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‘Nothing will prevent me from doing a good job’. The professionalisation of part-time teaching staff in further and adult education

‘Nothing will prevent me from doing a good job’. The professionalisation of part-time teaching staff in further and adult education

Jameson, Jill ORCID: 0000-0002-9545-8078 and Hillier, Yvonne (2008) ‘Nothing will prevent me from doing a good job’. The professionalisation of part-time teaching staff in further and adult education. Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 13 (1). pp. 39-53. ISSN 1359-6748 (Print), 1747-5112 (Online) (doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/13596740801903521)

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Abstract

Approximately 85,000 part-time teaching staff working in further education (FE) and adult and community learning (ACL) are often seen as ‘a problem’. The intrinsic ‘part-timeness’ of these staff tends to marginalise them: they remain under-recognised and largely unsupported. Yet this picture is over-simplified. This article examines how part-time staff make creative use of professional autonomy and agency to mitigate problematic ‘casual employment’ conditions, reporting on results from Learning and Skills Development Agency-sponsored research (2002–2006) with 700 part-time staff in the learning and skills sector. The question of agency was reported as a key factor in part-time employment. Change is necessary for the professional agency of part-timers to be harnessed as the sector responds to ambitious sectoral ‘improvement’ agendas following the Foster Report and FE White Paper. Enhanced professionalisation for part-time staff needs greater recognition and inclusion in change agendas.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: [1] First published online: 20 May 2008. [2] Published in print: March 2008. [3] Published as: Research in Post-Compulsory Education, (2008), Vol. 13 (1), pp. 39-53. [4] Research in Post-Compulsory Education is sponsored by the Further Education Research Association (FERA).
Uncontrolled Keywords: professionalism, part-time staff employment, professional autonomy and agency, FE and adult community learning, learning and skills sector, part-timeness
Subjects: L Education > LB Theory and practice of education
L Education > LC Special aspects of education > LC5201 Education extension. Adult education. Continuing education
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group: Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences
Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > School of Education (EDU)
Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development > Centre for Professional Workforce Development
Related URLs:
Last Modified: 17 Jan 2022 16:18
URI: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/2849

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