with changes in governance in an era of educational restructuring in order to gain knowledge about influences on teachers’ work and professionality. More specifically, the analyses show how teachers’ work is enabled or constrained by external models of governance. The thesis consists of three sub-studies, involving responses to governance, in terms of organizational structures and expectations in different contexts of education. Theory of institutional logics provides me with a contextually sensitive profession theory that deals with influences on governing work. The intention is that by studying teacher responses to educational governance in different contexts of education through theories of institutional logics the emergent characteristics of teachers’ work and professionality under restructuring can be identified and commented on. I align with research on contemporary education policy and the teaching profession and explore influences on teachers’ work under restructuring with contradictory professional expectations. Thus, in the three articles, the focus is not on the governing or educational system as such but on contextual influences on responses to organizational structures and expectations. There is rather a broad conceptual framing of governing in regard to educational restructuring in terms of marketization, privatization, governing by results and new public management.