The impact of neoliberal educational reforms on teachers

The impact of neoliberal educational reforms on teachers` learning experiences and professionalism Kristi Mets, Tallinn University kristime@tlu. ee Supervisors: Prof. Aino Ugaste and Associate Prof. Inge Timoštšuk In: MSUPS, ISCAR Summer School, on July, 2017

- I`m not psychologist, - first year Ph. D student, - article-based dissertation - Project and the research theme “Teachers' professionality and professionalism in changing context“ http: //www. tlu. ee/en/School-of-Educational-Sciences/Research/Pealkirjata-lehekylg

What? Background of thesis: - Teachers have been identified as key educational participants between different educational stakeholders: policy-makers, colleagues, students (Wong, 2008). - Leonard and Roberts (2014) have discovered a direct link between teachers professional identity and socio-political context, they emphasize the role of teacher experiences during the neoliberal educational reforms, because these experiences reflect (indicate) how teachers think and describe themselves as a teachers. It has been discovered that problems with teacher`s profession are related to social change (Karlsen, 2010). - The problems with teachers are related to social change.

- Neoliberal educational reforms and changes in the society require teachers to teach pupils from various backgrounds, and prepare them to function at a sophisticated level in the society. The changes towards liberal educational system have changed teachers’ identity and teachers have faced new demands to teacher`s profession (Mikk et al, 2008). - The data about teachers refer to problematic areas in education.

- Teacher`s have different learning experiences and historical background, this influences their everyday practices, society needs more infomation about teachers learning experiences to support their professional learning. - Rapid changes in education not only cause frictions in society, but they also influence teachers` learning. For teachers, the possibility to reflect on their own learning experiences gives them more possibilities cope to face changes in their profession. - Analysing the professional learning experiences of teachers during the changes allows to make decisions on the success of reforms and policy changes.

In Estonia (as a Post-Soviet country) the education system experienced a change of ideology, decentralization and pluralization. The majority of inservice teachers in Estonia found themselves working in a different social system. - The majority of Estonian teachers have different form of preparation. - Recent studies about Estonian teachers highlight that movements towards liberal educational system also have changed teachers’ identity (Mikk et al, 2008). - The teacher's role has changed moving away from their former life-profession (Ruus, 2006, 48).

Why? Problem statement - Analyzing the data of the comparative TALIS (Teaching and Learning International Survey, 2013, 2009) Estonian researchers (Loogma et al. , 2010) had to admit that Estonian students had excellent learning results, but great number of Estonian teachers feel dissatisfaction with their profession.

- OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) (OECD 2009) describes Estonian lower secondary teachers as predominantly female, well educated, disciplined, have progressive educational beliefs, are strong in classroom management and keeping students on task, but they are relatively aged, their teaching practices are quite traditional, they have distant relationships with pupils and their job satisfaction and self-efficacy indicators are low.

The planned theses explores, how teachers from different educational level (preschool, school teachers) with different forms of preparation describe, perceive, experience their professional learning experiences since the neoliberal educational reform started from 1990 1995. The aim is to analyse and describe the professional learning experiences of teachers during the neoliberal educational reforms in Estonia.

General research question - How teachers perceive, describe and reflect on their professional learning experiences in the course of neoliberal educational reforms?

Narrow research questions - How do the teachers experience and perceive their professional learning in the context of neoliberal reforms? - How do teachers describe and experience their changes of professionalism in the context of neoliberal reforms?

The theoretical frame

Theorists of situational learning - The physical and social context in which active learning takes place becomes part of learning as it is the context in which actual learning takes place. - Studying in a particular situation and each specific situation is learning. Learning and teaching are related to the context and real situations in which specific learning and development take place. - Changes in society lead to changes in education policies that have an impact on all levels of education, so it is important to study and describe teachers about learning and teaching experiences, since learning itself is a social process (Putnam & Borko, 2000).

- Learning and teaching are strongly related to context and situation (cf. Kostogriz, 2007; Putnam & Borko, 2000). - Changes in society cause conversions in education policy and affect teaching at all educational levels, it gives us a good cause to describe teachers learning and teaching experiences, because learning itself is a social process (Putnam & Borko, 2000).

Vygotski (1934, 1962, 1986) To understand human behavior, the behavior and experience are needed to be examine in a course of development / or as development. Based on sociocultural theory, the general focus is on the individual's learning (higher mental functioning) and the social context of learning (cultural-historical). It does not matter whether learning and teaching take place in a formal, informal context. Social factors have important role on learning and teaching experience. - Mc. Nicholl and Childs based on Vygotskian’s perspective emphasise that there are two different directions, which can be followed studying a teacher’s effective development: individual development or development underpinned by collaboration and collegiality (Mc. Nicholl and Childs, 2010, 57).

Keyterms Neoliberal educational reforms – organizational changes; changes in curricula, competition in the educational landscape, external expectations, demands on the quality of teaching, increased bureaucracy in school leadership, changes teacher's identity. (Hargreaves, 2000; Lai, Lo, 2007; Wong, 2008, Goodson, 2010, 2014) - Previous studies on neoliberal educational reforms and changes about educational decentralization have focused on the macro level, mostly the educational policy educational reforms and changes have been discussed. Views from teachers regarding such policy shift, have seldom been discussed. (Wong, 2008)

Teachers` professionalism and professionalization - According to literature teacher professionalism is a socially constructed concept. (Janhonen, Sirpa 2005; Lai, Lo, 2007; Thomas, Beauchamp, 2011; Ruohotie-Lyhty, 2013)

- Different researches concerning the meaning of teacher professionalism has been conducted since the 1980 s. Teacher professionalism has been divided it into three major dimensions: - dimension of professional knowledge, which refers to the system of knowledge used in teaching and learning. - dimension concerns the teacher’s responsibility and authority over the development of students and their work. - teacher autonomy, which refers to the teacher’s freedom to plan his/her own work. (Lai & Lo, 2007).

- Studying the identity of teachers emphasizes contemporary learning as cooperation and development between partners(Janhonen, Sarja, 2005; Köpsén, 2014). - In teacher education, problematisation is closely linked with the historical (Engeström, 2000) and situational (Wenger, 1998) context of practice. (Janhonen & Sarja, 2005)

In the studies Etienne Wenger`s (1998, 2009) social learning theory is used to describe and analyse teachers` learning experiences. This theory interpreting following aspects of learning: - Meaning making - learning as experiencing: ability to experience one`s life and surrounding world as meaningful; - Practice - learning as doing; - Community - learning as belonging; - Identity - learning as becoming someone.

- According to Wenger (1998), social learning requires the existence of four dimensions: - Community – learning as belonging: belonging to a social community in which our activities are recognised as valuable and competent; - Practice - learning as doing: joint action relying on common (shared) historical and social resources, background systems, and viewpoints; - Meaning - learning as experiencing: an ability to experience one’s life and the surrounding world as meaningful: - Identity - learning as becoming (someone): an understanding of how learning, in the context of the community, affects and moulds us.

How? Sample, participants, data collection - Participants 27 in-service Estonian teachers were interviewed: - preschool teachers, primary teachers, subject teachers; - graduated between 1990 -1995 and started their career as preschool or school teachers in the years 1990 – 1995; - with higher professional education, but they had graduated at different levels (BA or MA) and different curricula. - A qualitative research approach was used: data collection based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews on the concept of social learning was used. - The semi-structured interview method was chosen, as it includes a combination of open and closed questions. - qualitative interview questions based on Wenger`s concept of social learning.

Questions based on Wenger`s concept of social learning 1. Could you describe yourself as a teacher! What kind of teacher are you? 2. Speak about your professional career starting from the graduation of university until now! 3. How are you studying? What have you studied during your career? 4. What does learning mean to you? 5. How have the changes occurring in the society influenced you as a teacher and a student? All these topics were discussed with each teacher and during the interviewees were asked to specify their thoughts by asking from them, for example “Would you explain that more” or “Give me an example ” or “ What do you mean by that word or sentence? ”

Data analysis - Content analysis: interviews were transcribed verbatim. - The interviews were read and re-read. - Material was thoroughly familiarised: - to identify the interesting themes and develop categories according to the components of Wenger’s social theory of learning (1998); - categories from theoretical framework of the study were compared analysed so that the category system could be incorporated into a theory.

Preliminary findings - The results revealed all aspects of social learning. - The teachers from different levels (preschool teachers, primary teachers and subject teachers) perceive differently their professional learning experiences.

Meaning - The interviewees emphasise self-development as the meaning of learning, it is even perceived as compulsion. - - I am learning while teaching the others, learning myself, travelling around the world, from my pupils, parents, from the children I know, while listening to the stories of other schools, how teachers work with children and do, then you do get behind your ears (Interview with class teacher). Learning is the consistent further redevelopment. (interview with the preschool teacher) Learning is active participation. (interview with the preschool teacher) Learning is everything. (interview with the preschool teacher) Actually I don`t notice learning as activity anymore, but it doesn`t mean that I don`t learn anymore. On the contrary, I learn and I learn all the time. (interview with the preschool teacher).

Practice - Teachers overwhelmingly emphasised the significance of studying the components of social learning through educational practice, because all the interviewed teachers named studying through educational activity as their everyday activity. - If you constantly improve and develop yourself, it is the thing I can bring immediately to the classroom and try it out (Interview with class teacher). - I believe that the most effective learning is learning through experience. And those things that I want to get to know, those I actually experience and those do get attached. . . . the more general and theoretical it is, the harder it fixes (Interview with class teacher). - I am learning through experience and very fast and I learn something new every day, so that to progress somehow. And it is actually a very good learning, very practical, very fast (Interview with class teacher).

Community - In terms of community the importance of a stable integrated team and colleagues’ support as an effective factor in staying in teacher’s profession was pointed out. - We have a really fine staff and it has influenced the fact that I have stayed for so many years (Interview with class teacher). - But I had so much to learn from that teacher, who was such an evil teacher and said such bad things to us that I thought that I would not like to be such a teacher myself (Interview with class teacher).

Identity - The interviewees describe identity and role with their long-term professional activity and years of employment. - It is somehow in blood, I have always wanted to become a teacher, my mother was also a teacher (Interview with class teacher)

- In interviews of preschool teachers the meaning of learning occurred the most often and the recognition of professional identity appeared only a few times; - Primary teachers value the learning experiences through practice, in their experiences in the teaching community and the meaning of learning are represented equally significant, professional identity was represented modestly; - For subject teachers learning from practice and the meaning of learning as an experience occurred in some proportion and belonging to the community appears slightly less significant for learning, similar to the other teacher groups, subject teachers don`t acknowledge explicitly professional identity.

- All teachers share the same views and activities in their learning process, they learn from colleagues, from training, the Internet and via subject literature. The teachers are convinced that they learn from any material that relates to learning and teaching. All the teacher groups emphasize the importance of learning through daily work, this development takes place in collaboration with pupils.

Preliminary conclusions - The results indicated that changes in society cause frictions in education, but those changes are not reflected in the different Estonian teachers´ learning experiences as strongly as expected. - The results revealed that there is a tendency to avoid the broader context of learning during educational reforms. - Despite some limits can point on the importance of teachers social learning during neoliberal changes in society. - Without rich qualitative data the results cannot be overgeneralized.

- The outcomes of the study could serve the interest of Estonian educational policymakers (marco level) discovering the impact of educational changes on key persons of education –teachers. - The results can be relevant to preparation of teacher training curriculas (meso level). - Outcomes of the study may be relevant to teachers community, while the also the outcomes of the study enable to explore how learning experiences affect beginning teachers`commitment to the profession and professional identity (mirco level).

Publications - Mets, Kristi; Timoštšuk, Inge; Ugaste, Aino (2015). The Impact of Neoliberal Educational Reforms on Teachers Learning Experiences. In: The European Proceedings of Social & Behavioural Sciences Ep. SBS. Future Academy. 162− 173. - - Mets, Kristi; Ugaste, Aino; Timoštšuk, Inge (2016). The reflection of neoliberal educational change on different teachers` learning experiences. In: INTED 2016 Proceedings: Education and Development Conference Valencia (Spain). 7 th - 9 th of March, 2016. Ed. L. Gómez Chova, A. López Martínez, I. Candel Torres. IATED Academy, 871− 877.

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