Ideological disempowerment as an effect of neoliberalism on teachers

Abstract

In works based on deprofessionalisation/proletarianisation theory, teachers are described by researchers as technically disempowered because of the entry of neoliberalism into the institutional environment of education. Technically disempowered teachers suffer not only from work stress but also from other kinds of negative emotional experiences. This article contributes to deprofessionalisation/proletarianisation theory by introducing the concept of ideological disempowerment to explain why teachers complain that they are overloaded by ‘non-instructional work’ that is instructional in nature. It shows that the inability of teachers to identify the instructional meanings of ‘non-instructional work’ stems from neoliberalism’s tendency to ideologically value the managerial purposes of teachers’ work over its instructional purposes. This leads teachers to break away from ‘non-instructional work’ and devote themselves only to work that appears to be directly related to teaching. Accordingly, ideologically disempowered teachers may have a narrowed concept of teaching, resulting in them being discouraged from performing various tasks that are likely to be conducive to the whole-person growth of students. By explaining neoliberalism in both technical and ideological terms, this article advances deprofessionalisation/proletarianisation theory and contributes to a better understanding of the process of teacher disempowerment that results from neoliberalism.

The Construction and Sustainability of Teachers’ Positive Emotions toward STEM Educational Work

“…In this sense, the STEM teachers may interpret the cases of students' growth as the results of their efforts exerted on the STEM educational work leading to a sense of achievement or positive self-concept that arouse intense positive emotions. However, the literature has suggested that teachers find it difficult to sustain positive emotions in the context of educational accountability because such accountability may intensify administrative work, leading teachers to devalue the educational values of their work and displace them with administrative values, resulting in difficulties for teachers in understanding the meaning of their work [17,18,21,[59][60][61][62][63]. Although the findings implied that teachers must manage a heavy administrative workload for STEM educational work for accountability purposes, they still feel positive about the work.…”

Am I audible? Teacher’s alienation with online teaching

“…Due to pro-performative reforms, teachers experience tensions in their professional life consequently causing a sense of estrangement (Meng, 2009). Neoliberalism encourages rational choice, ultra-individualism and competition, therefore deemphasizing the role of emotions and care in the process of teaching (Tsang and Qin, 2020). Through a qualitative engagement with school teachers, it was found that top-down leadership regimes are the main cause of alienation (Brooks et al, 2008).…”

“…For example, some teachers experienced alienation due to excessive non-teaching work which lacks an educational and creative value forced on them in the institution ( Tsang, 2016 ). Another source of alienation lies in the inability of teachers to find meaningful pedagogical value in “non-instructional work” implicated due to neoliberalism by encouraging a non-pedagogical role of teachers ( Tsang and Qin, 2020 ). Levinsson, Norlund and Beach (2020) , argue that neoliberalism has turned pedagogical actors into “Alignment Slaves” and “Audit Puppets,” which reflect existential displeasure experienced by the teachers.…”

The Heist: Neoliberal Education and the Theft of Time

“…Teachers as laborers are subjected to a heist of their professional time and judgement. Under neoliberalism, ideologically disempowered teachers hold a narrow concept of learning in which extreme standardization and accountability measures discourage them from prioritizing the whole-person growth of students (Pinto, 2015;Tsang & Qin, 2020). Deliverology imposes external accountability on teachers' work, contributing to deprofessionalization and disempowerment.…”