Who’s on first Teacher professionalism in the wake of the förstelärare-reform

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this thesis is to straighten out the question mark of the ambition of professionalism which is present in the first teacher reform’s background work. But the concept of professionalization is not without controversy, over time a new definition of professionalism has come into use, the so called organisational professionalism could influence the notion of professionalism in the background work and also in the whole reforms implementation. With that in mind the research question is set as: With the reforms outspoken ambition to further teacher professionalism in mind, what underpinnings of professionalism are present in the reform and is it of occupational or organizational nature?

Theory: Critical discourse analysis provides the theory to study the reform and how it is developed. A theoretical frame based on profession theory, taken into account such concepts as division of labour, boundary work, teacher reconstruction, organizational professionalism and occupational professionalism, is used as reference in constituting the social practice.

Method: Critical discourse analysis also provides the method to study the reform and how it is developed. The reforms intention is analysed primarily through its two major texts The Memorandum and The Proposition. How the reform is constituted in the practice is analysed through interviewing three head teachers at different schools in three Swedish municipalities.

Results: When comparing what discourse the text establishes and the outcome in the practice we find that it is fairly consistent in pointing out an ambition to administer an organizational professionalism as the professionalism of choice in pursuing the objective to increase teacher professionalism. There are traces of occupational professionalism, but they are all present in the practice and as part of specific school activities of differencing magnitude decided by the school themselves. Throughout the analysed texts underpinnings indicate the markers of organizational professionalism as well as there is boundary works preventing the teachers to evolve into occupational professionalism. Division of labour is mostly focused on bureaucratic and to some extent free competition as well as, in line with the comment above, some traces of occupational in the practice.