Teachers' emotions in the context of education reform: Labor process theory and social constructionism

Teachers' emotions in the context of education reform: Labor process theory and social constructionism

• Tsang, Kwok Kuen Caritas Institute of Higher Education, Hong Kong
• Kwong, Tsun Lok Hong Kong Institute of Technology

British Journal of Sociology of Education, 38(6), 841-855, 2017

Routledge

2017

• M Teachers & Education for Teachers
  • ME Teachers' Responsibility, Professionalism & Discipline
• M Teachers & Education for Teachers
  • MF Characteristics & Conditions of Educational Workers
• M Teachers & Education for Teachers
  • MG Identities, Attitudes & Opinion of Educational Workers
• R Educational Policy & Administration
  • RG Education Reforms

Educational Change Aims & Objectives of Education Education & Society Labor Process Social Constructionism Goal Displacement Labor Process Theory Purpose of Teaching Teacher Emotions

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Unknown or Unspecified

In recent years, many teachers suffered different kinds of negative emotions in the context of education reforms. A typical explanation was that the education reforms disempowered teachers in teaching, so teachers were forced to do much non-instructional work. Teachers considered their work meaningless but were powerless to change it, and eventually indulged themselves in negative emotions. However, the present research suggested that this explanation had neglected teacher agency and might be incomplete. Arguing from the perspective of social constructionism, the research showed that teachers in Hong Kong experienced negative emotions in education reforms because, on top of the disempowerment, the reforms structurally displaced teachers' educational goals with administrative goals. The goal displacement impeded teachers' evaluation of the instructional values of their work. Thus, teachers perceived their work as inconsistent with their major purpose of teaching (i.e. making a difference) and they felt negative towards work.
[Copyright of British Journal of Sociology of Education is the property of Routledge.]

• English

Journal Articles

• 01425692

• 10.1080/01425692.2016.1182007

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/en/bibs/31e1a46b

2018-06-14