The Cultural Context of Teachers’ Work: Policy, Practice and Performance

Abstract

This chapter argues that while similar educational policies are being enacted in many countries in response to global pressures, the impact of these policies on the actors involved may vary considerably as a result of the particular cultural context within which they are situated. Thus, a policy which may be global in origin may be mediated by national educational cultures, as well as cultures at school and teacher level, resulting in very different interpretations and responses. Both structure and agency interact to produce new interpretations of teachers' work in different cultural settings and it is particularly important not to underplay the role played by teachers' beliefs and values in interpreting, accommodating or resisting state policy. In making this case, the chapter reviews comparative findings on teachers' work, drawing particularly upon a programme of explicitly comparative research which has examined the impact of national policy change on teachers' work and professional identity in several European countries.