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The Reluctant Change Agent : Change, Chance and Choice among Teachers, Educational Change in the City

Berg, Pernille LU (2011) In Lund Dissertations in Sociology 94.
Abstract
This dissertation critically analyses the discourse on educational change. By placing educational change in

the context of globalisation and innovation the author argues that the current discourse on educational

change is un-nuanced and omits the important perspectives on change.

The author has analysed an educational district in Sweden and one of its projects on competence

development, named 'Striving for Action Teachers' in the dissertation. The project has involved 75 teachers

and both pre-school, primary, secondary and special ed. schools.

By interviewing some of the participating teachers and analysing their reflections on the competence

development programme the author is... (More)
This dissertation critically analyses the discourse on educational change. By placing educational change in

the context of globalisation and innovation the author argues that the current discourse on educational

change is un-nuanced and omits the important perspectives on change.

The author has analysed an educational district in Sweden and one of its projects on competence

development, named 'Striving for Action Teachers' in the dissertation. The project has involved 75 teachers

and both pre-school, primary, secondary and special ed. schools.

By interviewing some of the participating teachers and analysing their reflections on the competence

development programme the author is able to develop four different types of categories of teachers and

their perception on change and teaching. The four categories consist of the change agent, the reformer, the

passionate pioneer and the dedicated teachers. These four different types of teachers are placed in the

spectrum of top-down initiatives and focus areas encompassing teaching to the school as an educational

organisation.

By providing this research the author is thus able to elaborate on the research regarding educational change.

By analysing the proposed four categories the author critically assesses the way in which top-down change

initiatives may fallaciously assume that change can be brought about. The author presents different

explanations to why change initiatives may be rejected and argues that when change is represented in a

physical manifestation in one teacher supposed to be the vector of change, the teachers expected to assume

this role of change end up rejecting this responsibility.

In critically discussing the research on educational change and innovation the author situates the discourse

on educational change in the growing research and discourse on innovation, especially public and social

innovation. The author addresses similar concern when it pertains to innovation as previously purported in

relation to educational change. The discussion illustrates the problematic tendency that the ambiguity

inhibiting these debates leads to obfuscation. This obfuscation manifests itself in the way in which

educational organisations address and respond to these demands.

With the four categories of teachers the author argues for a further debate and nuanced perspective on

innovation and educational change in order to continuously ascertain and critically assess the why’s, the

who’s and the how’s behind each innovation and change.

The dissertation is based in a cross-disciplinary field of theories: innovation, globalisation, sociology of

education and organisational theories. Methodologically the dissertation is based within qualitative

methods: observations, interviews and written materials. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Popular Abstract in Danish

Med udgangspunkt i et kompetenceudviklingsprojekt for lærere i en svensk kommune

adresserer denne afhandling de stigende krav til forandring og innovation,

der karakteriserer den offentlige sektor generelt. Ved at følge kompetenceudviklingsprojektet

gennem en fire-årig periode sættes projektet i en kontekst af innovation,

globalisering og forandring.

Forfatteren argumenterer, at dele af den nuværende diskurs omkring forandring

inden for uddannelsessektoren er for unuanceret og herved undlader at adressere

nogle af de vigtige aspekter vedr. forandring. Forfatteren har ved at følge nogle af de

75 lærere, der har deltaget i... (More)
Popular Abstract in Danish

Med udgangspunkt i et kompetenceudviklingsprojekt for lærere i en svensk kommune

adresserer denne afhandling de stigende krav til forandring og innovation,

der karakteriserer den offentlige sektor generelt. Ved at følge kompetenceudviklingsprojektet

gennem en fire-årig periode sættes projektet i en kontekst af innovation,

globalisering og forandring.

Forfatteren argumenterer, at dele af den nuværende diskurs omkring forandring

inden for uddannelsessektoren er for unuanceret og herved undlader at adressere

nogle af de vigtige aspekter vedr. forandring. Forfatteren har ved at følge nogle af de

75 lærere, der har deltaget i kompetenceudviklingsprojektet, identificeret fire typer

af lærere og disses forhold til forandring. Disse fire typer omfatter forandringsagenten,

reformisten, ildsjælen og den dedikerede lærer. Disse fire typer er efterfølgende

placeret i et forandringsspektrum, hvor deres positioner ift. ovenfra initierede forandringstiltag

og skoleudviklingsområder er skitseret.

Ved at have udarbejdet denne research og denne kategorisering er det muligt for

forfatteren at elaborere og kritisere den allerede foreliggende research omhandlende

forandring af skole og uddannelse. Forfatteren tydeliggør hvorledes ovenfra initierede

forandringstiltag baseres på en fejlagtig formodning om hvorledes forandring

forankres og implementeres. Det er herved muligt for forfatteren at præsentere flere

forklaringer på hvorledes og hvorfor forandring kan møde modstand. Forfatteren

går så vidt at argumentere, at når forandringen manifesterer sig i en fysisk repræsentation

af enkelt individer, som formodes at være forandringskraften, forkastes denne

forandring af bærende udførere af forandringen. Den fysiske manifestation bliver

omdrejningspunktet for de mange faktorer og variabler, der influerer og betinger en

forandringsproces, og for den enkelte lærer er dette ikke nødvendigvis attråværdigt.

Med denne analyse kritiseres forandringsdiskursen og forfatteren argumenterer, at

det er nødvendigt at situere forandringsdiskursen i forhold til innovationsdiskursen,

da begreberne ‘forandring’ og ‘innovation’ anvendes tvetydigt af nogle forskere.

Ligeledes argumenterer forfatteren, at innovation som begreb og diskurs er stigende

i et sådant omfang, at det løbende udvides og nuanceres, og derfor et fænomen, man

som institution skal forholde sig til. Det er dog yderligere forfatterens argument, at

innovationsdebatten vil beriges af at inddrage den indsigt, som de fire lærerkategorier

vedr. forandring, har bibragt. Herved skabes der en erkendelse og forståelse af,

at den metastrukturelle forandring manifesteret i én fysisk repræsentation, ‘forandringsagenten’,

er at skabe en kampplads for forandringsprocessen, som ikke er realistisk,

strategisk klogt eller etisk forsvarligt. Forfatteren argumenterer hermed for en

vedvarende kritisk analyse af de bagvedliggende årsager til forandring og innovation

og kontinuerligt at spørge: hvorfor denne forandring og innovation, for hvem denne

forandring og innovation og hvordan denne forandring og innovation?

Afhandlingen er baseret på flere teoretiske discipliner, innovation, uddannelsessociologi,

organisationssociologi og globaliseringssociologi. Denne tværdisciplinære

tilgang er forårsaget af erkendelsen af, at en kritisk analyse af begreberne forandring

og innovation i konteksten af kompetenceudviklingsprojektet fordrer en tværdisciplinær

tilgang. Forfatteren identificerer anomalier, som ikke umiddelbart lader sig

forklare inden for én tilgang. Der argumenteres løbende i afhandlingen for hvilke

teorier, der kan berige analysen med ny og kritisk indsigt. Metodisk er afhandlingen

kvalitativ, og gennem fire år har forfatteren både observeret, interviewet og skrevet

sammen med de deltagende lærere. Herudover har forfatteren med udgangspunkt i

refleksive tekster samt offentlige tekster tilgængelige på hjemmeside og i foldere foretaget

analyser af de holdninger og begreber, som lærerne udvikler og forholder sig til

gennem projektet.

Med afhandlingen bibringer forfatteren kvalitativ data og heraf udarbejdede kategorier

vedr. forandring til en innovationsdiskurs, der i stigende grad er med til at

sætte dagsordenen for uddannelsespolitik og forandringskrav i flere lande. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
supervisor
opponent
  • Professor Denvall, Verner, Linnéuniversitetet och Socialhögskolan, Lunds Universitet
organization
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Educational change, innovation, globalisation, change agent, competence development, drivers of change, sociological study and qualitative reserach methods.
in
Lund Dissertations in Sociology
volume
94
pages
196 pages
publisher
Lund University
defense location
Kulturens Auditorium, Tegnérsplatsen, Lund
defense date
2011-06-01 10:15:00
ISSN
1102-4712
ISBN
91-7267-331-1
project
"Studie av masterutbildning i aktionslärande", finansiär: forskningstemat "Skolans arbetsliv" inom Arbetslivsinstitutet.
Berg, Pernille (2011). The reluctant change agent: change, chance and choice among teachers educational change in the City. Diss. Lund: Lunds universitet.
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
2085b76d-cfa9-4c9d-9855-f9083a8efb85 (old id 1940138)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 14:27:48
date last changed
2021-12-20 15:00:59
@phdthesis{2085b76d-cfa9-4c9d-9855-f9083a8efb85,
  abstract     = {{This dissertation critically analyses the discourse on educational change. By placing educational change in<br/><br>
the context of globalisation and innovation the author argues that the current discourse on educational<br/><br>
change is un-nuanced and omits the important perspectives on change.<br/><br>
The author has analysed an educational district in Sweden and one of its projects on competence<br/><br>
development, named 'Striving for Action Teachers' in the dissertation. The project has involved 75 teachers<br/><br>
and both pre-school, primary, secondary and special ed. schools.<br/><br>
By interviewing some of the participating teachers and analysing their reflections on the competence<br/><br>
development programme the author is able to develop four different types of categories of teachers and<br/><br>
their perception on change and teaching. The four categories consist of the change agent, the reformer, the<br/><br>
passionate pioneer and the dedicated teachers. These four different types of teachers are placed in the<br/><br>
spectrum of top-down initiatives and focus areas encompassing teaching to the school as an educational<br/><br>
organisation.<br/><br>
By providing this research the author is thus able to elaborate on the research regarding educational change.<br/><br>
By analysing the proposed four categories the author critically assesses the way in which top-down change<br/><br>
initiatives may fallaciously assume that change can be brought about. The author presents different<br/><br>
explanations to why change initiatives may be rejected and argues that when change is represented in a<br/><br>
physical manifestation in one teacher supposed to be the vector of change, the teachers expected to assume<br/><br>
this role of change end up rejecting this responsibility.<br/><br>
In critically discussing the research on educational change and innovation the author situates the discourse<br/><br>
on educational change in the growing research and discourse on innovation, especially public and social<br/><br>
innovation. The author addresses similar concern when it pertains to innovation as previously purported in<br/><br>
relation to educational change. The discussion illustrates the problematic tendency that the ambiguity<br/><br>
inhibiting these debates leads to obfuscation. This obfuscation manifests itself in the way in which<br/><br>
educational organisations address and respond to these demands.<br/><br>
With the four categories of teachers the author argues for a further debate and nuanced perspective on<br/><br>
innovation and educational change in order to continuously ascertain and critically assess the why’s, the<br/><br>
who’s and the how’s behind each innovation and change.<br/><br>
The dissertation is based in a cross-disciplinary field of theories: innovation, globalisation, sociology of<br/><br>
education and organisational theories. Methodologically the dissertation is based within qualitative<br/><br>
methods: observations, interviews and written materials.}},
  author       = {{Berg, Pernille}},
  isbn         = {{91-7267-331-1}},
  issn         = {{1102-4712}},
  keywords     = {{Educational change; innovation; globalisation; change agent; competence development; drivers of change; sociological study and qualitative reserach methods.}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Lund University}},
  school       = {{Lund University}},
  series       = {{Lund Dissertations in Sociology}},
  title        = {{The Reluctant Change Agent : Change, Chance and Choice among Teachers, Educational Change in the City}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/3992633/1940139.pdf}},
  volume       = {{94}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}