The rhetoric of conscience and teachers’ resistance in an era of accountability: a Macao study

Abstract

2015),"Urban governance and social sustainability: Effects of urban renewal policies in Hong Kong and Macao", Asian Education and Development Studies, Vol. 4 Iss 3 pp. 330-342 http:// dx.If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to explore and explain the role of the traditional Chinese rhetoric of "conscience" in teachers' resistance against the drive for accountability that oppresses them. Design/methodology/approach -This paper first introduces increased accountability in the context of Macao and describes its impact on teachers. Following this, it presents a post-structuralist theory of teachers' resistance as an analytical framework. A case study was conducted to illuminate how teachers employ the rhetoric of conscience to respond to the challenges raised by the prevalence of accountability.Findings -This paper argues that the rhetoric of conscience, as the traditional paradigm, provides new insight for teachers to live a life that is different from the normality that is defined by the discourse introduced by accountability. Originality/value -This paper sheds light on the role of the traditional Chinese rhetoric of conscience in teachers' resistance in an era of accountability. In teachers' lived experiences, the rhetoric of conscience intersects with the dominating notion of accountability and this contributes to a transitional discursive space where teachers' resistance emerges as they negotiate or struggle with the entangled discourses.

Teaching as affective labour in a datafied world: a scoping review of the relationship between performance-based accountability and teachers’ emotions

“…As socialization processes differ according to contextual features, individual background and characteristics, future research might want to devote more attention to how teachers' social origins and class backgrounds influence the way they experience emotions under PBA regimes. Emerging research exploring the influence of cultural values on teaching emotional rules and emotional experiences related to PBA (Chandran, 2021;Huang & Vong, 2015;Mooney et al, 2020;Steinberg, 2013;Zhang & Tsang, 2021) constitutes another promising avenue that should be continued by further research in different contexts.…”

“…Some of these studies show how teachers can mobilize emotions as a way to deal with the pressures and tensions coming from PBA reforms. For example, in the Chinese context, Huang and Vong (2015) show how positive emotions linked to Confucian philosophy are mobilized by teachers as a resistance strategy against PBA pressures. In the Irish context, Murphy et al (2020) detect the potential to construct alternative conceptions to those embedded within PBA systems, by being reflexive and aware of the tensions experienced and by taking «an active role in tability and teachers' emotions Foro de Educación, v. 20, n. 2, julio-diciembre / july-december 2022, pp.…”

“…Cultural and societal values have been also found to play an important role in influencing teachers' emotional experiences of accountability reforms (Chandran, 2021;Huang & Vong, 2015;Mooney et al, 2020;Steinberg, 2013;Zhang & Tsang, 2021). A review of Ireland's official policy documents highlights, for instance, how a traditionally Catholic culture-which emphasizes morality and consensus to norms and standards-shapes teachers' subjectivities in the direction of technocracy, thereby reducing their creativity, pleasure and autonomous judgement (Mooney et al, 2020).…”

“…A review of Ireland's official policy documents highlights, for instance, how a traditionally Catholic culture-which emphasizes morality and consensus to norms and standards-shapes teachers' subjectivities in the direction of technocracy, thereby reducing their creativity, pleasure and autonomous judgement (Mooney et al, 2020). Other examples are located in the Chinese context, where the traditional Confucian philosophy-associated with moral knowledge, harmony and appropriate behaviours-seems to influence the way teachers manage their emotions under PBA by generating spaces of empowerment (Huang & Vong, 2015) or leading to more rational knowledge and comprehensive understandings (Zhang & Tsang, 2021).…”