Teacher professional identity: competing discourses, competing outcomes

TLDR

The study examines how Australian teachers’ professional identity is shaped amid major policy shifts and educational restructuring, highlighting emerging democratic professionalism from the profession and managerialist professionalism reinforced by authorities’ accountability-focused policies. The paper investigates the types of professional identity that arise from democratic and managerial discourses. The study identifies democratic and managerial discourses that produce entrepreneurial and activist professional identities, noting that teachers may shift between these identities over time and context.

Abstract

Abstract This paper focuses on issues of the professional identity of teachers in Australia under conditions of significant change in government policy and educational restructuring. Two discourses, democratic and managerial professionalism are identified which are shaping the professional identity of teachers. Democratic professionalism is emerging from the profession itself while managerialist professionalism is being reinforced by employing authorities through their policies on teacher professional development with their emphasis on accountability and effectiveness. The second part of the paper examines the types of professional identity emerging from these discourses. The two identities identified are the entrepreneurial and the activist identity. While these identities are not fixed, nevertheless at various times and in various contexts teachers may move between these two professional identities.