'Bowing from the heart': an investigation into discourses of professionalism and the work of caring for students in further education
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Robson, Jocelyn and Bailey, Bill (2009) 'Bowing from the heart': an investigation into discourses of professionalism and the work of caring for students in further education. British Educational Research Journal, 35 (1). pp. 99-117. ISSN 0141-1926 (doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/01411920802041731)
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Since their incorporation in 1993, further education (FE) colleges in England have been responsible for their own staffing and, faced with funding constraints as well as recruitment and retention targets, some have introduced a new category of staff referred to here as 'learning support workers' (LSWs). Though their employment conditions and specific duties vary considerably, LSWs' work often includes providing individual care for students. In this small-scale study, using semi-structured interviews, the perceptions of some teachers and LSWs about the nature of their relationships with each other and with students are investigated. The study is set broadly in the context of debates about the impact of public sector reform on FE colleges and teachers. A discourse analysis approach is adopted in discussion of the data. The authors conclude that although they are differently positioned in relation to traditional discourses of professionalism, both teachers and LSWs are perceived to be carrying out what Hochschild termed 'emotional labour'. The contradictory nature of emotional labour is also highlighted. Some of the implications of employing a new group of workers in FE are discussed.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | teacher role, adult education, discourse analysis, public sector, higher education, interviews, teacher student relationship, employment, vocational education |
| Subjects: | L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education |
| Pre-2014 Departments: | School of Education School of Education > Department of Professional Learning & Development |
| Related URLs: | |
| Last Modified: | 07 Feb 2020 15:36 |
| URI: | http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/1885 |
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