The Reluctant Change Agent : Change, Chance and Choice among Teachers, Educational Change in the City
(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:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1940138
- author
- Berg, Pernille LU
- supervisor
- opponent
-
- Professor Denvall, Verner, Linnéuniversitetet och Socialhögskolan, Lunds Universitet
- organization
- publishing date
- 2011
- 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}}, }